#wideouts

Back to Back and we not talking Drake. AJ Brown came to play this weekend, making his appearance on this blog in consecutive weeks. Brown feasted on the Washington Commanders defensive backs all day long. Brown tore Emmanuel Forbes Jr ass up for a total of 9 catches 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. AJ Brown takes home the WOW (wideoutoftheweek) award for an Oscar worthy performance.

Nico Collins would’ve taken home the WOW award had it not been for that bad ass man AJ Brown. And y’all know I tell no lies but prior to this weekend I had never heard of the young lad. I will say this though, CJ Stroud is going to have a bright future with this kid and Tank Davis. Collins is a bigger wideout who has great feet. He could not be touched on press and made some impressive catches. I won’t lie he makes the game look easy. Collins tore the Steelers up for a breakthrough performance with 9 catches 168 yards and 2 tubs. 

Puka Nacua is having a Cinderella rookie season. It’s truly amazing that he’s posting the type of numbers that veteran players are known for. With is 3rd 100 yard game of the year, Puka is making a statement that he’s here for the long haul. Against the Colts, Nacua had his usual dominate performance with 9 catches for 163 yards and 1 score. It appears Matthew Stafford has found someone to rely on after Van Jefferson has failed to fill that role and with All-Pro Cooper Kupp out due to injury. 

Brandon Aiyuk had a perfect game catching all 6 of his targets for 148 yards. Aiyuk didn’t score but a few of his catches put his team in position to get points. It’s crazy sometimes to me that defenses give up the same plays over and over. Aiyuk did all his damage in the slot running over routes making the Cardinals look foolish. 

DJ Moore is improving. My running joke is that Moore will give you the highlight play no question. But he’s also going to drop a few easy ones. He’s changing my opinion of him. Against one of the better secondary’s in the league, DJ played physical and made some big time catches against the Denver Broncos. Moore finished his afternoon with 8 catches for 131 yards for 1 score. 

Stefon Diggs knew he would have to have a spectacular day when his team played opposite and arguably against the best wideout in the game…Cheetah (Tyreek Hill). And ladies and gents I promise you Diggs stepped up to the plate in a major way. With his team up 7 points, Diggs caught a back shoulder pass, broke tackles of two defenders, and raced up the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. Diggs also had an hat trick of touchdowns through his 6 catches for 120 yards. 

Chris Godwin is back! Although players can come back from ACL injuries within a year. It usually takes two years to get back to the player you were prior to the injury. Not that Godwin was a speedster to begin with, but it appears his pre-injury explosiveness is back. Against the New Orleans Saints Godwin caught 8 passes for 114 yards but failed to reach the end zone. 

This wideout shit is getting out of control. This week we had 15 wideouts that reached the century mark. We also have some big names making their way to the blog this season. Without further ado…

Keenan Allen is a man amongst boys. Right now Allen makes the game look really easy. The chargers have used Allen in the slot more than I’ve ever seen. And it’s definitely paying off. Allen caught 18 balls for 215 yards with zero scores. And now that counterpart Mike Williams is injured, I expect Allen to continue putting the weight on his back and carrying the team. 

Davante Adams takes home the WOW (wideout of the week) award. It’s refreshing to see Adams have the type of performance he’s capable of having each week. Davante finished his night with 13 catches for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adams dominated all over the field to make his first appearance of the year. 

Tyreek Hill is amazzzing!!! Hill cannot be guarded 1on 1. Agains the Denver Broncos Hill was up to his usual shenanigans. Hill caught 9 passes for 157 yards and 1 tub. Hill continues to obliterate angles. And although he left Patrick Mahomes 2 seasons ago, Hill’s production has steadily increased and I believe if not Justin Jefferson, Tyreek is another wideout who can eclipse the daunting 2000 yards in a season. 

Mama…Their goes that man! Justin Jefferson is a beautiful thing to watch. I love the way he’s playing right now. And I’m even more impressed by his run after catch. He’s dominating the field in every aspect of the game.  Against the Los Angeles Chargers Mr. Jefferson caught 7 passes for 159 yards and 1 touchdown.

