- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 13,435
- Name
- Vernon
By Rich Hammond
https://www.pe.com/2018/12/01/rams-see-te-gerald-everett-as-a-new-weapon-on-offense/
DETROIT – He went from basketball to track to football, and from what Rams tight end Gerald Everett showed in his most recent game, he probably would fare well at competitive ballroom dancing.
In seven seconds of astounding skill, Everett made an over-the-shoulder catch in stride, slipped an attempted leg tackle and tip-toed 10 yards along the sideline to complete a 40-yard touchdown. It was the final blow late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ exhausting 54-51 victory over Kansas City.
It was kind of crazy to actually watch it after the game,” Everett said. “(It was) probably one of my best plays. But it was pretty surreal to see it in the air in a moment like that. But just glad I could be there.”
Everett will get another chance to shine Sunday, when the Rams play at Detroit with a chance to clinch the NFC West. At the risk of canonizing a young player because of one catch, it showed everything that could make Everett a star, or at least a major contributor on a Rams offense that sometimes seems unstoppable.
The speed to get separation from a safety. The hands and vision to pull in a tough catch. The footwork to dance once, then twice, and stay in bounds. Everett essentially is a big receiver with a tight-end designation, and now he’s developing the consistency and skill to be a primary target for Jared Goff.
Everett’s emergence is one of the major storylines of the second half of this Rams season. Goff is looking to Everett and Tyler Higbee more often and is being rewarded for that trust. Against the Chiefs, Everett and Higbee combined to catch 112 of Goff’s 413 passing yards and two touchdowns.
In their past three games, Everett and Higbee have combined for 25 pass targets, 19 receptions and 240 yards. In their first eight games, they combined for 26 targets, 16 receptions and 168 yards.
“I think it’s something that evolves,” Everett said. “But us as a tight end position, we were waiting for our time to break out. But I mean, you have guys like Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, Todd Gurley, Josh Reynolds. We want to see those guys thrive as well. But everybody wants the ball, in this offense specifically.”
Higbee has received slightly more attention from Goff over the past month, and that’s no surprise. He’s more experienced (by a year) and consistent, and because of his all-around skills, he gets more playing time. The Rams almost always line up in sets with one tight end, and in the past three games, Higbee has played approximately 75 percent of the snaps, with Everett at 25 percent.
Yet that’s the thing. In limited time, Everett is flashing. Higbee remains a superior blocker and a better traditional red-zone tight-end target, but nobody can match Everett’s combination of size and athleticism.
On the big touchdown against the Chiefs, Everett was lined up wide right, outside of all three Rams receivers, and safety Daniel Sorensen had no chance in coverage.
“It’s been exciting,” Coach Sean McVay said. “I wouldn’t say surprising, just because of the confidence and I just think it’s great to be able to see him be healthy and maximize the opportunities. Certainly, Jared and the line is doing a great job protecting that enabled Jared to be able to get those throws off to him.”
With receiver Cooper Kupp out for the season with a torn ACL, Everett should play an increasingly larger role in the Rams’ offense, although Josh Reynolds has done exceedingly well since rejoining the starting lineup. Everett’s ability to thrive outside might even lead to a few more sets with two tight ends.
This is some of what the Rams envisioned when they used a second-round pick – No. 44 overall – on Everett in the 2017 draft. Everett was raw, having only played one year of high school football, in 2011, after stints on the basketball and track teams. He bounced from a community college to Alabama-Birmingham to South Alabama, where he scored 12 touchdowns in 24 games.
Injuries and inconsistency stunted Everett’s growth over his first season and a half with the Rams, but now he seems to be gaining the trust of Goff and McVay, a former tight ends coach who made a name for himself in part because of his work with Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis in Washington.
“He’s really talented,” McVay said. “I think he’s certainly maximized his opportunities that he’s gotten, especially over the last couple weeks.”
https://www.pe.com/2018/12/01/rams-see-te-gerald-everett-as-a-new-weapon-on-offense/
DETROIT – He went from basketball to track to football, and from what Rams tight end Gerald Everett showed in his most recent game, he probably would fare well at competitive ballroom dancing.
In seven seconds of astounding skill, Everett made an over-the-shoulder catch in stride, slipped an attempted leg tackle and tip-toed 10 yards along the sideline to complete a 40-yard touchdown. It was the final blow late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ exhausting 54-51 victory over Kansas City.
It was kind of crazy to actually watch it after the game,” Everett said. “(It was) probably one of my best plays. But it was pretty surreal to see it in the air in a moment like that. But just glad I could be there.”
Everett will get another chance to shine Sunday, when the Rams play at Detroit with a chance to clinch the NFC West. At the risk of canonizing a young player because of one catch, it showed everything that could make Everett a star, or at least a major contributor on a Rams offense that sometimes seems unstoppable.
The speed to get separation from a safety. The hands and vision to pull in a tough catch. The footwork to dance once, then twice, and stay in bounds. Everett essentially is a big receiver with a tight-end designation, and now he’s developing the consistency and skill to be a primary target for Jared Goff.
Everett’s emergence is one of the major storylines of the second half of this Rams season. Goff is looking to Everett and Tyler Higbee more often and is being rewarded for that trust. Against the Chiefs, Everett and Higbee combined to catch 112 of Goff’s 413 passing yards and two touchdowns.
In their past three games, Everett and Higbee have combined for 25 pass targets, 19 receptions and 240 yards. In their first eight games, they combined for 26 targets, 16 receptions and 168 yards.
“I think it’s something that evolves,” Everett said. “But us as a tight end position, we were waiting for our time to break out. But I mean, you have guys like Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, Todd Gurley, Josh Reynolds. We want to see those guys thrive as well. But everybody wants the ball, in this offense specifically.”
Higbee has received slightly more attention from Goff over the past month, and that’s no surprise. He’s more experienced (by a year) and consistent, and because of his all-around skills, he gets more playing time. The Rams almost always line up in sets with one tight end, and in the past three games, Higbee has played approximately 75 percent of the snaps, with Everett at 25 percent.
Yet that’s the thing. In limited time, Everett is flashing. Higbee remains a superior blocker and a better traditional red-zone tight-end target, but nobody can match Everett’s combination of size and athleticism.
On the big touchdown against the Chiefs, Everett was lined up wide right, outside of all three Rams receivers, and safety Daniel Sorensen had no chance in coverage.
“It’s been exciting,” Coach Sean McVay said. “I wouldn’t say surprising, just because of the confidence and I just think it’s great to be able to see him be healthy and maximize the opportunities. Certainly, Jared and the line is doing a great job protecting that enabled Jared to be able to get those throws off to him.”
With receiver Cooper Kupp out for the season with a torn ACL, Everett should play an increasingly larger role in the Rams’ offense, although Josh Reynolds has done exceedingly well since rejoining the starting lineup. Everett’s ability to thrive outside might even lead to a few more sets with two tight ends.
This is some of what the Rams envisioned when they used a second-round pick – No. 44 overall – on Everett in the 2017 draft. Everett was raw, having only played one year of high school football, in 2011, after stints on the basketball and track teams. He bounced from a community college to Alabama-Birmingham to South Alabama, where he scored 12 touchdowns in 24 games.
Injuries and inconsistency stunted Everett’s growth over his first season and a half with the Rams, but now he seems to be gaining the trust of Goff and McVay, a former tight ends coach who made a name for himself in part because of his work with Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis in Washington.
“He’s really talented,” McVay said. “I think he’s certainly maximized his opportunities that he’s gotten, especially over the last couple weeks.”
