off topic, but graphic designers on Steelers message boards must love it when they draft someone from Iowa. So much easier to do uniform changes.
Southern Miss lost a law suit involving their eagle looking too much like Iowa's hawk. Golden Eagles will require new symbol now.
I think he's more comparable to Jordy Nelson personally than Davone Bess. He has deceptive speed and he can get behind defenses. Not suggesting he will be as good as Nelson but if I had to compare his game (based on his 2011 college tape) then it'd be Nelson.
thats sad. Its a nice logo, has its similarities, and would be a great update for the Hawkeyes, but Golden Eagles should have been able to keep it. When I see that logo, I don't see Hawkeyes. I do think its funny how some college logos are just blatant rip offs from NFL logos, ie Bulldogs, even though Green bay gave them permission to use it. Missouri vikings is the same.
It's been over a year since I've watched his tape, but I didn't see him as a Bess type either really. If I remember correctly, I saw him in the Boldin mold. Obviously not expecting him to be as good as Boldin, but similar in that he was physical and really attacked the football.
Even though I liked him coming out you've got to recognize t this point you're taking a guy off another team's scrap heap. Jimmy Smiths and Wes Welkers happen, but not that often.
I agree, I am hoping he can just make the 53 man roster, he has a decent shot. However I don't think he fit Kelly's future plans so I never seen him sticking in Philly when Chip was named head coach.
Regardless if McNutt makes the team or not, I think its nice we went from a dearth*of competent WRs to a glut of competent WRs this year.
It's nice to be able to debate your #5 WR when #1-4 are pretty much locked up. Matthews is a stretch, I guess, but it's his to lose IMO.
I'd say Matthews based on playing time and performance last year. I think he can play the different receiver spits more effectively just base on Binns' career at UC and the Bengals.
Matthews. I think Binns is the front-runner for the #5 spot but I can easily see that being taken by McNutt, Fuller, or a UDFA.
I don't care what anyone says but discussing who the #4 and #5 WRs are is a lot more fun than who is going to be the QB, as we've spent much of our offseasons doing since the day the music died... At any rate, Pauls right...last year we'd have been talking about whether he was better than Hartline or Bess and able to break the lineup...
I liked McNutt as a target last season, but I had him rated behind Matthews. IMO Matthews played a bit faster, was a bit more polished and had more of a big play knack. Part of the attraction with McNutt was the coaching connection. (I also agree that I would have taken him before BJ Cunningham) I see him as competing with Binn and Bumphis for the fifth spot this season. I have Fuller behind those three.
I don't really share this view to be honest. I think the Dolphins gave a #1 thru #2. I think Brandon Gibson is a roster bubble guy and right now everyone else is as well.
Here's McNutt going up against two NFL prospects in Josh Johnson and Ricardo Allen of Purdue. Johnson went UDFA I think but he was in the mix to be drafted, a priority free agent. Allen is a draftable prospect for next year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUmcWktFgUA And Alfonzo Dennard, who is standing out with the Patriots already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVS9SgufQEw It's pretty easy to remember the positives and negatives about McNutt just by watching about 5 to 7 minutes of these YouTube videos. He basically is James Jones except newer to the position so it could take even longer to clean up his issues with hands and whatnot.
Watch his highlights there's individual clips of him beating the likes of Chris L. Rucker, Chimdi Chekwa, Josh Johnson, Ricardo Allen, Robert Golden...and once or twice maybe Alfonzo Dennard.
I don't see that for 2013... maybe 2014 when we can actually save cap room by cutting him, but for 2013 I don't see it. He's a virtual lock for the 53.
IMO only two of the following are making the team (Also have Thigpen making it): Armon Binns Brian Tyms Marvin McNutt Rishard Matthews Jeff Fuller Taylor Stockemer Jasper Collins Terrell Sinkfield Chad Bumphis I would say Binns and Matthews have the inside track with Binns being on the bottom of those two. It would be great if three or four of these guys really flashed in preseason.
Wrong. He was on our practice squad, was released, and then the Bills signed him. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/12/dolphins-release-chris-hogan-from-practice-squad/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hogan_(American_football)
Between he and Chad Bumphis you've got two guys with inconsistent hands vying for one roster spot, IMO. Perhaps three if you toss in Armon Binns, who also has inconsistent hands.
We get it, you don't think highly of him. However that should not cloud your head to the point where you think Gibson isn't a lock to make the team in 2013.
No way in hell is Gibson's talent that of a guy on the roster bubble. He's better than that. A number 3, possibly 4 on a team that's deep at receiver.
McNutt will have a hard time transitioning from the black and yellow uniform of Iowa to the aqua and orange uniforms of the phins. /GuruMode
A big part of the appeal of unloading Bess was to get a different slot receiver on the team with some speed, explosion and big play ability. Bess was just too slow and not a threat as either a WR or a punt returner. Instead of demanding accountability and the attention of opposing defenses he was more of, to use an imperfect metaphor, a "three yards and a cloud of dust" WR. So the Fins dumped him for next to nothing- as to what extent the late season injury/attitude alienated the coaching staff, who knows. The point is, although Bess was well liked as a hard worker, underdog and producer, he just wasn't the answer, that explosive element to benefit Tannehill and the offense. And then, enter Brandon Gibson- wtf? Another WR with not much in the way of speed, threat or explosion, either in the slot or out wide? He's the long awaited upgrade? We waited all this time for Brandon effing Gibson? I've been a vocal critic of Bess for the last couple of years, but if I knew that the payoff to getting rid of Bess would be Gibson I'd rather have kept Bess and drafted Marquise Goodwin, Markus Wheaton, Steadman Bailey or maybe a few others in this draft- either for the slot or out wide, as maybe Rishard Matthews will end up in the slot. The Dolphins draft was pretty anti-climactic for me, and I would say the same for swapping Bess out for Gibson. This team was CRYING for speed and explosion at WR- sure Wallace was an excellent first step in that direction, but imo we shouldn't have stopped there, and my preference would have been for any number of draftable WRs over Gibson as a FA. We had a slow, non explosve WR in Bess and we replaced him with a slow, non explosive WR in Gibson- color me crazy, but I think that we could have done a lot better than Brandon Gibson. BTW- with roster spots tied up with Hartline and Gibson, where's the speed going to come from if Wallace is hurt? Matthews? Because if you put Hartline and Bess out there together, you're right back in the slow soup. As much as I like Marquise Goodwin, I think that we'll eventually regret passing up Markus Wheaton. The Steelers are consistently good for a reason- drafting WRs like Wallace and Wheaton in the 3rd round- and Antonio Borwn in the 6th round- are examples of why.
Or Gibson offers the ability to be in the slot or on the outside, which Bess didn't. And yes, i wanted Bailey. I wanted Austin. Hell, I wanted Swope and Denard if we couldn't get the others. Regardless, in the end our WR corp is DRAMATICALLY better on paper just by getting a better producing and taller version of Bess and adding Wallace...let alone if Matthews takes the next step and any of these other guys pan out.
