Is Van Jefferson ready for a breakout 2022 season?

[Kupped]

The whole offense stagnated including Kupp and Stafford but it seems only Van is taking a hit.

Part of that is probably play calling and design. We know they didn't really open up until that last drive.
But, part of it was absolutely that the defense knew it didn't need to worry much about Jefferson and that Jefferson couldn't make plays.
Why? Was it being hurt? Who knows?

But I don't expect him to be more than he was last year... which is a good #3.

 

[Merlin]

The whole offense stagnated including Kupp and Stafford but it seems only Van is taking a hit.

Well we happen to know that Jefferson is the guy with the time in the offense and with the draft position where he is in that window in that moment.

To go a bit further on this who else would we criticize. Higs wasn't in the game. Skow was a rookie late round choice playing in the Super Bowl. Depth TEs actually did step up. I mean who else is there. Tutu was hurt.

Jefferson had a moment there to dunk that shit and show the world what he could do. And he sort of shit the bed. No other way to put it. And again I am hopeful he'll work on what he needs to, which is the point of this thread.

 

[Jacobarch]

50 rec, 802 yards and 6 td
Those stats would be better than most #2 WR across the league, and even better than a few teams #1. And yet he's the #3 WR on this team.
I'm not seeing where its "realistic", unless the prefix un is used

I totally agree, but if you look at VJ's play he was usually a deep threat, which is great and all. But I just don't see the dawg in him that I see in OBJ, Kupp or even Woods.

Yeah, me neither.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY6eN3n92Fs



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdNWiFmcUqg



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fRqKuJO_fs



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpBqbVNVddM

And I'm sure if a took the time I could show tape of his mishaps, or failing to go get the ball in the endzone, etc etc.

Well... let's talk about that. What EXACTLY are you considering a "breakout year"? You really think realistic is expecting your #3 receiver to have a "breakout year" after he had 800 yards playing behind the likes of Kupp, Woods, and OBJ and our team just picked up a receiver on the level of ARob? I would say that is being anything but realistic. In fact, the only way he has a truly breakout year IMO is if either one of our receivers goes down or he really excels and relegates one of our top receivers to the #3 spot. I am guessing that won't make anyone happy.

Van plays an important role. And frankly being disappointed by your 3rd receiver having 800 yards, 6 TDs, and a 16 yard average is pretty insane really - unrealistic you might say.

Agreed, VJ plays an important role and he does it fairly well. However, as I stated above there's a clear difference between our #1 and 2# WR comparatively with Jefferson. You can clearly see a drop-off between them, and to say otherwise is just foolhardy. and just an FYI, I never said anything about a breakout year. I just don't see the same flash that we saw from other WR's on this rams team over the years.
I wont say any names but McVays system is the real winner, sure players make a difference, but the system allows guys to excel if they do their job. and VJ does his job well.

As far as me being realistic. A breakout year for VJ is surpassing other WR's on the roster. Moving up from the No. 3 WR to a No2 or 1. Look at Kupp. Started out as a #3 and now look at him. That's what I would consider a breakout year. Otherwise we wouldn't have signed Arob

 

[Allen2McVay]

Doesn't matter if he had only one possession to show what he could do.

You lost me at ‘one possession’.

 

[Merlin]

You lost me at ‘one possession’.

I was referring to the observation he only had a half a game as sample size. I was saying that even if it was one possession it's enough for him to make his mark or not to make his mark. That big a game you might only have a few opportunities to make your contributions.

But I think I've said enough on this topic. There's no need to keep saying it. Go ahead and click that disagree button and let's move on.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I was referring to the observation he only had a half a game as sample size. I was saying that even if it was one possession it's enough for him to make his mark or not to make his mark.

I realized that is what you were thinking. That’s why I replied.

I can’t understand judging a player based on two quarters of play, let alone one possession.

I agree we can move on.

 

[LouisvilleRam]

I was referring to the observation he only had a half a game as sample size. I was saying that even if it was one possession it's enough for him to make his mark or not to make his mark. That big a game you might only have a few opportunities to make your contributions.

But I think I've said enough on this topic. There's no need to keep saying it. Go ahead and click that disagree button and let's move on.

Yep and thankfully for us 2 much maligned players Henderson and Hopkins stepped up for us in the passing game.

 

[OldSchool]

Well we happen to know that Jefferson is the guy with the time in the offense and with the draft position where he is in that window in that moment.

To go a bit further on this who else would we criticize. Higs wasn't in the game. Skow was a rookie late round choice playing in the Super Bowl. Depth TEs actually did step up. I mean who else is there. Tutu was hurt.

Jefferson had a moment there to dunk that shit and show the world what he could do. And he sort of shit the bed. No other way to put it. And again I am hopeful he'll work on what he needs to, which is the point of this thread.

