How Important Was...(Delanie Walker)

Delanie Walker? Just curious to others' opinions. He did a WHOLE LOT for us, least of all catching the ball. But his ability to move and get open with a rare combo of speed, quickness and strength was uncanny... great blocker, too. A tone-setter. He made some big catches for us down the field throughout the year when we couldn't get any rhythm on offense. Kap happens to be a rhythm quarterback.

Hugely. I was one who didn't want to lose him and had concerns that McDonald was a different type of player and wouldn't be able to do what Walker did.

Walker was key in so many areas...run game, special teams, and he was a THREAT deep down the field. We all know he couldn't catch to save his life but he could get down there and caught enough passes that he had to be accounted for.

It was funny...I saw him drop another one yesterday that almost resulted in an INT and a Titan loss...but all I could see was how fast he got to that spot and how wide open he was.

he was a huge part of our offense, ST and a matchup problem for defenses. IDK why so many people were happy to see him go.

Originally posted by ChazBoner:
he was a huge part of our offense, ST and a matchup problem for defenses. IDK why so many people were happy to see him go.

Agreed. That was a much bigger loss to me than Goldson. I said that on the Seattle forums and they thought I was crazy.

It's difficult to say. Week 1 we looked great but since then our game plans have been strange to say the least. Once we get back to running the ball for longer than one drive it will be easier to say. The identity of the offense has changed drastically scheme wise since last year so its virtually impossible to say how much of an effect Walker's departure has had.

Phoenix49ers told me he was a first-team all-pro player

He was good. People thought he was crap but for a #2 tight end, you can't ask for more. We just didn't need to pass to him as much, but he was getting open.

Good at being in the right spot at the right time on run blocks. Wouldn't really pancake anyone, but he could angle out or wall them off. Hated his inconsistent hands.. pretty forgettable pass threat, really. Didn't like his height, body control, or hands. Not a big loss. Much rather have Vance McDonald at this point than pay Walker anywhere near the 3-5 mil per year he received from the Titans.

it is hard to compare and evaluate the impact of the loss of walker because I don't see the niners playing a lot of 2 tight end sets like they did with him and davis...I was encouraged yesterday to see McDonald laying some nice blocks downfield on one of gore's 1st half runs

Mcdonald's physical skillsets and potential is much better than Walker. Walker was important in the run game and would use his speed to occassionally get open, but his hands were made of bricks and would often drop easy passes. Pure effort guy but he can't catch.

Walker was a pretty good #2 TE but could have been one of the best #2s and even better than a lot of 1's if he could catch. That was one of his few downfalls. Like I thought a rookie wouldn't be able to fully replace Walker for most of a year to maybe even 2 years. Keep in mind Walker had 5+ years to become the player he was. McDonald should be able to replace Walker fully by the end of the year or into his 2nd year. He is just starting out.... he won't be Mr. Everything after 3 games. I think he has better receiver potential if he gets on the jugs machine and should come close to Walker in the other phases. Also, keep in mind you guys saying why didn't we keep Sopoaga, RJF, Walker that these guys left for a huge pay day and we couldn't afford to give those guys half of what they all got. You really think we should have kept Sopoaga for 12 mil, RJF for 22 mil and Walker for 16 mil? I'll save all that money for guys who are future not backups who play anywhere from 20-50% of the plays. P.S. Of course Walker is going to be get more stats in Tenn being the #1 guy. I mentioned his catching as one of his few downfalls well the other was his lack of getting in the end zone for us. 8 tds in 7 years not going to cut it.

LOL, are we going to have a crying thread about every guy who leaves? Walker was a decent talent, good blocker, virtually useless in the redzone, bad hands and highly undersized for a TE. I appreciate what he did for this team but McDonald has the potential to be a far better player, hes already a good blocker and is an absolute beast out in the open field. People need to get over their nostalgia, for what he provides, the Titans way overpaid for Walker, another reason why they will be forever a 6, 7 or 8 win team.

Originally posted by JerryRice1848:

Phoenix49ers told me he was a first-team all-pro player

You wanna take this outside bro???

Any thread that starts with a tease title needs to be locked.