Bucky's Top 5 Pass-Catching Groups + Discussion on OTAs

Published May 20, 2024, 10:17 PM

Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks are back with a new episode of Move the Sticks. To start off, the guys have a discussion on OTAs and what happens at OTAs, as Bucky is joining from the Jaguars' OTAs (:46). After that, the pair mention Tom Brady and his recent talk and message to rookies (8:42). For the rest of the show, Bucky goes through his top 5 pass-catching groups in the NFL (13:29).


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And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks. What's up? Everybody?

Welcome to move the sticks DJ.

Bucky back with you.

Buck? What is going on?

Man?

I see the teal on. I know you are not in LA right now.

I am not in LA.

I'm down in Jacksonville checking out OTA's doing a little research, a little background, you know, how it is, getting ready for preseason games, trying to get a lay out of Land. Got a new defensive coaching staff, and so so I want to kind of make my way down here, kind of see what's going.

On, check out the rookies and stuff. All right, I want to get back to that in just a second. Do you want to everybody know we're going to have a fun discussion Bucky as we get through the draft. It does a cool thing where he goes and kind of looks big picture and what can we see now that we have these rosters assembled, and it's fun to do some rankings. So Buck, you have kind of the pass catcher rankings of the top five in the league as you see it right now. As we head towards training camps, we're gonna we're gonna dig into that in just a little bit in the episode. But the fact that you mentioned rap Top, you're in Jacksonville, you're out there ot off season program.

I think there's a lot of.

People who are listening to this that don't necessarily know exactly what that looks like. So why don't you give them a lay of the land?

Okay, So, Dji, when we talk about OTA's organized team activities, this is really an opportunity for the teams to get there in practice, like really have what we call an NFL practice where you have all the position groups going, you have some seven on seven, you have some team activities. You're able to in this phase because I think this is phase three, you're able to go against the defense. Where before it was all individual you're doing like offense, just kind of doing things on air. Well, now you get a chance to kind of see those things in practice. Still nopads still really minimal contact when it comes to the way guys are going and competing back and forth. It is really an opportunity for the young guys to kind of learn to playbook, put some of the techniques in the practice, and then it's an opportunity for the coaches to kind of tinker and play with the scheme as they're beginning to look towards training camp and what their offensive and defensive playbooks should look like as they get ready for the regular season.

Again, you mentioned they are no pads. That's key distinction there helmets, right, we have.

Yes, so you have helmet's jersey shorts on.

You have them tackling and engaging with bags.

You don't see like competitive one on one drills.

It's just a lot of really what I would say individual drill and then a little seven on seven, a little team work. But it's really more teaching tempo more so than what would be our competitive tempo where you really beginning to evaluate players.

You're trying to see how everyone fits up.

It is really an extension of the orientation that the rookies went through a couple of weeks ago right after they got drafted, when they went to mini camp. Now you have the whole team in place, and you begin to kind of get the work done as you're putting it, kind of putting all the pieces in place to have a really good training camp in a month.

So so from your time go back to when you're playing Buck, the difference between what you would have experienced during this offseason program versus where it is now.

I mean, I think it's I think it's similar like this time of year. It's similar.

You're going through it, you're practicing, and you're competing. I think back then, though, you could have one on ones, so the old line, D line could go against each other, DB's and wide receivers could compete in one on one drills.

Now you can't do that.

But I will say this, and I think it's probably a sign of the times. The practices are short and sweet, DJ. I mean you're on the field and off the field within seventy five to ninety minutes if that. There's a little rain today, but I mean it is in and out. You're trying to be very efficient. You're trying to make sure that everyone understands what's going on, and you're really trying to get your your players ready for training camp. And I think it's really important that this time is not about the competitive part.

It's a everyone needs to know exactly what you're doing.

We're gonna have more than enough opportunities for you to compete, but you give yourself. You don't give yourself a chance if you don't know what you're doing. So let's focus on the technique and the scheme. Make sure you get those things down so then when it's time to compete, you can you can go out and play.

