Alex Erickson

[McCaffrey Dude]

I really can't post this in the 2016 thread but every publication I can find has speedy yet not very durable, John Ross already penciled in as the new Bengal kick returner.
Erickson is listed as second string as is he also second behind Pacman Jones as a punt returner. He could be first when Jones goes back to jail for whatever reason this time.
But on every depth chart I can find, Erickson is not listed in any of the top 6 and looks to be fighting white wr , Jake Kumerow for a roster spot.
I thought Alex E. led the NFL in kick return yardage last year. If he loses his job to Ross what are his ealistic chances of making the team other than as a STD?

 

[McCaffrey Dude]

According to a recent article, rookie Brandon Wilson ( ? ) from Houston also could be in the mix as the Bengal's new kick returner.
It states Erickson could lose his job to Wilson because he brings " athleticism " to the position. ARRRRRG.
Like averaging 28.7 yards a touch and second in the NFL for that is real " unathletic". The caste beat goes on.

 

[Shadowlight]

Erickson is one of the WORRY spots this season. I feel for this Wisconsin stand out. He was never drafted and just when you thought he wrapped up the return duties after a stellar debut the Bengals drafted right over him. I do not like the Head Coach at Cincinnati and I know many others here feel the same way. He lets thugs ( Burfict and Jones) run the show there. A breakdown of Erickson. He placed in the top 10 in punt returns and was third in kickoff returns in the AFC. He had a sure TD on what of the run backs but just barely got tripped up which was a dammit moment. But a closer look at the kickoffs reveals he was the BEST kickoff returner in the AFC and second best in the entire NFL. The guys who had a better return average fielded over ten returns less than Alex so if you crunch the numbers he was the premier AFC kick returner and in fact totaled more kickoff return yards than anyone in the entire NFL.
Will the Bengals move him along like say the Vikings with Adam Thielen, a player he resembles in some ways? Or will they chuck him aside and let him die off in a ditch?
He was not given much of a chance to prove himself as a receiver but since he succeeded so well at the return game shouldn't the staff give him a good look at WR?
These are all big questions for this year and like I said Marvin Lewis, if history is any guideline, will likely not give Alex a chance he so richly deserves. Hope I am wrong. Time will tell.

 

[celticdb15]

Marvin X screw over a white skill player? Gasp, typical. This ******* needs to get canned. If he racially purges a top 10 returner for a bruva with upside.. Well on par for anti white NFL. Both Kumerow and Erickson are talented enough to contribute to the Bengals offense. They just need a chance. Something to keep an eye on.

 

[Don Wassall]

Marvin X screw over a white skill player? Gasp, typical. This ******* needs to get canned. If he racially purges a top 10 returner for a bruva with upside.. Well on par for anti white NFL. Both Kumerow and Erickson are talented enough to contribute to the Bengals offense. They just need a chance. Something to keep an eye on.

Marvin X likes to collect Whites at taboo positions then very slowly screw them over. Burkhead is another example, safety Clayton Fejedelem is another; he's getting rave reviews but will most likely remain in the Burkhead WSTD role before eventually being cut. Unfortunately I expect Kumerow to disappear down the Caste memory hole this season and there's a good chance the same will happen to Erickson.

 

[celticdb15]

Marvin X likes to collect Whites at taboo positions then very slowly screw them over. Burkhead is another example, safety Clayton Fejedelem is another; he's getting rave reviews but will most likely remain in the Burkhead WSTD role before eventually being cut. Unfortunately I expect Kumerow to disappear down the Caste memory hole this season and there's a good chance the same will happen to Erickson.

Keeping hope that both those guy's can stay afloat a little while longer. If they get purged may they end up with Shanahan In San Fran or one of the other milder caste coaches in the league. I know it's slim pickings.. In the meantime I'll be hoping for the afflete WRs on the team to self implode.

 

[Don Wassall]

As another poster here predicted (can't remember who just now), I'll bet John Ross is either injury prone or just a bust. He reminds me of so many one-trick black ponies -- great straight line speed but nothing else, and in Ross's case he's also on the small side and already has a significant injury history. The media and DWFs are mesmerized by straight line speed over short distances, while it is but one factor among many physical and mental attributes in determining athleticism and whether a football player can succeed in the pros.