Another name I have never heard of had himself quite the performance. Nathaniel “Tank” Dell absolutely destroyed defenders on his way to a rookie break out performance. Catching 5 balls for a whopping 145 yards and 1 touchdown. Dell most definitely caught my eye and I’m glad the kid had his first 100-yard game in the NFL.

Adam Thielen is a name I have not heard called in at least two years. Glad the kid is still able to put up big numbers making his first appearance on the wideouts4life blog. That boy Adam pulled his old bag of tricks out on his way to an 11-catch, 145-yard, 1 touchdown performance.

Ja’Marr Chase Your Dreams has not started the year like he would like. As he put it after the game against the Rams, “I’m always fucking open.” Sounds like a true wideout. I remember in college saying the same shit every play to never get the ball thrown my way. Chase caught 12 balls for 141 yards with zero scores. I’m hopeful Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals play callers get this young lion the ball. Wideout fans like to see the wideouts ball.

AJ Brown is a dog. I know when watching tape of Mr. Brown, he’s going to give everything he has to give. After not contributing to the Eagles as he would have liked too. AJ Brown caught 9 passes for 131 yards. Brown did not score but every yard he earned helped the eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

No introduction is need when a name like Deebo Samuel is mentioned. And as I write this blog, looking at the names above, I’m ecstatic because for the next decade I will get the chance to witness some of the greatest wideouts to ever play the game. You have to be a man to play for the San Francisco 49ers. They run so many fucking slants, it’s ridiculous. Deebo scored on a beautiful go-route thrown by Brock Purdy ending his night with 6 catches for 129 yards. 

It sucks that on a great day that Mike Williams was having. His knee got twisted in an awkward position leading to the young man tearing his ACL. Williams is out for the season. But prior to the injury Williams caught 7 passes for 121 yards and scored on trick play from fellow wideout Keenan Allen. 

Amari Cooper is like fine wine. He just keeps getting better with age. I still standby the point Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe that Cooper does turn it on and off. But maybe that isn’t a bad thing. It definitely lures defensive backs to sleep. Amari still is the best on press release and it’s not even close. Cooper almost made a guy fall on a sweet fade route he hauled in finishing his afternoon with 7 catches for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. 

DK Metcalf is a physical specimen. His route running is not great. And that’s ok, Terrell Owens wasn’t a route runner but he damn sure made plays. As I watch more and more film Metcalf reminds me of the hall of fame wideout. He catches better than T.O and for sure is faster as well. Against the Panthers Metcalf caught 6 passes for 112 yards helping secure the victory for the Seahawks.

Stefon Diggs is one of my favorite wideouts to watch. One pet peeve of mines is when wideouts make a routine catch against zone coverage and get up with the shenanigans. Against the Washington Commanders Diggs caught 8 passes for 112 yards. I feel he needs to do more because there are two hogs in Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill battling for the NFL’s top wideout spot. 

Ohio State and Alabama have put out tons of the wideouts who are really good as of the recent 5 years. One of those wideouts Chris Olave an Ohio State product just keeps on producing. Olave had a sweet one-hand catch up the right sideline that was ridiculous. Olave finished his night with 8 catches for 104 yards. For a 2nd year player, Olave checks all the boxes and I can only imagine his game will continue to get better. 

Last man to reach the century mark this weekend is none other than Amon-Ra St. Brown. Against the Atlanta Falcons, St Brown was a nuisance. St. Brown hauled in 9 passes for 102 yards placing him at #5 in receiving yards. 

I’d have to check this next statement for actually facts. But, I believe Mike Evans either has tied Larry Fitzgerald for 9 consecutive seasons with 1000 yards. Or he set the record for most 1000 yard seasons to open a career. Either way, this is really impressive considering all the variables that go into maintaining such consistency. Staying healthy is the real key and Mike Evans has built a resume that could withstand any argument as a top wideout in his era.

This past Sunday Evans talent was on full display. Mike caught 6 balls for 171 yards and 1 touchdown. Evans most exciting play came on a pass that he out jumped a defender and raced for a 75-yard gain while being pushed out at the 5-yard line. His touchdown came on a simple go route that Evans made look too easy. 