Yeah, I think during this time of the year, man, if if nothing else for young players, rookies or new guys in your system, you're really looking for, can you can you communicate? Can you align? And can you know your assignment?

Like that?

Literally, if you can do those things like you're ahead of the curve, just getting the young guys up and comfortable in that. In that regard, it's.

So funny that you brought it up.

Ryan Nilson spoke to the media before practice and you talked about I just want to see a couple of different things. Do they know the assignment and can they get lined up? All the other stuff we're not worried about right now. Can we just get lined up? Can Rick Thehodle know exactly what we're supposed to do. We're just supposed to be on and what that responsibility is. That's all we're looking for. We're not worried about the result. We're worried about more of the process more so a result. If you can get those things done, it's been a good day.

Yeah, And people think that, oh, that's simple. You just know no, no. When you go from the the off the cards in college, and how simplistic it is to now. I mean, knowing where to go and listen to being able to communicate a play call, especially for a quarterback, is a massive challenge something they really haven't had to do. So you've got to get the spit the play call out, and then for the other guys, you got to know, Okay, what's my split, what's my alignment?

Was there a shift?

Is their emotion? Like, there's a lot of that stuff that you got to take in And there's a lot of memorization here. In a short period of time, see.

Had a lot of memorization. And I think it is important for the offensive players in particular. These guys may not have ever been in a huddle. They are used to taking the signals from the sideline, off the plaques, you know, the big signs and signals. And I used to hear and go a full play call in the huddle with you know, different verbage and extended verbage where you really got to pay attention and then you got to do it and quickly get out to you spy, get lined up. Not only know what you're supposed to do, but is there a hot read? Is their adjustment those things? Defensively is okay, like I'm on the defense, but I got one guy communicated. But if it goes here, it's an automatic defense. We call it automatic front and coverage, where it changes based on what the formation is. It's a lot of thinking and you have to be able to process because the difference in the college game and the pro game is just the.

Speed and the temple of the game.

You got to be able to be on the same page with your teammates and it happens fast and it's not like literally with little Johnny coach on the field saying hey Johnny, move over to the left.

You got to be able to do it.

And I would say that even though the intensity is scaled back from the coaches, there's still not a lot of tolerance for repeat mistakes. So whatever you're doing, you're trying to make sure each and every day I reduce the amount of mental mistakes that I'm making because that's the only way you're going to have an opportunity to get to the part.

Where you competing.

Yeah, I think that this is really it's turned into more exercise than physical exercise compared to maybe what it was a few years back, where the tempo is a little bit down, but hey, nowhere to go, know what to do, and let's just get a feel for one another. Especially to me, like this is big for the two position groups, offensive line the secondary because there's five guys each way. It's like a basketball team out there, and you got to really be able to communicate.

You got to be on the same page.

Now, I will say this, and it'll be interesting when you make your way up to see the Chargers. You know, one of the things that we had talked about in the past was, you know, no one really has taken advantage of not many teams have taken advantage of the importance. So the impact that the strength and conditioning program can make at the pro level, I would be curious to hear what does it look like, because we heard the Charges talk about that being a big part of it. What does that look like after practice, because right after the jacks were done, they went into the weight room, they started lifting, they did a little bit of running, but it certainly wasn't I would say at the intensity it could lead your program.

I'm curious to see if the Chargers are doing more.

It comes to that part of and I'm curious what everyone is doing because that is a big part of where I think people can make some gains if they can get their team in the great shape before training camp and if they can continue to extend that conditioning so that you know, some teams, we've talked about it, some teams use those first few games in September to kind of figure out who the team is and work their way into shape. But you notice the Kansas City Chiefs and some teams they jump out on you that first one of the season.

They get it going.

Do you have a team that is ready to get it going because of the way that you prepare and get your team in shape so they can attack training camp with the same kind of intensity that would lead you to have a fast start at the beginning of the season.

No doubt.

By the way, before we take a break and get to the top pass catching groups, did you happen to see the Tom Brady thing he was talking to all the rookies.

I love it, man, I love I love I love what he says to the players. Yes, I saw it.