Every offensive player on the field, McVay, KoC and the position coaches failed to pull us out of that rut until late in the 4th Q. They all share the blame, throwing it all on our #3 WR seems pretty shitty to me when we let the rest skate free of blame.

 

[Mojo Ram]

It wasn't just the QB change. Yes, that helped, but nobody was getting open deep much in 2020.

I’d be willing to throw out a number like 90% because of the QB change. Night and day.

Kupp, Woods, Van, Higs…they were all present in ‘20. So was the run game, even more so than ‘21.

Anyway, I like Van, but I think he’s a career #3. That’s not a bad thing but I wouldn’t say that they “hit” on that pick. Definitely not a bust either.

 

[thirteen28]

And I'm sure if a took the time I could show tape of his mishaps, or failing to go get the ball in the endzone, etc etc.

Your argument was:

But I don't see those flash plays you see from good WRs.

I responded by providing videos for four splash plays, all that were big plays and all of which went for TD's. So your response is more or less the shifting of the goal posts now.

One could probably go through the tape of any WR, including our best ones, and find some mishaps, and even more when they were second-year players as Van was last year. Nobody is saying Van has no room for improvement, nor are they saying he's as good as our top guys. But for a #3 he's good and getting better and he showed a helluva lot of promise in his 2nd year. You can bet your bottom dollar that when he made that first long catch for a TD against the Bears opening night, every defensive coordinator on our schedule watched that play and said "oh shit ...".

It's amazing how spoiled we've gotten around here and how people will nitpick a guy just to shit on him. If you look at the WRs the Rams had in the era stretching from post-Bruce/Holt up to the Sean McVay era, Van is better than almost all of them. I'll take him any day over Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola, and even a talented knucklehead like Kenny Britt. VJ is definitely an asset to this team and I'm damn glad we have him.

Maybe you prefer to bring back Josh Reynolds?

 

[thirteen28]

I’d be willing to throw out a number like 90% because of the QB change. Night and day.

Kupp, Woods, Van, Higs…they were all present in ‘20. So was the run game, even more so than ‘21.

Anyway, I like Van, but I think he’s a career #3. That’s not a bad thing but I wouldn’t say that they “hit” on that pick. Definitely not a bust either.

Well, I'll just say there is a reason that neither Kromer nor Austin Blythe was retained and that McVay sought out someone like Carberry to take over.

I won't dispute at all that we made a significant upgrade at QB1, but if we would have stood pat and brought every other aspect of the Rams O from 2020 into 2021, I don't think we would have had as much of a deep game and I think Stafford would have faced more pressure and more sacks and generally had less time to unload the deep ball. And if we would have kept Josh Reynolds as WR3, he would have been unable to get open deep nearly as much as Van did. So yes, I'll stick with my opinion that Van was an upgrade for our deep passing game.

 

[Jacobarch]

Your argument was:



I responded by providing videos for four splash plays, all that were big plays and all of which went for TD's. So your response is more or less the shifting of the goal posts now.

One could probably go through the tape of any WR, including our best ones, and find some mishaps, and even more when they were second-year players as Van was last year. Nobody is saying Van has no room for improvement, nor are they saying he's as good as our top guys. But for a #3 he's good and getting better and he showed a helluva lot of promise in his 2nd year. You can bet your bottom dollar that when he made that first long catch for a TD against the Bears opening night, every defensive coordinator on our schedule watched that play and said "oh shit ...".

It's amazing how spoiled we've gotten around here and how people will nitpick a guy just to shit on him. If you look at the WRs the Rams had in the era stretching from post-Bruce/Holt up to the Sean McVay era, Van is better than almost all of them. I'll take him any day over Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola, and even a talented knucklehead like Kenny Britt. VJ is definitely an asset to this team and I'm damn glad we have him.

Maybe you prefer to bring back Josh Reynolds?

Who's shitting on him? I just don't see him better than a no 3 wr on the Rams.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Who's shitting on him? I just don't see him better than a no 3 wr on the Rams.

nobody sees him better than #3 on the rams team. who would think he's gonna be better than kupp or arob? a nutjob?

doesn't mean he can't getter better and have a breakout season. well, he already broke out last season as the #3 wr so i guess it will be difficult to break out again. maybe just become a better all round wr as the #3 for the rams.

.

 

[dieterbrock]

The whole offense stagnated including Kupp and Stafford but it seems only Van is taking a hit.

.....And Bingo was his name O!

 

[LouisvilleRam]

We had 13 points when OBJ left game injured and then the offense struggled when Jefferson took over WR2 with about 4 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.

