Colts Final Roster Cuts - 2023 Edition

[ChaosTheory]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Wr is one of the toughest positions to learn and play in the nfl. Gotta be patient with most guys.

Reggie Wayne's first three seasons (with Peyton Manning):

345yds, 0td
716yds, 4td
838yds, 7td

Steadily improved, didn't have his breakout until year-4. Give the kid time. Whether he's a bust or a gem, he's not going to show you right away.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by ChaosTheory

Reggie Wayne's first three seasons (with Peyton Manning):

345yds, 0td
716yds, 4td
838yds, 7td

Steadily improved, didn't have his breakout until year-4. Give the kid time. Whether he's a bust or a gem, he's not going to show you right away.

Reggie is usually my fallback example, but I’m sure he knows that. Everyone was declaring him a bust after year two I think.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Reggie is usually my fallback example, but I’m sure he knows that. Everyone was declaring him a bust after year two I think.

I am not in that camp. Reggie's growth was somewhat stunted by the 2002 signing of Qadry Ismail. Reggie was clearly outplaying Ismail but was not getting the playing time. Also I believe he suffered a foot injury in his rookie season that somewhat kept him back.

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

I am not in that camp. Reggie's growth was somewhat stunted by the 2002 signing of Qadry Ismail. Reggie was clearly outplaying Ismail but was not getting the playing time. Also I believe he suffered a foot injury in his rookie season that somewhat kept him back.

Yeah, Reggie had some injuries his rookie year. Think he got a high ankle sprain in training camp and then something else later in the year. And as you pointed out he was sharing reps w/ Ismail his 2nd year (although he had a pretty good year stats-wise). I would consider his '03 season his "breakout" year even though he didn't get to 1,000 yards until '04. But the league was nowhere near as pass happy back then.

I'm probably being too harsh on Pierce. Just saw in the preseason games that he wasn't getting any separation and has had some bad drops, which makes me think he hasn't improved since last year. But it's a small sample size, so hopefully he shows improvement when the games start to count.

[omahacolt]

Originally Posted by ChaosTheory

Reggie Wayne's first three seasons (with Peyton Manning):

345yds, 0td
716yds, 4td
838yds, 7td

Steadily improved, didn't have his breakout until year-4. Give the kid time. Whether he's a bust or a gem, he's not going to show you right away.

things have changed some since then. wr's are much better prepared for the nfl nowadays then back then

[ChaosTheory]

Originally Posted by omahacolt

things have changed some since then. wr's are much better prepared for the nfl nowadays then back then

Well, that's true in that there are more Randy Moss-esque cases of a rookie coming in playing well right away. But there are still plenty of WR's that require time before they flourish.

Davante Adams is a more recent, post-2011 boom example:

446yds, 3tds
483yds, 1td
997yds, 12td
885yds, 10td

Slow first two years, broke out in year-3, still didn't crack 1000yds til year-5 when he became a consistent 1300-1500yd guy. Doesn't mean Pierce will become that good, just means we might not know for the first few years.

[omahacolt]

Originally Posted by ChaosTheory

Well, that's true in that there are more Randy Moss-esque cases of a rookie coming in playing well right away. But there are still plenty of WR's that require time before they flourish.

Davante Adams is a more recent, post-2011 boom example:

446yds, 3tds
483yds, 1td
997yds, 12td
885yds, 10td

Slow first two years, broke out in year-3, still didn't crack 1000yds til year-5 when he became a consistent 1300-1500yd guy. Doesn't mean Pierce will become that good, just means we might not know for the first few years.

yeah i understand that some guys will still take a bit. just saying that it isn't the norm as it was back in the day. i mean most players get better after a few years in the league if they are worth being in the league