I mean to me, yeah, it was fascinating because he's looking at these guys all in the eye and he's like, you know, one of the biggest problems with young players, it's all I and me. It's not about the team, and it's because of social media. And he was like, look, I get it. He's like, it's your brand and you know you want to do all those things. That's fine. You can be a star or you can be a champion. And I was like, whoa, that was in line right there. You can be a star or you can be a champion. Yeah, And I was like, man, that is that is that take takes everything and just condenses it down to one one little phrase, DJ.

You can't be great in all those areas if your focus isn't there. You can build up your brand, but it depends on what you want your brand to be built on. If Tom Brady's brand is built on being a champion, is built on being what we called the goat. And the reason we called him to go is because he has seven titles. You know, we don't call him to go because he threw for the most shows of those things. We call him to go because he was the big the best winner that we've seen in that game. He is trying to get those guys to understand keep the main thing, the main thing. The main thing is how you play, how you perform. But you're not going to play and perform at the level that you want to play at unless you do the preparation ahead of time.

So let's make sure you focus on those things.

You have time to put it on ig or TikTok or whatever it is, but make sure that you're devoting and committing most of your time to getting yourself ready to play.

At a high level.

And he talked about that, and I love where he is at this stage where he's willing to give that advice and kind of take us a little bit behind the curtain in terms of not only what made him great, but what made his team great, because he was the leader of that unit. And if he takes it like that, everyone else is going to fall in line.

He talked about how every day was like the super Bowl. He said, if it was a preseason game, he treated like to the super Bowl. He said, So you know what happened when I got in all those super Bowls? Just another game. It wasn't too big. He literally side true. And the first thing I thought of, And I've told you this story before, and I know you have examples as well. We're talking about often OTA's here offseason workouts. That was I got hired right after the draft with the Ravens, So that's my first time in scouting. Hired right after that draft. It was the Suggs Kyle Bowler Draft, and I remember going out there to see I was out there for the first rookie camp or what have you. Then we had the first All team uh OTA and I remember thinking like this ray Lewis, like he is going one hundred miles per hour at OTA, like in May, Like what in the world.

And I'm like, is he always liked this?

Like yeah, he's like this every single day doesn't matter, you know, in season, out of season, like and it was, you know, it doesn't You just think of quarterbacks that have that type of mentality. There's other players have that type of mentality too, but there was nothing ever taken for granted. And when it's one of your better players, or in this case, your best player, it just lifts the whole It lifts the whole group up because it's like man if he's doing that. I can't be I can't be slacking over here.

So here's what's funny.

Some people, like on the media side, are annoyed by OTA's like, what does it mean? It doesn't really mean anything in those things. But DJ, what you're trying to do is create habits. You're trying to create a championship habits. The way we run on and off the field, the way we run and get in lined up, the way we break the hole, the way we get to the ball, the way that we execute the play. Can we do it at a championship level now in May so we can repeat these same habits in June, July, and then when we get into the regular season. You have to build the foundation because there's no magic switch that you can flip up and be like, okay, guys, we're ready to be championship caliber. You gotta practice and perform like that and practice before you can ever see it in games. Tom Brady epitomizes that, and he says that all the time, and when you listen to Bill Belichick and some of those other great coaches talk about that, they put a huge emphasis on how you prepare and how you practice at any point of the season because they don't believe that you can and just turn it on.

You have to show yourself that you can do it before you really do it in games, No doubt.

I don't think there's any shortcuts. There is no secret sauce. That's it. It's just you treat every day like that. It was awesome. If you haven't seen that clip, it's all over social media. Click in Tom Brady you'll find it on there. I thought it was excellent. All right, let's say quick break, we come back. We're going to look at the top pass catching groups in the NFL. Buck He's done some homework on that and we'll dig into that right after this.

