Tag: receiver

Sean Payton pleased with Taysom Hill’s progress, even if ‘he runs like Barney Rubble’

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton credited Taysom Hill for integrating the Saints passing attack, even if he doesn’t look pretty doing it

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Don’t look now, but New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill has turned into a real weapon in Sean Payton’s passing game. Hill finished the 2019 season tied with wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith in receiving yards (234) and one more touchdown catch (6, against Smith’s 5). He and Smith were tied for the sixth-most receiving yards on the team, while Hill’s receiving touchdowns placed third-best (wide receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Jared Cook tied for first, with 9 scoring grabs).

As Payton explains it, Hill’s growth into a legitimate receiving threat wasn’t really part of the plan. It was just a natural evolution from his success on special teams and bit-part on offense.

Payton said, “Yeah, I think it’s just continued to expand. I think that we’ve seen him in special teams. We’ve seen him block on offense. We’ve seen him run down the field vertically and each week it’s just expanded relative to his role. I think he’s handled it well. He has a lot of hats.”

When asked how the other receivers react to Hill’s continued development, all Payton could do was chuckle.

“We give them a hard time because sometimes he runs like Barney Rubble, but he runs fast,” Payton joked, referencing the caveman from old “The Flintstones” cartoons. Hill may be athletic, but he’s rarely aesthetic. His rumbling, tumbling style of running doesn’t look as pretty as the smooth track-and-field speed Smith or Ted Ginn Jr. may enjoy, but there’s no questioning his effectiveness. Payton continued, “I think he has real good sense and awareness of coverage. He’s smart, he understands how to set up routes and I think he had a big play yesterday but, but I think he has real good football intelligence.”

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson says next receiver has to step up in absence of Will Fuller

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says that the next receiver has to step up with Will Fuller out with a groin injury.

The Houston Texans will be without receiver Will Fuller as they take on the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium.

No big deal — the results of the rematch are negligible from the Texans’ perspective as they won the AFC South and can’t get out of wild-card weekend as it is.

However, Fuller is slated to miss the club’s wild-card game during the weekend of Jan. 4-5. Now, that is a big deal.

For quarterback Deshaun Watson, it means the rest of the receiving corps has to elevate their game in the absence of the 2016 first-round pick.

“Really just the next guy step up,” Watson told reporters Thursday. “So, if that’s whoever is playing a position or has the opportunity to step in and play that role, you definitely can’t be Will Fuller but you can be the best of yourself and we’re definitely going to do that.”

Watson’s words of advice for the rest of the receiving corps is fairly straightforward.

Said Watson: “Just be decisive, precise and on the same page with myself while we’re on the field. Seeing everything through the same set of my eyes and if not, me helping to communicate, try to react to the things that they do and get the ball to the open guy.”

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins has no trouble with that assignment as he has collected 104 catches for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns. Receivers Kenny Stills, Keke Coutee, and DeAndre Carter will have to be on the same page of the playbook with the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who has confidence in all of his receivers.

“We’ll be just fine,” said Watson. “We definitely want Will out there but he’s going to rehab and get better and hopefully we have him the next time.”

It is unclear how many reps Watson and Fuller’s replacements will have together in the showdown with the Titans, who the Texans have swept four times in series history. While coach Bill O’Brien intends to coach his players to win the game, staying healthy for the postseason has to be a prime objective.

The Texans had their eyes set on WR Kenny Stills long before trading with the Dolphins

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says his team was watching wide receiver Kenny Stills for “a long time” before bringing him in via trade.

With wide receiver Will Fuller out with a groin injury, the Houston Texans will enter the postseason after Week 17’s bout with the Tennessee Titans with Kenny Stills as their No. 2 receiver.

Though perhaps not as dynamic as Fuller, Stills can fill-in adequately for him. He has similar speed (4.38-second 40-time compared to 4.33), veteran experience (107 career games) and, perhaps most importantly, the Texans are familiar with him.

Before acquiring Stills in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 31, the Texans examined the 27-year-old receiver’s game tape. Coach Bill O’Brien says he’s been watching him for quite some time.

