Palmer on Titans rookie TE: Thompson is rare

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by Titans Insider, Aug 9, 2012.

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  1. Titans Insider

    Titans Insider Titans News

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    Say this about Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer: He’s not afraid to praise rookies.

    Only a few days after saying first-round draft pick Kendall Wright “has stardom written all over him,” Palmer lavished praise on tight end Taylor Thompson – the Titans’ fifth-round selection.

    Thompson was a defensive end at SMU before switching to tight end prior to his NFL workouts.

    “I think Thompson is rare,” Palmer said. “This guy … it’s just a question of how good he can be. How good does he want to be? How fast will he grow? I could not be more excited about a young player and his development.”

    What in particular does Palmer like about Thompson?

    “He’s a natural bender, he plays low … he can run,” Palmer said. “Everything he does … there’s not a lot of those guys around.

    “You watch him. He’s going to struggle. (But you have to remember that everything he does (as a tight end), it’s the first time he’s doing it. And he’s doing it at the highest level. That’s pretty hard.”

    Palmer understands that there will be growing pains for both Wright and Thompson, and he’s expecting to see some of them on Saturday when the Titans open the preseason in Seattle.

    “I can tell you right now that Kendall is going to jump offsides Saturday night,” Palmer said. “Thompson’s going to jump offsides Saturday night, but then it’s going to be behind them. So I’m not going to get all upset about that.

    “When you’ve been coaching for a long time there are some things you can expect, and you just live through it and you try to correct it. I will talk to them about not doing it and hopefully set that as a goal. But they’re young players and they have to grow in the game.”

    Source: Titans Insider
     
    #1 Titans Insider, Aug 9, 2012
  4. Titanup1982

    Titanup1982 All-Pro

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    He needs to focus on catching that ball. He dropped a wide open pass for a TD when I was out there on Friday. He is MASSIVE in person though.
     
    #2 Titanup1982, Aug 9, 2012
  7. xpmar9x

    xpmar9x The Real Slim Shady

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    Another TE we can say "he has a ton of potential, here comes a breakout year" and then nothing happens. Atleast maybe Thompson can put some pressure on Cook. He's a big boy to say the least!!
     
    #3 xpmar9x, Aug 9, 2012
  10. Kaeotik

    Kaeotik Pro Bowler

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    Simple as this. The Titans saw his size and his arm and hand length and thought they could turn him into another Gronk. Hope they were right.
     
    #4 Kaeotik, Aug 9, 2012
  13. The Playmaker

    The Playmaker pineapple pizza party

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    He was recruited out of high school as a TE and has crazy athleticism. He was well worth the risk late in the draft, I loved the pick.
     
    #5 The Playmaker, Aug 9, 2012
  16. Titanup1982

    Titanup1982 All-Pro

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    I loved the pick too. But, I was told that his hands aren't as great because he didn't play TE in college. To me you are born with good hands or not. He has been dropping pass after pass which is kind of alarming. I haven't played pad football in years, but I bet I can still catch a football.
     
    #6 Titanup1982, Aug 9, 2012
  19. Titans Eternal

    Titans Eternal Got the swagger of a cripple

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    I was hoping this thread was about me.


    :huh:
     
    #7 Titans Eternal, Aug 9, 2012
    • High Five High Five x 2
  22. TitansWrath

    TitansWrath Pro Bowler

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    I have no data to back this up, but I would venture to guess that part of the problem with his hands is more in his head. The leap to the NFL and learning an NFL offense is daunting enough even for a polished collegiate player, it must have a guy who hasn't played offense since High School's head spinning.

    Maybe once some of the things like route running and whatnot become more second nature, where he doesn't have to think about them, his concentration, and therefore his hands, will improve.
     
    #8 TitansWrath, Aug 9, 2012
    • High Five High Five x 1
  25. The Playmaker

    The Playmaker pineapple pizza party

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    Well it's an adjustment period for him obviously. I definitely believe we'll see big improvement over the next few weeks. Even if you can catch a ball you still have to run routes, timing, getting a feel for it, etc. I've heard he's dropped some easy ones but has also made some pretty crazy catches. We all just need to give it time.
     
    #9 The Playmaker, Aug 9, 2012
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