Make no mistake, Stephen Hill is still a work in progress. He is far from a finished product, but I don't think he is as bad as his production indicates. Hill's game right now is about the deep ball. He isn't a complete WR yet who can run routes and go over the middle to catch passes. Thats just not his game. He is a big WR who can fly. His game is a vertical one. The Jets don't have a vertical game right now and didn't have one last year. Sanchez didn't throw the deep ball well and Sparano didn't believe in the deep ball. MM wants to throw the ball deep and Geno has the arm to throw it deep, but Geno is being treated with the kid gloves. MM isn't taking many deep shots in recent weeks because Geno has regressed, so he wants to keep it simple. The offensive line also can't hold blocks long enough for a long passing play to develop. The first offensive play of the game last week was supposed to be a deep shot to Hill. Instead, Geno got sacked because the offensive line couldn't hold their blocks. Its no secret why Salas and Nelson have looked good recently, while Hill has looked bad. When Geno throws the ball, its short routes. Hill isn't a possession receiver. Running him over the middle on short routes is wasting his talent. Hill still needs to work on how he catches passes. You can't be a top receiver in the NFL catching with your body. Hill plays like a 6'0 receiver instead of a 6'4 receiver because he waits for the ball to come into his body instead of going up and high pointing the ball with his hands. That is something that Hill really needs to work on. He still routinely beats CB's deep. If he played on a team like the Ravens or Bears who take a ton of deep shots, he would be a lot more productive.
The reason Hill gets hate is that he has very few skills that translate to an NFL wide receiver's job description. His one overwhelming strength is that if the QB can throw a perfect pass where only he can get it and it's not too hard to catch, well then he can catch that and run with it. The Jets don't have any QB's who can throw those kind of passes and have not had them for the two years Hill has been a Jet. Probably 5 teams in the NFL have that kind of QB and they optimize their production by giving them actually good receivers to work with. Hill may be a project who will make good in a few years with the right QB but he's going to have cost the NY Jets an enormous opportunity or two in the mean time. Projects aren't free of cost. Projects who are on the field a lot have a heavy cost.
Its hard for him to develop when he doesn't have a QB that can help him develop his game. If he played with a QB that throws the ball down the field, I think he would be a lot more productive.
It really isn't hard to understand and needs little analysis. The amount of times the ball hits him in the numbers is ridiculous, he....can't....catch
Well, his lack of productivity last year basically was the last nail in Mark Sanchez coffin and his lack of productivity this year has driven several into Geno Smith's. You can't develop a project at WR while the QB's are struggling and WR is much less important than QB. The Jets commitment to Hill has been a significant part of the offensive struggles the last two years. It hasn't been the major reason but it has aggravated the situation significantly. Not all WR's are instant hits. It really is a tough position to play early on but rarely does a real talent look as bad as Hill has the last two years. That argues that he's not really a talent, he just is so big and fast that people can't wrap their brains around the idea that he might not be a receiver.
Guess that settles that. Cut him now, halfway through his 2nd season. He can't catch and never will!!!! :rofl: Talk about simple minded! You should like totally be a talent scout!
do you think he could ever be a greater presence in the backfield then? supposedly he's good at run blocking, I'm not quite sure what kind of role he can play there but maybe he can be better used in a more creative offensive role? one things for certain he shouldn't be an every down #2 WR. EVER AGAIN. not unless the actual #2 is down or something.
Yes, Like I totally should. YOU tell me WHAT it is about Hill that screams that suddenly he will learn how to catch. Me, I've seen enough, with Sanchez when he was playing well, with Geno when he was playing well. The one constant....he cannot catch. Fuck me even Spadola caught more than Hill and he's gone, there are plenty of WRs that can and thats who I want as a Jet.
He wouldn't be the first WR to "get it" come 3rd 4th season. You cant just cut athletic ability like that kid has you have to develop it.
When was Ramses Barden taken? 3rd. And that was about 3 rounds too high. Does that ring a bell for you guys?
if i remember correctly.. they got killed for taken him in the 3rd round.. hill was projected to go end of the 1st round.. i remember the 49ers pick i said "this is were hill goes"...they chose aj jenkins (who also was a bust)..anyway.. i remember leading up to the draft, alshon jeffery was a 1st round talent that fell because scouts thought he was fat and slow and the jets liked him..unfortunetly hill dropped out of the 1st round and we picked the project who was being compared to randy moss..of course with our teams luck it never turns out that way...but would jeffery be the same on our team and hill on another? ps. i forgot we traded up for hill...
It's not Hill's fault the Jets brain trust drafted a guy in the 2nd round who can't catch, can't run routes, and only caught 40 something passes in his entire college career.
Hill gets unfair hate because he has sick measurable, we reached up to get him, he got a ton of hype and he isn't productive.
The only antidote I can offer was training camp (Hills rookie camp) The receivers were running random routs with Sanchez tossing the rock (no lineman, kind of like we all do in the back yard, you go here, you go there) and Revis was breaking up every pass play. Except one. Hill out ran Revis by 3-5 yards on a deep sideline pass and Sanchez delivered a 50 yard bomb directly into the outstretched hands of Hill. Crowd stood up. Yesss!!! We got us a winner!!!! Then 'whack'. The sound of the ball slamming into Hill's outstretched forearms midway between his 'hands' and his elbows. Hill was looking over his shoulder at the ball for the last 10 yards. Then 'thump' as the ball fell harmlessly onto the end zone turf. Then 'Ahhhhhhhhhhh' from the crowd. This was a PERFECT pass that 99% of NFL receivers would hall in 100% of the time. But not this time. Not this receiver.
The Raiders stopped drafting on this basis a few years ago. I wonder when we will? Join the No More Physical Specimens Campaign.
