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View Full Version : Broncos TE Virgil Green provides Incredible Hulk-like blocking



Denver Native (Carol)
01-01-2015, 05:12 PM
Virgil Green stepped from the shadows Sunday, his first career touchdown catch punctuating a growing presence in the Broncos' offense. For Green, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound chiseled beast, his road to recognition has been paved in dirt, grass, mud and muscle.

It started in Nevada, where it's not uncommon for folks to straddle the line between dreams and delusion. Green wanted to play college football. He figured he could be a star receiver for the Wolf Pack, a team that featured quarterback Colin Kaepernick and linebacker Brandon Marshall.

The coaches moved him to tight end.

"And I hated it. I hated blocking," Green said. "But I started to get recognition from not only my teammates and coaches, but the media for springing guys for touchdowns. I realized how valuable my role was. Whatever my job is blocking, I want to do it well and look physical doing it."

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_27239265/broncos-tight-end-virgil-green-provides-incredible-hulk

Simple Jaded
01-01-2015, 06:08 PM
If you read Green's scouting reports coming out the same draft as Julius Thomas you'd swear you were reading JT's scouting report. Neither were strong blockers and both were athletic receivers, the difference is one of them wanted to be good at blocking and the other clearly cares less and less the further they get into their PROFESSIONAL careers. One of them wants to do his job, the other is going to be asking to be paid like a WR in 3 months.

One of them is a football player, the other one is soft as baby shit.

SoCalImport
01-02-2015, 03:35 AM
Love what Virgil brings to the table for the Broncos. Obviously the coaches do too. I'll wait to judge (but I will judge) Julius Thomas. You can't ignore talent like he has so lets hope he starts to get involved again and maybe takes to blocking...at all.

Joel
01-02-2015, 04:41 PM
Julius Thomas isn't even our best TE named Thomas, let alone our best TE: Demaryius is not just a better receiver but a better BLOCKER, even though he's the freakin' WR Orange Julius wants to be—except he didn't wait till the fourth year of his career to figure out how to run clean routes. Someone'll pay top dollar for JT next year; I just hope it's not us. If he'll stay for a reasonable salary, great, but he "can't block the sun out of his eyes," is only beginning to learn route trees one year of college ball didn't teach him, and has only been healthy enough to play 1½ of 4 seasons: I hope we don't pay $10 million/yr for THAT.

Especially when ex-point guards aren't the rarity they were when Gates and Gonzalez showed their worth; those HoF players drew so much attention from coaches and failed NBA wannabes they made guys like that a dime a dozen, so now there are many big fast TEs who CAN and WILL block and run decent routes. Not "get open" on a screen called to somebody else so they walk off the field after 3rd down with Manning screaming at him not to ad lib on screens.

Julius Thomas missed his first two seasons with separate injuries, then had a break out year and started another before it came to a screeching halt after he declared it "so [expletive deleted] easy" to beat the Jets (that's why they're 4-12, dude, but they hung in that game till our DEFENSE iced it at the end) whiffed an illegal block on Cladys guy that took an opponent out of a game, then sat on the bench hurt while Mannings consecutive TD streak ended and writers and commentators started talking about our problems in the red zone. That's not a franchise TE.

Green's made several nice catches and runs this year (including the one that set up his TD) so he was as overdue for a score as Manning said—but he's a monster blocker who's neither too proud, scared nor fragile to do it. As has been noted in threads on our line, if we can only run well when we bring in a sixth linemen AND Green, we can't really run well, and having 7 blockers on the field is as predictable as having 5 WRs (and until/unless he learns to block, JT will remain the WR he wanted to be in college, whatever the depth chart says.)

That's why we need a REAL TE who does BOTH, and Green's far better—and cheaper—than JT in that role. The New Footballs flag arena league really HASN'T obviated blocking NOR running; to paraphrase Arch Rivals, "It's easier to complete a pass if you're vertical." Virgil Greens presence doesn't scream "PASS" like JTs nor "RUN" like a 6th offensive linemans, because he's neither a blocker nor receiver: He's BOTH. That is, he's the TE Julius Thomas ISN'T, and paying anyone top dollar for a job they can't do is insanity.

Ravage!!!
01-02-2015, 04:51 PM
If you read Green's scouting reports coming out the same draft as Julius Thomas you'd swear you were reading JT's scouting report. Neither were strong blockers and both were athletic receivers, the difference is one of them wanted to be good at blocking and the other clearly cares less and less the further they get into their PROFESSIONAL careers. One of them wants to do his job, the other is going to be asking to be paid like a WR in 3 months.

One of them is a football player, the other one is soft as baby shit.

Call JT all the names you want, but in today's NFL...teams would like-up for Julius and every team wants a Julius.....including me and the Broncos.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
01-02-2015, 05:03 PM
That Nevada team was pretty talented. They had four starters make it to the league, 3 of which are still in the NFL. I can't remember the name of the 4th guy. He was a defensive end\rush backer who got drafted, but I can't remember by who. I don't know if he's still in the league.

They had some classic battles with Boise State back in the day.

