The receivers tweet for Nathan:
Our best WRs are small/quick, but lack size. The TEs are mostly blockers. The possession-type WRs are young. McGee is our secret weapon.
Rolling...
Strikes
- The spotlight - and all the associated pressure - is on Tim Smith now. After a couple of seasons of providing good moments interrupted by drops and injuries, is he ready to step up and emerge as a consistent go-to #1-type of receiver? I think he is, but it's not a slam dunk. He won't be the sure-handed over-the-middle guy that Kris Burd was, but Smith is a good downfield receiver who could flash some gamebreaking ability if he's able to turn short and intermediate receptions into long touchdowns via yards-after-catch (YAC) ability.
- Speaking of YAC, that's the name of the game with this year's receiving corps; it is absolutely key. There are big possession guys, but those guys are young (Canaan Severin, Mario Nixon) or marginally talented (Miles Gooch, Bobby Smith). Our best / most experienced receivers are all smaller guys with great open field wiggle. Super sophs Darius Jennings and Dominique Terrell are going to be on the field a lot, and are going to see lots of balls thrown their way... can the two youngsters take advantage of the opportunities to snare those quick passes and turn them upfield? Mike Rocco's rapid, compact release coupled with these guys' ability to make cuts on a dime and flash open could be a beautiful thing if they come together in concert. However, I stop short of saying that the QB/WRs combo could make the offense explosive -- these guys aren't burning DBs to a crisp with deep speed, and Rock isn't hitting them in stride 40 yards downfield. We'll throw more bombs, sure... but the real damage figures to be done with #20, #6, and #2 catching quick flares, crosses, and slants and then weaving through traffic to get downfield. (Don't think this damns them with faint praise, but I think our passing game could look a lot like the effective Duke passing offense of recent seasons.)
- We've got some experienced tight ends in Colter Phillips, Paul Freedman, and Jay Mathis. The trio are decent receivers, and also offer enough blocking presence to keep the run game revved at full throttle.
- Those three TEs are solid, but the guy I'm really excited about is Jake McGee. He's the "move" tight end, and the guy who can split the seam wide open and burn some linebackers and safeties deep over the middle. I think McGee easily has Tom Santi potential, and may even be able to press for Heath Miller status. I was that impressed with him at the Spring Game. So on a team where the possession receivers are a bit questionable, McGee has a chance to emerge as THE GUY for those clutch short yardage, chain-moving catches, along with the occasional deep shot to split and slip the safeties. He's an interesting player to say the least, which is why I call him our secret weapon.
Gutters
- Here's the receiving production we lost from last year: 113 catches for 1,472 yards and 5 touchdowns.
- Here's what we return: 81 catches for 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns. That's 42% of the receptions, 41% of the yardage, and 58% of the TDs. So essentially, we're trying to replace 60% of our production among the wide receivers and tight ends. Yikes.
- Everyone is really excited about Dominique Terrell in the slot, and looking for him to have a big season in that role this year. But considering the fact that he only managed 8 catches for 59 yards and one TD last season, I think it's important to temper expectations. He'll see more snaps this fall, but that's not great production to build from.
- We have been recruiting the wide receiver position like gangbusters under Mike London, bringing in three wideouts in 2010, three in 2011, SIX in 2012, and currently sitting at three for the 2013 class. We currently have 15 wide receivers on the roster, 12 of which are under scholarship.
- Compare the above to the tight end position, for which we have just one recruit during that same timeframe. Think the TE position is being marginalized in the UVA offense? This is not really a "gutter" per se, but it's an interesting observation, right? To me, that looks like a program recruiting to run a future Air Raid-style spread, not a typical pro-style power offense. The smaller scatback types we're recruiting at running back only serves to further that theory. Stay tuned.
- Here's a real "gutter": In terms of big, possession receivers emerging as legit players this fall, I have hopes for just two, and those hopes are faint: True freshman Canaan Severin and converted quarterback Miles Gooch. Severin looks the part and had a great first practice, but the receiver position can be a difficult one to learn as a first-year player. Meanwhile, Goocher still looks a little bit like a broken robot to me -- fits and starts, nothing very fluid. Both guys are big (Severin: 6-2, 210 / Gooch: 6-3, 220), both can run, and both can catch, but they face a serious uphill battle and have a lot to prove before they emerge as reliable weapons this fall.
