Tag: Drops

Twitter roasts Kadarius Toney after bizarre assertion at Super Bowl press conference

Fans on Twitter roasted #Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney after he told a reporter he is a No. 1 receiver at a Super Bowl LVIII press conference.

Kadarius Toney’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs has had its share of ups and downs, but after his dismal start to the 2023 season, many fans in Western Missouri have lost faith in his ability to be a viable weapon for Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense.

Despite his struggles, Toney remains on the Chiefs’ roster ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, and may even see action in Kansas City’s February 11 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

During Super Bowl opening night on Monday, Toney was asked about his role in the Chiefs’ offense, and whether he could still be the team’s No. 1 option at the wide receiver position.

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His response left fans scratching their heads.

“If I get the ball, yeah,” Toney told a reporter when queried about his role.

Twitter wasn’t so convinced that a higher volume of targets would get Toney back on track, and the veteran receiver was roundly roasted for his quote.

Check out some of the top reactions to Toney’s bizarre assertion:

Packers benefit from key Chargers drops in passing game

The Packers defense gave up only 20 points to the Chargers. The Packers defense also got very lucky.

Oftentimes this season it has been the Green Bay Packers helping out the opponent with dropped passes. On Sunday against Los Angeles, it was the Packers who benefited from several key drops by the Chargers pass catchers.

The first crucial drop came on the Chargers opening drive on a 4th-and-4. Justin Herbert hit a wide-open Donald Parham over the middle while a few Green Bay defenders had their eyes on Keenan Allen. But rather than the Chargers having a fresh set of downs in field goal range, Parham dropped the ball and the Packers took over at midfield.

In the second quarter, the Chargers faced 3rd-and-5 from the Packers’ 7-yard line. Herbert tried to connect with Allen near the right pylon but it was another drop for Los Angeles. At a minimum, that play would have moved the chains to set up first-and-goal. There was also the opportunity for Allen to score on that play as well, but the Chargers settled for a field goal.

Then in the third quarter, Allen had another crucial drop, this one in the end zone on 3rd-and-goal. But instead, it was another three points for the Chargers rather than seven.

The final key drop came on Los Angeles’ final drive with Quentin Johnston streaking down the right sideline with separation between him and Carrington Valentine. The pass would bounce off his hands and the drive – and game – then ended a play later. Had the ball been caught, Johnston would have had the chance to score the go-ahead touchdown. At worst, the Chargers would have been deep in Packers territory with the opportunity to tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown.

“I think we just had some missed opportunities,” said Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert after the game. “I thought we were in position to be able to score some points. You can go down there, and drive and we just have to execute better. It’s on us as an offense to be able to take over those situations and score in the red zone like that. Something that we’ve talked about all year, but I know that we’re capable of doing that. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t happen today.”

When it was all said and done, conservatively, the Chargers potentially had 14 points taken off the scoreboard—three on the first possession, a total of eight on the two red zone drops, and at least three more on Johnston’s drop. At most, it could have been 22. Either way, with even one of those catches being made, the outcome of this game could have swung in the other direction.

With some help from the Chargers pass catchers, the Packers red zone defense helped keep this game in reach for the offense by keeping Los Angeles out of the end zone. On four trips inside the Green Bay 20-yard line, the Chargers converted only one of those opportunities into a touchdown. The Packers also forced a crucial turnover inside their own 10 yard line late in the game that resulted in an empty possession in a game that was decided by only three points.

“Our red-zone defense was really good today,” said LaFleur, “and was one of the keys in the fourth quarter when they took the lead.”

Despite the drops, the Chargers passing game was still able to find their share of success. They were able to move the ball, making their way into the red zone four times, and often did so by generating explosive plays where the pass catchers go the ball in space and picked up large chunks of YAC. Herbert averaged 7.2 yards per attempt while Allen totaled 116 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions.

To a degree, this should have been expected. The Chargers have one of the better scoring offenses in football and want to move the ball through the air. The Packers, meanwhile, featured a secondary with two seventh-round rookies, Corey Ballentine, a primary practice squad player for much of the season, and Jonathan Owens.

This is a matchup that heavily favored the Chargers, so yes, some form of self-inflicted help from Los Angeles was likely always going to have to be a prerequisite to keep points off the board for this short-handed Packers secondary.