All right, DJ, So you know, each week, all right, for NFL dot Com, we have the Scouts Notebook, but we're getting at the point of the year where we don't do it's kind of like news and nuggets, and we started kind of ranking groups and kind of having fun at looking at how the draft and free agency impacts teams. This week, I tried to take a look at the top five pass catching groups and pass catching groups. We're talking about wide receivers and tight ends. Who are the five best in the National Football League. So I'm gonna read them back from five to one and then we'll have a little discussion on each of the teams and I'll kind of discuss why they were there. So starting at five, I have the Seattle Seahawks at ford, the Chicago Bears at three, the Houston Texans at two, the Philadelphia Eagles.

And at one the Miami Dolphins.

And just in general, when I was making the conversation or doing the debate between which one is best, I try to approach it as if I was a decent player, if I was a defensive coordinator, which groups would scare me the most? Wide receiver groups have balanced but explosiveness balance, meaning multiple guys can impact the game in a variety of different ways. They have the ability to not only impact you outside, but they have someone in the middle that can control the middle of the field. And if we had to drop a game plan, who are the teams that I know out the gate? I'm have to commit a double team too, and I'm have to live with somebody else torturing me on the and those teams that I feel like we're most dangerous and probably most effective handling that strategy A I'm gonna take out number one and leave number two and three available.

Who are the teams that scare me?

That is how I came with the pecking order of putting those guys in order from one to five.

No, I think that's a great way to look at it. Why don't you walk us through then there? Start at number five? What you like about them?

Okay, So the Seattle Seahawks, and it is surprised to see Seahawks. And I'll say this, I debated long and hard about the Seattle Seahawks and the Cincinnati Bengals, which one deserve to be number five. I went with the Seahawks because as I look at them, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are still terrific when it comes to producing big plays. You look at DK Metcalf, he is the explosive playmaker. He can take the top off the defense, but he also has the size that is dangerous when they throw those quick slants and those things. And Tyler Lockett and Jackson Smith and Jigbu they have two guys that I believe are interchangeable when it comes to their out running ability. These guys can get open, they can get open fast, they can win with speed and quickness, but really they're polished within their route running that allowed to get open.

And then the fan hasn't been a big part of what they do, but he's still.

There and he's a reliable option if you're not able to hit the top three.

So because of that, I put the Seattle Sea Yarks at five. Yeah.

To me, it's it's also something I like what they have in the run game that I think is going to help feature those guys even more and that you're going to get some nice opportunities down the field. And they are, maybe more so than any other team, are our old friend coach Billock who always talked about building the basketball team like they have different they have all different shapes and sizes there. It's just like a like the what was it Verizon or AT and T the logo that like just like the Little Wars that goes like that's kind of what they look like with DK Metcalf being the top one there. But that's a that's a definitely a different skill set there. Whereas some of these other teams have the interchangeable parts, these guys have very distinct roles.

They have very distinct roles and that leads me to the number four team, the Chicago Bears.

DJ.

When I think about the roles, I think they're very clearly defined for the Chicago Bears. But what I like about them man their size and physicality, Like what they can try it out there. I mean, you better bring your boxing gloves because the dudes that you have to defend out there, they are physical and they have the ability to really overwhelm you with force rather than finess. So when I think about Keenan Allen, Roma dune DJ Moore and Cole Comett and even thrown in Gerald Everett, what he can give it as a tight end, man, it's really problematic to be able to deal with them. Not only because all those those guys are well over six feet all of them will well over two hundred and ten pounds, but they have the ability to make plays as a catch and run special like a DJ Moore. You have to extraordinary like a Keenan Allen that can get open versus everybody in the slot. We assume that Roma Dunees is going to be a combination of both guys, but he has to iq to play all three positions on the perimeter. In Cole commed do you have someone who's a big post up option over the middle of the field. When you just think about what they can add in, not to mention Gerald Evan and how.

He can get open over the middle. They have a lot to throw at you.

And even though they have a very young quarterback, their wide receiver corp could prop up Caleb Williams until he is ready to really take it over on his own town.

Yeah, and normally you talk about guys that are interchangeable, you think of more of that like five eleven. You know, size receiver that can play inside outside, do different things. They have big guys that can play inside and outside. So it's an interesting collection that they have. They're a big, physical, versatile guys. And then again you got the two tight ends there, which I think is going to be fun for Caleb Williams as well. All right, let's get to number three.

