Do WR's with Suspect Hands ever Become Great?

[Loyal]

This idea comes from a different thread and I thought that it deserved its own thread. Think of rookies Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Flipper Anderson, and Henry Ellard. These guys had great hands from the get-go. They were also great route runners, if memory serves. This is why it seems that most of the guys from last year are fools gold to me. People are hyping Thomas right now and Tavon is being relied on to be this great "go" receiver. Tavon is a great gadget guy who can take over a game...but at other times, he's swallowed whole by a defense.

For these reasons, I am counting on Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp../.both run great routes and have great hands. I think Josh Reynolds will become a monster #1 WR in time, and he too has great hands and toughness to go up for the ball AND CATCH IT. Don't know much about Everrett, except that he is supposed to be an athletic freak, but can that freak catch???

So what do you guys think? What guys with hands of stone in the NFL, ever developed into great receivers? I'd be interested to know if they exist...

 

[Legatron4]

Torry Holt dropped a lot of passes during his rookie season. His hands weren't elite until about year 4. I don't think we have a clue how Thomas will turn out. Tavon is what he is.

To answer your question, yes. Terrell Owens had very suspect hands and he turned out to be one of the best of all time.

 

[dieterbrock]

Its really subjective. In today's age of youtube, google etc we can see stats and replays to our hearts content.
I know many players like TO, Brandon Marshall and OBJ drop(ped) their fair share, but its over looked (deservedly so btw) by the incredible production.
I don't recall thinking much about Bruce after his rookie year, he was kind of meh player. Now of course I didn't get to see him play much since satellite NFL games was in its infancy. Flipper too. Then both guys broke out in their 2nd year when they became legendary.

 

[bnw]

I say no, not today since teams are much more inclined to cut their losses with a player and get someone else.

 

[jrry32]

Yes. There are many players over the last 10-15 years who were among the league leaders in drops but still were great WRs.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Julio Jones.

 

[Loyal]

Torry Holt dropped a lot of passes during his rookie season. His hands weren't elite until about year 4. I don't think we have a clue how Thomas will turn out. Tavon is what he is.

To answer your question, yes. Terrell Owens had very suspect hands and he turned out to be one of the best of all time.

He dropped a pass in the Super Bowl in the first half, but then made up for it in the 2nd half...I don't remember his having hands of stone, myself.

 

[Loyal]

Yes. There are many players over the last 10-15 years who were among the league leaders in drops but still were great WRs.

But they were great when it mattered, right? I can only remember dropped passes and fumbles from Higbee and Thomas...I really remember nothing about Pharoh Cooper except for a few kick off returns.

 

[Loyal]

Its really subjective. In today's age of youtube, google etc we can see stats and replays to our hearts content.
I know many players like TO, Brandon Marshall and OBJ drop(ped) their fair share, but its over looked (deservedly so btw) by the incredible production.
I don't recall thinking much about Bruce after his rookie year, he was kind of meh player. Now of course I didn't get to see him play much since satellite NFL games was in its infancy. Flipper too. Then both guys broke out in their 2nd year when they became legendary.

Well, Isaac only had a 47.7% catch completion rate in his rookie year with only like 44 targets to him. 2nd year he had a 59% catch completion rate, and received 1781 yards that year. His targets went WAY up to 199 from 44 the previous year. So maybe he just needed more passes to get in his groove?

 

[ramfan46]

Amari Cooper is mighty productive despite drops. If the guy gets open, keep feeding him IMO.

 

[Loyal]

Amari Cooper is mighty productive despite drops. If the guy gets open, keep feeding him IMO.

Maybe my memory of them being a massive fail, was due to the limited opportunities with a Fisher offense. But STILL, catch the D@MN ball when it really matters!!! There were many drops when we needed 1st downs, and THAT is what I remember from the 2016 WR group.

 

[den-the-coach]

The Answer to the question is yes as long as they have the ability to blow by you!...Hayes, Gault, Ismail & Cliff Branch to post a few.

