jaydean Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 does anyone know if cliff russell is ready? and how's he looking? will he be an impact player this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP81 Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I think there was an article earlier in the offseason which said that Cliff Russell was just about 100% recovered from his injury. And there was a quote that said something along the lines of he may now be faster then he was before the injury. The quote about his speed seemed like wishful optimism, but it was more an implication that the joint in his knee is stronger now than it was. It will be hard for him to make an impact this year simply because of the talent we have at WR. Gardner and Coles will definitely be ahead of him of the depth chart, and Jacobs and McCants are both likely to be as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yank Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 To expect that anyone would be FASTER than they were before a major knee surgery is riduculous. Russell's injury was only 10 months ago. Be very wary of expectations that will be dashed.... I only start this warning because I have had 4 knee surgeries, with two of them ACL reconstruction... Russell had a history of being fragile before he was drafted. I would not count on him this year for anything ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Here we go. From the Extremeskins news department. (gotta love that always digging for info staff. Imagine all the post its being used. ) Cliff Russell April 17 Article 2 from minicamp in May His attraction is his speed. No doubt. He's also suffered his share of injuries, but when he can play, he can play. There in lies part of the problem. I'd say, if last season is any indication, that after Gardner and Coles, (no 100% guarentee there either), things are up for grabs. Should be some fine battle going on come camp time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDiplomat Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 You are correct PCS. Russell, McCants, and Jacobs are gonna battle for the 3WR spot, come Camp, which is valuable to all 3 of them at this point in their career's. Jacobs and McCants have the advantage of playing in SS's system(McCants only 1 year) and Russell had a good while to study it last year while or IR. I look forward to the article's about the battle, but i just hope the best player gets that spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Cliff Russell will only make the roster if there is some kind of serious injury to one of the guys ahead of him. No other way. He's too tiny and fragile for special teams, and spurrier wont carry an extra WR just to make room for this guy. The skins will most likely carry 5 WRs. Gardner, Coles, Jacobs, and Patrick Johnson are locks to make the roster. So Russell has to beat out McCants to make the roster. Not very likely I dont think. Even if Russell fits Spurriers offense better (small and fast), he's too risky because he's so fragile and Spurrier will have two little fast guys (Coles and Johnson) who have more experience than him. Hes had a serious injury just about every year he's played, and its not like he's that great a player even when healthy. In college in 1998 he played in 2 games, no catches. In 99, 9 games, 34 catches, 600 yards, 3 TDs. In 2000, 8 games, 37 catches, 500 yards, 3 TDs. In 2001, 11 games, 53 catches, 700 yards, 4 TDs. Thats not very impressive. You'd hope a skinny speedster would have more TDs. Dude, I'd be shocked if he made it as the #5 WR. Spurrier does love speed though, and he had lots of it before the knee injury. He's got a lot of work to do in camp if hes gonna make it. I'm rooting for him though -- he's a project, but man he's fast and strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coles the clutch man Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 no cliffy my boy will not be an impact this year because we have great guys ahead of him and unless 2-3 get injured I don't think he'll play more than 1-2 plays a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GURU Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Even Madder, Spurrier carried 6 receivers last year. Why not this year? If you run a lot of 4 receiver sets, I think you HAVE to carry six receivers on the roster. Though I think it's pretty much a lock that Gardner and Coles are the starters, I don't think the battle for playing time will be decided in the preseason. Maybe someone makes a case for being the first off the bench in 3-receiver formations, but I think Spurrier is going to rotate those guys into the regular season to see how they play when the real bullets start to fly. Spurrier is all about matchups, and he's probably going to want as much flexibility as possible. Hell, I could see situations where he might want to play Coles, Patrick Johnson, and Russell, and keep 7 in to block. All three of those guys have enough speed to run through zone coverage, and if you send them all deep and give Ramsey enough time, at least one of them is going to come open, or at least get single coverage. One or two plays might be all it takes to bust a game wide open. Personally, I think Russell will make the team. How much playing time he gets is another matter, but I think it's way too soon to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by Even Madder The skins will most likely carry 5 WRs. I disagree. I think SS will want six wideouts this year, just like last year. Considering his familiarity with the system and his good hands and route running, I think Jacobs will stake an early claim to the #3 spot. But who knows, word is McCants has been working very hard this offseason and could emerge much improved over where he was at the end of last year. That would give SS a very solid, diverse top four: a burner, playmaker in Coles. A big body, posession style guy in Gardner. A versatile, precise route-running guy in Jacobs and another big body in McCants, who's got deceptive speed. Johnson and Russell should round that group out. After spending a 3rd rounder on him, the skins should at least give Russell a shot before cutting him. nobody knows for sure what kind of effect the injury had on his game b/c nobody saw him play last year. But who knows, you could be right and it may very well turn out that Russell has lost a lot of his speed and therefore, will be useless. BUT, something tells me that before the season is out, Cliff Russell will turn some heads and make a play or two. SS likes running lots of four and five wide receiver sets. If the o-line gels and is able to give Ramsey the time he needs, having Russell's speed as a fourth or fifth wideout could take a lot of teams by surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTerps2002 Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Cliff Russell will make an impact on the practice squad maybe.. He is to injury prone to be counted on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I think he carried six because he was looking for quantity because he didnt have quality. Who were the six? I only remember Gardener, Thompson, McCants, Doering, Green, and Skaggs, but Green was really a kick returner and got cut and then they only carried five, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I think there was a quote in an article earlier in the offseason saying Spurrier was going to keep six receivers. Maybe I'm off, but, I think it's a safe bet to think he's going to keep six this year as well. Though, with the probability that another running back will be kept in Morton, it may be hard to do both without skimping elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awesome Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by Even Madder I think he carried six because he was looking for quantity because he didnt have quality. Who were the six? I only remember Gardener, Thompson, McCants, Doering, Green, and Skaggs, but Green was really a kick returner and got cut and then they only carried five, right? No he stayed at six by bringing in Willie Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Somethings got to give: Do you keep an extra RB or an extra WR? Because the RBs contribute on special teams, I think theyve got an edge even though Spurrier needs lots of horses at WR. Still, spurrier loves WRs and needs them, so we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Hog Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Old news, but worth a review... CLIFFORD “CLIFF” RUSSELL Wide Receiver University of Utah Utes 5:11.3-185 Ewa Beach, Hawaii Positives: Lean, well-built with a muscular physique, long arms and legs and only 5.51 percent body fat … Shows very good deep acceleration … Runs precise deep routes and creates separation instantly after the catch … Looks the ball in and maintains concentration working through traffic … Makes proper adjustments on the ball and has the hip snap needed to come back quickly for the off-target passes … Has excellent jumping ability … Runs posts, slants and streaks with impressive efficiency … Shows no hesitation when coming inside for the pass … True deep threat with the body control to slide into the ball … Charges hard off the snap to close the cushion and escape the jam … Shows a good tilt in his release and plays at a good pad level … Gets a smooth and easy upfield push to quickly get behind the defensive backs. Negatives: Has a good burst off the line, but seems to gather himself before getting into gear, making him late into his routes … Needs to work on his transition through patterns, as he tends to round his cuts … Lacks route variety, working generally in slants and hitches … Lets the ball absorb into his body too much rather than reaching and extending for it … Needs to vary his speeds, as he will overrun the ball at times on deep routes … Has poor blocking technique, as he is slow to break down and stalk … Not the most disciplined route runner you will find … Has good run-after-catch ability, but needs to show more effort and aggression, as he prefers to tip-toe around defenders rather than arm-break tackles … His short route running needs refinement, as he does not show smoothness on curls and transitions … Quarterback problems in recent years prevented him from developing fully as a deep threat. CAREER NOTES The fastest player to ever perform for the Utes, boasting a 4.27 timing in the 40-yard dash … As strong as he is fast, he started the last three years at flanker, catching 124 passes for 1,862 yards (15.0 avg) and 10 touchdowns … His 124 receptions and 1,862 yards rank sixth on the school's career-record lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickens Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 I hope Russell can stay healthy but I remember another WR we drafted who had injury probs in college that followed him to the pro's. Michael Westbrook. Well the guy also had attitude and route-running probs as well but he did miss a lot of games due to injury, let's not forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevea Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by Even Madder The skins will most likely carry 5 WRs. Gardner, Coles, Jacobs, and Patrick Johnson are locks to make the roster. Even Madder ---- I seem to be one of the very few who agree with you that SOS will most likely carry only 5 WRs, and suggested so in a depth chart discussion last month. BUT ... I don't understand even a little bit why you say that Patrick Johnson is a lock to make the roster. What has he EVER accomplished in his career to justify that conclusion? I think Coles and Gardner are a lock for 1-2, and that McCants and Jacobs will have a good battle for the #3 slot, with the loser having much less playing time at #4. It will be an open competition for all, with Johnson and Russell given a fair chance to prove worthy of being #3 or #4. But I don't think either of them are good enough (in Russell's case "yet") to unseat either McCants or Jacobs. Finally, I think SOS will ultimately come to the conclusion that the loser of the Johnson/Russell competition would not be as valuable an addition to the roster as the final player at other positions (OL, DL, DB, RB) who would otherwise be cut ... and that he'll therefore decide a 6th WR is a luxury he'd rather do without. HTTR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskeypeet Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 BUT ... I don't understand even a little bit why you say that Patrick Johnson is a lock to make the roster. What has he EVER accomplished in his career to justify that conclusion? I was wondering about that comment as well. There is no reason PJ should have a better shot at the roster than Cliff....well at least not one that I am aware of. Both of these two are totally unproven at this point and should be viewed on equal footing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SkinsHokie Fan Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Coles, Gardner, Jacobs, Russell and McCants seems like the perfect combination of size and speed as well as depth for a WR corps. You got the burners, you got size and you got a guy in Jacobs who has a little of both. It seems to me if Russell plays decent he should be on the squad and these should be our 5 wr's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Even Madder Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Here's why i think Patrick Johnson is a lock (i could be wrong): Russell is the one who's totally unproven, not Johnson. he's got five years of NFL experience, and he's small and fast, which SS likes. Here's his career stats: 67 career receptions for 1,085 yards with nine touchdowns. OK thats not that great after 5 years, but it's better than Russell. Here's Russells: one injury, no receptions, no yards, no TDs. OK, thats not exactly fair, but you get the point. Russell has done nothing -- he was a prospect based on speed alone when he was drafted, and he cant have gotten much better with the knee injury. The problem is that both of them have the same negatives: bad route running, bad hands, and they're brittle. Oh well. They'll only catch a couple balls all year, barring injury. I dont think you keep two guys like this (they're pretty similar), and Johnson has experience. I'm saying all this based on the guys who are on the roster today. If the skins added someone else, then Johnson is no lock. I just dont see russell beating him out unless he really does something spectacular in camp. Good luck to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Hog Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Originally posted by Dickens ...but I remember another WR we drafted who had injury probs in college that followed him to the pro's. Michael Westbrook. Well the guy also had attitude and route-running probs as well but he did miss a lot of games due to injury, let's not forget. Dude, all I am trying to do is forget Westbrook - another Norv circus player (IMHO) - but thanks for the reminder anyway :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 All this talk of Russell while ignoring we have another speed guy that is small also. Wood**** and he has experience on special teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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