So we get to number three.

This team came out of nowhere to be one of the best offenses and that's to Houston Texans. And last year they were dangerous because Nico Collins had a breakout year. You had Tank Dial who flashed immediately when he burst on the scene. Don't show scape you some surprising production as a tied end, and now you add in Stefan Diggs. When I think about this team, the fact that Stefan Diggs has been a guy who is I think six RA eight one thousand year seasons, a guy who continues to dominate on the PNVER even if he is on the down side of what has been a really, really strong career. He and Nico Collins are problematic because at some point you have to decide who is the real number one receiver.

If we say that Stefan.

Diggs is number one, well now you have to deal with Nico Collins, who goes for twelve hundred yards last year without a big time compliment. On the other side, after tank Dale gets hurt, tank Dale is one of the more explosive and third wide receivers that you will find, and prior to his injury, he was lighting it up for the Texans and Schultz. You're talking about a pass catching who can run rouse and do it from a variety of different spots and locations. And you have CJ. Stroud who finds a way to hit the ball to these guys and look really stretched the defense with the way that he is.

Able to kind of contribute.

This is a really good wide receiver corps and I think this is one of the more surprising units in the National Football League. No one expected this team to be what they are now, and a large part of it is because the.

Way the wide receiver route has really evolved.

Yeah, to me, Tank Dell's kind of the secret sauce there, Like if you keep him healthy and run him out there for seventeen games with that the juice that he has and now throwing in digs in there to go along with Nico Collins, Like, now, okay that that to me, he's the one. If I'm thinking of who's gonna, you know, strike the most fear looking at from a defensive standpoint, like that would be the one. Like he changes the math a little bit in terms of how you cover these guys and then you're going to get matchups that you that you like to favor you. So I'm a big fan there of Houston at three or let's get to the top two.

Who goes?

So this is tough because of the debate between the Philadelphia Eagles.

And the Mia defens is one that we can go round and round and round.

But I settled with the Philadelphia Eagles being too AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith sharing the marquet as code number one receivers.

You then have Dallas god it over the middle of the field.

And the reason why I think this duo is really tough because Devonte Smith is a legitimate number one. He could be a number one receiver if you didn't have AJ Brown in the building. When AJ Brown has been out or covered, Devonte Smith has stepped up in a variety of ways. We saw him do it in Alabama. He continues to be that guy in Philadelphia.

MIENI.

He can be whatever you need him to be when you need him to do that. And AJ Brown, I think the surprise has been the way that he jumped from Tennessee to Philly, and he's been a dominant player the last two years. Dominant on the perimeter. You can't guard him. He creates separation, he's physical, he comes down with the fifty to fifty balls all the time, and he has just been a great, I would say, lead receiver in that unit. Even though I could say that DeVante Smith could do it and then Dallas guard it went healthy and available. He just tears you up down the middle of the field. He is a seam runner. He catch the ball well. He is someone that can get open as a chain mover underneath that and when you're dealing with that tree, it's just really really hard to do. Also, because of the way this team is constructed, run heavy team with the athletic dynamic quarterback, they give you a lot of fits, and they give you so many fits that it's hard to make decisions to double and when you do double to get on the other side also can win just a really solid and well constructed wide receiver view.

Yeah, and you've got run after catch, and then you also have the opportunity there with you know, we're not talking running backs, but now you throw Saquon Barkley, you know, when you want to expand that defense with all these pass catching weapons and now you can check the ball down to him or screen him. That adds to the mix as well. All right, Number one, buck, So Number.

One is the Miami Dolphins.

And the reason why DJ like when you think about them, of all the teams that you have to face, his defense coordinator, they scare you the most on the perimeter.

They have a legitimate track team.

