Morgan and Reed

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I think that played a small role, but look at the targets and such when Hatcher and Cornelius were healthy this past season.

I think what Morgan had last season is very reminiscent of what Knile had back in 2010. Dennis Johnson was the presumptive starter and had been getting the bulk of the first team reps. Once he went down with the spleen injury, something clicked in Knile according to Petrino, he started working very hard in practice and the results showed on the field with one of the more dominant single season rushing years we've seen. Morgan had the players in front of him go down with injury and he made a conscious decision to work twice as hard as he ever had and the results showed on the field.

I am going to assume that this opinion is speculative in nature. From what I have read Morgan has always been a hard worker and was dedicated to his craft. I am also going to assume that Chaney's philosophy dictated (primarily) a different type of receiver, though I don't know that to be fact.

There are cases that when some players go down, others step up and I don't think that can be denied. But as I said, it is my understanding that Morgan was always a guy who gave 110% effort. Now it is possible that the cumulative learning effect had something to do with him becoming a more effective player under Enos than he was under Chaney, but it seems that the difference is so great that I have to believe that perhaps Enos found a way to utilize his talents in a better way than Chaney did.

But again, I am speculating because I have no proof other than pure observation.

[daBoar]

... I am also going to assume that Chaney's philosophy dictated (primarily) a different type of receiver, though I don't know that to be fact.
............Now it is possible that the cumulative learning effect had something to do with him becoming a more effective player under Enos than he was under Chaney, but it seems that the difference is so great that I have to believe that perhaps Enos found a way to utilize his talents in a better way than Chaney did.

But again, I am speculating because I have no proof other than pure observation.

Chaney's contribution was the nation's #100 passing offense.

[bennyl08]

I am going to assume that this opinion is speculative in nature. From what I have read Morgan has always been a hard worker and was dedicated to his craft. I am also going to assume that Chaney's philosophy dictated (primarily) a different type of receiver, though I don't know that to be fact.

There are cases that when some players go down, others step up and I don't think that can be denied. But as I said, it is my understanding that Morgan was always a guy who gave 110% effort. Now it is possible that the cumulative learning effect had something to do with him becoming a more effective player under Enos than he was under Chaney, but it seems that the difference is so great that I have to believe that perhaps Enos found a way to utilize his talents that Chaney didn't.

But again, I am speculating because I have no proof other than pure observation.

Not trying to comment on Morgan's work ethic as everything coach's have said is that he has never been anything but a hard worker. Just making an observation and a comparison. We've been needing receivers for several seasons beforehand with Hatcher the only guy to step up. There is a multitude of reasons why Morgan only made his presence felt this year and not earlier. Opportunities, look at the passing attempts this last year vs before. Hard to make a big impact in the passing game when that isn't a major feature. Coaching styles: Chaney's last stop had a lot of big, NFL talent (Hunter, Patterson, Rivera, Rogers, Moore...) while Enos had come from a smaller school and might have been more used to Morgan type players. Morgan's own body may have simply taken 2 full years to be ready to really offer services in the SEC. Mentally, he is probably more mature now than he was then.

There is rarely some singular pin the tail on answer solution to why Morgan took off this year but was MIA in previous seasons. I highly doubt he was some slob the first two years and only started trying this year. I also highly doubt that Chaney had some personal vendetta against Morgan either. If Morgan was showing in practice the last two years what he showed this year, he would have been a larger part of the game plan. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact this year due to him being older. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact because BA was continuing to develop. IMO, Enos's adaptability made it easier for Morgan to flourish than he might have under Chaney. IMO, had we not had the injuries to JWill, Hatcher, Cornelius, and Hollister, Morgan would have remained the 3-4 option in the passing game this past season. IMO, Morgan has always been a hard worker, but seeing his teammates go down with injury made him want to work harder than he ever thought possible because he is a team first guy.

[hamstring]

This is a great thread, Excellent points all around. :razorback:

[ricepig]

Not trying to comment on Morgan's work ethic as everything coach's have said is that he has never been anything but a hard worker. Just making an observation and a comparison. We've been needing receivers for several seasons beforehand with Hatcher the only guy to step up. There is a multitude of reasons why Morgan only made his presence felt this year and not earlier. Opportunities, look at the passing attempts this last year vs before. Hard to make a big impact in the passing game when that isn't a major feature. Coaching styles: Chaney's last stop had a lot of big, NFL talent (Hunter, Patterson, Rivera, Rogers, Moore...) while Enos had come from a smaller school and might have been more used to Morgan type players. Morgan's own body may have simply taken 2 full years to be ready to really offer services in the SEC. Mentally, he is probably more mature now than he was then.