Valar Morghulis
01-02-2015, 05:12 PM
Call JT all the names you want, but in today's NFL...teams would like-up for Julius and every team wants a Julius.....including me and the Broncos.

He is a good red zone threat - but he is too soft for me, not just blocking but also in contested catches.

For me, every highlight he has is overshadowing his flaws, flaws he has got away with because of our offence. Stick him in an average team with a limited air attack and he will be shown up for the above average player that he is - and i hope some other team is paying him top dollar when that happens.

If we could keep him for a reasonable price, then great, if the Jags (or similar) are offering 50 mil over 5 years - let him walk. Re-sign DT and Pot Roast.

Joel
01-02-2015, 05:34 PM
Call JT all the names you want, but in today's NFL...teams would like-up for Julius and every team wants a Julius.....including me and the Broncos.
They won't "line up" because in the post-Gates/Gonzalez world many teams already HAVE a Julius—except most of them can BLOCK and run ROUTES well enough the QB knows where they'll be. Would NE pay him $10 mil/yr? No, they've got Gronk, who's a HELL of a lot better, not just as a receiver, but at laying out LBs on runs. Would SF? No, they've got Vernon Davis, and it's the same deal. Would Dallas? No, they've got Jason Witten, who may not be as good a receiver (though he still runs FAR cleaner routes and bails out his QB far more often) but is a lethal blocker.

I could see it if we were talking about a TE who's elite at everything, like the three guys I just named off the top of my head and probably half a dozen more I'm not thinking of now. But we're NOT talking about a master-of-all-trades TE: We're talking about a TE who can't block to save his life or his R/QBs and runs "just get open and I'll find you" routes that don't cut it against top coverage LBs and safeties. Julius Thomas isn't and NEVER WILL BE the matchup nightmare Gronk, Gates or Gonzalez are; he can outrun most LBs and outmuscle most safeties, but doesn't know HOW to BEAT either.

Ask Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor or Bobby Wagner if they'd rather cover Julius Thomas or Gronk, Davis or Witten; it's not even a question, I guarantee. I know which one they'd want BLOCKING them. If he wants elite money like our LEGIT Pro Bowler Thomas, he should play like him; I'd be happy if he run blocked and ran routes half as well as our top WR, but he doesn't, and that's not a franchise tag, it's just sad. It's also imminently replaceable for far less than $9-10 million we could use re-signing far more productive players; there are plenty of ex-point guards in next years draft.

If all that weren't enough (which it certainly SHOULD be,) let's also not forget he's missed 2½ of 4 seasons with 3 separate injuries: He'll have MORE injuries with age, not less. How much is TOO much for a one-trick pony who plays 20/64 games? How many starters and Pro Bowlers should we let walk just to retain that "production"? The main thing JT is is a good argument against infinite fan Pro Bowl votes.

sneakers
01-02-2015, 06:13 PM
wew

Ravage!!!
01-02-2015, 06:43 PM
<yawn> Give me the offensive threat that causes mismatches.... and keep relieve me of the long winded "I'm right" speeches that go on for ages. I know our "red zone" offense is pretty lame duck without him in the lineup..... or is it because of the "other" average WR that was good in the redzone that we let go? :coffee:

Joel
01-02-2015, 07:34 PM
I'll take Sanders over Decker in the red zone (or anywhere) every day of the week and twice on Super Bowl Sunday. I just hope (but doubt) that blocking we don't need or HAVE can get us that far.

That short and sweet enough for ya? Which coaches in your long decorated pro sports career taught you catching TDs is more important than blocking?

turftoad
01-02-2015, 08:18 PM
Meh... They have different skill sets. Green the better blocker and JT the better receiver. To say either is better than the other is a dumb debate IMO. Green makes the running game better, JT makes the passing game better. They have different roles.
Does that mean neither wants to do his job?

GEM
01-02-2015, 08:22 PM
Julius Thomas isn't even our best TE named Thomas, let alone our best TE: Demaryius is not just a better receiver but a better BLOCKER, even though he's the freakin' WR Orange Julius wants to be—except he didn't wait till the fourth year of his career to figure out how to run clean routes. Someone'll pay top dollar for JT next year; I just hope it's not us. If he'll stay for a reasonable salary, great, but he "can't block the sun out of his eyes," is only beginning to learn route trees one year of college ball didn't teach him, and has only been healthy enough to play 1½ of 4 seasons: I hope we don't pay $10 million/yr for THAT.

Especially when ex-point guards aren't the rarity they were when Gates and Gonzalez showed their worth; those HoF players drew so much attention from coaches and failed NBA wannabes they made guys like that a dime a dozen, so now there are many big fast TEs who CAN and WILL block and run decent routes. Not "get open" on a screen called to somebody else so they walk off the field after 3rd down with Manning screaming at him not to ad lib on screens.

Julius Thomas missed his first two seasons with separate injuries, then had a break out year and started another before it came to a screeching halt after he declared it "so [expletive deleted] easy" to beat the Jets (that's why they're 4-12, dude, but they hung in that game till our DEFENSE iced it at the end) whiffed an illegal block on Cladys guy that took an opponent out of a game, then sat on the bench hurt while Mannings consecutive TD streak ended and writers and commentators started talking about our problems in the red zone. That's not a franchise TE.

