Andre Debose question

[BMF]

I predict he finishes with 8 catches this year. A heck of a year, by his standards! PLUS a kickoff return for TD also....

 

[soflagator]

You need to let go of Urban declaring him the next Percy Harvin. It will be a long time before we see another person on Percy's level. And yes, the kid has been injured quite a bit so to still expect him to exceed Percy just isn't fair to Andre in my opinion. Just let him be Andre and try to have the best year he possibly can.

I think people forget that Debose himself wanted to distance himself from that comparison in the Spring following his signing. On at least one occasion, he adamantly said he didn't want to be, or see himself, as the next Percy Harvin. As you say, he needs to simply be Andre, and with the injuries and overall debacle in coaching that marred most of his career, I think he's done fairly well. Certainly had some big moments.

 

[Coach9]

I can think of two times when he was targeted. Once over the middle when Driskel was pressured into a throw on a third down that he dropped in the second quarter and one time streaking down the sideline when he clearly dropped the ball. Both could have been huge had they been completed.

Also overthrown in the end zone when he ended up with his head in a bush.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Here's my thought process with this. We ran 85 offensive plays on Saturday which might be a little higher than some games from here on out. However,. If we were to get into a 2nd and 1 or 2, or perhaps draw an offside penalty on 1st down and have a 1st and 5, would it be a situation where you might like to see him get a direct snap or maybe a toss sweep coming from the opposite direction just to get the ball in his hands other than waiting all game for him to maybe get a reception downfield. I think with the right down and distance it would be a good risk when you consider the reward. Again this would be a 3 or 4 plays at the most during a game.
I like the guy and I want to see him do well but I just have a hard time seeing him get more than 15 or so catches at best this season.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Debose went to my kids HS. Graduated same year. So I saw a lot if him in HS. And he had all the look of being the next Harvin. Don't get so hung up on the comparison. He was nuts in HS. And they won the 6A state championship. I love the kid - okay by now he's almost 30 LOL - but if he ever does for us what he did in HS he might earn the right to smack Muschamp on the butt on national TV.

 

[soflagator]

Debose went to my kids HS. Graduated same year. So I saw a lot if him in HS. And he had all the look of being the next Harvin. Don't get so hung up on the comparison. He was nuts in HS. And they won the 6A state championship. I love the kid - okay by now he's almost 30 LOL - but if he ever does for us what he did in HS he might earn the right to smack Muschamp on the butt on national TV.

Classic moment.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Debose is exciting when he has the ball but he's not a running back. Which means other than maybe a jet sweep, if he's gonna tote the rock on offense he has to catch it first. From what I've seen this is far from a given.

And here I thought I was the only one who noticed the kid can't catch. He makes Deonte Thompson look sure-handed.

 

[Mudd]

And here I thought I was the only one who noticed the kid can't catch. He makes Deonte Thompson look sure-handed.

Let's hope he was using the EMU game to get all his drops out of the way for the year. Those 2 drops in the 1st half hit him in the hands, 1 he could have took to the house and the other would have been a 1st down catch. That drop caused us to punt for the 1st time. I don't remember him having bad drops in the past, so maybe it was just a 1 game fluke.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He's dropped a lot of passes and failed to run routes. That's why he hasn't played much in the last three years (when he wasn't injured) and why he's third team.

 

[t-gator]

And here I thought I was the only one who noticed the kid can't catch. He makes Deonte Thompson look sure-handed.

C'mon man deonte Thompson hands is a bit much.

 

[t-gator]

When has anyone seen debose drop a pass before last week?

 

[Mudd]

When has anyone seen debose drop a pass before last week?

I dont remember the drops but i do remember bad route running and having a hard time learning the offense.

 

[williston_gator]

I think they were testing the deep ball timing. It's gonna hit at some point and it'll be great. If those three deep balls were completions there would have been way less complaining about JD's stats because they would have been big.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

So again we all think he might have some limitations at WR. Would it be a waste of downs to try and get him the ball via direct snap, handoff or pitch a few times a game. The guy CAN get in done in open space. As a coach I would think it might be good move. Remember when teams would double cover Harvin, Mullins would put him in the backfield for direct snaps, handoffs and jet sweeps......this is in no means to say Debose is anything close to Harvin as a WR, but in open space he is at least comparable and may have more top end speed.