There is rarely some singular pin the tail on answer solution to why Morgan took off this year but was MIA in previous seasons. I highly doubt he was some slob the first two years and only started trying this year. I also highly doubt that Chaney had some personal vendetta against Morgan either. If Morgan was showing in practice the last two years what he showed this year, he would have been a larger part of the game plan. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact this year due to him being older. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact because BA was continuing to develop. IMO, Enos's adaptability made it easier for Morgan to flourish than he might have under Chaney. IMO, had we not had the injuries to JWill, Hatcher, Cornelius, and Hollister, Morgan would have remained the 3-4 option in the passing game this past season. IMO, Morgan has always been a hard worker, but seeing his teammates go down with injury made him want to work harder than he ever thought possible because he is a team first guy.

Morgan caught the first TD last season, didn't he? I thought he ran a bubble screen, got a block and scored against UTEP. No doubt he got more touches and snaps as WR's kept going down, but he was seeing action.

[alohawg]

Drew Morgan looks like the players that the New England Patriots have been using at receiver for several years now. He really will go down as one of the most fun Razorbacks to root for.

Dominic Reed knocks the top off the defense to allow for the underneath stuff. He is very valuable I think.

I am very much looking forward to this season. I just hope that the offensive line protects well.

The o-line is the key, no doubt about it.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Not trying to comment on Morgan's work ethic as everything coach's have said is that he has never been anything but a hard worker. Just making an observation and a comparison. We've been needing receivers for several seasons beforehand with Hatcher the only guy to step up. There is a multitude of reasons why Morgan only made his presence felt this year and not earlier. Opportunities, look at the passing attempts this last year vs before. Hard to make a big impact in the passing game when that isn't a major feature. Coaching styles: Chaney's last stop had a lot of big, NFL talent (Hunter, Patterson, Rivera, Rogers, Moore...) while Enos had come from a smaller school and might have been more used to Morgan type players. Morgan's own body may have simply taken 2 full years to be ready to really offer services in the SEC. Mentally, he is probably more mature now than he was then.

There is rarely some singular pin the tail on answer solution to why Morgan took off this year but was MIA in previous seasons. I highly doubt he was some slob the first two years and only started trying this year. I also highly doubt that Chaney had some personal vendetta against Morgan either. If Morgan was showing in practice the last two years what he showed this year, he would have been a larger part of the game plan. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact this year due to him being older. IMO, regardless of the coaching staff, Morgan would have made a larger impact because BA was continuing to develop. IMO, Enos's adaptability made it easier for Morgan to flourish than he might have under Chaney. IMO, had we not had the injuries to JWill, Hatcher, Cornelius, and Hollister, Morgan would have remained the 3-4 option in the passing game this past season. IMO, Morgan has always been a hard worker, but seeing his teammates go down with injury made him want to work harder than he ever thought possible because he is a team first guy.

Well again, there is a great deal of speculation in your opinion as there is in mine. Had we been privy to sitting in on off season work-outs, practices and team meetings we would probably have a more accurate viewpoint that was based less in speculation and assumption and more in qualified facts. But that isn't the case for either of us.

Some of it could very well have had a lot to do with the transition of BA, but BA didn't run and find the routes between seams of coverage. Most of the time he sat and watched receivers move into open areas. On the other hand, what the receivers did this past year, in conjunction with better strategic play calling, probably had a great deal to do with their success, their finding the open spots in coverage and BA being able to delver the ball successfully.

It is never one thing, either for or against, but rather a culmination of the game plan coming together in all phases, that makes the offense more successful, either in running or passing.

Although we weren't as dominant in the run game last year as we had been in the past, we were successful enough that it offered us greater opportunities in the passing game, that benefited us greatly and Morgan certainly contributed to that with his abilities.

[onebadrubi]

Chaney's contribution was the nation's #100 passing offense.

Don't forget we recent found out straight from the players mouths that Enos came in and completely changed the route tree, opening up the passing game and throwing Windows.  I know a certain couple of prominent posters her have tried hard to take up for Chaney's novel of a playbook, but that should be the dagger in that argument.

[Pig in the Pokey]

I'm not sure we've seen hands as good as J Wright though...

Henry had zero drops. and morgan catches everything. also, i expect bell or gragg to have a sprinkle-esque season.

[Pig in the Pokey]

Morgan caught the first TD last season, didn't he? I thought he ran a bubble screen, got a block and scored against UTEP. No doubt he got more touches and snaps as WR's kept going down, but he was seeing action.

the game winner in OT vs auburn that happened right in front of me where he dove in the end zone will forever be one of my favorite Hog plays. Also, the TD on 4th down to get us to OT on the other end of the field was awesome. he has the hands and the routes to be a pro.

[bennyl08]

Well again, there is a great deal of speculation in your opinion as there is in mine. Had we been privy to sitting in on off season work-outs, practices and team meetings we would probably have a more accurate viewpoint that was based less in speculation and assumption and more in qualified facts. But that isn't the case for either of us.