“I’ve been watching Kenny for a long time,” O’Brien said on Thursday. “Kenny’s got really good speed, he’s tough, really good route-runner. He’s a sharp route-runner. He’s smart. He was here last year, played against us when he was in Miami, we played out here on Thursday night last year. So, we studied him for that game.”

Initially a fifth-round pick from the Oklahoma Sooners (2013), Stills spent his first two years with the New Orleans Saints before the Dolphins acquired him in a trade. He played in South Beach for four seasons.

“We’ve been watching Kenny for a long time so we knew that he could add something to what we were looking for at that position,” O’Brien concluded.

In his first year as a Texan, Stills has 40 receptions for 561 yards and four touchdowns. He missed two games due to a hamstring injury early in the season but has stayed in good health since. According to Seth Walder of ESPN, he is fifth in the NFL in completed air yards over expectation, indicating his productivity as a deep threat.

The Texans know Stills. Now, heading into the postseason, he will need to back up O’Brien’s lauding of him to keep Houston’s pass offense productive.

Texans WR DeAndre Carter is a ‘plug-and-play’ guy

Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Carter demonstrated his versatility in the team’s 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday in Week 16.

Three years ago, DeAndre Carter’s income came from his side hustle as a substitute teacher in Hayward, Calif. Just as the former Sacramento State product juggled teaching with keeping his NFL career alive, on the gridiron, Carter routinely demonstrates versatility balancing his role as a returner and receiver.

After starting wide receiver Will Fuller went down with a groin injury in the first half of the Texans’ 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carter filled in. He played all over the field, taking snaps as a returner, slot receiver and out wide.

In the fourth quarter, Carter caught arguably the biggest play of the game for Houston, a 39-yard reception. It set up a go-ahead, and eventually game-winning, 37-yard field goal.

“That was a big play, that was a huge play,” coach Bill O’Brien said postgame.

Carter’s spot on the Texans is in large part due to that versatility.

“He can sub into any position and know what to do,” O’Brien said. “That is really a vital guy on your team – a guy that is a punt returner but has the knowledge of all the receiving positions and will know what to do. He is a plug-and-play guy. He has done that the last two years for us. He has made some big plays for us in times when we needed a play, so that is who DeAndre Carter is.”

Carter is all too aware of that. The 5-8, 190-pound 26-year-old may not have the gaudiest career receiving totals (27 catches for 313 yards), but he’s stuck around in Houston because of that plug-and-play ability.

“That’s my job, that’s my role,” Carter told reporters. “Being able to come in and play any position, any spot at receiver, kick-returner, punt returner, that’s my job, that’s my role. I take great pride in it. When the team needs me to come in and make a play, I pride myself on being able to do that.”

Carter be called upon more as the Texans host the Tennessee Titans in a relatively meaningless rematch in Week 17. The coaching staff may not want to risk Fuller to further injury, and it could mean more versatile action for Carter.

WATCH: Odell Beckham Jr. says he’s ‘not going anywhere’

Now it is official, well, it is if you believe Odell Beckham Jr. is a man of his word. The receiver is in Cleveland to stay.

Now it is official, well .. it is if you believe Odell Beckham Jr. is a man of his word. The receiver is in Cleveland to stay.

The star spoke on the swirling rumors about his potential offseason departure following Wednesday’s practice.

“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be here,” Beckham said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. “We’re going to figure this thing out, it’s just too special to leave.”

In his first season in Cleveland, Beckham averages 13.6 yards per catch on 67 receptions for 910 yards. He has just two touchdowns on the season.

After being acquired in March via trade from the Giants, with whom Beckham spent the first five years of his career, the Browns wideout has laughed about reports from the NFL Network and other outlets, which have said that the 27-year-old has spoken to a few NFL teams saying, “Come get me.”

But, as the 6-8 Browns prepare for Sunday’s rematch with the 12-2 NFC North Champion Ravens, Beckham says he is staying put.

Texans are reaping the benefits for WR Kenny Stills’ work ethic

Wide receiver Kenny Stills has grown in the Houston Texans offense since coming on-board in August. He can thank a good work ethic.

When they acquired wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 31, the Houston Texans did not know they had. On the tape, he flashed consistency and speed, but, personally, he was more of an unknown; after all, he never called Houston home.

