Thanks For Reading, Trevor
For, oh I don’t know, ever, I’ve been berating Trevor Davis as a returner because, instead of using his world-class speed to pick a lane and go, he chooses to juke two or three times every return. Juking slows you down, Gonzales – run! Well, this week, Trevor didn’t always juke and – as luck would have it – every single time he returned the ball without juking, he looked good (eve if it was called back)! That’s what speed does when you use it! Oh, except at the end, with a minute left, when your team really needed some yards, anything to try to get into long field goal range, you juked, you slipped. Juked in OT, too. In crunch time, he reverted back to old habits. That happens. It’s part of growth, but this was positive because I didn’t think he was ever going to move beyond what he was doing. If he can discipline himself to stay fluid, he could become an unexpected contributor to an unlikely playoff run.
Hundley’s Growth
Trevor Davis isn’t the only young guy on the team trying to mature and develop. Brett Hundley didn’t have flashy stats, but he managed the game enough to win, relying on his legs (66 yards rushing) to pick up yards almost as much as his arm (77 net yards passing). It’s been a month and a half of growing pains for the young QB. The team didn’t ask or need him to pass a lot this week and it worked out good enough.
His big statistical blemish was the 1 interception. It looked bad on TV, like he just didn’t read the safety, but Dusty at @All22Talk showed a better view of the play. The Bucs were playing single high safety (disguised as 2-high, but Hundley correctly diagnosed) and the Packers ran split receivers deep. The safety went to the left and Hundley read it and threw to the right on a skinny post that looked like it was a decent throw except safety Justin Evans jumped up and picked it. If you watch the view Dusty posted, you see that Evans was almost 20 yards away when the ball was released and had to close on it just as quick as the receiver. It was a great play by the safety. Maybe Hundley should had read the Evans’s hips, but that’s a very nuanced read and if that’s his biggest blunder of the game, he’s raised his basement.
Now his ceiling is another story. He did a good job of knowing when to take off, but it wasn’t a pass-heavy game plan. The passes were mostly short. In fact, on the game-winning drive in OT, he only completed 1 pass and it’s traveled 0 yards past the line of scrimmage. He had 2 carries for 25 yards on the drive and the game winning handoff, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping for me. That dart he threw on the slant to Davante keeps my hope brewing, though.
Jordy Misses Aaron
There are a lot of people who think Jordy is washed up. I’m not one of them. It’s just that a young, not-elite QB like Hundley will do better throwing lobs to an athlete like Adams than working the sideline with a technician like Jordy. If Aaron comes back, Jordy will not look washed up anymore.
Other Notes
- That three man front had it’s best showing of the year – they are young and very good
- Jake and Blake were the top two tacklers in the game – almost looks like Ted doesn’t ignore ILB, but waits to find value in the draft
- When the Packers were backed up, Vogel responded nicely
- Jamaal Williams was running like a grown #ss man on his touchdown – he was running through one guy from the 4 while another was getting dragged and a third was falling on him
- Jamaal Williams is the same height, but 15 pounds lighter than Ty Montgomery (and Ty has the more impressive physique) – so let’s not talk about Monty being too small for the position, anymore, ok?
- Seven sacks is a lot, even against a banged-up OL – good job defense
- Jamaal William’s 5.4 average per carry was nice, but it was last on the team behind Jones (20) and Hundley (9.4)