Zay Jones - Coming Around Nicely

[TheBrownBear]

Zay will go for 1k next year.  He's building chemistry with JA, and so long as he keeps working and doesn't quit on plays, JA's athleticism will buy Zay time to get open.  I see him as a high end #2 slot guy.  Need to find a big fast do everything elite guy and we are set for years to come with Zay and Robert Foster serving the roles of chain mover and deep threat. 

[Ronin]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:10 PM, NewDayBills said:

It can take a couple years for a WR to find himself. Some dominate right away, others do not for various reasons. Zay never had a QB until now, that's the difference. What happened yesterday will happen again and again. Also, keep in mind we have an inadequate and impotent OL, that has effected our passing game. We are not the Pittsburgh Steelers the Buffalo Bills are coming straight from the gutter, the entire offense has to be built from the ground up. We did not have a 15 year veteran QB like Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger, we had Nathan Peterman and AJ McCarron. Of course other receivers have found success sooner but if you put them here they'd look like Zay.

 

I disagree with that last point.  

 

Jones is near the bottome of the stack league-wise in terms of catch-%, as starting WRs go which has absolutely nothing to do with QB or anything else.   Other WRs have performed better here, including now both MacKenzie and Foster, neither of whom I have any long-term hopes for and neither should you.  

 

People throw that stuff, the stuff you cited, out in a defense of a player, in this case Jones, but on other teams with no more talent other WRs are doing much better.  

 

The bottom line is that Jones came from a program in which he benefitted from bookoo garbage time in a major spread system, in a second-rate conference.  That's a fact.  It simply doesn't translate well to the NFL.  

 

Here's the thing, he's also had plenty of garbage time here too and frankly, that's where most of his stats come from if you've looked at his splits.  This team doesn't need players that put up in garbage time, it needs players that can put up when the game is winnable.  Unfortunately Jones is not one of those players.  Foster's just over a hundred yards shy of Jones in yards and has two starts to Jones' dozen this season.  Unless Foster's playing with different QBs ... 

 

Jones may be fine as 3rd or 4th WR, but he's not a starting caliber WR.  If you think he is then I have absolutely no doubt that you'll be changing your mind next season at the latest.  He's not a "solution" as it were to our WR issues and there area any number of other WRs that I'd take in hindsight, not to mention foresight as well as I mentioned back then, from that same draft.  He's not worth a 37th overall  Hardy, also from EC, put up better and more NFL-like performances than Jones did there, and for a much longer period of time, and he's got a prototypical frame for an NFL WR, and he's got Ryan throwing to him and he's no better.  There's a reason for that.  

 

 

Edited December 11, 2018 by TaskersGhost

[lacoy38]

I think he’s Josh Reed- probably a middle of the road #3- still a usable piece though

[thenorthremembers]

It's funny how perception is.   People on this board cry anytime Sammy Watkins has any semblance of a good game, yet Zay, who is on pace to have a very similar type of season as Sammy has had the last three years is no good.

 

He had a very bad game last week, terrible.  But he is a serviceable number two wideout.  He should never be the feature guy, but he can play in the league.   That said, I have no problem saying goodbye to him in two years, just like I had no problem watching Watkins walk. 

[John from Riverside]

I think Zay has a place on this team....just not as a number 1.

 

Hope he continues to improve.