Where are the WR's?

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307bball
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What is up with the current WR talent? I know there is a sentiment of among some that the only thing wrong with this offense is the OC, but our WR's just are not great. What happened to "WR U"? I know we don't throw it around like we did in the '90s but we need a Boughknight/Floyd/McGuffey/Gentry type...none of the current guys are close to that level. I've watched the hated Rams play both of their games now...their QB and Passing game is NOT good, but they have at least one stud receiver that catches tough passes, and I'm not talking about one tough catch a game, I'm talking like the defense knows they are throwing to him and they still can't stop the guy. Conway is gritty and and a great mult-tool player but he's not a top-flight WR.
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LanderPoke
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Our WRs are among the most highly rated recruits that we get. I don't think it's a lack of talent, but instead the "offense" that we run combined with coaching. Shocking I would say this, I know.
307bball
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LanderPoke wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:59 pm Our WRs are among the most highly rated recruits that we get. I don't think it's a lack of talent, but instead the "offense" that we run combined with coaching. Shocking I would say this, I know.
I'm talking about the eye test...rankings are great but the rubber meats the road on Saturdays. The guys we have are not at the level of WR at Wyo in the past.

I can get on board with some criticism of the coaching...but the current crop at WR is NOT at the level of the guys I mentioned, rankings be damned. Conway, Eberhardt, Ismail are not at the physical level of the guys I see on even middling teams. Some guys have sticky hands and are physically gifted. We don't have those guys at WR. Guys like Bougknight/McGuffey/Floyd could catch bad balls in a crowd...these guys have to be open and they still may drop it. I don't think it is ALL coaching...some stuff is god given.
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LanderPoke
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307bball wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 2:56 pm
LanderPoke wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:59 pm Our WRs are among the most highly rated recruits that we get. I don't think it's a lack of talent, but instead the "offense" that we run combined with coaching. Shocking I would say this, I know.
I'm talking about the eye test...rankings are great but the rubber meats the road on Saturdays. The guys we have are not at the level of WR at Wyo in the past.

I can get on board with some criticism of the coaching...but the current crop at WR is NOT at the level of the guys I mentioned, rankings be damned. Conway, Eberhardt, Ismail are not at the physical level of the guys I see on even middling teams. Some guys have sticky hands and are physically gifted. We don't have those guys at WR. Guys like Bougknight/McGuffey/Floyd could catch bad balls in a crowd...these guys have to be open and they still may drop it. I don't think it is ALL coaching...some stuff is god given.
I agree with you to an extent. It takes a near generational talent to make noise in this offense as a WR. Tanner Gentry comes to mind. We don't have generational talents on the roster currently, at least not among the upperclassmen.
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Asmodeanreborn
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We don't have sticky hands on our offense? Did you miss the insane one-handed grab by our 6'7 freshman?
307bball
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Asmodeanreborn wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:47 pm We don't have sticky hands on our offense? Did you miss the insane one-handed grab by our 6'7 freshman?
That was a great catch... Also not from a WR. I think he's a TE. Please understand.. I'm not saying that these guys are bums. I'm saying that our WR corps is among the least impressive WR groups that had come through Wyo. I concede that our offense may not be doing them any favors but we all remember Josh Allen bouncing footballs off of guys left and right once we lost Maulhardt and Gentry.... And we definitely don't have that caliber of quarterback under center anymore. Put every WR group that Wyoming has had between 2000 and 2016 in a hat and draw one out... It would be more gifted/talented/whatever than this one. I know Chambers isn't the best pure passer but his targets hardly ever turn bad throws into receptions (outside of the aforementioned amazing TE grab). This isn't something that one amazing grab can turn around...WR's all over college football are making catches every week that our guys are making once every couple of games. I actually think if we threw it more it would get worse as teams would begin to committ less to stopping the run.

Anyways... Love the toughness of Conway... Just wish he was the third best WR of the group.
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307bball wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:27 pm What is up with the current WR talent? I know there is a sentiment of among some that the only thing wrong with this offense is the OC, but our WR's just are not great. What happened to "WR U"? I know we don't throw it around like we did in the '90s but we need a Boughknight/Floyd/McGuffey/Gentry type...none of the current guys are close to that level. I've watched the hated Rams play both of their games now...their QB and Passing game is NOT good, but they have at least one stud receiver that catches tough passes, and I'm not talking about one tough catch a game, I'm talking like the defense knows they are throwing to him and they still can't stop the guy. Conway is gritty and and a great mult-tool player but he's not a top-flight WR.
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stymeman
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We aren't Reciever U like we used to be, but we do have a few that can go get it, big games today methinks against a team which should be like a practice squad and tune up for Tulsa next week, get er done and often, off to Laradise, cya
Brown and Gold
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How do we have any evidence that we don't have good WR? Kinda hard to determine that when we don't throw to them and when we do, many are off target....
307bball
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Brown and Gold wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 10:05 am How do we have any evidence that we don't have good WR? Kinda hard to determine that when we don't throw to them and when we do, many are off target....
I guess the evidence is mostly eye-test ... I think Conway is the best of the current crop and he might not make the top 15 from the last 20 years....and after him it's a steep drop-off. I was actually felt like CJ could do some damage but the injury bug got him. I'm fairly sure that if Malcolm from 2003 or so would look pretty dang good even in our run-oriented system. Here is a list of the top WR's from Wyoming in no particular order from the last 20-ish years,

McGuffey
Brock Ralph
Bouknight
Herron
Leonard
Floyd
Rufran
Doctson (I know he left..still better than the guys we have now)
Maulhardt
Gentry
Claiborne

I don't put any of those guys in the "generational talent" category but I'd take any of them over the current guys. I really do think it's a glaring weakness and has been since Maulhardt/Gentry left. Having a big-balls wideout that can just beat his man even when they know it's coming has happened a lot at Wyoming ... and we don't have that guy right now and it shows. Not only that, half those guys played for baaaad offenses and they were still individually impressive.

I guess you could sum it up with "Could Vigen/Bohl be holding our offensive production back?"..of Course, but I don't think it's a coincidence that since Gentry/Maulhardt Left our offense has not been good.
Last edited by 307bball on Sat Sep 14, 2019 2:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
307bball
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Wyoklaelk wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:48 am
307bball wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:27 pm What is up with the current WR talent? I know there is a sentiment of among some that the only thing wrong with this offense is the OC, but our WR's just are not great. What happened to "WR U"? I know we don't throw it around like we did in the '90s but we need a Boughknight/Floyd/McGuffey/Gentry type...none of the current guys are close to that level. I've watched the hated Rams play both of their games now...their QB and Passing game is NOT good, but they have at least one stud receiver that catches tough passes, and I'm not talking about one tough catch a game, I'm talking like the defense knows they are throwing to him and they still can't stop the guy. Conway is gritty and and a great mult-tool player but he's not a top-flight WR.
That’s a problem...at least my life isn’t that bad...you should talk to someone, get help
Heh...what can i say...love me some MWC football...i think unless Wyoming is on I don't miss to many games. Part of me wanted them to beat CU but i'm fine with them losing ... a lot!
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Wyokie
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Amazed you guys keep forgetting about Ryan Yarborough from the 1990s!!!!!
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307bball
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Wyokie wrote: Sat Sep 14, 2019 2:57 pm Amazed you guys keep forgetting about Ryan Yarborough from the 1990s!!!!!
Yup ... Yarborough/Harris = Best all time at Wyoming...i'm just looking at the last 20 years though. Definitely want a guy like those two but that may be asking too much :)
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