2008 Season Retrospective: Courtney Taylor
by John Morgan on Mar 5, 2009 1:13 PM PST
in Seahawks Player Analysis
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Courtney Taylor
Overview: Taylor was tapped to fill in for Deion Branch. His first game was a disaster. His second withered under stifling coverage by Nate Clements. At that point, Seattle, coaches, quarterback and fans, gave up on him. Taylor went on to play in ten games, starting four, and recorded only nine receptions.
What Went Wrong: Everything short of injury and some might say staying healthy was a mistake, too. Now, of course it's premature to write him off entirely, but Seattle has moved on and rightfully. He didn't get open or wasn't targeted, and if he just wasn't targeted, it's probably because he looked shaky and incapable when he was.
Quintessential Game: Seattle at Buffalo
Courtney Taylor dropped two passes. This first, on Seattle's first offensive play of the game, was entirely accurate. The second, on a drag that had success written all over it, was somewhat behind him, forcing Taylor to break his route an ever so tiny amount. Both should have been caught. Easily. That was bad, sloppy football by Taylor.
What Went Right: This:
Outlook: Frustration aside, Taylor likely sticks. He was Seattle's best gunner by season's end; Perhaps the only Seahawk that could both run the field and tackle. His upside is, coincidentally, TJ Houshmandzadeh with better jump ball skills. The chance he achieves it is about equal the chance Lawrence Jackson becomes Justin Tuck, but as long as Taylor's young, athletic, can contribute on special teams and is cheap, there's no reason to drop him. Pro Football Prospectus reports that in 2008, Greg Knapp ran 4+ wide receiver sets on 4% of all plays. Taylor won't develop much while Seattle's wide receiver corps is healthy. So he'll have plenty of opportunities. If nothing else he can spell Nate Burleson. As the last man who still believes in him, I wish Taylor a healthy preseason. He needs one.
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"So he'll have plenty of opportunities."
Heh, great stuff. But I don’t see the comparison to Housh at all; his route running isn’t terrible but he has suspect hands (or at least very inconsistent) so I don’t see how he would ever become a premier possession receiver.
Plus, I disagree and would take Obi-wan in a heartbeat.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
But I might add, Taylor's special teams value was good.
I was a bit tired of Logan Payne whiffing on the tackle as a gunner.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 1:35 PM PST up reply actions
i think the comment was "upside"
as in “if Courtney Taylor achieves every single ounce of his physical potential” he will be similar to TJ Housh. obviously it’s unlikely that he gets to that level, but that’s his ceiling.
No, but I mean I haven't ever seen anything from Taylor that would suggest he has a skillset even similar to Housh.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 2:01 PM PST up reply actions
Such an ugly route
Man I always hated seeing that play.
The result looked great, but if you look at what he ends up doing; running into the cornerback, stutter steps to a stop, then drifts to the edge before turning on some speed.
A nice explosive cut to the sideline would have been what I was expecting.
It's not quite so easy to make explosive cuts in snow.
Given the conditions, he created enough separation to give Seneca a place to throw. Ideal? Probably not. Success? Yup.
Its turf
And he’s in cleats. The snow is no excuse.
I know it worked, but what was the desired outcome there? Was he supposed to do a very slow curl to the sideline?
My Mac hates it too.
But then again, my Mac is a prick.
"It's just one big guy against another big guy, both teams know what's at stake. The one of them comes out on top and it feels good."
-Chris Collinsworth, Madden 09
by Wayward Llama on Mar 5, 2009 9:08 PM PST up reply actions
Porn?
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 2:10 PM PST up reply actions
While we're on the topic of wideouts, Steve Mariucci and Adam Schefter report Seattle is one of the few suitors for T.O.
Which makes absolutely zero sense since we just signed a better player at this point in their careers.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
ESPN says there's basically
a snowball’s chance in hell that Seattle targets T.O. We all know we’re not going after him, he’s the antithesis of what Tim Ruskell wants in a football player.
Oh for fuck's sack...
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:30 PM PST up reply actions
Indeed.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
See: Misfit's comment above.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
w00t w00t for J-STEVE
You go on and git that thar employmeents in da NFLz
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
Especially after Stevens wins the starting job after raping KII's sister or something like that.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:38 PM PST up reply actions
And subsequent recurring 'ball-infection problem'.
He’ll have to haul those things around in a wheelbarrow (again).
Lulz.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
Bah humbug on Taylor
He’s gone. I don’t think he makes the team. He’s done nothing in preseason even to warrant still being on the team. I think Obamanu is toast also. The Auburn experiment is over. Whatever attachment the old coaching staff had with these guys left with Holmgren. I’d rather we bring Bobby back and then draft a few receivers. All these young guys with “potential” remind me an awful lot of the Mariners’ bullpen several years ago. Payne appeared to be able to catch the ball when he was healthy in preseason, so maybe he can make it.