Green's made several nice catches and runs this year (including the one that set up his TD) so he was as overdue for a score as Manning said—but he's a monster blocker who's neither too proud, scared nor fragile to do it. As has been noted in threads on our line, if we can only run well when we bring in a sixth linemen AND Green, we can't really run well, and having 7 blockers on the field is as predictable as having 5 WRs (and until/unless he learns to block, JT will remain the WR he wanted to be in college, whatever the depth chart says.)

That's why we need a REAL TE who does BOTH, and Green's far better—and cheaper—than JT in that role. The New Footballs flag arena league really HASN'T obviated blocking NOR running; to paraphrase Arch Rivals, "It's easier to complete a pass if you're vertical." Virgil Greens presence doesn't scream "PASS" like JTs nor "RUN" like a 6th offensive linemans, because he's neither a blocker nor receiver: He's BOTH. That is, he's the TE Julius Thomas ISN'T, and paying anyone top dollar for a job they can't do is insanity.

Demaryius is a TE now?

HORSEPOWER 56
01-02-2015, 08:24 PM
I'd actually like to see Green get involved more in the passing game. I know he can catch. He was one of Kaepernick's top targets at Nevada.

Jsteve01
01-02-2015, 11:28 PM
I'd actually like to see Green get involved more in the passing game. I know he can catch. He was one of Kaepernick's top targets at Nevada. this...and athletically his combine numbers were actually superior to JT. The only reason he slid to the 7th was that he had a major medical red flag on a knee. I am not ad extreme as Jaded and Joel on this but JT has major, major injury concerns and is a huge liability as a blocker

Jsteve01
01-02-2015, 11:31 PM
Oh and the 4th player from that uber athletic squad was Dontay Moch. An athletic freak who was clocked in the high 4.3's during college as a 245 lb DE. He's struggled mightily with chronic migraines since being drafted

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
01-02-2015, 11:36 PM
Oh and the 4th player from that uber athletic squad was Dontay Moch. An athletic freak who was clocked in the high 4.3's during college as a 245 lb DE. He's struggled mightily with chronic migraines since being drafted

That's too bad. Is he still in the league?

Simple Jaded
01-03-2015, 01:33 AM
Call JT all the names you want, but in today's NFL...teams would like-up for Julius and every team wants a Julius.....including me and the Broncos.

That's not name-calling, it's fact. Btw, I never said I didn't want JT to play for Denver, just pointing out the fact that he's soft.

Simple Jaded
01-03-2015, 01:45 AM
this...and athletically his combine numbers were actually superior to JT. The only reason he slid to the 7th was that he had a major medical red flag on a knee. I am not ad extreme as Jaded and Joel on this but JT has major, major injury concerns and is a huge liability as a blocker

I didn't used to be this extreme either, I used to defend him because you used to be able to see effort in his blocking, to Joel as a matter of fact. He's getting worse, he was getting worse before his ankle injury.

I will be more than happy to eat my words, wouldn't be the first time I was wrong.

Jsteve01
01-03-2015, 04:30 PM
He's with the Titans. I whiffed on him. I thought he would end up being a Von Miller type hybrid backer. He just can't stay healthy

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
01-03-2015, 04:31 PM
He's with the Titans. I whiffed on him. I thought he would end up being a Von Miller type hybrid backer. He just can't stay healthy

Not only that, he never played standing up at Nevada.

Ravage!!!
01-03-2015, 04:38 PM
That's not name-calling, it's fact. Btw, I never said I didn't want JT to play for Denver, just pointing out the fact that he's soft.

That's not a fact, that's an opinion. Calling someone soft actually IS name calling, that is a fact. :beer:

silkamilkamonico
01-03-2015, 08:16 PM
It's no coincidence that our run game picked up when Thomas became injured and Green became more of a focal point inty he offense. Can't wait to see more from this guy in the future.

Simple Jaded
01-04-2015, 12:00 AM
That's not a fact, that's an opinion. Calling someone soft actually IS name calling, that is a fact. :beer:

Ok.

Calling him soft isnt JUST name-calling, saying he's soft is also an observation of his mentality. . .which in fact, is soft. :beer:

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
01-04-2015, 01:46 AM
All I care about is 5-0 compared to 7-4.

Ravage!!!
01-10-2015, 12:46 PM
It's no coincidence that our run game picked up when Thomas became injured and Green became more of a focal point inty he offense. Can't wait to see more from this guy in the future.

Seems it actually IS a coincidence as the offensive mindset completely changed, due to the urging of Elway.

broncohead
01-11-2015, 08:12 PM
Wow so much hate for Thomas. He sucks at blocking not every TE can block these days. It's a passing league. Thomas is a top 3 receiving TE. Get over it. He'll get paid and chances are unless Green ever develops into a good receiving TE he'll never get paid like JT will. So that basically means that the NFL values him more than a player like Green. Again passing league. Hate all you want