Did this at the request of Omar Kelly tonight. I thought it was a worthwhile venture. I was very impressed with Brian Hartline during the season and have penciled him in as the Dolphins' top receiver for a while, and this exercise really just confirmed it for me. He was a good player in 2011 but did not get featured enough because of the domineering presence of Brandon Marshall in the offense, as well as the over-reliance on Davone Bess who is more of a crutch for lesser talented quarterbacks, in my opinion. In an offense like Green Bay's, you could sub him in for a Jordy Nelson or Greg Jennings and he would produce. Not necessarily to the same level as those two, but he would produce nonetheless. It's easy to see why Joe Philbin would like this guy as he displays almost the exact skill set Philbin looked for from his other guys like Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. He does not quite have Jennings' deep speed, nor Nelson's run-after-catch ability, but he shows a lot of the same traits as those guys. The one thing I know Philbin will want him to work on is keeping his feet after the catch so that he can get more yards after the catch. I have not put his incompletions on video but I will say this...the incompletions are almost as impressive as the completions in that there is generally a fair amount of separation, some bare misses, force-outs, poorly thrown passes, bad quarterback decisions, late throws, etc. Not very many of the incomplete passes were really on Hartline either for dropping the football or failing to create separation. Here are the completions. [video=youtube;n9GqPAJlY4U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9GqPAJlY4U[/video] The whole exercise reminded me of something similar I did for Miles Austin right before he broke out. Brian Hartline is not Miles Austin, but he's better than generally given credit for. I've asked people this question a lot, whenever they compare Miami's "headless" receiver situation to Green Bay's, whether they believe Miami has a future Jordy Nelson or Greg Jennings on this roster. I personally do not believe Miami has one. However, if I'm wrong, my money is on Hartline being the underrated guy.
Thanks for the clips, I like Hartlines game but it seem like the slightest of contact he fall like a ton of bricks lol
Sooooo savvy on the perimeters. Gets ample seperation, knows how to sit in a zone. He's smart and doesn't give up on a play, you saw the one in dallas where the ball was uncatchable but he jumped and reached up anyway, drawing the interference. Not afraid to get hit, attacks the ball. I don't recall any drops. A lot to like.........Resign him now if possible, because I could see him topping 1000 w/ 5 Tds. Fantasy Sleeper alert !
I think with the a more accurate QB Hartline has more YAC. I definitely think he is continuously improving and I enjoyed watching him last year. I think in the new offense he will excel.
I've mentioned before that a few of the catches Hartline made last season could be nominated for catch of the year. He's going to have a much bigger role this coming season.
I'm definitely intrigued by what he could do in this offense. Hartline is a very smart guy who can easily learn all the WR positions and be moved around. He's a very solid route runner which helps cover his lack of top end speed. He's got what I call "deceptive" speed. Also seems to be able to find the holes against a zone defense to the point where it looks like the defender just plain doesn't see him. Plus he gives you effort on every play. I'd have to say virtually every one of those pass interferences was caused because he was putting in full effort trying to make a very tough catch. My only question is whether he can do it with the other sides top corner on him and whether his play picks up because of the lack of a Marshall and maybe being more comfortable with this style offense.
IMO his best catches are those tippytoe sideline catches. He does seems to draw a lot of interference calls which indicates some respect from opponents.
I've said from the beginning Hartline is very much under utilized & under rated. this is an NFL star on the rise. expect him to explode onto the offense this year. Hartline played QB in HS & ran track (hurdles) as well as played football in college. he is tough, fast, football smart & has excellent hands. I have always seen him as the potential #1 or go-to WR. this new offense suits him & this will be his year.
Problem with Bline is not his talent, it is the fact he is a bit prone to injuries and he disappeared for a couple of games in 2011. Would not mind seeing him play in the slot, but also think the rook wr's or the holdovers have a better shot at making an impact from the slot. Most think DBess is mostly a slot Wr but a couple of yrs ago he lined up at other spots more often.
I think your right, which would make us in agreement & this wouldn't be the first time we found ourselves in agreement... he was also strong on Tannehill when many were expressing doubts.
Funny you say that GA, I went back and compared Cris Carter's yrs at OSU to BJ Cunningham's at MSU and they are surprisingly even on everything save for YPC avg, for example CC had 29 Td's, Cunningham 27.
Watching this video...the thing that stood out the most are the catches that should have been catches with alot more YAC. There are certainly a few I'd put on hartline, but alot of them were pretty bad ball placement. Getting it another 1-3 ft in a direction lets him keep running rather than stopping or slowing to go after the ball. Sure, you look for that in a WR, but yet - you have to wonder how much more some of these plays could have been. Whats funny is seeing some of these in real time I was just happy for a catch or conversion. Now, I'm thinking **** that could have been 10 more yards!? haha. Funny how during the season its hard to evaluate whats going in a game vs just being happy ANYTHING is going on... at least for me as a fan and casual evaluator anyway. Good collection of film, and I have to echo the above sentiments. Every time I've been impressed with Hartline it seemed to be a tip toe sideline catch. Would love to see him become a go to on the fade in the RZ. I think hes got the potential to become a real surgeon in coming down with those if the QB can put them up well.
Wow. those 2 catches against Buffalo at around 7:10 in that video. Unbelievable- forgot about how awesome those were. Wish the season started today!
Four pass interference calls this year totaling 75 yards. He's drawn pass interference exceptionally well since he was a rookie. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but I don't know if it's respect from opponents. It may be the opposite. Those opponents aren't expecting to be beaten by him and when they are, they're left scrambling.