 

[Ambrose]

Marvin X likes to collect Whites at taboo positions then very slowly screw them over. Burkhead is another example, safety Clayton Fejedelem is another; he's getting rave reviews but will most likely remain in the Burkhead WSTD role before eventually being cut. Unfortunately I expect Kumerow to disappear down the Caste memory hole this season and there's a good chance the same will happen to Erickson.

With a name like "Marvin X" he should have been crossed off the list and arrested long ago...

 

[Leonardfan]

Erickson was amazing last year as a return man. We can only hope Erickson survives the caste purging again this year. I have to agree with Don that Ross is a one trick pony - I still remember all the asinine comments and hype after he ran his 40. He's going to be brittle and redirected easily due to his slight stature.

So many teams with piss poor black returners could use Erickson if he is cut. It will be interesting to see what happens with him.

 

[La France Blanche]

The media and DWFs are mesmerized by straight line speed over short distances, while it is but one factor among many physical and mental attributes in determining athleticism and whether a football player can succeed in the pros.

Raiduhs owner Al Davis was the epitome of that mentality. In 2005, he drafted cornerback, supa afflete, and later, bust, Fabian Washington because of his 4.29 40-yard dash time. With the next pick, the Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rodgers.

 

[Don Wassall]

Raiduhs owner Al Davis was the epitome of that mentality. In 2005, he drafted cornerback, supa afflete, and later, bust, Fabian Washington because of his 4.29 40-yard dash time. With the next pick, the Green Bay Packers selected Aaron Rodgers.

Davis took straight-line speed burner Darrius Heyward-Bey 7th overall in 2009. In eight seasons he's managed just 199 receptions and currently languishes on the Crawfords as their fifth receiver.

Once Davis went Caste senile and only wanted "speed," the Raiders were awful for well over a decade before last season's surge under the peerless plantation manager Black Jack Del Rio.

 

[Don Wassall]

Alex Erickson has become kind of a forgotten man here, but his usage as a receiver might increase quite a bit this year now that Marvin X is finally gone. Just as Rex Burkhead blossomed in New England after being little more than a WSTD with the Bengals, the new regime in Cincy recognizes Ericson's receiving talents. The article below mentions that teams have even been trying to trade for Ericson, seeing similarities to Cooper Kupp in him. That article is also copied below.

2019 potential Bengals breakout player: Alex Erickson

By Anthony Cosenza

For a guy who barely received many offensive snaps in his first three seasons, Alex Erickson may have found himself a big, new role in Zac Taylor’s offense.

Every year a preseason hero seems to emerge from Cincinnati Bengals’ training camp. Often times they don’t end up making a notable impact if they make the final roster, but sometimes they matriculate into a solid contributor.

Count fourth-year receiver Alex Erickson as a member of the latter category. Since wowing everyone back in the 2016 preseason, he has become a core special teams player and a spot guy on offense.

Unfortunately for Erickson, his opportunities on offense were extremely limited under Marvin Lewis and Co. But, with new coach Zac Taylor entering the picture, some believe he can be a solid receiving option for the club this season.

Why he could break out in 2019
Many believe that Taylor will bring similar innovation and diverse schemes to Cincinnati from Los Angeles. With these plans come the need for multiple, able receiving threats.

A couple of months ago, it became public news that Erickson was a quietly-hot commodity in the league, with teams giving trade offers to Cincinnati for his services. The Bengals turned down those offers—either because they weren’t lucrative enough, or because the new regime has high hopes for him in 2019. Perhaps it’s both.

Erickson has a 71.7% catch rate from his targets and exactly half of his 38 career receptions (19) have moved the sticks for a first down. These aren’t numbers to make one pop out of their chair with excitement, but the needle could be pointing up in a critical year for Erickson’s career.

What he needs to prove
As mentioned above, Erickson has just 38 catches in his career. The people talking about a Cooper Kupp-like year from him in this new offense would be wise to temper expectations—at least initially.

In limited opportunities, Erickson has showed a penchant for having reliable hands and to move the chains. However, small sample sizes provide large risks.

