PDA

View Full Version : Jerricho Cotchery emerging as the new No. 3 WR



hawaiiansteel
11-16-2011, 02:28 AM
Beaver County Times

Cotchery emerging as the new No. 3 receiver

Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
By Mike Bires mbires@timesonline.com

http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/timesonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/28/1283fe87-3a02-52ce-ae3b-78ab66c70781/4ec2e46b862a3.preview-300.jpg

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery catches a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of Sunday's game.

PITTSBURGH — Time and again this season, Jerricho Cotchery heard Mike Tomlin’s “next man up” sermon. But never did he grow tired of hearing it. He believed that at some point it would be his turn to make a game-shaping play.

So it was Sunday when Cotchery caught his first touchdown pass as a Steeler in the 24-17 win over the Bengals.

“I just want to contribute,” said Cotchery, a 29-year-old wide receiver who spent the first seven years of his pro career with the New York Jets.

“Every guy in this locker room is important. That’s truly how it is. Coach preaches that all the time. I’m sure he preached it long before I got here. When you’re number is called, you’re expected to make a play.”

Cotchery signed with the Steelers on Aug. 14 right after negotiations with Plaxico Burress didn’t come to fruition. Burress became a Jet, and the Steelers signed the veteran route-runner Cotchery.

With Emmanuel Sanders out at the time with a stress fracture in his foot, the Steelers needed another body at wide receiver. They found one in Cotchery, who from 2006-2008, caught 82, 82 and 71 passes, respectively.

However, Cotchery pulled a hamstring in his first preseason game (Aug. 18 vs. the Eagles) and missed the first three games of the regular season. For the next four games, he played primarily on special teams. He finally caught his first pass in the Oct. 30 game against the Patriots when Hines Ward sat out with a sprained ankle and Sanders suffered a knee injury.

A week later against the Ravens, Cotchery got more chances. With Sanders attending his mother’s funeral in Texas out and Ward getting knocked out with concussion-like symptoms after a hit from linebacker Ray Lewis, he caught three passes for 44 yards.

Then against the Bengals, Cotchery scored the Steelers’ first TD on a 16-yard catch in the first quarter. It was his first touchdown since scoring for the Jets in a 24-19 loss to the Steelers last season in the AFC Championship Game.

Cotchery also had a 24-yard TD catch against the Bengals in the second quarter that was called back because of an offensive pass interference penalty on tight end Heath Miller.

“He’s a veteran, a savvy guy,” Tomlin said. “He’s a guy that we’ve been excited about since the day we acquired him. But he had some things (like the hamstring injury) that slowed him down early in the process. But he’s been a consummate professional throughout it all. He’s prepared himself and we’re just starting to see the signs of that preparation.”

“While I was out, I had the support of my teammates,” Cotchery said. “They kept telling me to keep working and to just take care of myself so I could get back out there on the field and help us down the stretch.”

With Sanders out indefinitely, it appears that Cotchery is the Steelers’ No. 3 wideout for the time being. At least he was Sunday. With Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown penciled in as starters, Cotchery saw time as the third receiver. Cotchery’s increased workload meant a decrease in playing time for Hines Ward.

“We’ve got a great set of receivers, and I think we’re going to be pretty dangerous coming off our bye week,” Cotchery said. “Hines will be back to full speed and later on down the road we’ll get Emmanuel back. So I’m really looking forward to that down the homestretch.

“We have a pretty good guy (in Ben Roethlisberger) behind center who can spread he ball around. So we feel good about that.”

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steel ... d7ed1.html (http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steelers/cotchery-emerging-as-the-new-no-receiver/article_71ee1bea-e332-516f-bf37-4bd3344d7ed1.html)

steelfever3
11-16-2011, 12:18 PM
I always liked him. He was always underrated as a Jet in my opinion.

Mister Pittsburgh
11-16-2011, 01:37 PM
When we have Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Cotchery, Hines, Heath, Saunders all healthy and ready to roll....will we finally run a full blown high octane, quick strike offense like we did against Tennessee, 3/4 of the Patriots game, and the second half of the Ravens game? Will we put the pedal to the metal and beat teams down by throwing, throwing, and throwing some more? Or will we still find the need to revert back to the old tendencies of get up by 10 and get real scared to turn it over so turtle up, go 2 or 3 TE, run, run, and then face 3rd and longs?