The one that produced JJ Putz, Rafael Soriano, George Sherrill and Mark Lowe?
Because that would be an unmitigated disaster.
huh, thats strange.
My sarcasm detector is beeping.
I’d also mention Sean Green. For all the faults of the Bavasi era, their bullpen philosophy was very successful and smart.
Mike Schooler, Eric O'Flaherty, Kam Mickolio (developed by the M's) weren't bad either.
On the horizon we’ve got Luke Burnett, Josh Fields, Shawn Kelley, Stephen Kahn….
Other successes: Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brandon Morrow, Cesar Jimenez
Yeah, the “M’s can’t develop a bullpen” argument is pretty weak…
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
Moral of the story:
WR, like RPs in baseball, can turn a corner at any point and be awesome, because aside from the true superstars, it’s a really fungible position that can produce a star at almost any random point.
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
Yeah, they're his dawgs
I still have confidence in Obomanu. And hope for Jordan Kent, but it’s a flicker. Man, if he could just turn it on! I know he’s new to the sport, and all, but after a whole year of opportunities to contribute, a guy so supposedly intelligent I would figure to be able to show something by now. Awful gunner. But I want him to go through one more camp. If he can’t be a reserve after this camp, definitely trim him off.
All I’ve read, about these guys, is how high the coaches were on Taylor. And All I’ve wondered is why. It takes seconds to get his wheels moving, and I’m not going by the .gif, I’ve always seen it. Explosiveness, they say. Obomanu has those tools, and is a no-nonsense hard worker. He’ll be our next Hackett, at least, I wager.
I don't care if I ever see him at WR again.
If you guys think he is the best gunner we have then fine. But I’m over him and all his “potential”. I’d take a healthy Logan Payne in his place in a heartbeat.
I understand that the 4th and 5th WR’s have to be able to contribute somehow and being a decent gunner and still being young are huge positives. Having said that, mentioning him and Housh in the same sentence should result in a two week ban from the site.
Unfortunately the site loses a little value with JM in the penalty box.
I'd like to kick Josh Brown in the privates!
He shouldn't have even made the team.
And he quickly learned that “playing tough” in real games is a little different than in TC.
Payne is maybe the least talented Seahawk, probably even less talented than Russell.
Payne is useless.
He’s an awful wideout and was a big reason why our special teams blew ass for the first half of the season.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 4:59 PM PST up reply actions
I meant to say Buffalo game. My bad.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 7:49 PM PST up reply actions
But Logan Payne is like the worst receiver ever.
Was I supposed to read the rest of this post?
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
Maybe he is.
All I remember is that if a defender was within five yard of him and the ball arrived, he’d still find a way to body it and let it hit the ground. He’s been a turd in my limited views.
Obamanu showed more in the GB playoff game than Payne has in his entire career.
Payne has a fumbling problem. Let me reiterate that: a fumbling problem. And he’s supposed to be a WR.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 4:27 PM PST up reply actions
Has a GM ever gotten so much crap for 6th round picks not working out?
These guys have never been higher than 4th on the depth chart, a lot of the frustration seems silly.
I suppose that defense is warranted
but he should still get crap for neglecting the position by only using 6th & 7th rounders. I think only Obomanu was a 6th rounder.
It's the Ruskell's general disdain of the postion that most people have a problem with.
He doesn’t necessarily hate WRs, but he obviously doesn’t see them as premium players if he tends to take late round fliers on them and expect them do something. So I don’t think people complain that they didn’t work out, but that we have to endure trying to make them to.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
But he has been aggressive in FA & trades
Jurevicius In FA, trading a 1st for Branch, 3rd for Burleson, and now signing T.J. So he hasn’t neglected the position at all – he’s poured a lot of resources in it. When he made the Branch trade, the knee jerk reaction was “WTF is he thinking, we’re loaded there – how are all these guys going to fit???” And it’s not like they were all old players – with Burleson & Branch especially you figure you getting 4-5 seasons at least of their prime football years when those deals are made. Engram was also here, and for the first 2-3 years, D-Jack & Hackett were on the roster too.
When you consider what the WR depth chart looked like at the time of each draft (and the needs at other positions) using only late round picks to prospect WRs is not shocking at all, nor is it neglectful.. No one was that vocally upset about it at the time. And can you imagine how much griping there would have been if Ruskell spent a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round pick on a WR when our 4WR set was Branch, Burleson, Engram, Jackson/Hackett?
There is absolutely no way any one could have foreseen injuries wiping out our top 6 on the depth chart at WR in ‘08. It’s a once in a lifetime freak occurrence. If you just project a normal injury rate – figuring on Branch, Burly, Engram with a collection of promising talent fighting for spots 4-6 and maybe having to be a 2 or 3 in a few games is a solid plan, and pretty much how the 31 other teams handle their rosters as well.
IMO, it’s only in hindsight that Ruskell’s been hit with the “ignores WR” tag, and it’s just based off of a freak injury situation. I agree with Nate Dogg – Ruskell takes a lot of heat for not having a crystal ball in his office.
