http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/pos...iscover-mo-money-mo-qb-problems?ex_cid=espnFB Good article with some very good points, as a WR you have to rely on a number of factors for you to be able to do your job effectively. On the flip side, guys who have played admirable despite their QB can be real steals in FA.
Author has a point, but I don't think putting Wallace (going from Roethlisberger to Tannehill) is fair considering the other examples he listed. The drop in QB quality for the others is massive compared to Wallace's situation.
I think he even said something along the lines of them starting to come around...I see no reason why they won't continue to play better together with BOTH in year 2 of Lazor's system. It's guys like J.Thomas who imo will find out how hard life is without P. Manning throwing him the ball.
Not talking about Roethlisberger.. talking about Tannehill being compared to Geno Smith, Ponder, Gabbert and Dilfer. The Wallace example doesn't fit in with the others.
Up until about week 4 of this year he certainly was flirting with that category, then luckily a light bulb (or Dan Marino) came on and saved the day.
Yeah, well Tannehill-Wallace deep ball better improve. It's such an embarrassment for us that they can't click. It's like having a high quality tool that you just don't know how to use. I also think Wallace has some motivation to make this work because we have a lot more freedom cap-wise to cut him next year.
Interesting that those posts were juxtaposed, since Tannehill clicked better downfield with Wallace in 2014 than Roethlisberger did in 2012, when the Steelers were running a similar offense.
I think I have a Tannephins simulator because I KNEW you were going to say that after Dol-Fan Dupree's post!
Interesting that the article talks about the 2011 season of Wallace. Lol Edit: guess I should read other posts before posting adding reading the article...lol
The percentage of catchable balls of 20+ yards in the air downfield from Roethlisberger to Wallace in 2012 was 25. That figure for Tannehill to Wallace in 2014 was 29. Tannehill's percentage of catchable balls downfield to Brian Hartline in 2012 was no different from the percentage Roethlisberger threw to Wallace between 2009 and 2011. So, I'd say you have a receiver who is ill-suited to play downfield in a timing-oriented offense. But I've said that before.
Also they weren't only using the 2011 season and instead the full body of work, I think his last paragraph on the duo was pretty spot on. Upward trend is a good description.
My problem is and has always been with these stats is that 25 yard completions are hardly my gripe, we didn't sign Mike Wallace to a 50M contract to catch an occasional 25 yard pass. We brought him here for those 40+ yard Tds he was getting in Pitt and to this point hasn't worked out in Miami with RT.
"Occasional" is right. He caught exactly one of those (21-30 yards in the air) in 2014. He caught one of those every eight games, on average, when he was in a timing pass offense in Pittsburgh, similar to the one he's in now.
If you're telling me that they had 28 plays of 30 yards or more in 2014 I will declare you on drugs or flat out a liar.
It might seem so superficially, but when you consider that his EPA per play was far greater in 2014 than it was in 2012, those two touchdowns he caught on 40+ yard passes in the air in 2012 hardly mean anything. He was actually far more productive overall with Tannehill in 2014 than he was with Roethlisberger in 2012. Everybody wants the highlight reel catch, but there's more to football than that.
There is. And this experience has accidentally turned Mike Wallace into a better all around WR than he was when he got here...and once he is released in 2016 like the article suggests I think Mike will be very cautious about the QB situation he chooses.
Here's a link to the stats just so everyone has the reference: http://www.nfl.com/player/mikewallace/2507763/careerstats So, number of 40+ yard passes: Pitt: 2009: 6 2010: 10 2011: 7 2012: 4 Dolphins: 2013: 5 2014: 2
Well, since he specifically cites the 2011 Pro Bowl appearance, it would seem he's comparing Wallace now to 2011 Wallace... Also, when Tannephins refers to "catchable balls," I don't think he's necessarily referring to balls that were actually caught...
That stat obviously factors in slants and short passes Mike turned into bigger plays. Not really the ongoing issue at hand.
If that stat includes short passes that Wallace turned into long ones, then it's even more ludicrous that we're complaining about the deep ball, since he only had 10, including short ones he made long, in his best season.
Idc what those stats are trying to make some of you believe, there wasn't even close to 28 catchable balls 30 or more yards thrown to Mike Wallace in 2013.
Taking away what he did in Pitt, Wallace has still put himself in position to make huge game changing plays as a Miami Dolphin...and THAT is what's frusterating, points left on the field for an 8-8 football team.
