kev - I'd ask two questions to weigh in on Callaway's performance as a freshman. First, is if we compare him to Ridley (or any other freshman WR that was highly regarded in his first year), what was the supporting cast? As others point out, we had lesser talent at OL + QB than most of those other star performers like Ridley. That, to most people, would say that he's doing more with less and ought to be commended for that. The second question would be to focus internally and ask, given the OL + QB we had last year, who else did anywhere as well as he did? Robinson was the go to WR, but did anyone else produce as well as Callaway within the talent depressed offense that we ran? That may only say he's one of the better apples in a crate full of bad ones, but it still shows doing more with less and worthy of praise.
I'll go with you that THIS year will make more of a statement on who he is. We should have a better OL + QB, so the offense overall should produce better. Does he remain a go to guy in that situation? Also, he isn't a surprise. Last year opponents would key on Robinson, the only known WR threat, and that created opportunities for Callaway. This year, he'll be a known threat and covered as such. Can he perform under that kind of focus? We'll see. It may be like the upgrade from TH to LDR, we're going from a known bad to an unknown and hopefully better, so there is optimism. We won't know the truth until the games are played.