Sorry. Got a little ranty there.
It helps though if you look at Burleson & Branch as draft picks (which they essentially were):
Burleson’s line in SEA has been 73rec, 946 yards, 12TDs Even after missing a full season, he’s (statistically) been the 5th best WR from that draft. And 2 of those (Santonio Holmes & Greg Jennings) were selected before the pick we gave up for him. The 2 chosen after him were Brandon Marshall and Marques Colston.
Deion Branch’s line has been 132rec, 1798 yards, 12TDs. Despite his problems staying on the field he has been the 3rd most productive WR from that draft. And the 2 ahead of him (Calvin Johnson & Dwayne Bowe) were both selected before our pick.
Ruskell’s spent the resources. It’s out of his control that they all got injured at the same time.
We technically didn't lose a pick though right?
We swapped for Minnesota’s third when they took Hutch.
We got nothing back for Hutch.
Transition Tag just gave the team the right to match the deal, which the poison pill made impossible.
It’s okay though – karma’s a bitch.
Minnesota used the 3rd they got from us to trade up for Tavaris Jackson, who drags the entire team down more than Hutch can raise it up. So there’s that.
Since my posts are long
and this whole discussion is getting a little too large, I’ll repeat myself just to reiterate one small point. It’s not because of the injuries. They hid the fact that the whole position was a big question mark. Engram was an injury liability, and Branch already was injured. Entering the season with Burleson who’d not lived up to expectations, and a bunch of guys who’d never seen the field, well, that’s just not well fortified.
And if it’s not fortified after spending those kind of resources, it questions the wisdom of spending the resources that way.
by jacobstevens on Mar 6, 2009 11:08 AM PST up reply actions
Not Ranty at all
Exellent post, both of them. They were sort of what I was thnking, but with way more research then i would have done.
You make my point for me
Jurevicius is gone. Pouring a lot of resources into the position outside of the draft is costly. And it also cost us draft picks. I didn’t think we were loaded, when Branch came on, but I did think it was a bad deal, I wanted that draft pick. But there was room for fortification of the position, I’d been wanting that, something for the future to succeed Jackson & Engram. Again, with Jurevicius having left.
by jacobstevens on Mar 6, 2009 10:55 AM PST up reply actions
Dang it
Sorry, meant to make a carriage return, not post.
Last year, similar situation. Most fans I knew were worried WR would be a problem. Turned out it was. Again, this year, Brian Russell individually was the greatest need to upgrade, but as for a single position, I think everyone at least early on would have said WR. If I’d thought it through I might have said tackle, as well, but anyway lots of us targeted wideout, and Crabtree.
Now we have Houshmandzadeh. Well, great, he should be pretty good, and for maybe the entire contract. It’s not a bad move. I’m not taking this signing and saying Ruskell neglected WR. But he had, up to this point, and this signing perpetuates the unfortunate approach of signing and trading for veterans, and allocating no draft picks to the position except where not warranted.
If there’d been a offensive so-called “skill position” player drafted in the first three rounds since Jerramy Stevens and Maurice Morris in 2002, then the Burlesons and Housh’s would make more sense in the greater scheme of things. Doesn’t matter when Ruskell came on board, to see that Stevens & Morris were the last guys drafted, and then to go another way until finally trading up to get Carlson (worth the two picks, I say, but nonetheless we traded up because we had zero bodies at TE and needed someone) is neglectful.
by jacobstevens on Mar 6, 2009 11:03 AM PST up reply actions
That was a hell of a pass by Senaca Wallace
also, Housh was selected in the 7th round of the 2001 draft. in round 7 of that draft we selected Harold Blackmon, Dennis Norman and Kris Kocurek (all after Housh though).
Still, in the first we selected Koren Robinson. Imagine if we used that on Housh? Back then the draft pundits would’ve thought us insane.
Wasn't that the same draft we nabbed Hutch-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?
Whoops.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 5, 2009 5:18 PM PST up reply actions
Snape kills Dumbl-
Nevermind.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 6, 2009 10:02 AM PST up reply actions
Snape is actually Harry's father.
Oh wait, wrong series. Or is it? The damn things are indistinguishable.
Late round picks and Free Agents seem to make it big in other cities
I’m thinking of James Harrison and Bart Scott. I think the Hawks are due for one of our late picks or undrafteds to make a large impact. Right now the only ones I can think of who are regular contributors is Leonard Weaver (gone?) and Big Play Babs. Some may count Hasselbeck, but we gave up a good pick to get him.
It will be interesting to see who the new offensive coaches take favor to: Taylor, Payne, Obomanu, or one of the others. I’ve got to imagine blocking and special teams play will factor in.
I think our version of that is Weaver.
Which is disconcerting considering he isn’t a Seahawk for now.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Mar 6, 2009 10:03 AM PST up reply actions
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