Time to fully commit to a fast paced quick strike offense. If Arians can't design it without having 15 'stay' patterns in the gameplan or shutting down the offense and grounding the ball once they get a 10 point lead, then find someone who can design and run that offense next season. Get someone with balls enough to look Ben dead in the eye and tell him to quit pump faking to a wide open WR 10 yards downfield and passing them up to take a shot 30 yards downfield to a double covered WR that has shown no ability to get physical and take the ball off of a DB.
TAKE THE 10 YARD THROW.
RUN PASS PLAYS FROM THE SHOTGUN TO GIVE HIM MORE TIME INSTEAD OF 5 OR 7 STEP DROPS AND LOOONNGGGG DEVELOPING ROUTES!!!!!!!
IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BE UNDER CENTER, THEN DESIGN ROUTES THAT ARE SHORT AND QUICK TO GET THE DB'S OFF OF YOU!
HIGH PERCENTAGE THROWS!
MAYBE RANDY FICHTNER IS THAT GUY!
IF YOU HAVE 3 OF THE FASTEST AND QUICKEST AND SHIFTIEST WR'S IN THE LEAGUE AND PLAN TO RUN A FAST PACED OFFENSE, THEN GET OLD MAN ROONEY'S 1970'S LOVE AFFAIR OUT OF THE PICTURE AND GET A REAL FIELD INSTEAD OF A PASTURE!!!
USE YOUR SPEED TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!!!
I WANT A F'N REMATCH VS. THE PACKERS!!!!!!

hawaiiansteel
11-16-2011, 02:29 PM
I always liked him. He was always underrated as a Jet in my opinion.


welcome to the Planet! :Cheers

and yes, I also have always respected the way Jerricho Cothery has played the game.

aggiebones
11-16-2011, 05:06 PM
Let's not get all wound up about him. He's a good player, always has been. Jets were dumb to dump him. But he could fall back under water later in the season again as other guys step up. Hopefully he's here awhile.

Chadman
11-16-2011, 06:43 PM
Don't know if we'll see Cotchery's real value this season as he will split the 'possession WR' role with Hines throughout.

Next season though, if we can keep him around, he might see significant playing time as part of the most lethal & versatile WR group I've seen in Pittsburgh in Wallace, Sanders, Brown & Cotchery. It's funny, because of the 4, I can't tell you who is the real #1 WR of the group- probably Wallace I guess...but he's really the field stretcher...but all of them seem capable of being #1's...or #4's depending on the role required.

Essentially- they are a plug & play group- all of them capable of fulfilling the roles of the others on most occasions.

hawaiiansteel
11-16-2011, 07:43 PM
Cotchery could have had a potential 3 TD game against the Bungles...he got the first one, Ben missed him even though he was wide open on the second one and his third was called back on Heath Miller's offensive pass interference call...

rpmpit
11-17-2011, 07:54 AM
I knew getting Cotchery was a great move when many of my Jet friends were so upset that they let him go. Even with Holmes and Plax, they all wanted to keep Cotchery.

skyhawk
11-18-2011, 10:58 PM
I knew getting Cotchery was a great move when many of my Jet friends were so upset that they let him go. Even with Holmes and Plax, they all wanted to keep Cotchery.

:shock:

Pahn711
11-20-2011, 08:39 PM
His limited opportunities and productivity are not enough to declare him anything beyond a viable backup at this point. Sanders and Ward may very well get back in the lineup and take his spot over the next few weeks, so lets not go overboard here....

DukieBoy
11-20-2011, 08:55 PM
Looks like Jerricho has gotten onto the same page as Ben, and they are starting to jive.

Familiarity breeds success.

Slapstick
11-21-2011, 09:32 AM
His limited opportunities and productivity are not enough to declare him anything beyond a viable backup at this point. Sanders and Ward may very well get back in the lineup and take his spot over the next few weeks, so lets not go overboard here....

His career production begs to differ...

He is a legit 70-80 catch 800-1000 yard WR...

grotonsteel
11-21-2011, 07:19 PM
His limited opportunities and productivity are not enough to declare him anything beyond a viable backup at this point. Sanders and Ward may very well get back in the lineup and take his spot over the next few weeks, so lets not go overboard here....

His career production begs to differ...

He is a legit 70-80 catch 800-1000 yard WR...

+1

Pahn711
11-21-2011, 09:26 PM
His limited opportunities and productivity are not enough to declare him anything beyond a viable backup at this point. Sanders and Ward may very well get back in the lineup and take his spot over the next few weeks, so lets not go overboard here....

His career production begs to differ...

He is a legit 70-80 catch 800-1000 yard WR...

He hasn't done it here yet, and comparing his career production to Ward, that argument doesn't fly with me.

