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Originally Posted by joecrisp
Good point. Having watched TJ closely in camps over the past three years, I've been touting his abilities, and predicting great things from him. When you watch the guy working alongside the other receivers in practice, he stands out, because he really does possess so many of the attributes that make a receiver successful in the NFL.
But the one thing he seems to lack personality-wise-- and this is critical-- is that steely confidence and cocky self-assuredness that seems to always accompany today's outstanding receivers. Maybe that's one reason I've always liked the guy. But there's a reason so many great receivers-- Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Chad Johnson, the list goes on-- exude such unmitigated self-confidence.
To play that position at that level, where they're able to dominate opposing secondaries and establish themselves as upper-echelon wideouts, they not only have to be superior athletes, but they have to possess an unwavering belief that they can mentally and physically dominate defenders. You can see a little bit of that Jordan-esque killer instinct in any great wideout, whether they brashly proclaim their greatness or not. It's communicated in the way they carry themselves, the way they look people in the eye, their vocal and non-verbal mannerisms. It's something you sense, not just in the words they speak, but in their entire expression of who they are.
I simply don't see that in Taylor. He's not a commanding presence. He's just a quiet, soft-spoken farmboy from rural Florida. There's nothing remarkable about him physically, and his personality is so stealthily unobtrusive that he would virtually disappear in a room full of average people. One might get the sense that Jacobs' goal in life is to remain as inconspicuous as possible.
That could be a big detriment to him, holding him back on the depth chart, while others with "louder" personalities jockey for the attention of coaches, and lobby through the media for more playing time and more looks from the quarterback on gameday. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It could also be that, consciously or unconsiously, the coaches and quarterbacks interpret Taylor's lack of bravado as a lack of self-confidence. Why would they have any confidence in someone who apparently has little or no confidence in himself?
With Patten out of the picture this weekend, this is Taylor's opportunity to let his playmaking abilities speak for themselves. The question is, how loudly will they speak?
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Interesting take JC. Recently someone asked Terrell Davis about Jamaal Lewis' comments about playing it "safe" in his final contract year. Many misconstrued Lewis' comment implying that he was playing
not to get hurt. Terrell Davis said that on the contrary he didn't believe that is what Lewis meant. He went on to say that when players play not to get hurt that's when they actually get hurt.
Something you said Joe Crisp about a lack of steely confidence on TJ's part. Perhaps it's that shy quality that has, in some sort of weird way, led to these nagging injuries? I thought of Marvin Harrison and how he is the consumate professional on the field. He comes accross as being quiet and you never hear him brag or do anything unseemly on the field. Yet day-in and day-out he produces. While I don't hear of Harrison taking verbal jabs at the opposing defenders and so forth, I would be willing to bet that he still has a commanding presence about himself.
Perhaps one jarring hit and still hanging on to the ball is what Jacobs needs??