what do you all think about TJ Ward? I know many here are Oregon fans so I wanna firsthand know what most of you think of TJ since he signed with my Browns. What's his ceiling? Strengths? Weaknesses?
He's very aggressive and can really stick people. I like his game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDfQ1ouFuFc
Whats his ceiling? Can't say i know much about him tbh. I just took what the analysts said about him, but I thought people here would know him better than ESPN ppl who watch 2-3 clips on him the while year
One of the hardest hitting safeties in college football. He lays the wood on every single hit. The prototypical 'Hard Hitting' safety. If you have a great center fielding type safety next to him, it'll be a good match, because they'll be able to compensate for his pas coverage deficiencies. But I expect him to develop some of those skills as he went from walk-on( was a 3-4* recruit but got hurt prior to coming to Oregon) to three-year starter.
TJ is a great guy. He's somewhat undersized but has good speed and instinct. He has battled through a series of injuries - knee, high ankle, etc. - dating back to HS. He loves to hit and you always see him around the ball. I've met him but don't know him personally, but have heard he's well liked and has a good work ethic and respect for others. I love his potential but has a history of injuries and I believe he's under 6' and around 212#. Should be fun to watch on special teams. Backup safety who is an able CB too. Legit run stopper - will need to calm his overly aggressive instinct to stay healthy and not get burned deep at the next level. JMHO - love to hear others weigh in.
Board patrol, in full force! Keep it clean, westboob. Keep it clean. It is Blazer related. TJ Ward once attended a Blazer game and I heard it was a favorable affair.
From the preseason games, he's actually not all too fast (in-game). He's an extremely hard hitter, but jesus chris his coverage D has been fairly bad (as well as his D in the pass). I'm just hoping he's how some people (positive) have claimed he is.
That's discouraging to hear. Hopefully, it's more a case of nerves and playing tight - over not having the burst and extra speed to adjust to pro ball. I'm sure this isn't news to anyone, but we had a good family friend go from single A high school ball, to Pac 10, to NFL. He said the adjustment from big time college ball to pro ball was double the adjustment in speed and intensity as it was from small town high school to Pac10. Hopefully, TJ adjusts and just does what he does best - run stopper, play maker, and being that player that no WR (and most RB's) likes to cross.
A lot like the past few seasons for the Beavs, you gReeces know all about disappointment... Refresh my memory, who won the Pac10 last year? Oh, never mind.
As tlong appropriately pointed out, his college resume marks him as a likely bust. That said, he's joining the Browns, easily the worst franchise in football, so it really doesn't matter.
We Beavs are looking forward to rectifying things this season. We'll see your band of thugs on December 4th.
haha I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! One thing we can all agree on is that! But I do look forward to making your bowl game a worse one again
this thread has turned into exhibit A as to why people want Beaver Duck stuff kept out of the Blazer forum. TJ was an excellent college player who seemed to overachieve well beyond where his physical stature and athletic ability projected him. He had to have his knee drained continually to practice and play yet always brought his best. Overcoming limited physical ability is obviously even harder to do in the pros. If I were a Browns fan I wouldn't expect too much... maybe a special teamer STOMP
I was in the Owl's Nest in Sunriver last Friday and Saturday night and OSU vs UO was all anyone wanted to talk about. Even on the golf course at the Tradition. Funny stuff!
hell I'm just glad that both programs are relevant. Let alone with big time bowl implications. It only helps us both IMO