What if a more extended route tree is asked of Erickson in 2019? Will he still be able to be a weapon as a return man, if given more responsibilities on offense? With so many other weapons still on offense, will he even be given a higher amount of targets?

These are all important questions, but we could see a sizable leap from Erickson in 2019.

https://www.cincyjungle.com/analysi...tential-bengals-breakout-player-alex-erickson



Report: Bengals have rejected trade offers for WR Alex Erickson

Could a bigger role be in store for the fourth-year receiver?

By John Sheeran

John Ross isn’t the only Bengals pass-catcher that other NFL franchises have apparently inquired about a trade this offseason.

On former NFL executive Michael Lombardi and Adnan Virk’s podcast The GM Shuffle, Lombardi mentioned that teams have tried to trade for Bengals slot receiver Alex Erickson this offseason.


Evan Silva

✔@evansilva

On latest GM Shuffle, Lombardi mentioned #Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu was subject of some trade discussions earlier this offseason.

Also said teams have inquired about WR Alex Erickson but #Bengals have refused to trade him. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...ss-off-this-week/id1458884463?i=1000437494849 …

In a segment regarding potential fantasy breakout receivers, this is what Lombardi had to say about Erickson:

“I think he’s the Cooper Kupp for Andy Dalton. ...They won’t trade this guy. This guy’s a really good player. ...teams have tried to trade for him and they won’t trade him. They won’t trade him. ...I think he’s a really good player.”

For what Lombardi is implying, it appears he thinks as highly of Erickson as the Bengals do.

Realistically, it would be difficult to imagine the Bengals getting any type of compensation that would make trading Erickson worth their time. Despite originally being an undrafted free agent who earned a roster spot back in 2016, Erickson has a place in the Bengals’ wide receiver corps and as a kick returner. While he’s not athletically gifted or immeasurably talented as a receiver, is he worth trading away for a late Day 3 pick? Probably not.

But the praise Lombardi has for Erickson could be warranted if the Zac Taylor-led Bengals are more inclined to use him in the offense. While it’s outlandish on the surface to compare him to Kupp, Erickson’s potential production is higher than the production he’s given in his three years in Cincinnati.

Lombardi mentions the Bengals needing Erickson to be Dalton’s main option in the slot ala Kupp for the Rams’ Jared Goff, but Tyler Boyd should more than suffice. Boyd could take on the flanker role on the outside and allow Erickson to squeeze into the starting lineup, or Erickson could just rotate more with Boyd and keep him fresh. Taylor will have options, that is for sure.

Erickson is entering the first year of his two-year extension he signed last season, and it appears he isn’t leaving Cincinnati before that deal is up.

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2019/5/...rs-bengals-alex-erickson-falcons-mohamed-sanu

 

[TwentyTwo]

Nice article on Erickson! Good to see his skills are in demand....Hoping for a break out season!

Hoping this years version of Erickson....another Undrafted Rookie Free Agent will be Michael Walker (Boston College) for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Versatile WR that can return Punts & Kick offs.

https://www.winknews.com/2019/07/22...layer-gears-up-for-jacksonville-jaguars-camp/

In High school, Walker was used as a defensive back, quarterback, return man. He’s kind of a Swiss Army knife.

Walker was a receiver at Boston College, and that is how he will be utilized in Jacksonville, per the Jags website.

Kramer said Walker is a different breed of player — the kind that belongs in the NFL.

“We don’t have to do a whole bunch of coaching with those guys,” Kramer said. “They’ve got to be really motivated and hard workers and just the incredible genetics God gave them. There’s some guys we should probably pay to coach and not get paid to coach, and Mike is one of those guys.”

We will hear more from Kramer and have more on Walker Thursday when we go to the Jags camp opener in Jacksonville.

 

[Don Wassall]

Here's another highly complimentary article on Alex. I even like the way the veiled racial reference was used to begin it:

Alex Erickson is ready for a bigger WR role, if the Bengals give him a chance

There’s no question the slot receiver can play. The question is what the Cincinnati offense will look like under a new head coach.

by Stephen White

Maybe the best compliment I can pay Alex Erickson is that he plays like a guy who will likely be on the Patriots’ roster sometime in the next four or five years, if you get my drift.