- I love the potential of the Smith/Jennings/Terrell trio, but I'm not in love with the redundant skill sets and limited production to date. I felt much better about the receivers last year, when Kris Burd was back as a senior along with Matt Snyder, with these three guys set to provide speed and slipperiness as complementary weapons. I'm just not totally confident that this troika of receivers can carry the passing game as the centerpiece receivers.
- It's time for E.J. Scott to show us something. Is he a player, or is he depth chart fodder? He figures to be one of the first WRs off the bench, so we'll see what he can do.
- I have written off Bobby Smith. When he committed to come play at UVA, I was in love with his size (6-5, 200). But the poor guy can't stay healthy, and he's failed to put a dent in the depth chart.
- We have a lot of really talented young receivers in the program right now, but not many figure to have a role this season beyond redshirting and learning the system. Severin might play, and if there's another frosh who sees action, my guess is Adrian Gamble, who has had a year of prep to help him develop physically. The great talents of Mario Nixon, Jamall Brown, Kyle Dockins, and Anthony Cooper will - and should - be cultivated carefully via redshirting. That's a good plan, but it's a little bit frustrating to see a fairly one-dimensional receiving corps not being able to take advantage of the talent pipeline that is suddenly flowing at this position for the UVA program. If Smith/Jennings/Terrell struggle at all, it could be difficult to keep the kids off the field, and/or it could be very frustrating to know the caliber of players we have waiting idly in the wings. We could be stuck burning redshirts that shouldn't be burned by rushing players onto the field when they aren't ready to play... OR... living with whatever we're getting from the trio of starters, even if that's subpar production.
- If Tim Smith goes down or fails to step up, I think we're screwed. No other receiver is even potentially ready to take over #1 duties. Maybe Darius Jennings, but I don't see it. Not yet.
- Phillips/Freedman/Mathis will play, and play a lot. I'm just worried that these guys with their low glass ceilings will block Jake McGee from seeing the field. I'd rather see him take his lumps and learn on the job than to see those three guys deliver predictably mediocre results. In other words, I'd rather ride the roller coaster than the merry-go-round.
Projected Depth Chart
Flanker) #20 Tim Smith (Jr.), #17 Miles Gooch (So.), #84 Canaan Severin (Fr.)
Split End) #6 Darius Jennings (So.), #19 E.J. Scott (So.), #80 Adrian Gamble (Fr.)
Slot) #2 Dominique Terrell (So.), #17 Miles Gooch (So.), #84 Canaan Severin (Fr.)
TE / H-Back) #89 Colter Phillips (Sr.), #88 Paul Freedman (Sr.), #83 Jake McGee (So.), #81 Jeremiah Mathis (Jr.)
Burgers...
Pierce: The wide receivers and tight ends are plentiful and talented. If they were burgers, they'd be a place with great selection without sacrificing quality - I can't think of any chains that do this group justice, so whichever local burger expert you prefer. For Cville, I'd look to the new burger bar downtown -- Citizen Burger Bar. Tim Smith and Darius Jennings should both have a huge year, but as you'll continue to see on Wahooze, we're pretty high on Jake McGee going into the year as well.
Mike: The receivers are a a sack of Krystal burgers. We have a ton of them and they are all good. I'm really excited to unleash this arsenal on the ACC this season. Weapons galore. We have talent for the slot, speed on the edge, and huge guys for the red zone. Should be a great complement to the ground game.
Kendall: To me, the receivers are like the big, fat, homemade, hand-patted cheeseburger your drunk friend peels off the grill about three-and-a-half minutes too early. Slightly pink in the middle, no nice char marks, a little bit dicey to eat. Sure, it probably tastes okay, and it's gussied up with all the best fixins, but can you be 100% sure it's not going to make you sick?
Score for the Frame:
I like what we have at the receiving positions, but I can't get over what we lack -- experienced possession receivers, top-flight tight ends, and abundance of starting experience. This unit has to be considered a question mark, not an exclamation point. However, the ability levels are high, the talent is palatable, and the upside is tangible. This is like a blindfolded roll during cosmic bowl under the blacklights to me. Eight pins on the first roll, thanks to what we DO have, but a missed spare on the second roll due to what we lack.
Score Thru 7 Frames: 96
The Game So Far:
| 7/ | 7- | 33 | 8/ | X | 9/ | 8- | | | | 96
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