Eric Decker

[Don Wassall]

Decker may be the rare white WR to be given the chance to contribute as a rookie. Hopefully Jordan Shipley too.

College Coach Raves About Decker


<DIV =author>By Bill Williamson
<DIV =mod->Englewood, Co. -- I just got off the phone with University of Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster.

Brewster, who formerly coach tight ends for the Broncos, believes Denver got one of the steals of the draft when they took Gophers receiver Eric Decker at No. 87.

"He is the most complete college player I've ever been around,"Â￾ Brewster said. "I was around Ricky Williams at Texas. But this kid is the full package. He does everything right. He blocks, he runs, he catches "¦. He's the real deal."Â￾

Brewster has coached in the NFL with Denver and San Diego. He said there is no doubt Decker will make the transition.

"I have no worries about that," Brewster said. "Josh McDaniels just did the Denver Broncos a very big favor."Â￾
<DIV =mod->
<DIV =mod->http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/index/_/count/16

 

[JReb1]

Denver got a 1st round top 10-15 player in the 3rd round. Decker was probably the best WR in this draft and he's definitely the safest player to not implode on the field or in his personal life like so many affletes do.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I had Decker ranked as my 3rd best WR, but he very likely would have been my top WR in this draft if not for his Lisfranc fracture. There's a good chance that Eric Decker and Demariyus Thomas will both be starting as the outside receivers for years to come for the Broncos. I'm not sure if it will be Stokley, Gaffney or Royal in the slot, but hopefully Stokley will get a lot of reps in the slot for 4 or 5 more years whether it's in Denver or somewhere else.

 

[Don Wassall]

From Rotoworld: Broncos rookie WR Eric Decker (Lisfranc fracture) is on track to return to practice in time for the start of training camp. Decker was projected by many as a first- or second-rounder before the injury. He's already running routes, catching passes, and doing drills at Larry Fitzgerald's camp on the University of Minnesota's campus this week. Decker has some catching up to do after missing all of the offseason work, but he's turned the corner now.

 

[Don Wassall]

Here's another update article on Decker. Pretty good one, though the sixth comment downafter the article is from a DWF who wrote:
<TABLE>
<T>
<TR>
<TD =dsq-comment-er->
<DIV =dsq-comment-er--wrapper><CITE id=dsq-cite-60973688 =dsq-comment-cite>herc_rock </CITE>

34 minutes ago #</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
<DIV id=dsq-comment--60973688 =dsq-comment->
<DIV id=dsq-comment-message-60973688 =dsq-comment-message>He's white? Dammit.
<DIV =dsq-comment-message>
<DIV =dsq-comment-message>http://broncotalk.net/2010/07/15788/broncos-news/eric-decker-runs-routes-at-fitzgeralds-camp/

 

[celticdb15]

Another pretty good article. http://www.mndaily.com/2010/07/13/fitzgeralds-camp-draws-nfl-pros-u

 

[TwentyTwo]

Thanks for the articles...Decker was one of my favorite WR's in college football; easily could have been 1st Round pick w/o the injury! He's the total package at WR IMO....The Broncos got them a steal! I really think the Panthers messed up not taking him...he could have instantly been a starter there with Smith. Wish Eric the best...hope he stays 100% healthy for this season!

What's up with the comment from jerc rock?? Would like to ask him...Edited by: TwentyTwo

 

[Don Wassall]

Glowing article on Decker from Bleacher Report:


<H1 id=article-title>Eric Decker: A Quarterback's Best Friend</H1>


Sssssshhhhhh. Be Very, Very Quiet. The Broncos are in the process of inking what could be one of the best kept secrets in football. A 6'3" 216lb WR who averaged close to 100 catches per season,hewas targeted 354 times and only dropped the ball 3 times. 3 times you say ?? YES ! Three times. No it's not Demaryius Thomas, Jordan Shipley, or Dez Bryant. It's Eric Decker from the University of Minnesota.


Thanks to a mid season foot injury Eric Decker has flown a bit under the radar and the Broncos are loving it. A young man who scored a whopping 47 of 50 on the famed wonderlic test and dropped 3 passes his entire collegiate career. (yeah, i know I said that before but.... WOW), will be a Denver Bronco officially in the next 24 hrs. According to the Denver Post, The Broncos should finalize Decker's four-year contract today, a deal which figures to include a bonus of $732,000, give or take a few dollars.


Decker is a receiver who excels in traffic and across the middle. A big receiver with great hands and intelligence are usually a QB's best friend. Solid at route running, works his way back to the QB when the play breaks down with a "Team First" approach. Eric Decker could be the Broncos most NFL ready prospect. While Demaryius has more upside, Decker could very well have a larger impact on the now. Largely an unknown commodity to all but Big 10 fans, Decker is poised to make an immediate impact.


Ladies and Gents, I present to you.... ERIC DECKER !
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425217-eric-decker-a-quarterbacks-best-friend

 

[celticdb15]

Almost perfect.. Except for the fact somehow Demayrius(love the name by the way) has more upside. Thats odd, didn't he play in an option offense in college? So that means he'll actually have to run more complicated routes than just go routes. A white playing WR in an option offense would NEVER get drafted in the first round, no matter how good his measurables were. So the double standard continues.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Yeah as nice as this article is..they still had to go there with the "upside" crap...that's getting old quick!Your right Celticdb15 about the double-standard. And the media already has him pegged for Stokley's spot...why can't they BOTH play at the same time??

Decker is not a largely unknown commodity here on CF, that's for sure!

 

[snow]

Because dwfs can only imagine a white receiver replacing another white receiver, just like Kerry Meier is going to be in "Finnernan's role" next year. They can't fathom the idea of a white receiver being better than a black one.