I'm not even saying he won't prove to be good down the stretch for us, but what you guys are saying implies you are counting out both Ward and Sanders, and I'm not prepared to do that.

Slapstick
11-21-2011, 11:48 PM
He hasn't done it here yet, and comparing his career production to Ward, that argument doesn't fly with me.

I'm not even saying he won't prove to be good down the stretch for us, but what you guys are saying implies you are counting out both Ward and Sanders, and I'm not prepared to do that.

I haven't said anything about Ward or Sanders...

I merely stated a fact: Cotchery has proven himself to be a legitimate 70-80 catch 800-1000 yard WR...

Pahn711
11-22-2011, 09:30 AM
He hasn't done it here yet, and comparing his career production to Ward, that argument doesn't fly with me.

I'm not even saying he won't prove to be good down the stretch for us, but what you guys are saying implies you are counting out both Ward and Sanders, and I'm not prepared to do that.

I haven't said anything about Ward or Sanders...

I merely stated a fact: Cotchery has proven himself to be a legitimate 70-80 catch 800-1000 yard WR...

Right, which means zip if Sanders and/or Ward take back the third and fourth receiver spots.

JUST-PLAIN-NASTY
11-22-2011, 09:45 AM
It may be age, injuries, or whatever you want to offer as a reason...But Ward is no longer an every down player. When Ward is on the field, there in no team afraid of walking 8 in the box and holding single S high to cover over top of Wallace. That wasn't a big deal over the years because Ward could account for "1" in his blocking assignment. Ward just can't account for "1" on every play anymore. His agility is limited. So that formula is not working. Proof is between the white lines. Next game where Wallace & Brown are on the field in base...Watch the safeties. There is hesitation to bring the SS in the box if at all and if they do the FS has to play CF and is out of position and vulnerable to many patterns. I have to give some credit to BA...He is doing a pretty good job of recognition and designing the plays for the soft spots. BA was always just trying to attack over the top of the coverage with Wallace but he realizes teams are defending that #1 and the soft spots are inside the hashes in front of the FS, shallow stops, and I also saw him take some shots on the corner route when the FS holds. If BB & Wallace show they could hit some of the corner - post corner routes....What things it could open up for Brown on the other side.

Slapstick
11-22-2011, 12:44 PM
Right, which means zip if Sanders and/or Ward take back the third and fourth receiver spots.

Which, at this point, is a fairly big IF.

It would seem that Cotchery has already beaten out Ward (which seems really strange to type) and Sanders had a knee scoped (which I had a few years back...he should be out for at least the Chefs game if not longer)...

Unless Tomlin wasn't blowing smoke when he spoke about personnel groupings and attacking a defense...which is a much, much smaller if IMO...

Pahn711
11-22-2011, 10:13 PM
Right, which means zip if Sanders and/or Ward take back the third and fourth receiver spots.

Which, at this point, is a fairly big IF.

It would seem that Cotchery has already beaten out Ward (which seems really strange to type) and Sanders had a knee scoped (which I had a few years back...he should be out for at least the Chefs game if not longer)...

Unless Tomlin wasn't blowing smoke when he spoke about personnel groupings and attacking a defense...which is a much, much smaller if IMO...

Probable, sure. But theres enough IFs in this conversation for me to be uncertain about how the wide receiver lineup will shake out in the following weeks. I'm certainly not gonna anoint Cotchery the number 3 receiver based on a 2 catch for 29 yards game.

flippy
11-22-2011, 11:12 PM
The exciting part about Cotchery becoming part of the offense now is it could pay dividends on the final drive in the SuperBowl if we're down and need to come back.

The biggest missing piece in the last SuperBowl drive was a WR to step up on that last drive.

Now I'm feeling like we've got a couple guys who could make some plays.

hawaiiansteel
12-26-2011, 09:53 PM
Cotchery ready when the Steelers need him

By Ralph N. Paulk, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 26, 2011

http://files.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2011-12-25/1226CotcherFRONTInsCAP-a.jpg

Jerricho Cotchery does a lot of things well, but exercising patience isn't among them.

The veteran wide receiver spent the first half of this season waiting and watching from the sidelines. A tender hamstring limited his playing time, thus disrupting his transition into an evolving Steelers offense.

It's not what Cotchery imagined when he signed a free-agent deal with the Steelers only days after Plaxico Burress opted to return to New York instead of Pittsburgh. Realistically, Cotchery accepted the role of trotter opposite the Steelers' thoroughbreds — Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Cotchery appears to have hit his stride just in time as the Steelers (11-4) prepare for their regular-season finale in Cleveland on Sunday - a must-win game to keep their AFC North title hopes alive.