And I'm gonna say this, Jail and Waddle and Tyreek Hill just scares the Bejesus out of everybody just because of how fast they are. Last year, DJ, this group combined for eighty seven big plays on the perimeter that passes over twenty plus yards eighty seven. Both of these guys have gone over one thousand yards in each of the past two years. Tyreek Hill, like, I think back to back seventeen hundred yard seasons with Jaylen Wall going over eleven hundred yards in those seasons.

I mean touchdowns. They can give it to you on catch and run plays. They can just run past you.

They can blow the top off the defense in OBJ, And I know people believe that Obij is living off of I would say the brand name and what he did very early in his career. But you saw in opportunities, limited opportunities when he had with the with the Rams race, when he hit the Ram before that, right, you are now saying, OBJ now gets to play against the third corner each.

And every week.

There's no way that you can help the third corner. The third corner has to stand alone and hold up to me. DJ, I think that's good for six touchdowns. Seven touchdowns on the season because you're just not gonna be able to contain all those guys on the outside. And I just look, I know they have John news Smith and you know, then a team that really utilizes the tied end like they could, but man, just the weapons on the outside with to a throwing the ball and getting it out of his hands, I just don't know how you stop this offense when they get it going with that wide receiver corp.

Yeah, to me, this is the perfect marriage of a quarterback skill set and the and the group that they have, you know, and and all the speed. I just think they've got the perfect guy to do it. And that's why when people ask are they going to pay to it, Yeah, they're gonna pay to it. I mean they've they've built this whole team around him. I mean, oh yeah, this tast break offense. Yes, And oh well he compared to this and you don't compare him to other quarterbacks. I compare him to who's going to operate what we've built here? The best two us perfect for how they've built this thing. So that's why it all fits. It all makes sense. I give you know, Chris career. I feel like he gets a lot of griefs as a general manager. But I look he's it makes sense to me when I look at how they've constructed it. They've totally built this entire team around the quarterback.

They've built it around the quarterback.

And I think the best way, I think you coined the phrase that Tua is a blackjack dealer the casino in Vegas in terms of the way the ball just comes out of his hands.

He's just daling.

And what you do with a player who is so good at the rpo game or the quick rhythm stuff, you give him a track team with specialists that are terrific with the ball in their hands. DJ all those guys we talked about it going back to their college days. All those guys were returners. OBJ one of the best point returners that you would find in the college game. Tyreek Hill outstanding returning when he first got to Kansas City Jays, and Waddell had that in his background. You see those guys on these catch and run plays where they're criss crossing all over the field. You talked about two of being able to throw a five yard pass and get a twenty yard game because the wide receivers can do the work this is really the four point one relay. He's just responsible for giving those guys the baton and let him getting around the track. Terrific offensive personnel on the perimeter and look with it. Without Obj, they would have been there. But Obj to me is the cherry atop the Sunday. He's not the OBJ that dominated the league when he first came in, but he still is a really good, high end number three receiver. I think we'll see some of that playmaking that is always intrigued us about him. I think you you talked about how he was with the Rams. That's the version that I expect to show up. The OBJ that played with the Rams. That was a nice compliment to Cooper Cup and some of those other receivers.

Nope, I think it's a good fit. I think it's a very smart uh signing low low. You know there's low downside. You're not paying him that much with excellent upside here, I think he'll fit in well with that group.

So uh, I love it.

There you go, there's the top five pass catching groups. As we head towards the season, we'll look at some of these other position groups as we go along the buck I know you'll be all over that, and I'll I'll give it another couple of weeks. I think once we get into June, I'll start peeking at some of the college kids for nixt year so we can have some way early discussions.

I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait for you to have that discussion, us to have that door.

I think I might go shut door.

It's the first assignment there here.

I looked at him. I looked at him. Did you already do it? I did a little look. I can't wait for us to have that discussion.

It's gonna be an interesting it's gonna be an interesting quarterback discussion for next year.

Yeah, save that, Save that and then now and then we'll have to compare notes here once we get there. All right, that's gonna do it for us today, A nice, short and quick episode here. Hope you guys have enjoyed it. Buck travels safe on the way home, and we'll catch you up with catch up with everybody back here on Move to Stick

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