Some of it could very well have had a lot to do with the transition of BA, but BA didn't run and find the routes between seams of coverage. Most of the time he sat and watched receivers move into open areas. On the other hand, what the receivers did this past year, in conjunction with better strategic play calling, probably had a great deal to do with their success, their finding the open spots in coverage and BA being able to delver the ball successfully.

It is never one thing, either for or against, but rather a culmination of the game plan coming together in all phases, that makes the offense more successful, either in running or passing.

Although we weren't as dominant in the run game last year as we had been in the past, we were successful enough that it offered us greater opportunities in the passing game, that benefited us greatly and Morgan certainly contributed to that with his abilities.

Question for you, do you believe that main reason Morgan only caught 10 passes last season was because of Chaney not wanting to use him? B/w this and the other thread, my interpretation of your posts have been very attacking of previous coaches, which seems to be a departure of your typically more fact based posts. Perhaps that is not your intent, but is just me reading what isn't there.

[bennyl08]

Henry had zero drops. and morgan catches everything. also, i expect bell or gragg to have a sprinkle-esque season.

Not sure either of them are in the Sprinkle mold. Gragg is more of an Austin Tate type. Primarily a blocker, but he has very soft hands in the passing game and can find the hole in zone coverage. However, he isn't likely to do much with YAC.

Bell I think is more in the Gronk mold of being a blocker and has some YAC moves. Whether he has the potential or meets the potential of Gronk, that's a different story.

Sprinkle came in as a large WR basically (similar to chris gragg) and has since put on weight. He is much more skilled in the passing game than the blocking game, though his blocking has improved quite a bit. O'grady is the most likely to have a Sprinkle type season since he is primarily a receiver and is very good with the yac. However, I think this year we deviate from previous years don't really have an established #2 TE. I think we see a healthy mixture of Kraus, O'Grady, Cantrell, Gregg, and Bell as the second TE and given our enormous strength at WR, I think we see a lot more 11 personnel with 3 WR's on the field.

[Grunt]

From the various information out there.  Austin is technically just as good as BA.  Maybe calmer and better in the clutch.  Lack of experience worries everyone.  Hope his learning curve is shorter than BA

I don't know much about football but I've been telling my wife Austin will be better. Don't know why - just have been hearing myself say it. And with Sprinkle, Hatcher, Reed, Morgan, Cornelius, et al,  how can any of them ever be on the bench? Reed is my favorite (not best) because he's so damn fast he makes secondaries look slow sometimes.

[Pig in the Pokey]

I don't know much about football but I've been telling my wife Austin will be better. Don't know why - just have been hearing myself say it. And with Sprinkle, Hatcher, Reed, Morgan, Cornelius, et al,  how can any of them ever be on the bench? Reed is my favorite (not best) because he's so damn fast he makes secondaries look slow sometimes.

I don't know that he'll be as poised as BA was at the end of last year but AA will certainly be better than "JimChaneyBrandonAllen" off the bat. And his deep ball is better than BA's already. Austin's deep ball plus Dominick Reed is going to open up everything else. Teams will have to blitz and our RAC yards from the others is going to be amazing!

[MissippHog]

the game winner in OT vs auburn that happened right in front of me where he dove in the end zone will forever be one of my favorite Hog plays. Also, the TD on 4th down to get us to OT on the other end of the field was awesome. he has the hands and the routes to be a pro.

Was that the one he caught on a little hook then scooted down the sideline and into the endzone?  I remember thinking that was the fastest I had seen him move all season long.

[Bacon_Bitz]

No, that was just a throw to him out wide at the snap and then he broke a pathetic tackle attempt by Carlton Davis, who is supposed to be one of Auburn's top corners

[factchecker]

Was that the one he caught on a little hook then scooted down the sideline and into the endzone?  I remember thinking that was the fastest I had seen him move all season long.

[bennyl08]

I don't know much about football but I've been telling my wife Austin will be better. Don't know why - just have been hearing myself say it. And with Sprinkle, Hatcher, Reed, Morgan, Cornelius, et al,  how can any of them ever be on the bench? Reed is my favorite (not best) because he's so damn fast he makes secondaries look slow sometimes.

Don't think it has to be a better or worse thing. I think Austin will be different. From what coaches have said, what we've seen in real live action, and what we can see from the HS highlights, Austin is more aggressive with a bigger arm and better deep ball. However, those things often lend themselves to more mistakes because of too much faith in arm, taking risks rather than playing it safe, and putting too much on some passes that don't need it.

As a fourth year player, I expect some of those issues to be dampened. I assume he has a better grasp of when to use touch vs when to rifle it in. I assume he has a better understanding of when to take a risk on third down and when to accept the punt or sack. However, I also assume it is inherent in his personality that he is going to want to give his arm and his receivers a chance more than his brother. That isn't inherently a better or worse thing. It simply has a different set of pros and cons.