 

[oxrageous]

When has anyone seen debose drop a pass before last week?

You have to play to catch passes.

 

[Ray Finkle]

We should really just set up in a punt formation for him. He could stand where the punter usually would, and just let everyone else block for him. Should work out well. Hell the long snapper can even put a little extra air under the ball.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

Actually Debose came in to Gainesville injured, he'd torn his hamstring away from the bone and had to have surgery to repair it.During rehab he had a number of set backs with little niggling injuries that in his words " really frustrated him". He, again by his own admission developed a bad attitude, partially from the weight of being the next Percy, partially because his whole life things came easily to him and his athleticism carried him past everyone. He never really got into his playbook which got him in the dog house with WM abd then the pick 6 in the Sugar Bowl, I know everyone likes to blame Driskel but Debose ran the wrong route, Driskel put the ball where and when he was supposed to. In one article I read he said he and his father had a stdown with WM and was basically told to straighten up or leave. The result was last year where to all accounts he did a helluva job through spring until he got injured. He's rehabbed like hell and knows the playbook , I wouldn't take to much from the EMU game, all the writers who were at the open practices said he was working a lot in the slot. He, Drob , Pittman and Worton were working on slants which evidently will be back in our arsenal. They also had him and Showers doing a lot of reverses and jet sweeps, again we didn't see them sat. but we didn't need to. I would think that we'll start seeing them and the entire offense gradually through the early part of the year until we need them.But to throw the entire playbook at EMU wasn't ever in the cards IMHO.

Uhhh....what's niggling?

 

[crosscreekcooter]

Ray, I swear, you are ****ing brilliant!!!! The extra exclamation points are for Ox.

 

[lagator]

Here's my thought process with this. We ran 85 offensive plays on Saturday which might be a little higher than some games from here on out. However,. If we were to get into a 2nd and 1 or 2, or perhaps draw an offside penalty on 1st down and have a 1st and 5, would it be a situation where you might like to see him get a direct snap or maybe a toss sweep coming from the opposite direction just to get the ball in his hands other than waiting all game for him to maybe get a reception downfield. I think with the right down and distance it would be a good risk when you consider the reward. Again this would be a 3 or 4 plays at the most during a game.
I like the guy and I want to see him do well but I just have a hard time seeing him get more than 15 or so catches at best this season.

Or you could direct snap it to Harris in that same situation with the option to run or throw a 70 yard TD, which seems to be his specialty. For snaps that aren't going to JD I'd prefer most go to Harris. I'll be perfectly satisfied if Andre does all of his damage on returns. If he makes significant contributions as a WR all the better, but I'm not counting on it. Devin Hester never was a productive WR in college and still made it to the NFL. Debose might end up in that same mold.

 

[ppinesgator]

Actually Debose came in to Gainesville injured, he'd torn his hamstring away from the bone and had to have surgery to repair it.During rehab he had a number of set backs with little niggling injuries that in his words " really frustrated him". He, again by his own admission developed a bad attitude, partially from the weight of being the next Percy, partially because his whole life things came easily to him and his athleticism carried him past everyone. He never really got into his playbook which got him in the dog house with WM abd then the pick 6 in the Sugar Bowl, I know everyone likes to blame Driskel but Debose ran the wrong route, Driskel put the ball where and when he was supposed to. In one article I read he said he and his father had a stdown with WM and was basically told to straighten up or leave. The result was last year where to all accounts he did a helluva job through spring until he got injured. He's rehabbed like hell and knows the playbook , I wouldn't take to much from the EMU game, all the writers who were at the open practices said he was working a lot in the slot. He, Drob , Pittman and Worton were working on slants which evidently will be back in our arsenal. They also had him and Showers doing a lot of reverses and jet sweeps, again we didn't see them sat. but we didn't need to. I would think that we'll start seeing them and the entire offense gradually through the early part of the year until we need them.But to throw the entire playbook at EMU wasn't ever in the cards IMHO.

"Actually Debose came in to Gainesville injured, he'd torn his hamstring away from the bone and had to have surgery to repair it."

Correct. He tore it at the State Track Meet in late May or early June his senior year. This was AFTER Meyer had unfortunately dubbed him "the next Percy Harvin."

Debose would have been better off if Meyer had just torn his other hamstring.