“I thought our guys challenged them,” said LaFleur of the Green Bay cornerbacks. “I’ve got to give (Joe Barry) a ton of credit. He was playing some single safety there, which I don’t think a lot of people would, but that’s the style of quarterback you’re going against.

“You’re going against a guy that if you have a lot of softness in your coverage, he’s going to make you pay. He (Justin Herbert) had his fair share of plays today. He is a remarkable player and I think we all saw that and witnessed that.”

Twitter reacts to Kadarius Toney’s abysmal performance vs. Lions

Fans on Twitter were… less than pleased with Toney’s performance in the #Chiefs’ loss to the #Lions on Thursday.

To put it mildly, the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get a great showing out of wide receiver Kadarius Toney in their matchup against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

Toney, who started the game with a drop of a perfect pass from Patrick Mahomes that ended up being a pick-six, ended the night with one catch for one yard. He dropped three other passes, one of which may have won Kansas City the game on the Chiefs’ final drive late in the fourth quarter.

While no loss can be blamed on one individual player in a team sport, Toney certainly didn’t do Kansas City any favors against the Lions. The night he put together on Thursday may be one of the worst of any Chiefs receiver in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Fans on Twitter were less than pleased with Toney and did not mince words in voicing their displeasure with his performance during and after the game.

Check out some of their reactions below:

How many drops did current Chiefs receivers have last season?

Drops were much less of a problem for the #Chiefs in 2022 compared to the season prior.

The Kansas City Chiefs struggled with dropped passes during the 2021 NFL season, with two wide receivers ranking in the top 10 in the league. Last season, the Chiefs completely re-created their wide receivers corps. It resulted in a vast decline in dropped passes, both as a whole and individually. No receiver on the roster had more than five dropped passes.

The team has lost a few receivers who contributed during the 2022 NFL season and added some new faces in the receiver room heading into 2023. How did the newcomers fair when it came to catching the football last year? How about the several returning players for Kansas City?

Below you’ll find a look at the targets, receptions and drops from each of the receivers on the 90-man offseason roster who were targeted last season, including the incoming free agents. Also, a brief look at the rookies and how they performed in college. All drop statistics (combined regular season and postseason) courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Drops were an issue for Packers offense in 2022

The Packers dropped far too many passes during the 2022 season.

According to the tracking numbers at Pro Football Reference, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers tied for the most passes dropped in the NFL during the 2022 season. Like Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Rodgers had 40 passes dropped. His drop percentage of 7.8 ranked second among quarterbacks.

Drops are subjective and often vary from tracking site to tracking site. But the Packers’ ability to consistently catch the football was an obvious issue in 2022.

Pro Football Reference’s list of drops for the Packers:

WR Romeo Doubs: 9
RB A.J. Dillon: 7
WR Allen Lazard: 6
RB Aaron Jones: 6
WR Christian Watson: 4
WR Randall Cobb: 2
TE Josiah Deguara: 2
WR Sammy Watkins: 2
TE Robert Tonyan: 1
TE Marcedes Lewis: 1
WR Juwann Winfree: 1

For comparison’s sake, consider that the Packers only dropped 13 of Rodgers’ passes in 2021, and no player had more than three.

Of course, the 2022 season kicked off with Watson dropping what would have been a 75-yard touchdown from Rodgers on the first play from scrimmage in Week 1. While Watson was solid the rest of the way, the drop provided a glimpse into the future for others in terms of catching the ball.

Jones and Dillon, who were expected to shoulder a bigger load in the passing game, dropped 13 combined passes, or one for every 10 or so targets.

Doubs, a fourth-round rookie, dropped nine total passes, tied for the fourth-most in football despite seeing only 67 targets. His drop percentage – 13.4 – led all players, per Pro Football Reference.

Lazard, who dropped only one pass in 2021, dropped six as his target share went up.

The Packers had a razor-thin margin for error on offense and couldn’t afford missed opportunities. While not all drops are created equal, and not all can be blamed solely on the receiver, the Packers needed to be more consistent creating completions and just couldn’t do it, especially early in the season.

