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3 takes from Smith on being Speical

I hate to say it, but I really hate the fact that AB returns.

It's just asking for trouble in my book. I know he's great at it, but every time I'm just waiting for the bad news.
 
no worries, Demarcus Ayers will take over that task this year....
 
CoolieMan said:
no worries, Demarcus Ayers will take over that task this year....
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IDK, if it appears that Ayers is just a little short of what AB can do, Tomlin's history is to "run the wheels off" his best players, and he's proud of it.

He doesn't want to "live in his fears." And (I didn't realize this until a few days ago) Ayers only ran a 4.72 forty. I have never heard of an ace returner who runs that slow.
 
POP said:
IDK, if it appears that Ayers is just a little short of what AB can do, Tomlin's history is to "run the wheels off" his best players, and he's proud of it.

He doesn't want to "live in his fears." And (I didn't realize this until a few days ago) Ayers only ran a 4.72 forty. I have never heard of an ace returner who runs that slow.
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as was discussed when he was drafted, Ayers is NOT that slow. He was running the 40 with and injured hand and could not get the same quick start. I posted plenty of highlights of his returns which included a good one against Florida State.

FS highlight at the 3:15 mark

 
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CoolieMan said:
as was discussed when he was drafted, Ayers is NOT that slow. He was running the 40 with and injured hand and could not get the same quick start. I posted plenty of highlights of his returns which included a good one against Florida State.

FS highlight at the 3:15 mark

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this is like the 5th time the same thing has being said since the draft in this Forum. To "Coach" especially
 
Steelerfan said:
C before I except after Z. Or is it I before E except after C? :tongue:
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Dude, don't ask me as my ineptitude is less than standard for some on this MB. I'll just have to go with what is written.

AYERS will do VERY well in PR duties. AB need not apply for that job, this year.



Salute the nation
 
CoolieMan said:
as was discussed when he was drafted, Ayers is NOT that slow. He was running the 40 with and injured hand and could not get the same quick start. I posted plenty of highlights of his returns which included a good one against Florida State.

FS highlight at the 3:15 mark

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Normally, a hurt hand isn't associated with effecting running speed, but I suppose if he couldn't push off at the start or something it's possible it could impact it.

I still am concerned the totality of being small and not BLAZING fast could equate to not cutting it in the NFL. I know he's not as diminutive as Dri Archer, but he's not as fast either.

I know, I know, 7th rounder for a reason; 7th rounders only make the team a small % of the time.

It's just that every year we hear "so in so" will be doing punt return duties and every year we are back to having AB having to do it. Tomlin doesn't want to "live in his fears" so he throws caution to the wind on getting AB hurt. I ******* kind of can't stand that attitude.

AB means everything to this team; he should not be returning punts. Find ******* someone else, Cool Shades.
 
Ayers is an inch shorter than AB but has bigger hands. Search the Ayers pick thread, I put a chart comparison there. Very similar actually
 
while I would love for Ayers to take over...the best guy has to return punts. If the Steelers could have Woodson doing it for so long then Brown can also....

Ayers should really have stayed at UH another year, but would likely have gone higher if his 40 time didn't stink. If you watch the film, it is obvious he is not as slow as that time indicates.
 
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CoolieMan said:
while I would love for Ayers to take over...the best guy has to return punts. If the Steelers could have Woodson doing it for so long then Brown can also....

Ayers should really have stayed at UH another year, but would likely have gone higher if his 40 time didn't stink. If you watch the film, it is obvious he is not as slow as that time indicates.
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He MAY not be AS slow as his 40 time indicates, but he isn't a blazing speedster either. He has very good natural running instincts after the catch (passes and punts) but we will see if that is enough to offset 4.7 speed.

AB is a total freak of nature. His quickness to change direction while not slowing down is incredible. I don't know if Ayers has that kind of skill.
 
POP said:
He MAY not be AS slow as his 40 time indicates, but he isn't a blazing speedster either. He has very good natural running instincts after the catch (passes and punts) but we will see if that is enough to offset 4.7 speed.

