Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: TDToomer on Today at 03:19:30 PMOK I'll bite. What's the controversy about this reality show with Rattler?

When he was either in HS or early college, Rattler didn't handle adversity very well.  He was on some sort of reality show, so his reaction was seen by many

https://x.com/MadelynBurke/status/1784291114503094502

Waldman


Elevator Pitch: Johnson is a fast-riser during the pre-draft cycle because of his workouts. He has elite speed, acceleration, and good
change of direction quickness for a tight end with near-prototypical size. Beyond the physical, Johnson's game has promising facets.
Johnson sets up routes well. He's especially good at manipulating defenders during his stems. There's some snap with his breaks and
there's good weight drop with hard breaks on shallow routes.
Johnson also has a wide catch radius and makes good adjustments to targets arriving from a variety of trajectories. He's not always
as explosive as his workouts, but he's fluid and he's effective at catching targets at the earliest point of its trajectory. The greatest
impediment to his consistency as a pass-catcher is his lapses with clap-attacking with targets above his chest.
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Johnson's fluid athletic ability shows up well post-catch. He alters stride length effectively, precise stop-start movement, and
transitions downhill at the level of a starter.
Johnson has an understanding of when to be patient, decisive, and improvisational as a runner. His pad level, leg strength, and
forearm shiver make him a powerful runner at the point of contact to work through a variety of tackle types. He's not shy about
initiating contact as a finisher with the ball in his hands.
Johnson needs work with his positioning for blocks at the line of scrimmage. In the open field, he can engulf smaller defenders
without as much risk of his positioning biting him.
Although quick enough to move laterally with edge rushers, he's not skilled enough to handle redirects from NFL-caliber edge
defenders. Johnson strikes hard enough that he can regain his footing and follow up with a second hit.
If he misses the initial angle on a defender at the line of scrimmage, he can maintain his hands on the defender. Still, he's not a
great fit for RPOs and screens as a lead blocker right now because he's not playing quick enough to reach linebackers and defensive
backs coming downhill at full speed and their change of direction often proves too formidable.
When he can reach defenders, he can turn them inside or out with the appropriate position on the inside or outside shoulder.
Johnson is at his best as a drive blocker who uppercuts with tight hands and rolls through his hips. If he wasn't forced to overextend
to reach his opponents, he'd have more success against smaller defenders.
The greatest weakness with Johnson's game is translating his athletic ability fully to the field. As explosive as he is for his size,
Johnson looks like a slower, lumbering option against man-to-man coverage, especially against tight coverage. This may have to do
with lacking well-practiced footwork and route strategies for this type of coverage.
If Johnson can develop a similar approach with man-to-man coverage at the line of scrimmage with his athletic ability, look out.
Otherwise, Johnson still has value as a zone/off-coverage option whose speed can earn him vertical targets.
One off-field point worth noting: Johnson earned probation for assault. He punched a fraternity member in the head at a party and
gave the student a concussion.
Where is the player inconsistent? Johnson overextends as a lead blocker or he can't continue to move his feet quickly enough to
remain tight to the defender and it leads to him overextending. As a result, defenders shed him quickly because he's not playing
quick and smaller-quicker athletes can work off his strikes without quickly getting engulfed.
What is the best scheme fit? An inline tight end who is likely to earn free releases and threaten zone coverage with his athletic
ability. This means he'll need to refine his run blocking to reach a starter-level of performance. He's not that far away. With a season
of diligent-intelligent work, he could get there.
What is his ceiling scenario? A productive in-line tight end with big-play potential in the red zone and play-action vertical routes.
What is his floor scenario? A contributor off the bench who can deliver value in offensive sub-packages.
Physical: As much as he brings technical and conceptual elements to his route and receiving game, Johnson requires a lot of space
to build up his speed against man-to-man coverage and it means he doesn't earn separation as easily as one would expect. With
better footwork off the line, Johnson might realize more of his explosion.
Keep in mind that the worst aspect of his physical testing was the short-area change of direction. It's competent in a workout, but he
must graduate beyond thinking about a plan and recognizing the plan and executing it instantaneously so there's no sluggishness
with his footwork.

Quote from: brownelvis54 on Today at 02:42:19 PMYeah, he either leaves on his own or the Giants will cut him

or potentially they could trade him

https://x.com/Giants/status/1784291422100664462

https://x.com/ChaseDaniel/status/1784281555315409052

https://x.com/Giants/status/1784283872563273987

https://x.com/Giants/status/1784289408943861972

Free agent additions

OT MATT NELSON
OC/OG AUSTIN SCHLOTTMANN
OG AARON STINNIE
OL JERMAINE ELUEMUNOR
OG JON RUNYAN, JR
OC JIMMY MORRISSEY

The Giants can't draft offensive linemen to save their lives (Thomas being a notable exception), so maybe throwing a bunch of free agents at the problem...

Quote from: brownelvis54 on Today at 01:02:04 PMWaller is gone IMO.... this was a very good pic

Every report I have heard suggest Waller is unlikely to return

The New York Giants selected Penn State tight end Theo Johnson with the 107th pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Johnson: A three-year starter at Penn State, Johnson was a versatile tight end in former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich's RPO-based scheme, splitting his time between inline (47.9 percent), slot (38.8 percent) and wide (9.8 percent).

A wide receiver in high school in Canada, he faced a steep transition moving to tight end at State College and didn't have a 100-yard receiving performance in 45 college games (and reached 75 yards just once). But his production steadily climbed each season, and he led the Nittany Lions in touchdown grabs in 2023.

Johnson is quick off the ball and builds his speed downfield, giving his quarterback a big target with his size, strong hands, and athletic catch radius. As a blocker, he doesn't embarrass himself but needs to better understand leverage and develop more of a glass-chewing mentality.

Overall, Johnson has inconsistent college tape and production, but he has A-plus measurements and smooth athletic tools that could allow him to continue developing and become a better pro than college player.

Although he is a work in progress, he is a worthy long-term investment for an NFL team.

https://x.com/TalkinGiants/status/1777506441655427224

Quote from: Uncle Mickey on Today at 01:11:01 PMDabes made a comment 2 years that stuck out to me. He said we must be the slowest team on offense in the entire NFL.

Last 2 years Jalen Hyatt, Nabers and now Theo Johnson. Oh yeah and a stab at a Running back that ran a 4.27

The Giants sure has made a concerted effort to increase the speed of their offensive skill players

https://x.com/nickfalato/status/1784263557216923748