Talent doesn’t appear to be an issue. Doubs, despite his drops as a rookie, appears to be a terrific hands-catcher with a real future as a starter. Watson overcame his early drop and was a star down the stretch. Dillon was almost perfect catching the ball during his first two seasons. Jones missed on a few downfield passes but is otherwise a weapon in the passing game. Lazard’s drops looked mostly concentration-related.

Pro Football Focus had the Packers down for 30 drops in 2022, so it’s possible Pro Football Reference is just a more harsh grader of what is a pass that should be caught.

Regardless of who is playing quarterback next season, the Packers need to be more consistent making plays in the passing game. There are a lot of factors that go into completing a pass, including ball placement by the passer, but the finish is a big one. The Packers must be better catching the football in 2023.

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Packers fail to convert a single third or fourth down during loss to Commanders

The Packers were 0-for-7 on third down or fourth down during Sunday’s loss to the Commanders. Four times, passes were dropped.

The Green Bay Packers’ flailing offense failed to convert a single third or fourth down during Sunday’s 23-21 loss to the Washington Commanders.

The Packers were 0-for-6 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers failed to convert a third down over a full game for the first time since 1999.

The culprit is an easy one to find when scanning the failures: drops. On four of the seven opportunities on third or fourth down, a drop was involved.

– 1st quarter: 3rd-and-4: Aaron Rodgers incomplete to Allen Lazard (drop)
– 1st quarter: 3rd-and-13: Aaron Rodgers complete to Aaron Jones for 7 yards
– 2nd quarter: 3rd-and-25: Aaron Rodgers incomplete to Aaron Jones (drop)
– 2nd quarter: 3rd-and-11: Aaron Rodgers incomplete to Romeo Doubs (drop)
– 3rd quarter: 3rd-and-2: Aaron Rodgers incomplete to Romeo Doubs (drop)
– 4th quarter: 3rd-and-10: Aaron Rodgers complete to Amari Rodgers for 9 yards
– 4th quarter: 4th-and-1: Aaron Rodgers incomplete to Romeo Doubs (drop)

“We had a ton of drops,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

Twice on the offense’s final touchdown drive, the Packers were bailed out on third down (3rd-and-3, 3rd-and-6) with penalties on the defense. On each play, Rodgers threw incomplete.

“We have to coach better, we have to play better, we have to execute better. It’s not good enough,” LaFleur said.

The Packers have lost three straight games to fall to 3-4 after seven games.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, and we have to better,” LaFleur said.

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Broncos have 2nd-most drops in the NFL entering Week 6

Broncos players need to focus on securing the catch before trying to explode upfield, coach Nathaniel Hackett said.

Denver Broncos players have dropped 10 passes through the first five weeks of the season, tied for second-most in the NFL.

There’s not one player that has inflated the team’s total — it’s been a team-wide problem. Broncos receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy and running backs Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone have all dropped two passes each.

“I just look at it as it’s almost too much pressing,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of the team’s drops. “Everybody wants to make a play. Everybody is looking to do something a little bit more. In the end, it’s about fundamentals and the basics. Just securing the catch and getting the yards up the field, instead of trying to explode out on something.

“So the guys just have to go back to that. Their fundamentals, their basics, clear the ball and turn it up the field. As we start getting those drops out and get those demons out, the guys will get better.”

Those drops obviously haven’t helped quarterback Russell Wilson’s totals, or his rhythm in the offense. Wilson has struggled early in the season, but the team’s offensive woes do not all fall on him. Denver’s pass-catches have to help their QB out if the offense is going to turn things around.

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur irritated by more drops from wide receivers

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he counted at least five more drops by pass-catchers during Friday night’s win over the Saints.

The stat sheet for Jordan Love could have looked much better had the receivers for the Green Bay Packers made more plays during Friday night’s preseason win over the New Orleans Saints.

After drops plagued the preseason opener and at times during joint practices, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he counted at least five more drops on Friday night.

“Unfortunately, we, again, had too many drops. I want to say we had at least five drops on offense,” LaFleur said post-game.

LaFleur was especially irritated with rookie Samori Toure’s drop on a beautiful throw down the field from Love in the second half.

“The ball has to be caught,” LaFleur said.