Mama there goes that man! Damn! Justin Jefferson is really good. Against one of the better cover corner’s in the NFL (Darius Slay), Jefferson had his way all afternoon. Catch after catch Jefferson made Slay earn his paycheck. Jefferson ended the night with 11 catches for 159 yards with zero scores. Jefferson ran the route tree and is only improving. I love how his run after catch has improved and he’s playing with more tenacity. If he continues to play at this pace, I believe he can be the first wideout to eclipse 2000 yards.

Puka Nacua is making sure the NFL knows his name loud and clear. Setting an NFL rookie record with most catches in the first two games of the season (25). Nacua is picking up what the team is missing from injured All-Pro Cooper Kupp. I won’t rain on Nacua’s parade but what he’s doing is leading me to look at Kupp’s record setting season as a by product of Matthew Stafford. 

Think about it. Stafford was the QB of the Detroit Lions when Calvin Johnson set the record for most yards in a season with 1964.  Stafford won the Super Bowl the year Kupp became the #2 yards leader in NFL history with 1947. I would not be surprised if similar numbers are achieved by Nacua especially if Kupp lingers on IR for about half the season. 

Nacua caught 15 passes for 147 yards with zero scores. His play matched the intensity and toughness of the San Francisco 49ers defense. I love how physical the rookie is playing. Catching slants over the middle is no easy task at any level, especially the hard hitting NFL. I regard the 49ers defense as the best in football and watching the kid carve a hole in the defense lets me know he’s going to have a very productive season. 

Nico Collins is making his first appearance on this blog with a healthy performance against the Indianapolis Colts. Collins caught 7 balls for 146 yards and 1 touchdown. Nico caught a slant on his first pass and raced 45 yards before eventually being tackled. Collins lone touchdown came on what looked like a busted coverage. I think rookie CJ Stroud has found his go to wideout and I look forward to the kid having more 100 yard games this season. 

Ceedee Lamb is making his first appearance of the 2023 season. Against one of the better corners (Sauce Gardner) and a pretty good New York Jets defense, Lamb licked his chops all over the field this past Sunday. Ceedee caught 11 passes for 143 yards. I like that he’s playing aggressive and being physical at the point of attack. He’s now in his 3rd season and looking like the #1 wideout team owner Jerry Jones thought he could be. 

Speed kills! Devonta Smith is a speedster like the road runner. The majority of his yardage came on two deep shots from Jalen Hurts with one being slightly under thrown. That didn’t matter as Smith jumped over the defender, Moss’n him in the process to complete the catch. Devonta’s touchdown came on a go-route that the defender was sitting on. Smith ran right by him on his way to the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown. 

George Pickens is a name I have never heard of either. But after the game he had against divisional rival Cleveland Browns, I’m sure I won’t forget his name nor his game moving forward. Pickens only caught 4 of the 10 balls targeted in his direction. On a long 3 and forever, Pickens inside released on a speed dig and galloped his way 71-yards for a touchdown. Pickens finished the night with 127 yards to give his team the much needed victory. 

It’s good to see Keenan Allen back carving up defenses across the NFL. The Allen of old would have a great game to then be sidelined the next week. But the 2023 Allen is a different animal. The thing I pick up in his body language is that’s he’s fully healthy and happy. Against the Tennessee Titans, Allen had 8 catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. His team took home the Loss but personally the day was a win for Allen. 

Christian Kirk has lived up to the big contract he signed last summer worth $72 million dollars . Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kirk made his presence felt early and quite often. Christian caught 11 passes for 110 yards. Kirk didn’t score but I look forward to him continuing to dominate from the slot. 

DJ Moore was traded this off-season to the Carolina Panthers. I feel this was an upgrade for the Panthers but a mistake by the New Orleans Saints. Moore caught 6 passes for 104 yards. He didn’t go deep but ran a couple dig routes that turned defenders around. As he and quarterback Bryce Young chemistry grows I expect Moore to have more than a few 100-yard games this season. 

This last wideout had his first 100-yard game of the season. I’ll always root for the kid to do good because I coached him in high school. Amon-Ra St. Brown will get paid this off-season especially if he has his 3rd straight 1000 yard season. Against the falcons he was used all over the field. St. Brown caught balls from out wide, in the slot, and from the backfield. Amon-Ra caught 6 passes for 102 yards with zero scores. 

