Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Nick
    Rams Nation MVP
    • May 2004
    • 25205

    Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

    Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?
    BY REID LAYMANCE | Posted: Monday, December 20, 2010 11:06 am

    THE WATER COOLER:

    In the 2008 draft, the Rams went for Houston wide receiver Donnie Avery at the top of the second round instead of Cal's DeSean Jackson, who went 16 spots later to the Eagles. On Sunday, Jackson returned a punt 65 yards on the last play of the game to give the Eagles a win over the Giants. Avery is on injured reserve for the Rams. Bad luck or bad drafting?

    BRYAN BURWELL:

    I wish I could blame it all on bad luck, but this was an organizational decision to bypass Jackson because the decision makers within the Rams front office firmly believed that Jackson's off-field baggage and attitude were a detriment and he wouldn't fit in with the new concept of the direction the organization was heading.

    But even before Avery's injury, his early production did not measure up to Jackson's explosive contributions to the Eagles. Maybe we will revisit this again next year and see that Avery is the big-play threat general manager Billy Devaney thinks he is. Maybe with Bradford in his second season and with a healthy Mark Clayton and a fully recovered Danario Alexander up to speed on the playbook, things will start clicking for this offense and everyone will believe that Avery is Jackson's equal. But that's a lot of catching up to do. A lot.

    JEFF GORDON:

    Bad drafting. The Rams had concerns about DeSean Jackson's make-up, but he was a spectacular collegiate player. Avery offered speed, but coming from a spread offense put him at a disavantage. Avery has had tough luck with injuries, but it's difficult to imagine him matching Jackson's impact if healthy. DeSean has given the Eagles staff some headaches in his time, but there is no denying his game-breaking skill.

    KATHLEEN NELSON:

    More of the latter than the former. I went back through the notes from NFLdraftscout.com, which had Jackson ranked second among wide receivers, Avery as No. 11, so the Rams valued Avery above nine other wideouts as well. It also indicated that Avery was more likely a third-rounder than a second rounder.

    One of the knocks on Jackson was that scouts likenend him to "Devin Hester, but he is not in that class yet as a returner." I think he's worked on that shortcoming a little bit.

    Here's the bottom line: Avery has played 31 games and has 100 receptions for 1,263 yards with 2 kick returns for 40 yards.

    Jackson: 44 games, 169 receptions, 3,092 yards, 99 punt returns for 1,112 yards and four TDs.

    It's not even close, even when you subtract Avery's lost season. Jackson played in 31 games, with 124 receptions, 2,068 yards, 79 punt returns for 881 yards and three TDs.

  • #2
    Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

    I don't really want to say it's a dumb question,but in some respect it is, there is no question this was a wrong move on the Rams part, I understand why they did it but on Avery's best day he is not as good as Jackson who continues to make plays week after week while our guy just watches from the sidelines.

    Comment

    • RamFan_Til_I_Die
      Registered User
      • Aug 2006
      • 3262

      #3
      Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

      Burwell, Gordon, Nelson...all idiots. The Redskins, Packers, Bills, Broncos & Bengals all chose another WR when Jackson was available. Are they all bad drafting organizations too? No, just no one knew he'd be this good. Judging the Avery pick like this in hindsight is foolishness.

      Comment

      • Varg6
        Registered User
        • Jan 2006
        • 3957

        #4
        Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

        It's interesting: Do we take a player who has been electrifying, hasn't been injured that much, but a guy whose somewhat a troublemaker? He's been on a good Eagles team, so who knows if he'd be poison in a locker room that rarely won games. Regardless, I think we should've taken him despite the baggage (and this is before seeing how good he really is).

        I like Avery; I want to like Avery, but considering he's been hurt/non-productive...well, yeah, hindsight's 20/20.

        However, Bradford could very well be the ingredient Avery needs to finally become a legitimate deep-threat for us. Who knows. It's really a shame what happened in the pre-season.
        Always and Forever a fan of the St. Louis Rams

        Comment

        • NJ Ramsfan1
          Registered User
          • Sep 2008
          • 4919

          #5
          Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

          I'm a character guy. Only when you're already established with a great team and/or locker room can you afford to gamble on a guy of questionable character. The Rams didn't have that luxury and went with Avery. Can't fault them for that, although it's obvious who the more productive player has been.

          Comment

          • BrokenWing
            Registered User
            • Dec 2006
            • 1933

            #6
            Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

            Can't stand Jackson, can't stand him at all. Every time I see him do some stupid celebration *before* the touchdown I want to reach through my TV and smack him. Running a long the goal line from one end of the endzone to the other with two people chasing you is not good football, it's being an idiot.
            "I've been saving the Universe for over a thousand years. I figure it owes me just this once."

            Comment

            • RockinRam
              Registered User
              • Apr 2008
              • 5920

              #7
              Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

              Originally posted by BrokenWing View Post
              Can't stand Jackson, can't stand him at all. Every time I see him do some stupid celebration *before* the touchdown I want to reach through my TV and smack him. Running a long the goal line from one end of the endzone to the other with two people chasing you is not good football, it's being an idiot.
              I want to make the case that he was trying to run the clock all the way to 0 secs so the Giants had no way of coming back, but since it is DeSean Jackson....:|
              Last edited by RockinRam; -12-20-2010, 12:34 PM.