 

[Ram65]

I mention before that Jefferson has a habit of jumping to catch a pass even when the pass is head high or just above. He could have a depth judgment problem or it could just be a bad habit. He does slow him down enough to limit those valuable YAC opportunities. Overall as @dieterbrock stated his numbers were excellent for a #3 WR. He has good size, long arms, and good long speed. He did get deep often and is considered a good route runner. Overall he has solid NFL WR qualities. He could keep getting better by becoming more consistent.

 

[Jacobarch]

nobody sees him better than #3 on the rams team. who would think he's gonna be better than kupp or arob? a nutjob?

doesn't mean he can't getter better and have a breakout season. well, he already broke out last season as the #3 wr so i guess it will be difficult to break out again. maybe just become a better all round wr as the #3 for the rams.

.

Apologies for disagreeing with you.
Its just my opinion

 

[Rams43]

There is no shame in being #3 WR on a roster with Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson ahead of you. Probably 95% of all NFL WR’s would be in that same boat. Think about that.

Having said that, yeah, Jefferson does still have room for improvement and I think he will.

 

[RamFan503]

I totally agree, but if you look at VJ's play he was usually a deep threat, which is great and all. But I just don't see the dawg in him that I see in OBJ, Kupp or even Woods.



And I'm sure if a took the time I could show tape of his mishaps, or failing to go get the ball in the endzone, etc etc.



Agreed, VJ plays an important role and he does it fairly well. However, as I stated above there's a clear difference between our #1 and 2# WR comparatively with Jefferson. You can clearly see a drop-off between them, and to say otherwise is just foolhardy. and just an FYI, I never said anything about a breakout year. I just don't see the same flash that we saw from other WR's on this rams team over the years.
I wont say any names but McVays system is the real winner, sure players make a difference, but the system allows guys to excel if they do their job. and VJ does his job well.

As far as me being realistic. A breakout year for VJ is surpassing other WR's on the roster. Moving up from the No. 3 WR to a No2 or 1. Look at Kupp. Started out as a #3 and now look at him. That's what I would consider a breakout year. Otherwise we wouldn't have signed Arob

Well you said, "We're just being realistic". And the gist of this thread and as stated in the title is about Van having a breakout year.

But as you stated, you expect Van to take over the #1 or#2 spot for it to be a breakout year. I don't consider that a realistic expectation. Nor do I find that necessary in order for our TEAM to be successful. You say you don't see the same flash from him as other receivers on our team. You're comparing him to a couple receivers we finally really hit on. But when was the last time we had a #3 receiver with 800 yards? Ever? HOF RB Faulk did but - come on.

I personally am just fine if our 3rd best receiver ONLY achieves an 800 yard season. Hell - OBJ had 300 yards for us in a little less than half a season. Woods had 550 over 9 games. That would put our #2 at roughly 1,000 yards for the season.

It doesn't appear to me that we need Van to take over the 1 or 2 spot. We have Kupp and we just signed ARob. We can't afford for Van to eclipse those two. If he does, he will expect a bigger contract or to be traded and then we will be in a position of finding another #3. Do we really expect that 800 yard receivers are readily available? That there are better receivers looking to come in and play behind the likes of Kupp, ARob, and potentially OBJ?

Van is doing what he's been asked to do. He can still improve on his game as he clearly did by a huge margin between year 1 and 2. Many would consider going from 200 to 800 yards a breakout year.

 

[Jacobarch]

Well you said, "We're just being realistic". And the gist of this thread and as stated in the title is about Van having a breakout year.

But as you stated, you expect Van to take over the #1 or#2 spot for it to be a breakout year. I don't consider that a realistic expectation. Nor do I find that necessary in order for our TEAM to be successful. You say you don't see the same flash from him as other receivers on our team. You're comparing him to a couple receivers we finally really hit on. But when was the last time we had a #3 receiver with 800 yards? Ever? HOF RB Faulk did but - come on.

I personally am just fine if our 3rd best receiver ONLY achieves an 800 yard season. Hell - OBJ had 300 yards for us in a little less than half a season. Woods had 550 over 9 games. That would put our #2 at roughly 1,000 yards for the season.

It doesn't appear to me that we need Van to take over the 1 or 2 spot. We have Kupp and we just signed ARob. We can't afford for Van to eclipse those two. If he does, he will expect a bigger contract or to be traded and then we will be in a position of finding another #3. Do we really expect that 800 yard receivers are readily available? That there are better receivers looking to come in and play behind the likes of Kupp, ARob, and potentially OBJ?

Van is doing what he's been asked to do. He can still improve on his game as he clearly did by a huge margin between year 1 and 2. Many would consider going from 200 to 800 yards a breakout year.

I get what you're putting down, and I don't disagree with some of your points. But I clearly have a different opinion on what it means to have a breakout year for a WR that's listed as a 3 or 4 on our Depth Chart.
Most WR's would be good in our system IMO. Plus they have Mr Stafford slinging them the ball.