After a few months, the Texans know what they have — a hard worker.

“Very smart guy, very hard worker, really takes a lot of pride in what his job is, his role in the offense,” coach Bill O’Brien said of Stills on Tuesday. “Same guy every day. Not an up-and-down guy at all, very consistent person, very strong-willed person and a guy that brings a lot to the table every day.”

Stills has emerged as Houston’s third-head in a three-headed wide receiver attack, with DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller completing the unit. Though his stats aren’t gaudy, they are indicative of being one of Deshaun Watson’s favorite targets in a crowded offense.

In 12 games (four starts), the 27-year-old has 35 receptions for 504 yards and four touchdowns.

“I mean, he’s a guy that’s been working his tail off and whenever his plays come and his opportunities come, he makes sure that he takes advantage of them,” Watson said of Stills on Tuesday.

Last Sunday, Stills’ hard work paid off. Though only hauling in three receptions, he finished the 24-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans with two touchdowns catches. The two created a 14-0 lead that the Titans could not overcome.

“I just tried my best to find the open guy on those two plays,” Watson said. “He came open on exactly what we wanted the look to be.”

Stills has grown from an afterthought acquisition in the Laremy Tunsil trade to a key cog in the Texans’ passing game. Stills’ work ethic has benefited his new team, who is now a win away from clinching the division for the second straight year.

Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins draws comparisons to Panthers greats Muhsin Muhammad, Steve Smith

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians says Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins plays like former Panthers WRs Muhsin Muhammed and Steve Smith.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians has been coaching at the NFL level since 1989, and he has a deep well to draw from when making comparisons.

According to the two-time Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins is a mix between two Carolina Panthers legendary receivers, Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith.

“For a fast guy, he’s probably one of the more physical guys in the league,” Arians said Tuesday in his press conference. “Physicality, he’s like a Muhsin Muhammad, but he’s faster. He’s a combination of Muhammad and Steve Smith.”

Muhammad established himself as the leading receiver for the expansion Panthers as a 1996 second-round draft pick from Michigan State. Using his ability to “box” defenders throughout his routes, Muhammad caught 696 passes for 9,255 yards and 50 touchdowns in his 11 seasons in Carolina, earning two Pro Bowl selections in the process.

Smith played alongside Muhammad and eventually took over the No. 1 role. The former 2001 third-round pick from Utah used his speed, fire and play-style that was far bigger than his 5-9, 195-pound frame. Smith went to five Pro Bowls, tallying 14,731 yards and 80 touchdowns.

“He’ll beat you up and just take the ball,” Arians said of Hopkins. “It’s his ball, he’s going to take it. And Deshaun is going to throw it to him because he knows he’s going to catch it.”

Though honorable comparisons, Hopkins has built his own legacy in the NFL. With four Pro Bowl selections and two All-Pro selections to date, Hopkins is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, recording 627 receptions for 8,579 yards and 54 touchdowns through his first seven seasons in the NFL.

In 2019, Hopkins has given defenses fits, recording the second-most receptions on the year with 99. He has turned that into 1,142 yards and seven touchdowns. The Buccaneers should have trouble defending him on Saturday, as all defenses have since 2013.

4 Studs and 2 duds as Seahawks beat Panthers 30-24 in Week 15

The Seahawks were able to advance to 11-3 on the year after beating the Panthers in Week 15 – here are the studs and duds from the contest.

The Seattle Seahawks never make it easy on themselves or their fans, do they? For the 10th time in their 11 wins, the Seahawks snaked away with yet another one-score victory. Seattle led 30-10 in the fourth quarter but walked away with a narrow 30-24 win.

Seattle entered Carolina banged up on defense and left worse off with injuries to Quandre Diggs, Delano Hill, and Bobby Wagner. However, on the bright side, Sunday’s win was historic for the Seahawks.

Head coach Pete Carroll earned his 100th victory with the Seahawks, as the team improved to 11 wins for the first time since 2014 and set a franchise record with seven wins on the road.

Here are the four studs and two duds in yet another of Seattle’s nail-biting victories.

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