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- May 8, 2014
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So yeah we all know the Cards can't cover TEs. And most of us are still waiting for Everett to be that move weapon that can't be stopped in McVay's scheme. But you know this dude Tyler Higbee just keeps getting better as an all around TE and has already eclipsed his career high in yards. Now, granted, we're not talking big yards here and his current total of 319 pales in comparison to top TEs.
But yeah whatever. The interesting question here for me right now is whether Higs is turning a corner. Could it be that he is close to being that weapon that lives up to his talent? The guy is talented after all, I mean go to camp and watch him he's got the frame to be an OT just about in terms of size and while he isn't the athlete that Everett is he is still quite athletic certainly enough to be a featured weapon in a pass attack.
Looking back at his play and the "why" he hasn't lived up to his talent just yet in the receiving game, it's been mostly due to his hands. Now drop rates are like pressures in that they're hard to find but if you look just at completion percentages he has improved year to year, from 56% in 2017 to 71% in 2018 to 79% this season. And 79% btw is good enough for 5th in the league so he's been one of the most secure options in his usage. Additionally it's not like he's being used only on short passes. He is being asked to stretch the field a bit and he has executed very well in that role this season when they call his number.
Now irt hands overall I do think he is never going to be a contested catch stud and his pedestrian contested catch performance to date backs that up. However, he is quietly doing some really good things this season...
When you look at YAC which is a stat that is important for the "elite" TE passing game options, he is putting up a very respectable 6.2 YAC which places him at 18th in the league among all receivers (WR/TE/RB). And if you look at his YAC per reception he is at an even more respectable 5.9 yards which puts him 10th in the league (for reference purposes Goedert is #1 at 7.2 yards, Kittle is #5 at 6.4, and Hockenson is #7 at 6.1). Looking a bit deeper at the average targeted air yards he's at 5.5 which isn't great however it is higher than Goedert (who sits at 4.9).
Last but not least in terms of consistency and difficulty of shutting a TE down it is actually a GOOD thing to be a primary blocking threat to a defense as that run blocking threat and brief delay when they do release into the pattern typically comes with a very high rate of the defense disregarding said weapon. This is how you end up with a TE running free on a down/distance where you know damn well the offense is going to go to him statistically speaking, with opposing fans smashing remotes and pullin their hair out.
In summary I feel like the remainder of this season might start to feature Higs a bit more. He's not going to be an early read on any down/distance in this offense, but I do think they'll call his number more often (i.e. make him an early read) and enough for him to finish out this season as a respectable threat in this attack. McVay tends to reward the guys who produce with more early reads in the pass game and tbh there is every reason to think Higbee is going to benefit from that.
But yeah whatever. The interesting question here for me right now is whether Higs is turning a corner. Could it be that he is close to being that weapon that lives up to his talent? The guy is talented after all, I mean go to camp and watch him he's got the frame to be an OT just about in terms of size and while he isn't the athlete that Everett is he is still quite athletic certainly enough to be a featured weapon in a pass attack.
Looking back at his play and the "why" he hasn't lived up to his talent just yet in the receiving game, it's been mostly due to his hands. Now drop rates are like pressures in that they're hard to find but if you look just at completion percentages he has improved year to year, from 56% in 2017 to 71% in 2018 to 79% this season. And 79% btw is good enough for 5th in the league so he's been one of the most secure options in his usage. Additionally it's not like he's being used only on short passes. He is being asked to stretch the field a bit and he has executed very well in that role this season when they call his number.
Now irt hands overall I do think he is never going to be a contested catch stud and his pedestrian contested catch performance to date backs that up. However, he is quietly doing some really good things this season...
When you look at YAC which is a stat that is important for the "elite" TE passing game options, he is putting up a very respectable 6.2 YAC which places him at 18th in the league among all receivers (WR/TE/RB). And if you look at his YAC per reception he is at an even more respectable 5.9 yards which puts him 10th in the league (for reference purposes Goedert is #1 at 7.2 yards, Kittle is #5 at 6.4, and Hockenson is #7 at 6.1). Looking a bit deeper at the average targeted air yards he's at 5.5 which isn't great however it is higher than Goedert (who sits at 4.9).
Last but not least in terms of consistency and difficulty of shutting a TE down it is actually a GOOD thing to be a primary blocking threat to a defense as that run blocking threat and brief delay when they do release into the pattern typically comes with a very high rate of the defense disregarding said weapon. This is how you end up with a TE running free on a down/distance where you know damn well the offense is going to go to him statistically speaking, with opposing fans smashing remotes and pullin their hair out.
In summary I feel like the remainder of this season might start to feature Higs a bit more. He's not going to be an early read on any down/distance in this offense, but I do think they'll call his number more often (i.e. make him an early read) and enough for him to finish out this season as a respectable threat in this attack. McVay tends to reward the guys who produce with more early reads in the pass game and tbh there is every reason to think Higbee is going to benefit from that.
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