Interesting review concerning Quarless

Maybe I just don't know enough about football, but why exactly does the gameplan go out the window when Finley leaves? McCarthy has said this a few times before when Finley has gotten injured. It's not like Quarless is some unathletic schmuck, his 40 time at the Combine was actually better than Finley's. Quarless isn't as experienced as Finley and may not have shown that intangible "knack" for getting open like Finley, but do they really know what they have in Quarless at this point? His rookie year, when Finley went out for the season, they really didn't turn Quarless loose at all as a receiver. Sure he caught some passes, but they didn't use him a lot and I assumed it was because he was a rookie and didn't know wtf to do. He's had 3 years in the classroom at this point though, he should know the routes and the offense fairly well. I think they're holding him back.

I think Packer fans think Quarless is a different receiver than Quarless really is. 

Yep. I watched Quarless at Penn State and he never looked like much of a receiver. Still doesn't.

Maybe, but can you say 100% that you know what kind of TE he is? Do we really know what he can and can't do?  I don't think he's the 2nd coming of Tony Gonzalez, but what is it that the gameplan relies on Finley to do that Quarless can't do? I wouldn't count on him to go 1 on 1 with Darrell Revis and win (I wouldn't do that with Finley), but I would gamble that Quarless could beat a LB or even a lot of Safetys. 

yes, I can

He was probably the most complete Packer TE before the injury. Where he is now remains to be seen.

Great discussion. Thanks. 

most complete TE?  As long as catching passes and running routes isn't part of your criteria.

disagree

Yup, another second here or there and it would have made all the difference. However, the plays were there and MM should have taken more advantage of what Quarless was doing.

Not just my assessment; it's also the opinion of the coach.

Quarless isn't a good route runner. He's good at finding soft spots in the zone and sitting down in them. Seems to have a decent ability to understand coverage. Not the best hands though. And he's clearly battling rust.

He's the best blocking TE in GB (although Taylor has looked good as well this year). I think there was a veiled message to Finley in MM's comments regarding Quarless based on Finley's complete lack of interest in blocking. It does appear Finley is getting the message and is trying to improve in blocking this year.

Regardless. Quarless isn't Finley. Defenses won't ever account for Quarless the way they have to with a healthy Finely. GB is a better team if both guys are available and playing though.

Why the blame game ?

Their timing was off, it happens. And as far as another second or two, MM can't block, throw or catch. It was a good play call, the players failed to execute. Pretty simple

Can't figure out what more MM should have done here...earlier MM was chastised for "building a plan around "only" Finley", but here we have direct evidence that wasn't the case...

So then the blame shifts to MM "should have done more" ? Explain this line of reasoning, because I'm not clever enough to finger it out

Should MM plan his plays to allow for Starks falling on EDS ?

I've been waiting for him to break out as a WR and thought he was about to the year he got hurt.   He has the physical tools and he had a lot of opportunities the year Jmike was out, but had a bad case of the drops.  

I would agree he is the most complete TE on the team.  He is an absolute beast in the ground game, better than Crabtree ever was and better than Taylor, and has the athleticism to be a threat in the pass game. 

I'm not second guessing McCarthy, I don't think all or even most of the offensive issues in the Bengals game were his fault, I just don't understand why the gameplan revolves around Finley and not the TE position? Seems to me the last time we saw Finley offer something unique was in the playoffs of 2009.  

It doesn't make sense to me either GD..  It certainly doesn't fit into the "next man up" motto either. 

I'm guessing it's exaggerated lip service more than anything.   That or MM is so obsessed with practice that he wouldn't run plays that AQ didn't practice during the week.   Example, it's a two TE set and in play x, AQ practiced only TE2's role this week.   He knows TE1 role, but never actually practiced it.   So in MM's mind it's tossing out the game plan because play x was designed and practiced with the goal of getting Fin open.   

Thats a stretch, but only answer I can think of. 

It's a matter of McCarthy not wanting to rush him back. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFMS4VP2fk

Last game Quarless dropped a pass bounced right in his hands that would have extended an early drive. It did not seem like an extremely hot or difficult pass to catch (easy for me to say).

For whatever reason many of these other guys do not seem to have that skill. It seems like every game there is at least one similar big or important play not made by the "other" TEs.

Crabtree may have been a slow white guy but he made plays.

I think the upside to Q is "average TE."  I guess all I have to back up that statement is everything he has done up until this point.  I'm guessing the game plan moved away from those tight end passes because Q can't pull them off that well.  I think he is replaceable, but I hope he keeps working hard because every team needs a strong blocking TE and special teams player. 

I don't recall that play but I do recall at least 2 passes where AR threw plain and simple bad passes to him. One wasn't catchable and the other forced Quarless to have to make a shoe string type catch which left him falling forward. If AR hits him in stride on either catch they could have gone for decent yards.

But again, I am only speaking to last week. Prior to that? With Finley in there it didn't seem Quarless was any part of the game plan. And that would go back to MM and Clements

They both drop the ball at inopportune times.  Quarles is a solid, physical TE but he never has been a sure pass catcher.  Finley has better speed and cleaner routes.  That's the biggest difference.  

As to "throwing out the game plan", I agree but I do think they have to tailor the plan some.

stop talking about your proctologist

I'm very fond of Dr. Stinky Pinky.

All I know is 70% of teams can find some random white guy and make him into a  serviceable tight end.

Staying with black tight-ends is affirmative-action fail!

Good point. Ryan Taylor definitely seems like a scrappy, Regular Joe-type of blue collar player who brings his paper bag lunch to work and leads by example.

Perhaps when Finley is referred to as a feature it means how the Bengals defense reacts to him and how the offense would play off that.  With Quarless in there the defense may have not given him as much attention.  Just a guess.

I'm not saying this to bellyache about the guy not being here, but in the past when 88 was out was when Jennings would pick up the slack and step up.  Going 4 wide isn't advantageous when Boykin is the 4th instead of what we've had in the past.  I think that goes back to why Walker isn't on the team.  Sure he could get open and catch, but in GB it's more about what you do after the catch.  They like to attack.  Should be another young guy coming in next year in the 2nd or 3rd round of the draft.

Don't forget Charles Johnson yet. 

I was just signed by the Jaguars.

sorry to hear that Henry.

They offered me a Coors party ball.

High motor and deceptively fast with a high football IQ.

That's a really good point actually. It's not what Finley does as a receiver, it's the attention he draws from LBs and Safetys. Finley opens things up more than Quarless. I buy that. 

Really, he's the meat and potatoes of this offense. He's a gym rat and a fan favorite.

Overachiever.

He's a steal in the draft who does all the little things the right way.

He walked on as a freshman

How about you two just go ahead and meat Ryan Taylor?

I like him for what he is, and that's the second coming of Jeff Thomason.  

Quarless, finally healthy: 'I have to really get after it'

Nice piece on Quarless and his continuing recovery from the injury. Ryan Taylor is a little like TT- a guy who will probably have a respectable NFL career based on his ST play.