Ron Rivera's Training Camp MVP: Armanti Edwards

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

To be fair, most here have said they would like him to grow into the #2 TE spot.

Oh yeah no doubt, there are some great posters that are excited about Williams, as well as they should be. He is a physical specimen that rivals a Greek statue and with proper coaching from Coach Hoener, he could be a solid player.

The problem I have is that people haven't given Edwards the opportunity (like they are giving Williams to grown into the tight end position) to grow into the wide receiver position. We brought in a division 1-AA quarterback who hadn't played a lick of receiver, and expected him to automatically be the number two wide receiver.

If someone needs to be blamed, it needs to be the person that picked him as early as they did, and the coaches that failed to develop him.

Ricky Proehl has done a hell of a job in his first year as a position coach and all the wide receivers have said that he gives guys opportunities, something that the previous wide receiver coaches did not.

Like the next guy, I'm skeptical about Armanti; but I'm certainly not righting him off.

[Floppin]

Full disclosure, I am an ASU graduate.  As I'm sure you all can appreciate, he did a lot for our University which is why we are all such homers.  We would not be moving FBS next year without his accomplishments.  Toughness was never something he lacked in Boone, which is why I was surprised to hear Jonathan Jones on The Fan here in Raleigh today saying the knock on him has always been the ability to take a hit over the middle and/or in traffic.  No offense, but you can't have a knock on someone about taking a hit who has been played so little that nobody would even know whether he can take a hit.  I saw him go face first into numerous linebackers when he only weighed 180 and hold his own.  Never slid.  Always took or made a hit as a running QB.

 

But, at the end of the day, I guess we will see how things go starting Friday night and the next few weeks and whether he stays on the depth chart where he is now, or whether he falls.

 

This sentiment has been expressed numerous times by people who actually watched him play. Hell, I've said it many times myself, as a Boone native. The problem is that people have confused his timidity as a receiver with being scared to take a hit. In years past, Edwards played the receiver position timidly because he literally had to think about everything he was doing and wasn't able to play loose - he was playing very tight, inadvertently, by trying NOT to fug up. 

 

The difference this year has been that he no longer has to think about every little facet of how to be a receiver while he's playing. He can just....play. He can run routes fluidly and release on his breaks without hesitation. He can play to his ability, instead of to instruction. That's why he looks like a receiver, because he's actually playing like one.

 

The best analogy that I can think of is that AE played like a child first learning to read, the previous two years. He had to sound out every letter for every word as he went along. Now he can just see the words and know what they say without looking at the individual letters. That's the transition - he knows what to do and he can just let his natural gifts take over.

 

AE isn't, wasn't, and has never been afraid of contact. People saying that he is, have never seen him play - it's that simple. 

[fjblair]

Oh yeah no doubt, there are some great posters that are excited about Williams, as well as they should be. He is a physical specimen that rivals a Greek statue and with proper coaching from Coach Hoener, he could be a solid player.

The problem I have is that people haven't given Edwards the opportunity (like they are giving Williams to grown into the tight end position) to grow into the wide receiver position. We brought in a division 1-AA quarterback who hadn't played a lick of receiver, and expected him to automatically be the number two wide receiver.

If someone needs to be blamed, it needs to be the person that picked him as early as they did, and the coaches that failed to develop him.

Ricky Proehl has done a hell of a job in his first year as a position coach and all the wide receivers have said that he gives guys opportunities, something that the previous wide receiver coaches did not.

Like the next guy, I'm skeptical about Armanti; but I'm certainly not righting him off.

 

 

Mostly true. John Fox made it his mission to fug over Armanti as many ways as he could, and he did.The rookie season is just critical especially for a guy learning a new position.

[Dilla]

Brandon Williams hasn't played football in two years and there are people on this forum that have crowned him Antonio Gates 2.0.

 

I wouldn't put them in the same situation. Brandon is a feel good story that hadn't played football in two years and was likely just a camp body at first, yet he came in the with all the measurables and has tore it up in his very first NFL camp. If he doesn't produce this preseason, he is likely to be cut or placed on the practice squad and that's that.

 

Armanti has been on the team for three years with a meager stat sheet as an overdrafted 3rd round pick. Yes, that's not his fault, but to be honest, Armanti has still had it kinda good. No doubt there are plenty of other similar situations where teams have just cut their losses with project players one or two years in, good work ethic or not.

 

[CelibatePimp]

Free AE!!!

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

I wouldn't put them in the same situation. Brandon is a feel good story that hasn't played football in two years that was likely just a camp body at first, yet he came in the with all the measurables and has tore it up in his very first NFL camp. If he doesn't produce this preseason, he is likely to be cut or placed on the practice squad and that's that.

Armanti has been on the team for three years with a meager stat sheet as a overdrafted draft pick. Yes, that's not his fault, but to be honest, Armanti has still had it kinda good. No doubt there are plenty of other similar situations where teams have just cut their losses with project players one or two years in, good work ethic or not.

Understandable, and a good point...

But at the end of the day, the NFL is a business not a charity. If you're on a roster, it usually means you can play (yes, even Clausen is better than your local high school quarterback).

[beastson]

Lol at this

[CPcavedweller]

Friday night lights will tell us a fraction of what we want to know. Unless there are some scripted plays to him I don't expect much. The good thing for evaluating our wide outs is that there's no a huge drop off or personality change between DA and Cam so we should get an idea of what they are like provided there are opportunities.

48 hours gettlemen, 48 hours.

[CPcavedweller]

Understandable, and a good point...

But at the end of the day, the NFL is a business not a charity. If you're on a roster, it usually means you can play (yes, even Clausen is better than your local high school quarterback).

Emiere Scaife(Mallard creek QB- signed with App) looks like he could compete with Clausen, don't put him on that pedestal.

[Cj72]

I've never understood the hate for ae. Of course it takes time to learn a totally new position in the NFL. Hell, most receivers take a year or 2 to just adjust. Take Ginn Jr for example, if the panthers had drafted him 9th he would be the most hated panther of all.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Emiere Scaife(Mallard creek QB- signed with App) looks like he could compete with Clausen, don't put him on that pedestal.

This doesn't dignify a response...

The SEC isn't even 50% of what the NFL is and your here telling me a quarterback with no college experience whatsoever, that is going to a school in the Southern Conference would give Clausen a run for his money...

Get real!

By the way, you took what you wanted to out of my last post. I was actually defending Armanti Edwards and you turned it into a "Look How Good App State is" post.

[PantherBrew]

[Zod]

AE gets more postive cheers and support at games than any other WR not named smitty.

[CPcavedweller]

This doesn't dignify a response...

The SEC isn't even 50% of what the NFL is and your here telling me a quarterback with no college experience whatsoever, that is going to a school in the Southern Conference would give Clausen a run for his money...

Get real!

By the way, you took what you wanted to out of my last post. I was actually defending Armanti Edwards and you turned it into a "Look How Good App State is" post.

If you weren't so sensitive you would understand it was a joke. But while we're on the topic I would say LSUs and Texas AMs starters could both come in right now and compete with Mr. Clausen.

And no it wasn't remotely close to a this is how good App State is, that was the only example that would be obnoxiously false I could think of.

Personally, I like Clausen and think he is a good natured kid to have in the locker room. He has been really humble since day 1 and even though he played bad and is relegated to 3rd QB, hAsnt raised a finger.