PR is singing his praises. I don't want to rain on the Palmer parade, but I do have questions that PR didn't address. Maybe somebody who watches film can answer, somebody who watches the routes he didn't get thrown to. There is no doubt that Palmer is fast and can make great catches. Those are two facts that are proven by the highlight films. But he didn't have the volume of catches in preseason games, only 7, pretty good for being targeted only 8 times. But why was he targeted only 8 times? And he had 5 total YAC. Granted it's difficult to get extra yards when you are already in the end zone. But the knock on him out of college was his route running. One of his spectacular catches wasn't even meant for him. Why was he there? We can see Palmer has great talent, but has he improved on his weaknesses? I don't know the answer. I'm just asking the question.
From NFL.com:
- Gets by with athleticism over craftsmanship.
- Fast but gives coverages too many breaks with lackadaisical routes.
- Drifts into the top of the route, allowing defender to close him out.
- Loses catch focus when he hears footsteps closing in.
- Needs to do a better job of finding soft spots in the zone.
- Below average stacking corners on deep throws.
- Too indecisive getting upfield on gadget plays and screens.
The answer is simple. He has a good blend of size and speed and he beats All PROs on go routes throughout off season activities, scrimmages and pre season.
Having a guy that can go over the top on the team has to be respected by defenses even if they have limitations (eg Perriman, Miller, etc). The difference is that Palmer has way more upside than an ordinary go route decoy.
Like Jarrett, Palmer extends his hands out and to snatch the ball aggressively out of the air and he has very high confidence in his abilities.
His speed on that return in that final pre season game showed that he needs one block and he is off to the races. Although needs to work on ball security and his blocking but he is a rookie and he will improve if he listens to the coaches and Godwin/Evans.
Basically you don't need a lot of skill or knowing a full route tree when you can outrun Sauce Gardner downfield.
Let me add that with Canales offense and motion he is going to be able to scheme Godwin, Palmer and Evans open so the importance of route running is diminished somewhat.
I would disagree. Running bad routes is how interceptions happen and it will cause the QB to not want to throw them the ball. And you can't beat the DB deep if they know that's all you are there to do.
Hope he becomes the #3 option we desperately need!
Hes a rookie so he will make some mistakes but he looks like a gamer and we needed one desperately cause Mike and Godwin can't do everything. Going forward is a high area of need maybe don't need to spend high draft choice on one soon if he pans out. They probably still would if right guy but maybe don't Need another guy there. It's probably not wise to expect a bunch but hopefully he can keep making plays.
I agree, he's exceeding expectations for a 6th round rookie no matter how slice it. But my question is he the next Scotty Miller or something more? Miller had 4.3 speed, made some splash plays and contributed to the success of the team most notably against the Packers in the playoffs. But he only caught 74 passes in four years. He was never a #3. Already, Palmer looks to have better hands than Miller, but as for his route running that's what I'm asking about. The PR article didn't really bring that up.Hes a rookie so he will make some mistakes but he looks like a gamer and we needed one desperately cause Mike and Godwin can't do everything. Going forward is a high area of need maybe don't need to spend high draft choice on one soon if he pans out. They probably still would if right guy but maybe don't Need another guy there. It's probably not wise to expect a bunch but hopefully he can keep making plays.
Scotty Miller had 74 catches in four years with the Bucs, so an average of less than 20 a year. What should we project for Palmer based on what we know? Can he get 50 catches a year?
Truthfully as a rookie he isn't going to have elite route running but if he is beating NFL caliber DBs on go routes, posts and skinny posts or even crossers that is good enough as a#3.
The one route I was impressed that Palmer ran was a shallower route in the third pre season game which shows he isn't just a deep threat decoy.