 

[Selassie I]

If you're asking if a WR with suspect hands will ever become a WR with great hands... I believe the answer to that question is NO.

If a person is properly instructed at a young age on catch technique... they will have an advantage. But it has to be taught early on. It's very difficult to break bad habits in technique once motor memory has been established. Proper catch technique will definitely help a WR's hands be more dependable.

However...

From my experience... regardless of technique... some people are just naturally better at catching footballs. And I mean some people are BLESSED with fabulous hands. Some... are given hands of stone.

I always joke around with my sons about this. 2 of them played offense and the other one played defense. Our standing joke is- "That's why he plays defense". We say that when we see a defender (or my defender son) drop a football. Bad hands... guaranteed you're gonna play defense. Hahaha. It's true. All 3 of my sons were taught proper catch technique at a very early age too.

So... my "scientific research" tells me that if a player is playing in the NFL, his hands are already determined. I'll give everybody a couple of rookie jitter pass drops, but their hands are already determined at this point. There are WRs with great hands and there are WRs with shaky hands... both can become successful on the field potentially... but the hands will pretty much stay the same.

 

[Boston Ram]

The Answer to the question is yes as long as they have the ability to blow by you!...Hayes, Gault, Ismail & Cliff Branch to post a few.

This is a list that makes sense. These guys all had questionable hands coming into the league. Well done Den and on the other end of the spectrum you have Renaldo Nehemiah lol.

 

[Loyal]

The Answer to the question is yes as long as they have the ability to blow by you!...Hayes, Gault, Ismail & Cliff Branch to post a few.

Coach..honestly..which of the guys from last year really showed you something? Tavon had a few moments in the season...Our passing game was a joke as every team focused on shutting down Gurley (which they did). They dared us to pass, and for good reason. Our Oline is a big reason for it, Case Keenum and his limited ability was another. Rookie Goff was sacked for an average of 4 times every game he played, as he ran for his life. All of these things were not favorable for our WR's, admittedly. But the few critical passes that bounced off hands drove me absolutely insane! Limited opportunities HAVE to be capitalized on, which is why I am hesitant to cut any of the rookies this year, in hope that the guys from last year are suddenly great WR's....

 

[Merlin]

It happens, so yeah.

But I think it clearly just depends on the receiver, whether he has other elements and the drive to be great. Like Tavon for example. Dude is infuriating to me, with his poor hands and microscopic catch radius. But he does work hard by all accounts, and he does have some elements to him that are rare in speed & change of direction, suddenness, etc.

I doubt the dude ever achieves greatness, basically. But it wouldn't surprise me and of course I hope it happens.

 

[Loyal]

It happens, so yeah.

But I think it clearly just depends on the receiver, whether he has other elements and the drive to be great. Like Tavon for example. Dude is infuriating to me, with his poor hands and microscopic catch radius. But he does work hard by all accounts, and he does have some elements to him that are rare in speed & change of direction, suddenness, etc.

I doubt the dude ever achieves greatness, basically. But it wouldn't surprise me and of course I hope it happens.

I only think of him as a return guy (Tavon), even when playing WR or RB roles. Our focus has been to get him in space with the ball and watch him elude tacklers. IE, he's a gadget player to me and not a true WR. I am intrigued by Woods and Kupp, because both supposedly run great, tight routes and they catch the ball. Reynolds excites me when watching him go up for the ball in college highlight tape, but can he do that in the NFL?

 

[OldSchool]

Suspect hands is entirely subjective so this is really something only you can answer. What is your criteria for both suspect and great hands?

 

[Loyal]

Suspect hands is entirely subjective so this is really something only you can answer. What is your criteria for both suspect and great hands?

How many passes bounce off a guys hands at critical moments? Does the player tend to body catch or does he hands-catch consistently away from his body?

WHAT DOES HE DO WHEN IT MATTERS? In other words, when we are at a critical point in a game, what happens when a player has a pass touch his hands? For me, the mental side is connected/critical for a guy when catching the ball with "great" or "stone" hands.