AB is a total freak of nature. His quickness to change direction while not slowing down is incredible. I don't know if Ayers has that kind of skill.
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again, he doesn't have 4,7 speed. It is better
 
Litos said:
again, he doesn't have 4,7 speed. It is better
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By how much? He had a hurt hand, not a hurt leg.

OK, I found it. He ran a 4.66 on pro day.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/demarcus-ayers?id=2555465

Is that really that far off from a 4.7 forty? 4 100ths of a second. And then there is this.

Smaller than ideal. Limited to slot work in the pros. Benefited from scheme that fed him bubble screens, speed outs and jet sweeps. Inexperienced route runner lacking work in more complex passing attack. Catch and run specialist with just 53.1 percent of his receptions going for first downs. Not as sudden as expected. Has shown struggles with double catches and focus drops. Slight hesitation into his routes off snap. Will have to learn to play against more physical corners looking to jam and body him.

DRAFT PROJECTION Undrafted free agent

SOURCES TELL US "Should have gone back to school and worked on his craft. Right now I don't think he can distinguish himself enough from others at that same position. I need to see those system guys transcend the scheme and I didn't see it." -- NFL personnel director

NFL COMPARISON Quan Bray

BOTTOM LINE Ayers has some raw talent that is still in the incubation stages, but he surprised some NFL scouts with his decision to come out early. Ayers isn't the lateral "wiggle" player you expect to see when you first turn the tape on, but he can make the first tackler miss. At best, Ayers is a back end of the roster type receiver right now, but his punt return ability and a big combine could push his draft stock up a bit.
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POP said:
By how much? He had a hurt hand, not a hurt leg.

OK, I found it. He ran a 4.66 on pro day.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/demarcus-ayers?id=2555465

Is that really that far off from a 4.7 forty? 4 100ths of a second. And then there is this.
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well there's a reason he was taken in the 7th and as a Kick return specialist. He might become a decent slot receiver with hard work but he will earn his spot in the team on ST; the kid is shifty, not a atraight line speedster. Also I found he ran better than what you state at his Pro Day:

It was a pivotal workout Thursday for University of Houston wide receiver Demarcus Ayers following a rough NFL scouting combine in February where a broken hand suffered in training contributed to an uncharacteristically slow 40-yard dash time of 4.72 seconds.
With surgical pins recently removed from the pinkie finger in his right hand, Ayers improved his 40-yard dash times to 4.58 to 4.60 and caught the football smoothly. Ayers also had a 11.35 60-yard shuttle and a 6.91 three-cone drill.
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from http://www.chron.com/sports/texans/...Ayers-improves-his-drill-times-at-7044975.php
 
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he was till hobbled by his hand injury during his pro day...his take off was slow, in a 40 yard dash a good take off is critical.

Not sure what that "analyst" was referring to with "focus drops"...he rarely dropped the ball and made some spectacular catches, including a leaping one handed nab and one where the ball bounced off him and the defender and then he dove and caught it....yes he likely needs to work on routes, but did not catch just bubble screens, he caught the ball on deep routes, crossing patterns quick slants, whatever the coaches needed. He lined up all over, both sides, inside and outside, in the backfield and was a weapon wherever he was needed. He had rushing, receiving, punt return, and even passing TDs in his UH career....he makes guys miss and is can run through some arm tackles...
 
Ayers improved his 40-yard dash times to 4.58 to 4.60


so if he is better say in his 3 cone aka as was mentioned shifty, he just might fast enough to get the job done..


put some pads on and see what he can do
 
Sorry to say, but AB got hurt while being a receiver. I know he can get hurt at punt return and I'm just like everyone else in the fact, I don't want him to continue returning punts. I hoping Ayers can secure that aspect of the game. Ayers is a pretty good option but we will need to see how he handles the speeded up game of the NFL.




Salute the nation
 
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