Thread: Bears TE's Could Have Busy Season......................

Weak at best describes tight end crop

Stanford’s Coby Fleener could be a first-round pick in the draft after catching 34 passes and scoring 10 TDs last season. Associated Press

There is no Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham in this year’s NFL draft that starts April 26. There is no Tony Gonzalez, no Antonio Gates and no Vernon Davis.





This year’s group of tight ends is weak ... really weak.


But there is Lemont’s Coby Fleener, a Joliet Catholic High School and Stanford graduate who has a chance to sneak into the first round after a senior season in which he averaged 19.6 yards on 34 catches and scored 10 touchdowns. He is the best pass-catching tight end on the market this year.


Including Fleener, Stanford could have four first-round picks — quarterback Andrew Luck, guard David DeCastro and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin. Under coach Jim Harbaugh, the program made huge strides, which continued even after Harbaugh left a year ago to become the San Francisco 49ers head coach.


“One of the things I’m proudest of in going to Stanford is taking a team that was 1-11 (in 2006) and helping to turn that around to two straight BCS games,” Fleener said. “I think for years to come they’re going to be a pretty good team.”


Georgia’s Orson Charles and Clemson’s Dwayne Allen are both solid all-around tight ends and will probably be second-round picks. After that, there might not be another tight end taken until Saturday, the third day of the draft, when Rounds 4-7 will be conducted. According to Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki, there might only be 10 tight ends drafted this year.


But Fleener is being compared to former Bears tight end Greg Olsen, who was drafted 29th overall in 2007. He’s the kind of tight end the Bears could use since they traded Olsen to the Panthers after the 2010 season. At 6-feet-6, 247 pounds, Fleener is a big target with the wingspan and leaping ability to create a wide catching radius. The NFL has trended toward tight ends who can be impact players in the passing game. Teams looking for a tight end who is a wipeout blocker or a slightly smaller offensive lineman won’t find that in Fleener. (If we wanted a TE who is a marginal blocker and poor at YAC we shouldn't have traded Olsen and it would be a folly to spend a 1st round pick replacing a former 1st round pick whom we only got a 3rd for)


He’s more lean than stout and could use a little more of the bulk that made his namesake, Joe Jacoby, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Redskins.When Fleener’s mom, Michelle, was pregnant with him, she was watching an NFL game with her husband, Bill. She noticed “Jacoby” on the back of one of the “Hogs” jerseys and thought “Jacoby Fleener” had a nice ring to it.


Her husband was leaning toward a different name, something like “Bill.” After a long and difficult delivery, Michelle requested the name she preferred and got her way. (And we should be surprised by this? Why? We all know "The Rules" don't we?)


“So here I am,” said Fleener, who had a phone conversation with Jacoby a few months ago that was arranged by the professor in his sports journalism class, Joe Pomeranz, who knew Jacoby from when he was a beat writer covering the Redskins. We had a good conversation,” Fleener said.“He’s a great guy. I’m glad to kind of consider him a friend now.” Maybe some day Fleener will be considered in the same category as the NFL’s current elite pass-catching tight ends.


“It’s exciting to be even considered part of that position,” he said. “The Jimmy Grahams and the Gronkowskis of the world have really done our class of tight ends a favor this year. “I hope to one day go play just like that.” (You can say that again. You're all seriously overrated and going much higher than you should)


rlegere@dailyherald.com

I couldn't resist. I haven't had a rant about TE's all day.

I'd like to see Davis get the ball more this year. He's got the tangibles to be a threat if we keep working with him.

So our tight ends were used mostly as blockers in Martz's scheme, but they're gonna be used alot more in the passing game this year.

Wow. Gonna be interesting to see how much 'better' Webb does this year without the help.

Oh great, now we're gonna rag on Webb in a thread about TE's when Webb has his very own thread to rag on him in.

Whoever said he'd be without help? Certainly not Tice. In addition to changes in the entire passing scheme which won't use straight ass 7-step drops that require him to protect longer not leaving him without help from a TE and/or a RB chipping on the DE were two things he specifically said would be done at times.

That's the whole point of having all around TE's who can work as receiver and blocker something Davis is very good at and Olsen was not. That's also the problem with most if not all of the top TE's in this draft. They are not great blocking TE's so if we're gonna continue to give Webb some help periodically why would we want one of them?

I kinda like this brash, ranting soulman.

Have you been drinking?

Originally Posted by soulman

Oh great, now we're gonna rag on Webb in a thread about TE's when Webb has his very own thread to rag on him in.

Whoever said he'd be without help? Certainly not Tice. In addition to changes in the entire passing scheme which won't use straight ass 7-step drops that require him to protect longer not leaving him without help from a TE and/or a RB chipping on the DE were two things he specifically said would be done at times.

That's the whole point of having all around TE's who can work as receiver and blocker something Davis is very good at and Olsen was not. That's also the problem with most if not all of the top TE's in this draft. They are not great blocking TE's so if we're gonna continue to give Webb some help periodically why would we want one of them?

The TE position does have a direct effect on the effectiveness of the entire O-line no ? Lotta blather about how much Martz's O sucked to block though huh ? Even WITH a TE in to help block it much of the time.

I got no prob with the TE's being used more ( actually think it will be a good thing ) but if they couldn't pass block that well WITH TE help, then the ball is gonna hafta come out even quicker this year with them actually running more patterns.

So YEAH ... it IS related.

Originally Posted by blinddeafmute

I kinda like this brash, ranting soulman.

Have you been drinking?

LOL, no brother. I don't drink alcohol at all. It just comes natural.

I just hate the idea of drafting a TE this year so much that I'd rather see us take a long snapper.

Originally Posted by Blue Horse-shoe

The TE position does have a direct effect on the effectiveness of the entire O-line no ? Lotta blather about how much Martz's O sucked to block though huh ? Even WITH a TE in to help block it much of the time.

I got no prob with the TE's being used more ( actually think it will be a good thing ) but if they couldn't pass block that well WITH TE help, then the ball is gonna hafta come out even quicker this year with them actually running more patterns.

So YEAH ... it IS related.

I think you're comment was this Wow. Gonna be interesting to see how much 'better' Webb does this year without the help. and I just asked where you got that idea. Tice said we'll definitely be giving him help. Most NFL LT's get help from TE's and RB's when they up against great pass rushers. No shame in that. Hell Pep usually has two or three blockers on him.

My snide little comment about ragging on Webb in this thread wasn't meant to be taken all the seriously. It's just that it's becoming almost a topic of daily discussion ever since the guru's and the Bears have claimed we won't be drafting an OT. Good, besides Kalil there isn't one I'd want. He's the only sure thing in an OT in this draft.

I just figured you guys could rag on Webb over there and I could rag on TE's unmolested over here. Guess I was wrong.