              Comment

              • Nick
                Rams Nation MVP
                • May 2004
                • 25205

                #8
                Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                Originally posted by RamFan_Til_I_Die View Post
                Burwell, Gordon, Nelson...all idiots. The Redskins, Packers, Bills, Broncos & Bengals all chose another WR when Jackson was available. Are they all bad drafting organizations too? No, just no one knew he'd be this good. Judging the Avery pick like this in hindsight is foolishness.
                You're assuming that's the case, it may or may not be. For all we know, teams knew he'd be good but passed for the same reason the Rams did - attitude/character concerns. Jackson was viewed as a first round talent by many before the draft actually happened, so it was clear he had skill.

                Comment

                • HUbison
                  Rams Nation MVP
                  • May 2004
                  • 15775

                  #9
                  Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                  So let me see if I have this straight......a team drafted a player who has not played as well as another player at the same position who was drafted later.

                  well, my goodness, stop the presses. This is breaking news!
                  The more things change, the more they stay the same.

                  Comment

                  • LA Rammer
                    Registered User
                    • Aug 2005
                    • 2880

                    #10
                    Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                    STOP THE PRESS!!! Jackson is also benefactor of other talent around him and a mobile QB. I wouldn't yet indict Avery as a bust!!! Avery is fast and talented he just had some bad luck. Another draft and free agency believe me this guy will be exciting, once other players can give him an opportunity to free up. Even if he was healthy this year teams would keep close tabs on him because other than SJax what other threat do we have. NEXT YEAR is gonna be our breakout barring players lockout.
                    LA RAMMER

                    It's Jim not Chris
                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8

                    Comment

                    • QUINNtessentialTruth
                      Registered User
                      • Oct 2010
                      • 1263

                      #11
                      Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                      DeSean Jackson's is athletic quick and ridiculously agility talented. However how would you justify picking him over Avery? A 5'10 160 Pound WR. Yeah we all could have predicted he would have turned out this good. The guys who wrote this are idiots. Hindsight is always 20/20. Donnie Avery was the safe pick at WR back then.

                      Comment

                      • RamFan_Til_I_Die
                        Registered User
                        • Aug 2006
                        • 3262

                        #12
                        Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                        Originally posted by Nick View Post
                        You're assuming that's the case, it may or may not be. For all we know, teams knew he'd be good but passed for the same reason the Rams did - attitude/character concerns. Jackson was viewed as a first round talent by many before the draft actually happened, so it was clear he had skill.
                        Well considering most "experts" had Devin Thomas, Limas Sweed, and James Hardy rated above Jackson, I don't get any of these revisionist articles. They all had skill, but no one knew Jackson would be the best of the bunch.

                        Comment

                        • sjacksonrules
                          Registered User
                          • Jan 2010
                          • 1469

                          #13
                          Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                          Originally posted by BrokenWing View Post
                          Can't stand Jackson, can't stand him at all. Every time I see him do some stupid celebration *before* the touchdown I want to reach through my TV and smack him. Running a long the goal line from one end of the endzone to the other with two people chasing you is not good football, it's being an idiot.

                          I could not agree with you more. I hate when he does that, he does it every chance he gets.

                          I think he did that to take time off but time was already at 0:00.

                          Comment

                          • berg8309
                            Registered User
                            • Apr 2008
                            • 2012

                            #14
                            Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                            He may be better, but I do not want a kid who will stop BEFORE the goalline, turn around and look at defenders, then fall backwards in the endzone. What an arrogant jerk. The league would be better off without that kind of stupid childish showboating. He's going to usher in a bunch of new kids who will do the same exact stupid taunting. The league needs to put a serious stop to it. I consider that conduct detrimental to the game.

                            Comment

                            • RockinRam
                              Registered User
                              • Apr 2008
                              • 5920

                              #15
                              Re: Donnie Avery or DeSean Jackson? Bad luck or bad draft?

                              Originally posted by berg8309 View Post
                              He may be better, but I do not want a kid who will stop BEFORE the goalline, turn around and look at defenders, then fall backwards in the endzone. What an arrogant jerk. The league would be better off without that kind of stupid childish showboating. He's going to usher in a bunch of new kids who will do the same exact stupid taunting. The league needs to put a serious stop to it. I consider that conduct detrimental to the game.
                              I figured him being knocked senseless like a little kid from that concussion hit would have knocked some sense into him...:|

                              Comment

                              Related Topics

                              Collapse

                              • AvengerRam_old
                                Donnie Avery, in perspective...
                                by AvengerRam_old
                                After 11 games, here are Donnie Avery's stats, where he ranks among second year WRs this year, and the top Soph. in each category:

                                Receptions: 34 (7th); Davone Bess, Miami - 49
                                Yards: 466 (5th); DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia - 769
                                YPC: 13.7 (7th); DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia - 17.5
                                TDs: 5 (2nd); DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia - 6

                                Now... apart from the obvious - that the Rams probably should have taken DeSean Jackson - what does this tell us?

