Zorn with some tough love for the Redskins rookie WRs

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by htownskinfan

couldnt disagree with you more,I love Thrash but I'm very dissapointed he's our # 3 receiver,we should have been able to do better than him by now.What happened to Mix,did he play the other night?

I don't think he played, hamstring. That's why you saw guys like Maurice "My Main" Mann and Billy McMullen getting the ball.

I think that for now, through injuries mainly, Thrash has earned the #3 spot but I expect he'll be down to 4th or 5th on the depth chart by week 5 if not soone.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I don't think he played, hamstring. That's why you saw guys like Maurice "My Main" Mann and Billy McMullen getting the ball.

I think that for now, through injuries mainly, Thrash has earned the #3 spot but I expect he'll be down to 4th or 5th on the depth chart by week 5 if not soone.

props to Billy McMullen for that nice catch from Brennan.

[htownskinfan]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

props to Billy McMullen for that nice catch from Brennan.

I second that,I dont know which was better,the throw or the great over the head catch,you rarely see that kind of catch,every time I see a catch like that it reminds me of Dave Casper

[Dirtbag59]

Originally Posted by htownskinfan

couldnt disagree with you more,I love Thrash but I'm very dissapointed he's our # 3 receiver,we should have been able to do better than him by now.What happened to Mix,did he play the other night?

But the difference is Thrash is the #3 reciever because of how impressive he's been this offseason. It's not out of spite that he has the job but rather hard work and execution.

The best way to describe is something the Madden heads might be able to understand. Before a play on Madden you can always see the routes and given that a lot of Madden players put in the highest rated players chances are you will be starting Kelly and/or Thomas over Thrash. However what if you put in one of the rookies and on about 1 in every 3 plays they ran the wrong route leading the QB to throw to where they thought he was going to be? Like say you need Thomas or Kelly to run an out and they run an in or a streak, maybe even a deep comeback. How comfortable would be knowing that 33% of the time the recievers are going to run the wrong route?

This is the main reason a lot of coaches don't start rookie recievers over veterans. Sure it's great to have better players in but if they can't execute what you're trying to run then you're better off having someone in who knows and understands the offense which in this case is a pretty good description of Thrash.

Reciever is a difficult position and before they can put their 4.3 speed or height advantage to use they have to learn the nuances of the game. Otherwise they might as well be running a 4.9 with a 20 inch vertical. If you're having trouble beating press coverage while trying to read the defense then you're not going to be an effective reciever.

Now add to the fact that Kelly and Thomas have missed a go amount of time in traing camp and you have good reason for not starting them around the time the season begins. I know that a lot of us want them to come in and set the world on fire but the fact is that a lot of Recievers need time to adjust to the NFL.

But again in the midst of all this remember, Thrash is having a great offseason and thats probably the main reason Thrash is behing Moss and ARE on the depth chart. If anything the fact that the rookies are struggling has very little to do at this point with Thrash earning a starting job.

[MTK]

Some follow up to this story:

Thomas Will Focus on Better Conditioning - Redskins Insider

[DIRTEE]

They have a job to do. When you are at work your boss will call you out, if you aren't performing up to standards. Zorn is the boss!! Shape up!

[freddyg12]

The bright side of this is that we have a long preseason w/an extra game, so these guys have extra time to recover. If Thomas comes back for the 3rd preseason game & is ok, he'll have a few weeks to get back in the groove. That may not mean he'll be ready to play in game 1, but at least he'll have the benefit of working in camp for a while.

[skinsfan69]

To me there is simply no excuse for not being in shape if you're a professional athlete. It's your job to stay in shape pretty much year around. But to be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of these guys this year because rookie wr's always take time learning the NFL game. I remember last year Calvin Johnson had conditioning problems in camp.

On a side note I'm really not for calling guys out in the media and that's one thing I loved about Joe Gibbs. But everyone has their own style and the media must love Zorn cause he'll just say whatever is on his mind.

[redsk1]

I don't think i've mentioned this but as in a previous post i mentioned how it seems like the players are really having fun and enjoy playing for JZ.

On the other hand, he has had the toughest training camp since maybe Marty. Under Gibbs, let's face it, they had pretty much a breeze. Not saying it's right or wrong, but i think i heard it was 8 two a days in a row. For being known as a players coach, so far, Zorn has really made these guys work. I like the change.

[PennSkinsFan]

This is damn good for them. First, if they came in at top shape, they could have avoided possible hammy injuries. Plus, just the fact of Zorn calling them out will put them in check and make them realize they are handed nothing, it must be earned. I like the move by Zorn.

[DIRTEE]

Its better to hear it from your coach than from the fans and media. How many times did I hear bad things about B Lloyd on this board?

[mmil12]

I don't think we can honestly expect much from Kelly or Thomas until after week 4. Most rookie WRs aren't very good their first year until the end of the season. I hope I am wrong but I would expect big season from either of them.

[DIRTEE]

Mix was nursing an injury. I believe he will be ready this weekend. I hope Mix makes the team. If we were to keep 6 receivers, I hope Mix is in the mix.

[The Goat]

I'm seriously, the more I read and hear from Zorn the more I like this guy. He challenged the rooks w/o lowering expectations, in fact his comments seemed to raise expectations. I'm not sure if Zorn is very smart or just has great instincts (or maybe both) but he seems to have the right tone for each circumstance.

Realistically, I wouldn't have expected the rook WR's to start. Moss and ARE have too much experience to not start and both guys have had awesome preseason (according to several of you observers and other guys too). Thrash has had sure hands in the past as well so I'm not concerned about him as #3. But I still think Thomas and Kelly will start to shine in the 2nd half of the season.

Oh yeah, I still bet Fred D. will have a bigger impact than the two WR - dude has hands and he can move almost like a WR. I'm pumped to see this kid flying around opposite Cooley.

[Schneed10]

I'm not sure this means much.

Rookie WRs rarely make a big impact in year 1 (perhaps this conditioning issue is part of the reason why). I wasn't expecting much out of either of these guys in the early going.

I'd prefer that Zorn come down on the players in practice, in the locker room, in front of his teammates, in front of other coaches, etcetera. I don't need to see him doing it in the media. Not sure what that accomplishes (anybody?). But in the end, I guess if you're not mentally tough enough to handle media issues like this with class, you're probably not mentally tough enough to succeed in the NFL.

So whatever. These aren't the droids you're looking for, move along.