That is one of the things that is surprising about the reaction to the video that I'm seeing. This is a guy that averaged a little under 16 yards per catch, and a little under 9 yards every time the QB looked his direction. Yet, everyone is very focused on the yardage he could have gotten if he'd been able to keep his feet. I don't disagree with that, it's something he needs to work on, but still we are talking about 16 yards per catch and 9 yards per attempt (including defensive pass interference yardage). I would like to get the yards per attempt up, but in looking at the incomplete passes...a lot of those were just terrible throws.
Hartline seems to know where he is on the field very well he uses his size to his advantage. If he could stay upright after the catch more often his YAC would really improve. Its been a good thing to have him on the team. Maybe his best is yet to be seen. Thanks for the awsome clip CK. Ill fist pump you when I get to a real pc.
I think an important note is how many of those catches he's making are routes that our offensive coaches rely heavily on. A whole hell of a lot of what Brian Hartline was catching the ball on in that video is stuff that Jon Gruden and Ryan Tannehill are talking about here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO6UgIg1AU4#t=11m17s
Let me clarify a bit then - I'm not knocking his ability to generate the YAC. Really, I'm just intrigued by how many times he had to "go and get the ball" rather than grab it in stride. I guess its just that old argument of receiver vs qb and who has the bigger impact. What I do see is alot of great grabs in traffic, and alot of beautiful sideline grabs, wehther dancing of the feet or going over a defender. It seems like the "hartline topple" so many complain about comes when hes stretching out to grab something too far ahead or slightly behind him. Sure, some receivers could make the same grab and maintain balance or absorb contact better, but a lot of receivers fail to get those balls at all as well. What I do remember of hartline last season, is that more often then not when I saw a mid to deep ball go up, I almost always expected it to be going to Hartline. Not that it says ANYTHING about his play... it just seemed like he was the most consistent to get open on those routes and give us a shot at those plays. What I wonder is if it was due to his route running, speed, and separation, or just because marshall and/or bess had others busy underneath? Not enough footage or angles to really decide in the reel above... Generally speaking, I like what I see from him and think hes got potential...but as someone else said, he either wows or disappears. Can't tell if thats a lack of speed / seperation vs better corners or a result of game planning / QB play. Hopefully, its all the latter and we see some improvement this year regardless
The Good: Great hands/feet, and great body control. Very smart. Good versus the press. Gets good separation. Adjusts extremely well when the ball is in the air. The bad: Does he seem a bit slow off the line? Doesn't seem very naturally 'quick', and to compensate, he plays a little out-of-control sometimes. But, that's just me nit-picking. I really like the guy.
My bad. But you are really, really, really, really old and live in Nashville, so its not a stretch to think you didn't understand new technology......
Ok... I highly disagree right back. When I think of 'quick' players, I think of Davone Bess or Reggie Bush, not Brian Hartline. Maybe that's just me. However, WRs can also get open by running a good route, using their body properly, and making a good adjustment to the ball. Hartline does all that very well. Again, I'm nit-picking, but I just don't see him as a particularly 'quick' player.
I'm a senior software developer, and I supervise 9 other developers in my department... I know technology like you wouldn't believe.
Look at the tape again. I would put Hartline's quickness up and beyond Davone Bess. Watch the reverse play, he cuts on a dime and then explodes up the middle. He couldn't do that without really good quickness. Also notice all of the out routes. He cannot make those cuts unless he is really quick. In fact his quickness is how he is able to be a deep threat. His ability to start and stop, and then start again is a move he is able to do because he is really quick. If you like combine numbers, his quickness numbers were either the best or 2nd best of the combine for wide receivers. In fact, your definition of what he does is a perfect description of Davone Bess.
I've long thought Hartline's that guy. Looking forward to him getting the chance. I also think there's a good chance they find at least one more in the group they've assembled. Bess, Matthews, Cunningham, Gates. Maybe even Moore or Chris Hogan. Thanks for the video CK.
Brian Hartline Combine Results Height: 6015 Weight: 195 40 Yrd Dash: 4.52 20 Yrd Dash: 2.61 10 Yrd Dash: 1.50 225 Lb. Bench Reps: Vertical Jump: 34 1/2 Broad Jump: 10'00" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.12 3-Cone Drill: 6.65 Pro Day Results Dates: 03/13/09 Height: 6015 Weight: 195 40 Yrd Dash: 4.49 20 Yrd Dash: 2.56 10 Yrd Dash: 1.50 225 Lb. Bench Reps: Vertical Jump: Broad Jump: 20 Yrd Shuttle: 3-Cone Drill: Davone Bess Combine Results Height: 5097 Weight: 194 40 Yrd Dash: 4.64 20 Yrd Dash: 2.61 10 Yrd Dash: 1.53 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 12 Vertical Jump: 31 1/2 Broad Jump: 09'10" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.27 3-Cone Drill: 6.97 Pro Day Results Dates: 04/01/08 Height: 5097 Weight: 194 40 Yrd Dash: 4.60 20 Yrd Dash: 2.66 10 Yrd Dash: 1.59 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 17 Vertical Jump: 32 1/2 Broad Jump: 09'07" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.28 3-Cone Drill: 7.15 Bush did not run any of the quickness drills at the Combine or Pro Day. I highlighted what are generally considered the quickness measurables. According to those Hartline would appear to be quicker than Bess. He seems to get quite a bit of separation on the field as well. That could be attributed to skilled route running and/or quickness. I don't find any support for the contention that Hartline is not as quick as Bess in the measurables or on the field.
If memory serves me right Hartline's 3 cone drill was the best among wide receivers and 2nd best in the draft. It has been a while, however I remember reading something like that in CK's review of the draft that year.
