moondog Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 I can tell you this, if he looks to be one of our top 4 pass-catchers, he'll be out there much more often than a #3 WR! I actually prefer Thomas, Moss, Cooley, and Davis as a core lineup. I think it poses major match up issues for the defense (if Davis has improved and taken the next step). I completely agree. If I understand Davis' speed/athleticism correctly I don't see why we can't regularly line up with him in the slot and Moss/Thomas split wide? We lined Cooley and even Portis up outside last year, I don't see why we couldn't have Moss, Cooley, Thomas and Davis out there on a regular basis. Davis apparently is a great pass-catcher with plenty of speed and athleticism so why not use him in the slot? There's no way a nickel corner could handle him. With the potential/speed/athleticism of the players we have they can all be huge weapons if healthy and if they have a good grasp of the system/playbook. Rather than having one guy with 80 catches, I would be very pleased to see the numbers spread around between these four and Kelly if he can get healthy because I've heard he may be the most talented receiver when healthy on our roster. This is a little crazy and probably would never happen, but Campbell is comfortable in the shotgun, you could split five wide with Moss, Thomas, Kelly, Davis and Cooley... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 On another note that I just remembered, in one of Zorn's recent post-practice interviews, he said almost ver batem: Davis will not beat out Cooley as the starter, it's not going to happen. He may look like he does some things better than Cooley at times, and he may look like the better player at times, but he will not beat out Cooley. I love Cooley and I'm not saying Davis should be the starter in any way shape or form, but I think that's a very funny quote, as if Zorn is saying he recognizes something special in Davis and anticipates him doing well and fans questioning why he's not the starter. It seemed like a very odd quote to me, but the more weapons we have the better. We need to get our best players on the field together as often as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 That's the problem right there... How much depth do we need at the TE and RB positions that we constantly spend picks there while neglecting the lines. We haven't picked a running back in the draft since Rock Cartwright 7 years ago. Give a football reason why Fred Davis and Chris Cooley can't both be productive in a west coast offense. The only one I see would be if Fred Davis actually sucks. All the information we've gotten so far points to him having fantastic potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 If the coaches were smart, they would flex Cooley out and have Davis in near the line as the TE in some packages. Our best weapons in order are Cooley and Moss. W/ no real 3rd, Davis could be better then ARE, and w/ little to show from Thomas and Kelley, Davis COULD be the best 3rd option right now. I disagree. When Moss is healthy and not being squashed by double coverage, he is our best receiving threat and the only big play guy on our roster. He is both freakishly athletic and savvy and I think he goes unappreciated around here because of injuries or size or whatever. But all of my best memories from the past 4 seasons or so involve either him or Sean Taylor making a play. People love Cooley around here because he is a steady blue collar performer and a unique personality. Also, he is a good white skill position player which is important to white fans because, let's face it, there aren't a lot of other examples of it around the league. It may suck to bring race into it because Cooley is a good player no matter his race. And it's not meant to demean anyone, but it's definitely a factor in his popularity and relatability. Bottom line though, is that Cooley can't do the things for our offense that a healthy Santana Moss can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROSCOUT Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Personally, I don't see how a backup TE could have a huge impact on a team. we should have traded for Tony Gonzalez so we could have a 3 tight end formation. Deadly. Nobody could stop it, especially since nobody could recognize it. Even more deadly than the 2 tight end formation that was invisible last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROSCOUT Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Yes, he's faster and more athletic than Cooley. This could be his break out year. It's not up to him, it's up to the team if they USE him, on how much of a impact he will have. Honest to God, I don;t see Davis having a breakout year, unless Cooley has a breakdown year. Some teams use a tight end like a wide receiver, Kansas City did that with Gonzalez. I just don't think Zorn is smart enough to do that, BUT IF HE WERE..... Then he could use 2 tight end sets and then switch up with 1 tight end the next series, and swap Cooley with Davis so neither got worn out, all the while sending Moss and Thomas deep to clear out the middle of the field. Keep the defense guessing and force them to choose double coverage between safeties helping out corners or linebackers. But like I said, I don't think Zorn is smart enough. If he were, he would already have done that last season. Davis was healthy and he is the same athlete that he was last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 What I'm saying is that Fasano had hardly anything to do with Witten's success, which is why Witten continues to succeed with or without Fasano. If you want to say it was TO who freed up Witten, that makes more sense, but to say that it's because of Fasano... A person who combines for hardly 300 receiving yards in his entire Cowboy career... Something doesn't make sense. The Cowboys just drafted another tight end in the second round who they have high hopes for in Martellus Bennett, and they already had Witten. The Giants just drafted Travis Beckum in the 3rd and they already had a proven guy in Kevin Boss. Going by draft trends, specifically within our division, teams are placing an emphasis on tight ends early in the draft, even when they already have a proven guy. We may be seeing a shift in offensive philosophy as the the game has come to be dominated by the passing game and the pass rush. Think of the versatility that tight ends offer--its pretty much unmatched on an entire roster. Receivers are important, but going three and four wide forces you to sell out your ability to protect somewhat, and the size and speed of tight ends such as Davis is going to force mismatches all over the field. If Fred Davis is good enough, he will see the field along side Cooley and he will produce. I don't think the question is whether we can use him or not from a scheme perspective, but whether he will develop and become the player we envisioned when we drafted him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 But like I said, I don't think Zorn is smart enough. If he were, he would already have done that last season. Davis was healthy and he is the same athlete that he was last year. Come on man... Davis was a rookie last season. He may be the same athlete as before but he is most definitely not the same football player. It takes time to learn the game, especially at a complicated position like tight end. Did you stop to think that maybe Zorn didn't use Davis a whole lot because Davis wasn't ready? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Not really certain why someone would bring up Taylor Jacobs, he wasn't nearly as promising in college as Davis. Davis' ceiling is that of Gates, Jacobs' ceiling was where he is now. I don't know about that. I don't remember much about Jacobs' pre-draft report other than he was a Florida guy who was supposed to fit in Spurrier's crappy system. But I wouldn't compare Davis to Gates because they are different athletes with different bodies and different skill sets. Davis is far more like a smaller, quicker Cooley than like Gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldfan Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 We may be seeing a shift in offensive philosophy as the the game has come to be dominated by the passing game and the pass rush. Agreed. There is a trend toward the short passing game and ball control. Even coaches from the Coryell tree are dinking and dunking (Shotty Jr and Cameron). Matt bowen referred to the Patriots' passing game as a "WCO out of the shotgun." The Rams are going WCO this season. Logically, this favors the big receivers over the runts in most schemes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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