This year is a different story though with the offense looking to lean much more heavily on throwing the football. With that, a receiving threat from the tight end position is crucial, and there's nobody more primed to be that guy than Kellen Bartlett.
After missing all of last season with an injury, the team gets back probably the best pass-catching tight end to play at USU since Chris Cooley. Bartlett only caught 15 passes for 222 yards as a junior in 2010, but he showed flashes of excellence throughout that year, enough so to generate some serious hype before last season.
Sadly though, injury derailed that, and while Tailavea and Lloyd were great in their roles, neither are near the pass-catching threat that Bartlett can be.
If he's able to bounce back to what he was, especially with the better passers that USU has under center these days, Bartlett should have a monster year. The playmaking ability of the wide receivers is monumentally crucial to this season too, but having a great tight end to dump off short passes to can really give the offense versatility it needs in the passing game.
I'd be jacked if we ran our pass game in and around our TE's this season, throwing up 2003 Cooley numbers would be impressive. Perhaps with our apparent "lack" at the running back position, (compared to the previous 2 seasons) I'd hope we will be pass first, run second, with Chuck being a dual threat. Spread out our shit, and let these TE's on our roster run drag routes underneath all day. We have so much talent on the outside receiver positions that perhaps Bartlett will get opportunities to make plays if we call his number, he's listed an inch shorter than Cooley and a lbs less but he looks very very similar.
ReplyDeleteI'd be stoked to have a passing attack reminiscent of 2002 with Curtis on the outside, and Cooley underneath.
Agreed with Austin, I'm seeing slant routes all day for our WR's,
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