Wowww!!! What a weekend. The 2023 NFL season didn't disappoint in its first week back in action. Everybody who tunes in knows my affinity and affection for the wideouts. Last year we witnessed the dominant performance of 4th year pro Justin Jefferson. Who continues to prove his case of why he’s the top wideout in the National Football League. Jefferson was the Wideouts4Life 2022 Wideout of the year after finishing the year with 1,809 yards on 128 catches for 8 touchdowns. I’ll dissect his game as the year goes on but one area I would like to see improve is his scoring.

Jefferson picked up right where he left off. He started off plucking a high thrown slant out the air and making a defender miss as he stretched out for a Vikings first down. The self proclaimed best wideout in the league finished the day with 9 catches for 150 yards without scoring.

The WOW(wideout of the week) goes to the most exciting player in the NFL…Tyreek Hill otherwise known as “Cheetah.” The mercurial wideout bedazzled from the outset of the game. Hill opened the game with a 30-yard speed dig where he left the corner’s head spinning. His next catch would come on a stutter-stab press release, for a 35-yard touchdown. Hill’s last catch was a quick fade at the 5-yard line for his 2nd tub of the day. Tyreek Hill finished the day with 10 catches, 215 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Brandon Aiyuk had a productive first game of the year with a perfect 8 targets for 8 catches, 129 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Had Tyreek not did what he did Aiyuk would’ve taken home the wideout of the week award. Aiyuk’s first score came by way of a skinny post in the redzone. Then on a perfectly thrown fade ball from Brock Purdy, Aiyuk fought through the hold to snag his second touchdown of the year. I look forward to watching the 49ers and their physical brand of football.

The Los Angeles Rams opened the season without their top wideout Cooper Kupp due to a hamstring injury. However that didn’t stop the Rams from beating the Seattle Seahawks and having two wideouts reach the century mark. 

Rookie Puka Nacua who I have never heard of had one hell of a game in my opinion. His first opportunity was a 5-yard in route thrown slightly behind him causing him to drop the ball(not his fault). Nacua wouldn’t let that drop deter him. Puka caught 10 of his next 14 passes with one drop and a few bad throws by Matthew Stafford. The rookie sensation ended the afternoon with 119 yards helping his team to their first win of the season.

With an exact yardage output as his counterpart. Third year wideout Tutu Atwell did his part by catching 6 of 8 targets for 119 yards but no score. Atwell is a speedster out of Louisville and the Rams deep threat. Although he didn’t make the few plays called for him I look forward to Atwell adding pressure on opposing defenses all year.

Chris Olave is a wideout I’m really beginning to love watching. The kid is supremely talented and I see why he’s doing what he does. Olave runs effortlessly and is really smooth in his route running. The uber talented wideout caught the ball all over the field. But I was really impressed by a comeback route he caught for an 8-yard gain; where he toe-tapped maintaining his concentration and completing the catch. He finished the afternoon with 112 yards by way of 8 receptions and no scores.

One guy who’s name was in the media all summer came out with something to prove in the Bills lost to the New York Jets. Stefon Diggs in my opinion is still a top-10 wideout. At times and I won’t lie…I’m beginning to feel his place among the games best is starting to slip. This isn’t his fault. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is horrendous and always makes the crucial mistake. 

The New York Jets lost their play caller and future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers on the fourth play of the game. Most people thought the game was over until Josh Allen threw the Jets 3-interceptions and lost a fumble. Despite Diggs catching 10 passes for 102 yards with a touchdown; his team lost. As a former wideout and coach, I think Diggs knows Allen isn’t the guy to take the team where it needs to be and his frustrations are about winning not just stats.

Last but certainly not least is Jacksonville’s newest addition and University of Alabama alum Calvin Ridley. Suspended for a year for betting on sports, Ridley showed NFL fans what we have been missing while he served his year’s long suspension. Ridley is a natural in all phases of wideout play. He’s a natural hands catcher and a smooth route runner. Ridley also has the run after catch ability to turn a 12-yard curl into a 45 yard gain as he did against the Colts. I look forward to the young wideout continuing to improve from week to week and excited that he’s back!

Ceedee a "Lamb" no More!