"Initially, I saw all the weapons here which made me think a little bit," Cotchery said. "Once I came for my visit, I realized it's a special place.

"I looked in the mirror and asked, 'What do I see?' I looked like a Steeler. I felt like this was the place to be."

Cotchery envisioned himself as someone quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could lean on, particularly in the red zone. After all, that's where he excelled during his seven-year tenure with the New York Jets. He was a magician in cleats, snaring almost everything within or out of his reach.

"I had the hamstring injury early in the season, so no one was able to see me in action," Cotchery said. "The only time they saw me was in preseason.

"I feel like over course of time, the staff and everybody sees what I have to offer. I had to come in and do my part."

Taking advantage of an injury to Sanders, Cotchery worked himself into the rotation.

He showed his effectiveness last Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, when he led the Steelers with five catches for 93 yards. However, he played sparingly Saturday and was held without a catch in the team's 27-0 victory against the St. Louis Rams in the home regular-season finale.

"I knew it was going to be tough getting some playing time," Cotchery said. "I just put it aside because my vision of things changed because I see how they build championship teams here. We have a lot of quality guys who can make plays. So, there's no reason to panic when someone gets injured."

Cotchery was on the field for 58 snaps against the 49ers, compared to nine for Hines Ward. Those aren't inconsequential numbers, considering his 93 receiving yards against San Francisco were only 22 shy of his season total.

Cotchery didn't see as much action against the Rams, in part, because Ward was more involved in the offense in what could have been his final home game with the Steelers. Ward finished with four catches to leave him five shy of becoming of the eighth receiver in NFL history to record 1,000 receptions.

"It's not hard for a veteran guy to come in and pick up on the system. All the systems are similar in lot of ways. It's the terminology that's different," Ward said. "The quarterback believes in him. Right now, he's getting his attempts. Basically, it comes down to him making plays, and that's what he's been doing."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1hgyE69iJ (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_773680.html#ixzz1hgyE69iJ)

StarSpangledSteeler
12-27-2011, 05:13 PM
When we have Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Cotchery, Hines, Heath, Saunders all healthy and ready to roll....will we finally run a full blown high octane, quick strike offense like we did against Tennessee, 3/4 of the Patriots game, and the second half of the Ravens game? Will we put the pedal to the metal and beat teams down by throwing, throwing, and throwing some more? Or will we still find the need to revert back to the old tendencies of get up by 10 and get real scared to turn it over so turtle up, go 2 or 3 TE, run, run, and then face 3rd and longs?

Time to fully commit to a fast paced quick strike offense. If Arians can't design it without having 15 'stay' patterns in the gameplan or shutting down the offense and grounding the ball once they get a 10 point lead, then find someone who can design and run that offense next season. Get someone with balls enough to look Ben dead in the eye and tell him to quit pump faking to a wide open WR 10 yards downfield and passing them up to take a shot 30 yards downfield to a double covered WR that has shown no ability to get physical and take the ball off of a DB.
TAKE THE 10 YARD THROW.
RUN PASS PLAYS FROM THE SHOTGUN TO GIVE HIM MORE TIME INSTEAD OF 5 OR 7 STEP DROPS AND LOOONNGGGG DEVELOPING ROUTES!!!!!!!
IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO BE UNDER CENTER, THEN DESIGN ROUTES THAT ARE SHORT AND QUICK TO GET THE DB'S OFF OF YOU!
HIGH PERCENTAGE THROWS!
MAYBE RANDY FICHTNER IS THAT GUY!
IF YOU HAVE 3 OF THE FASTEST AND QUICKEST AND SHIFTIEST WR'S IN THE LEAGUE AND PLAN TO RUN A FAST PACED OFFENSE, THEN GET OLD MAN ROONEY'S 1970'S LOVE AFFAIR OUT OF THE PICTURE AND GET A REAL FIELD INSTEAD OF A PASTURE!!!
USE YOUR SPEED TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!!!
I WANT A F'N REMATCH VS. THE PACKERS!!!!!!

I agree with pretty much everything you've said here. Our WR's are too quick after the catch for most CB's to handle. So play to their strengths. On the other hand, neither Wallace or Brown are very good at battling for the deep ball. And Ben is only average with his accuracy on the deep ball. So why keep throwing that pass?

flippy
12-27-2011, 05:35 PM
While a real field to take advantage of team speed sounds nice in theory, if we had a good field, we may not have Ben for the rest of the season.