Originally posted by OnTheClock:
Originally posted by thl408:
Originally posted by OnTheClock:
Originally posted by NYniner85:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Yeah. Unfortunately for him, this WCO requires guys to be able to do everything from in routes to slants to 9's to jet sweeps to blocking down on LB's. His "shake" was the only check box in this system for fit.
Nah, not if we're looking at film from college. He was pretty electric with the ball in his hands with sweeps and stuff. He's also shown he's far from bad at running slants. For the most part he was never horrible at blocking. Had great hands at Washington too.
You can look at tons of WRs that kyle has had that don't check off being good at all the stuff you mentioned...everyone had a role though. My issue is he was simply overdrafted, Kyle thought he could do all of it. If Pettis was a day 3 pick people wouldn't be this upset.
In reality it was some bad scouting.
He was a good blocker in college, and has been good in that area in the NFL too. He "can" do a lot of things, he has the ability, but he slacked off last year. He was behind, and every mistake became even more magnified and put him deeper and deeper in the dog house with even less opportunities to climb out of the hole he put himself in.
You see routes like this in college -- he dips and immediately gets off press -- you recall all the return ability he had, and you wonder where all that was last year?
Last year the guy was just coasting, he was unprepared, and he showed he was basically the type who CAN'T just "turn it on" after letting himself slip behind. Does he lack confidence? Ambition? I don't know. He's the Witherspoon of WRs. Once he gets on a bad streak, it's just downhill from there. I want him to succeed, because it helps us a ton. We'll see what happens this year when he's on the field. This is his last chance to prove he belongs here.
No need to go back to college to find examples of him shaking CBs. He can do it in the NFL.
breaking ankles
breaking shoulders?
Exactly. He did it in college, he did it in year one against NFL talent. Outside of injury, (and I don't think there's evidence there was anything significant going on in that area last year) there's not really any excuse for him not to perform last year.
I have a hard time buying that the change from Mullens to Jimmy G alone was enough to make Pettis suck when Deebo and Sanders had no trouble working with him despite no prior history with Jimmy G. Pettis was a guy Mullens trusted. He has the tools to be a trusted WR for Jimmy if he can be the player Shanahan expected him to be last year.
The quotes were plain as day. In the middle of the season last year, Shanahan said very simply (paraphrasing): "Dante didn't meet my expectation in training camp. I expect him to be at a certain level at this point, and he isn't there." In other words, Dante didn't make any strides on what they asked him to work on.
To be honest, I think not only did Dante slack off, I also don't think he responds well to the type of negative pressure Shanahan put on him, and my honest take is that pretty well shot his confidence or his focus, or both. Some writers oddly enough said that Shanahan mismanaged the situation, indicating he could've taken a more Harbaugh-like "positive reinforcement" approach in dealing with Dante's struggles. I see both sides honestly. To be fair, maybe you COULD make a case for that.
But.. It's no one's fault but Dante's that he came into camp unprepared. I'll concede that MAYBE Shanahan unintentionally made things worse with his approach to Dante's struggles. I get that not every player responds well to "STEP IT UP OR GET EFFING BENCHED". Mentally, Dante strikes me as a guy who will have that linger in the back of his mind and will be thinking "DONT-MESS-UP-DONT-MESS-UP-DONT-MESS-UP" on every play... and to be honest, going back and watching again, that's exactly what it looked like every time he was out there. And when he did screw up, the Witherspoon-like downward spiral in confidence seemed imminent.
You can say, well if you don't have the mental makeup to deal with any kind of coaching, you don't belong in the league. I see the argument, but I see the other side too when you look at the fact that different players thrive in different environments. Not all players are wired the same way, and if Pettis is actually a good player, but responds to different coaching, it would admittedly suck to see him go light it up somewhere else just because we weren't able to recognize how to get the most out of him.
Honestly, his situation is one of the most intriguing to me right now. Very curious what is going to happen with him.
Really a nice thotful piece, OTC. And i completely agree with your final line. It is definitely intriguing, and we best not be so anxious to unload any WR with the luck we have had with them. Sometimes, beggars can't be choosers. Deebo comes back we are golden. Well...he isn't back yet and who knows how long before he can get back to where he was? So maybe let's hang in there a bit longer and just see where Dante is.
There is a lot of truth in OTC's thinking perhaps on Dante's part: "DON'T DROP IT". "DON'T MESS UP". "DON'T MESS UP", That is definitely a good possibility. And i can attest to it personally over a lifetime of competitive sports. It happens. It's like that $10 bet on first hole, gets pressed, then pressed again and on #18 that $10 pressed bet is now 150 bucks, and you are looking at a 6' downhill slider to the right. You know you can make that putt, but it suddenly just got a whole lot harder.
And that's just 150 bucks. Imagine when it is your career, your chance to make it BIG...and it hinges on kyle's Laundry list of WR things....blocking, tackling, getting off blocks, catching....those things. So, "paciencia". We'll know soon enough.