Ceedee Lamb “Chops” feasted his way to a beastie performance against a formidable 49er defense. Right off the bat Ceedee made a great play in which he took the handoff on a jet sweep on fourth and 1. Breaking a tackle by one of the over-zealous defenders who slightly over ran the play allowing Lamb to spin back inside and pick up the all important 1st down. Prior to that play Lamb caught a couple swing passes where he picked up nice chunks of yardage with great blocking from his wideouts. 

Needing a spark and while backed up at their own 9-yard line, Lamb blew by 49ers defender Deommodore Lenior and held on to a 46-yard gain while receiving a pass-interference call. Ceedee created space out of his break all night because he played fast coming off the ball. Lamb finished the night with 10 receptions for 117 yards. 

On the year Ceedee Lamb finished #6 in the NFL with 107 catches for 1,359 yards and 9 touchdowns. This is one hell of a season by him. And to think about the way he started which does not matter because at the end of the day how you finish is most important. I am impressed by what Ceedee was able to accomplish and with the way he finished the season. I believe he will carry this momentum into the off-season and comeback next year looking to compete for the best wideout in the league. 

It’ll be a few more weeks but I will have the wideout of the year award ready before the Super Bowl. Plus I’m working on getting some merchandise on the website so wideout fans can start supporting. 

“How Bout Dem Cowboys!"

Ladies and Gentlemen the saying in football meetings, practices, games, et.al., is, “You’re only as good as your last play,” or “You’re only as good as your last game.” Growing up I was a huge Cowboy fan. As a kid it brought me great joy to see the Cowboys win 3 Championships in 4 seasons. I became a huge Deion Sanders (Coach Prime) fan when Jerry Jones gave Primetime a 7-year contract worth $35 million. I even started playing football wanting to be like Deion on the filed. 

This also meant I hated the San Francisco 49ers and still somewhat do. Now although I no longer consider myself a fan of any team because I like to sports bet and favorite teams always kill you. I’m a former Offensive Coordinator and Wideouts Coach/Trainer and a writer of sports. So being objective and not letting my feelings get in the way has become more beneficial to me as I have gotten older. 

I initially was worried that Dallas would lose to Tom Brady because of that internal feeling players get when they face a team they know they haven’t beaten. Talk about psychological warfare. It’s reminiscent of my playing days when we faced Boise State. If I’m not mistaken Boise won the WAC and never lost a WAC conference game from 03-06. But before the new staff came in I didn’t play that much at wideout.

I’m an extremely honest (sometimes to honest for most) person but its based on logic. Back then I would laugh at the coaches terrible fucking speeches and lack of right communication from those in leadership positions. And it is clear to see when a team is just coached better. Here was my logic, if our corners can’t stop us in practice and our record was trash how are they going to stop an undefeated better coached Boise State. No, Boise didn’t have better talent at the wideout position. But the way they played was 1000 times harder, tougher, and more physical than us and our mascot name is Spartans. 

And I tell this story because I would listen to the defensive of players talk about what they were going to do and this and that and them nigga’s would go out there and get ran by. We sucked as a team. The head coach Fitz Hill-one of the first 3 African American Coaches was at the helm. This dude held a PH.D in Teaching or Communication. And when I tell you bright…boy coach hill’s thesis/dissertation if one of the most phenomenal pieces of literature I have ever read. And this doesn’t mean shit. He simply could not coach. His communication skills as a coach were awful. Fitz Hill was a charlatan and belittled us players because of his “doctorate” status and ran an environment not conducive to creating a winner culture. 

Fast forward my last year in college with Dick Tomey at the helm and with a way less talented roster, we lost by 20 I believe his first year while playing a night game in Boise. And we lost by a last second field goal in 2006 after James Jones (Packers) dropped a ball on 3rd down that would’ve given us a first down so we could run out the game clock. 

I mention this story because as of late the 49ers have been a better team than Dallas . Kyle Shanahan gets praised for his offensive run game. Mike McCarthy has one of the most scrutinized jobs in sports. But he is a former Super Bowl winning coach (I was at that Super Bowl) and he may not call plays but offensively he is not shabby as a coach. Is mindset is to throw the ball down teams freaking throat. And this year coach McCarthy has a top 10 passing defense (#8) and was #5 in points. The 49ers have played in 2 of the 9 previous super bowls and 2 out of the past 3 NFC Championships.