Decker doesn't get many yac (well in college he didn't, I think it had more to do with Weber not being a good qb), but no matter how long the route is, he will get separation and catch the ball, putting him only at slot receiver doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean he can do well in the slot but he is best suited for the outside. Same with Jordy Nelson, Riley Cooper, Matt Jones, all guys better suited for the outside but are pegged as slot receivers by dwfs, even though Jordy caught almost all of his rookie passes lined up on the outside, they still believe this.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I can't wait till they start calling him the next Ed McCaffrey.

 

[snow]

I can't wait till they start calling him the next Ed McCaffrey.

They already do. They call him Ed's "mini me", even though Decker is about the same weight just a couple inches shorter, so in reality more bulk.
This didn't help though:

"last week, Decker announced (via Twitter) that in honor of Ed
McCaffrey, he would be wearing number 87 when he takes the field for the
Broncos. In response, the always awesome McCaffrey sent Decker an
autograph and a jersey, as well as his encouragement"


Edited by: snow

 

[whiteathlete33]

They always have to compare white receivers to other white receivers. Decker is considered a "possession receiver" yet he has some deep speed.

 

[Don Wassall]

As long as McDaniels gives him an opportunity, Decker has a good chance of thriving. Denver fans still have fond memories of Ed McCaffrey, who although royally jerked around for the first half of his career ended up being a starter in the Pro Bowl one year and had three straight thousand yard seasons. They also have good memories of Steve Watson, who was a tremendous receiver for several seasons in the '80s, and of course Peyton Hillis was very popular in Denver.

I have a feeling Demaryius Thomas is going to be a very slow learner, ala Robert Meachem, if not an outright bust like Heyward-Bey, Troy Williamson and an endless list of highly drafted black "speedsters," so Decker is potentially in a very good spot. Just gotta hope he completely heals from his foot injury.

 

[whiteathlete33]

With Brandon Marshall gone it's good news for Decker. I'm wondering how they use Tebow this year. I think they will only give him minimal playing time on trick plays and Wildcat formations.

 

[JReb1]

I think Tebow will also be used in third and inches and also when they're on the 1 yard line since Tebow is hard to stop on a QB sneak and defenses will also have to respect his ability to run a bootleg or jump pass on the goal-line so they cant just load up for a QB sneak.

 

[Kaptain]

"last week, Decker announced (via Twitter) that in honor of Ed McCaffrey, he would be wearing number 87 when he takes the field for the Broncos. In response, the always awesome McCaffrey sent Decker an autograph and a jersey, as well as his encouragement"

Hey, I love that. A white athlete that actually promotes former white athletes! Being compared to Ed McCaffrey, although racially obvious, is certainly not a put-down. Ed was a big-time player and everyone in Denver knows it.

 

[backrow]

nice one, Kaptain! props to Eric and Ed.

also, did i actually read rotoworld projecting a white WR to start down the line???!

Broncos agreed to terms with third-round WR Eric Decker on a four-year contract, including a $732,150 signing bonus.

He'll be on time for training camp. Decker missed all minicamps and OTAs while recovering from a Lisfranc fracture, but along with first-round pick Demaryius Thomas projects as one of Denver's long-term starting wideouts. Ideally, Thomas will emerge as the deep threat to Decker's physical possession receiver. Decker dominated in the Big Ten prior to his injury.
Source: FOX 31 Denver

 

[snow]

I think Tebow will also be used in third and inches and also when they're on the 1 yard line since Tebow is hard to stop on a QB sneak and defenses will also have to respect his ability to run a bootleg or jump pass on the goal-line so they cant just load up for a QB sneak.

I think Tebow will be used like he was in his freshman year at UF
(around 90 rushes and 33 pass attempts, so a little over 120 plays,
maybe a little more because an NFL season is longer). Bill Bellicheck
sent McDaniels to study Urban Meyer's spread option before the 07, he
incorporated some of the passing aspects of it, just not the option
stuff. He seems to know the system quite well and probably one of the
reasons why he drafted Tebow. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tebow
running the same stuff he was running at Florida in the NFL. The shotgun
spread option could now be in the NFL, there is already the wildcat
which is a little different but still similar. So hopefully we will see
Tebow run the ball quite a bit while he is learning the aspects of being
a quarterback in a pro style offense.



McDaniels has stated in interviews that he has "certain packages" for
Tebow. So I wouldn't be surprised if something similar to the above
scenario happens, hopefully it will be more than just short yardage
situations.
Edited by: snow

 

[Deadlift]

Demaryius Thomas is not a fluid runner at all. Our "Tight Ends" have superior fluidity.

 

[backrow]

Fox 31s Josina Anderson reports that Broncos WR Eric Decker suffered a left foot sprain, not left ankle sprain like previously speculated.

Anderson also reports that a pre-MRI detected evidence of a previously existing high ankle sprain. In short, when Decker went down yesterday doctors found both a pre-existing high ankle sprain in addition to a left foot sprain. What does this all mean? If the MRI confirms aggravation of Decker's previous Lisfranc fracture he'll be looking at missing extended time. Any way you cut it things don't look good for Decker.
Source: FOX31 Denver

 

[TwentyTwo]

Thanks for the update...geez that bites! Think he has a legit shot at being the Top Rookie WR this season!

Can only hope for the best...

 

[Leonardfan]

Lets hope Decker's injuries only keep him out a few weeks. I really want to see what he can do this season.

 

[Kaptain]

It sounds like Decker did not aggravate his lisfranc fracture. It's a high ankle spain. I guess that's good news.