Although he didn’t have a ton of receptions last season (20 for 167 yards and no touchdowns), he sure did appear to be open quite a bit when he was in for the Bengals. I’ll tell you this much: you won’t see many receivers get in and out of their break any quicker than Erickson does. His routes were almost always very crisp, and he didn’t waste any motion when breaking in or out on a route.

Erickson also seemed to have a good feel for when to take off and when to sit down against zone coverages. He was primarily a slot receiver, but with his size (6’0 and 195 pounds), I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t play some out wide as well from time to time. I don’t know how much of a deep threat he can be because I didn’t see him run a lot of deeper routes, but on the short to intermediate routes he was putting in work.

I came away very impressed after watching Erickson’s film this offseason. Last season when they started calling his number, he was definitely ready. That dude was scooting all over the field, and he looked like he can take another step forward with his production this year.

The Bengals as a team were a mess at the end of last season, losing seven out of their last eight games. Erickson personally finished strong, however. He started four out of the last six games and put up some of his best numbers of the year in the last three games.

The question for me on Erickson isn’t really about his ability, because I flat-out think the guy can play. My question is more about how new head coach Zac Taylor and new offensive coordinator Brian Callahan plan to run the offense.

I don’t have any doubt that Erickson would be a fantastic slot receiver with A.J. Green and Tyler “Break the Bank” Boyd on the outside. But the Bengals also have a very good tight end in Tyler Eifert, although he hasn’t played in more than eight games in the last three seasons. C.J. Uzomah, who stepped in for Eifert last season, ended up with 43 receptions and he’s also a viable option passing game.

So are the Bengals going to try to keep one of their tight ends in the game on passing downs? Will they run much four wides? Will Eifert actually be healthy this year?

The answers to those questions will probably go a long way in determining just how big or small of a role Erickson will have in the offense this season.

Talent-wise, however, I believe Erickson is ready to become a big-time slot receiver for the Bengals (or some other team).
He knows how to get open, has good hands, and he’s not afraid of contact, either. He can be a guy who moves the chains consistently on third-and-short to medium situations, if he is provided the opportunity to do so. If he is fully incorporated into the offense, I can see Erickson easily doubling his production this season. Especially since his production has steadily improved every year since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

There is one other guy who may stand in the way of Erickson taking on a bigger role in the offense this season, and that is the athletically gifted, but so far inconsistent, John Ross.

Ross certainly has the potential to be a game breaker with his speed, and whenever he actually catches a ball, he is a threat to score. There just aren’t many guys in the league with his wheels, period, and you can’t teach that kind of speed. However, I’m not sure Ross is ever going to look as comfortable playing out of the slot as Erickson does.

The reality is Ross was the No. 9 pick in 2017 and while his numbers weren’t eye-popping last season, he did manage to score seven touchdowns off just 21 catches. So I have a feeling the new regime is going to do everything they can to give him an opportunity to get on the field.

One factor in Erickson’s favor is that he returns kicks and punts, and he does both well. His value on special teams makes it easier to assume that he both makes the team and will be active on gamedays this fall. And if he is active, you would think the Bengals would go ahead and use him on offense as well, because why the hell not?

With Green out after sustaining an ankle injury that required surgery early in training camp, the Bengals may need to lean on players like Erickson to keep the offense rolling early on in the season at least. I believe that the more opportunities Erickson gets this season, the more he will continue to shine.

His production this year should blow away anything he has done in the league up until this point.

https://www.sbnation.com/2019/8/20/...-alex-erickson-wide-receiver-depth-chart-2019

 

[Don Wassall]

Alex has 42 catches for 513 yards, which is more yardage than he had his first three NFL seasons combined. He's still underused but it's nice to see him finally used some in the passing game. At age 27 his long racial apprenticeship has somewhat ended.

A.J. Green has missed all of this season and a good part of last season and it's highly unlikely he'll be back with the Bengals again, which means Erickson should continue to be used next year, hopefully as a full-time slot or outside receiver.

 

[Bucky]

Nice to see him put together his best year as a pro when given meaningful playing time!