Love rolled to his left and made a perfect throw in the rain, but Toure couldn’t finish the over-the-shoulder catch. The drop negated what could have been a pass play of 35 or more yards.

On the Packers’ first possession, rookie Romeo Doubs had to make a tough adjustment to an outside throw and couldn’t complete the catch on another throw from Love.

LaFleur wasn’t sure if the blame was more on Love or Doubs, but it was another missed connection.

It’s worth noting that Doubs made amends when he skied for a touchdown pass on a perfect throw from Love later in the first half.

In the second half, Amari Rodgers couldn’t finish a pair of catch attempts on third down, including one up the seam and another toward the sideline. The first was a drop through contact, the second was a failed contested catch.

Love finished the contest completing 12 of 24 passes, but the 50 percent accuracy was hardly indictative of his night throwing the football. LaFleur said he was confident and decisive with the football. Love said he’s getting more and more comfortable in the offense, allowing him to play fast and let it rip.

The Packers receivers playing in the preseason are young, and LaFleur said there’s room for error as they play through and learn from mistakes. But the regular season is approaching fast, and the drops keep happening. Can the young receivers start finishing plays more consistently?

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Here is how many drops current Saints receivers had last season

Which Saints wide receivers dropped the most passes last year? Some of their newest additions, like Jarvis Landry and Dai’Jean Dixon, boast the best hands:

Jameis Winston is back under center for the New Orleans Saints, but a lot has changed around him. Pete Carmichael will be calling plays to his headset, for one. For another, the New Orleans Saints have added a number of new wide receivers to the mix through free agency, the 2022 NFL draft, and the scrum for undrafted rookie signings after the event. But which of them have the best hands? To find out, here are the targets, receptions, and drops for each Saints wideout from the 2021 season.

It’s important to note that drops are a really badly overrated stat, in the sense that they impact such a small fraction of plays. When a receiver is being thrown at 100-plus times in a single season, they tend to catch the ball much more frequently than they drop it. And a player’s drop rate can change dramatically from one year to the next – a great example is Chris Olave, who was only dinged with one drop in the 2020 season before he dropped five passes in 2021. A great receiver can be undercut by a subpar quarterback, too.

So don’t read too deeply into it. At the same time, the player only gets into that position by reliably catching the ball when it’s thrown their way so often in practice. Too many drops in low-stakes situations reduces their opportunities when the bright lights are on, and it can spell their end with the team altogether.

Let’s get to it. Here’s how it broke down for each of the wide receivers on the 90-man roster ahead of training camp, except for Michael Thomas and Kawaan Baker, who were not targeted in 2021. Thomas missed the year with an injury, while Baker was on the practice squad. The list is ordered by their respective drop rates:

Ja’Marr Chase explained his struggles with drops so far and it sounds extremely concerning

Absolutely none of this sounds good.

Ja’Marr Chase was an absolute stud at LSU. He caught 20 touchdowns his sophomore season with Joe Burrow under center and helped lead the Tigers to a national championship.

He sat out the next season with his draft stock pretty much solidified as a top-10 pick and a pandemic raging on, which still feels like the correct decision.

But now, it seems, the magic he had in college with Joe Burrow just hasn’t really translated at all to Cincinnatti. At least not so far.

Chase struggled mightily this preseason with holding on to the ball. His drops have been a huge issue.

He was asked about the issue by Bengals.com and his response was, well, it was very concerning.

Basically, he’s not used to catching NFL balls.

“The ball is different because it is bigger. It doesn’t have the white stripes on the side so you can’t see the ball coming from the tip point so you actually have to look for the strings on the ball at the top, which is hard to see because the whole ball is brown and you have six strings that are white. But for the most part, just have to get used to it and find out what I am comfortable catching.” 

None of that sounded good. Absolutely none of it. Chase is actually telling us he struggles to catch NFL balls because he’s not seeing them. And you never want to hear that from the number 5 overall draft pick.

Of course, not all is lost. He just struggled in the preseason. It happens. We’ve seen his talent and, while this is concerning, it doesn’t wipe any of that away.

He continued to say “There’s a bigger ball adjustment, so I don’t want to make excuses but I’ve just got to be a pro and make the catch.” So it’s clear he knows what he needs to do.

Let’s just hope he does it.

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