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Training Camp - Five Things


Dcash4

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I know this isn’t exactly the crux of @CKSteelers point, but I am actually kind of excited to see Gentry. He’s entering his third year, it usually takes TEs awhile to catch up, he’s giant and pretty athletic. He ticks a lot of boxes. I don’t expect him to start over Ebron or Pat, but I don’t think it’s wild to think he could be Jesse James. Good backup TE. 

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Ebron isn’t a bad weapon, provided you don’t use him as a tight end. He isn’t a TE, despite the letters being by his name in the program. 

He is best used as a 40-50% matchup/gameplan/game flow piece. His best year in the league was the year in Indy where he was essentially just a big slot. He came off the field for some no name TEs inside the 5 or in run situations. 

I said it last year when we signed him I was worried they would try to make him a TE and, ultimately, that’s what he was. Injuries to McDonald didn’t help, but he isn’t a 70% guy. 

Get him in the slot in 2 tight sets. Make teams roll out nickel to match and let his assignments be blocking corners, safeties, and getting in the way of LBers. If you put him in-line, even on the backside, your in trouble. 

Goes back to one of my 5 things, but if Freiermuth can be the guy, it opens up a plethora of things this offense can be. Of Ebron is somehow still needed to be the snap leader at TE, we are in trouble. 

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18 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

Ebron isn’t a bad weapon, provided you don’t use him as a tight end. He isn’t a TE, despite the letters being by his name in the program. 

Random aside:

Kind of funny how many people complain about Ebron after years of saying we need a flex TE like Ebron. 

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1 hour ago, warfelg said:

Random aside:

Kind of funny how many people complain about Ebron after years of saying we need a flex TE like Ebron. 

I think the problem is we haven’t used him correctly, like a lot of things in Fichners offense. Use him correctly and the complaints disappear. 

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1 hour ago, warfelg said:

Random aside:

Kind of funny how many people complain about Ebron after years of saying we need a flex TE like Ebron. 

For me, I have two thoughts here. 

1) Ebron still isn't even that guy. He isn't a tight end at all, just a big slot. If you ask him to be a TE, you're gonna have a bad time. 

2) Going back to my comments on Ebron's signing last year, I had no trust in our coaches using him correctly. I was mainly right on that - while admitting (or at least hoping...) injuries/covid had something to do with that to McDonald. 

From early on watching how intently Tomlin was with the blocking focus in training camp, you could get the feeling they were bringing him in to be a TE. Their TE's, especially 2nd and 3rd guys, have all be in-line, blocking first guys. If that's what you brought Ebron here to be, you did it wrong. He needed to be passing only. Our slot receivers do a better job blocking than he does. 

His best year as a pro in 2018 w/ the Colts, he was a 50% player and was split wide or in the slot for 63% of the snaps. In Pittsburg, he was a 70% player with 66% of his snaps coming in tight formation. Thats......not good. From the way they approached his practice style, to the snap location and distribution, to the roster construction with basically just him and vance....they said he was just a tightend. They thought they were getting a receiving talent who they could turn into a TE. They were wrong. 

If Pat can be the full time guy or at the very least Canada understands how to use Ebron better...he can be an asset. If he is in-line 50%+ of the time, get ready for a repeat. 

 

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1 hour ago, Dcash4 said:

For me, I have two thoughts here. 

1) Ebron still isn't even that guy. He isn't a tight end at all, just a big slot. If you ask him to be a TE, you're gonna have a bad time. 

2) Going back to my comments on Ebron's signing last year, I had no trust in our coaches using him correctly. I was mainly right on that - while admitting (or at least hoping...) injuries/covid had something to do with that to McDonald. 

From early on watching how intently Tomlin was with the blocking focus in training camp, you could get the feeling they were bringing him in to be a TE. Their TE's, especially 2nd and 3rd guys, have all be in-line, blocking first guys. If that's what you brought Ebron here to be, you did it wrong. He needed to be passing only. Our slot receivers do a better job blocking than he does. 

His best year as a pro in 2018 w/ the Colts, he was a 50% player and was split wide or in the slot for 63% of the snaps. In Pittsburg, he was a 70% player with 66% of his snaps coming in tight formation. Thats......not good. From the way they approached his practice style, to the snap location and distribution, to the roster construction with basically just him and vance....they said he was just a tightend. They thought they were getting a receiving talent who they could turn into a TE. They were wrong. 

If Pat can be the full time guy or at the very least Canada understands how to use Ebron better...he can be an asset. If he is in-line 50%+ of the time, get ready for a repeat. 

 

Perfectly said. That’s why they felt the need to go Friermuth over OL in the 2nd round. Tight end was a much bigger hole than most realized. ‘Muth will be TE1 and Ebron will be a part-time role player this year.

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1 minute ago, MOSteelers56 said:

If Pat is our #1 TE, people need to GREATLY temper expectations from the TE group. Rookie TEs are usually pretty bad. It could be an improvement over last year, though. Which is an indictment of last years group. 

Provided he knows how to align on goaline on the backside so he can just get in the way of the defender pinching down off the edge….we will score more TDs. So any improvement will be fairly drastic at this stage. 

Watching that reply of Ebron against Washington still drives me nuts….🤬

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11 minutes ago, Dcash4 said:

Provided he knows how to align on goaline on the backside so he can just get in the way of the defender pinching down off the edge….we will score more TDs. So any improvement will be fairly drastic at this stage. 

Watching that reply of Ebron against Washington still drives me nuts….🤬

I think a lot of Ebron’s troubles(and even Randy’s utilization of him to a lesser extent) has to do with how horrible Vance was the last two years. I think they envisioned Ebron as the move guy and Vance in line. Vance then fell off a cliff. I’m not trying to give Ebron too much credit here, he was trash too. Just adding context.

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10 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I think a lot of Ebron’s troubles(and even Randy’s utilization of him to a lesser extent) has to do with how horrible Vance was the last two years. I think they envisioned Ebron as the move guy and Vance in line. Vance then fell off a cliff. I’m not trying to give Ebron too much credit here, he was trash too. Just adding context.

I do agree that had a role to play, but even when both were available and in the game they asked Ebron to do things that any amount of tape in his scouting tells you he can’t do. 

It’s scary how much of a liability he is even on the backside blocking. When I went back last year after we signed him that shows how every game. In Detroit and Indy. The Colts at least got it right with him in the redzone - 20 to 5, he is in. 5 and in, you take him out. 

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1 minute ago, warfelg said:

@Dcash4 I wasn’t calling you out more the yinzer fans who whined that we had Heath while Brees had Graham, then we go get that and they go “well he doesn’t block so he sucks.”

Oh no it’s all good, I didn’t think you were. Just adding my two cents, which isn’t even worth that. 

I was not a fan of the signing, but it’s more because my lack of faith we would use him properly. Hoping Canada addresses that. 

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2 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

Oh no it’s all good, I didn’t think you were. Just adding my two cents, which isn’t even worth that. 

I was not a fan of the signing, but it’s more because my lack of faith we would use him properly. Hoping Canada addresses that. 

I was a fan of Vance stayed healthy which was a big ask. If he did it was a great signing of a flex TE who chips in two TE sets, plays in the 10 or 00 personnel, not out there in 11 or 21. 

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