                                Well, I'd say it tells us that Avery is holding his own among the players he was drafted with. Notably, Avery has been fairly consistent in his first two years, while others have either had Soph. slumps (i.e. Eddie Royal) or emerged this year after extremely quiet rookie seasons (i.e. Mario Manningham).

                                I also think its notable that Avery has fought through injuries to stay on the field, has dealt with a change in offensive coordinators and instablity at the QB position, and has had to play accross from seemingly countless WRs.

                                In all, I'd say Avery stacks up as a guy who continues to have promise. The Rams need to add more talent at WR, but Avery should be part of the long term plan.
                                -11-30-2009, 12:26 PM
                              • ManofGod
                                The Donnie Avery Experiment...
                                by ManofGod
                                Guys I know that I've been gone for a minute (just got married & I've been in AV's part of the world on my honeymoon), but today as I was watching ESPN & NFL network they've been doing a top 5 of the WR's in the league. Sure we have guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson Guy's at the top of the list (and you can argue who's #1 and who's #2), but what caught my eye is you have guys like DeSean Jackson & Miles Austin making the list (depending on which list you look at), and these are guys have been in the league just as long as Donnie has.

                                When you look at Miles Austin you see a kid that came out of the blue to become a game changer; w/ DeSean you see a guy we could have drafted (but we took Donnie instead) nevertheless DeSean is a guy you have to gameplan for each & every sunday whether it be at WR or in the return game. So what is it? Injuries, the lack of a quality QB, his need to improve his size & strength to be able to get off of the line of scrimmage, etc; what do you believe is keeping Donnie from moving to the level of elite WR's in the league? Or is he simply not a #1 reciever (although he is almost the same stature & speed such as Miles Austin, Steve Smith, Santonio Holmes, etc.)(other proven #1's)

                                Given that we have a new QB & a rookie heir apparent (who will no doubt have his share of bumps & bruises in the league) how long do we give Donnie to produce, or do we look for a stellar WR in the first round of the 2011 draft such as: A.J. Green or Julio Jones to be our WR of the future?:helmet:
                                -07-14-2010, 12:28 PM
                              • sosa39rams
                                Donnie Avery Done
                                by sosa39rams
                                UPDATE: WR Donnie Avery Torn ACL...out for the season

                                Wait a little before having surgery


                                boy does this suck
                                -08-27-2010, 02:07 PM
                              • bruce4life
                                Avery vs. Jackson revisited...
                                by bruce4life
                                Cannot stress this enough, but I believe we made a horrible miscalculation in selecting Avery over Jackson. Avery can turn it around but he has had a miserable sophmore year to say the least.
                                -12-15-2009, 01:34 PM
                              • 01d 0rd3r
                                Avery Steps to Front.
                                by 01d 0rd3r
                                Like most teams in the NFL, attrition begins to take its toll on rosters around the league the deeper into the season you get. That’s certainly held true in the case of the Rams and nowhere is that more evident than at the receiver position.

                                At a position that was short on experience entering the season, there’s been only one constant. That constant is a blur in blue, wearing No. 17 named Donnie Avery.

                                No matter which quarterback has been under center, the one player that signal caller has been able to count on this year is Avery, the second-year speedster out of Houston.

                                “You get comfortable with certain guys,” quarterback Kyle Boller said. “I just started taking reps with these guys again. Donnie is probably one of the ones I’m more comfortable with because he’s been around for training camp and mini camps and all that kind of stuff. I feel like each and every week we get more comfortable with each other. That’s the name of the game. Timing is what it’s all about.”

                                After an up and down start to this, his second season in the league, Avery has timed his emergence at a good time.

                                It’s difficult for any young player to have an immediate impact but receivers rarely make that much of a difference unless their name is Randy Moss.

                                In the offseason, the Rams’ receiver corps went through an extreme makeover, leaving Avery and fellow second year wideout Keenan Burton as the most tenured players at the position on the roster.

                                But at least entering the year, Avery was surrounded by players like Laurent Robinson and Burton, guys who had been in the new offense installed by coordinator Pat Shurmur for the entirety of the offseason program.

                                Fast forward to now and Avery is the only active wideout on the roster who was also on it when the preseason came to an end.

                                Whether he was ready for an expanded leadership role or not, Avery was thrust into it as the most experienced guy on the team.

                                “I don’t try to go out and yell during the week or go crazy,” Avery said. “I just try to lead by example and go out there, practice hard and hopefully go into the game, play hard and have success.”

                                Since the beginning of the season, the Rams have lost Robinson and Burton to season-ending injuries. Derek Stanley was released to make room for Danny Amendola and the likes of Nate Jones and Tim Carter have made appearances on the roster.
                                The Rams have replaced those players with youngsters like Amendola and Brandon Gibson as well as more experienced guys like Ruvell Martin and Jordan Kent.

                                But none of those players have been around or have the rapport with the quarterbacks like Avery and all of those receivers are quick to turn to Avery with questions.

                                “I just try to calm them,” Avery says of the younger wideouts. “Sometimes, I see them on the sideline with jitters and tell them I...
                                -12-10-2009, 08:44 PM
                              Working...
                              X