Ravens Insider: Hayden Hurst pushing to get more involved in Ravens offense

[ExtremeRavens]

For fans who feel underwhelmed by what Hayden Hurst has done in the first three games of his NFL career, get in line because the Ravens rookie tight end is harder on himself than anyone else.

âI want to make every single play,â he said this week. âI want to make every block. Sometimes itâs not...

 

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[papasmurfbell]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/28/rookie-tight-ends-struggles-learning-curve

 

The Learning Curve for Rookie Tight Ends

In the Super Bowl era, from 1967 until now, there have been 899 tight ends taken in the NFL draft (via DraftHistory.com). Of those 899, not one has reached the 900-yard receiving plateau as a rookie. Rob Gronkowski wrapped his first pro season with 546 yards; Greg Olsen with 391. Tony Gonzalez, named by NFL.com’s Gil Brandt as the greatest tight end of all time, had 368.

 

 

Each case is different, but tight ends arriving in the league typically fall under one of two categories: They’re seen primarily as blockers, without the requisite athleticism or role within their new offense to produce big numbers; or they’re pass-catching threats who struggle to get on the field early, because they aren’t reliable enough when they do have to block.

 

 

During February’s Super Bowl week in Houston, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten discussed this topic during an interview with SI.com. Long one of the best at his position, and a likely Hall of Famer, Witten turned in a 35-catch, 347-yard rookie season for Dallas. He said it took him almost half that 2003 campaign before he began “really hitting my stride.”

“I don’t know that it’s a learning curve, I think it’s just a hard position to play,” Witten said. “In this system in Dallas, until you can consistently block at the point of attack under [former head coach Bill] Parcells’s system, they weren’t going to put you in to go catch seam balls. I think guys are making the transition easier and easier year in and year out than it was 20 years ago, even 14 years ago for me. But I think that in college football, you can get on the perimeter and spread out, there’s a lot of check down, underneath stuff, and in pro football the coverage is tight.”

 

 

 

Take Chicago’s Adam Shaheen, for example. He set an Ashland (Ohio) University school record last season with 16 receiving touchdowns, also an NCAA D-II record for tight ends. He tested well at the combine, including 24 bench-press reps. He’s 6' 6", around 280 pounds, and has the coveted background as a former basketball player.

And until he attended the Bears’ rookie minicamp and then OTAs, he admits he “really had never pass-blocked.”

“The tight end position is just so dynamic,” Shaheen says, “being a part of the run game and pass game. You’ve got to be smart to play it, and I think, behind quarterback, it’s one of the toughest to learn and make that transition not only in the playbook but also in techniques.”

Coaching staffs have little recourse but to throw these guys into the fire. For Shaheen at a recent training-camp practice, that meant blocking Leonard Floyd during a passing drill.

I keep saying about the position but ppl keep complaining about lack of production from these rookies. Here it is. Stop having big expectations for a rookie TE.

 

I

[GrubberRaven]

Andrews is doing pretty well...

[papasmurfbell]

The exception to the rule.

[deeshopper]

The exception to the rule.

 

Can't you just say yes, I agree? lol.

[papasmurfbell]

BC it is the exception. Eveytime someone says a rookie TE will be the savior I keep bringing up the rookie TEs issues with being effective. Just bc someone points out the exception to the rule doesn't discount the rule.

[deeshopper]

Yeah, OK.

 

Anyone: "I beat Alzheimer's."

You: "The exception to the rule."

 

Bet you're fun at parties!

[papasmurfbell]

To old for parties now.

[GrubberRaven]

Too*

:-P