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Some may argue from the success of rookies like Eddie Royal that Hardy is behind in his learning curves. I'll disagree.
If you are a small receiver being quick and fast, you'll have a smaller learning curve in NFL. You just need to get open and you'll have space. If the QB can deliver the ball accurately, you catch it. End of story. Of course you'll need to learn how to run a route.
For players like Hardy, being tall and big, their game is quite different. They may not be able to shake out the smaller, nible CB of NFL like they have in college, but they have the size and strength to fight off them and catch the ball.
The key word here is "fight off." That means literally doing a little of hand fighting and getting your body AND you hands in better position to catch the ball. That's where the basketball rebound skills come into play, and porbably why hardy was successful in college because of his basketball background.
In NFL, the corners are in general of much higher caliber than most he faced in college. I saw a Hardy yesterday that did not know how to do some fighting work prior to the catching. He simply ran to a spot and jumped up, trying to out-leaping his cover guy. That may work when he's wide open, like his TD catch in Jacksonville. But it won't when people are draping all over him. He needs to use his body subtlely to sort of "bang the bodies" (in basketball term) before the arriving ball. That's a skill, and it may take some time to learn. I'd suggest him to take a look of some Burress' tape and if he wants to stay in Bills history, some Moulds' tapes.
Once again, running a good route helps. One ball he did not catch yesterday was a comebacker that he failed to come back on the ball. If he could bang on Bartell a second early and then come back on the route, it would've been an easy catch.
If you are a small receiver being quick and fast, you'll have a smaller learning curve in NFL. You just need to get open and you'll have space. If the QB can deliver the ball accurately, you catch it. End of story. Of course you'll need to learn how to run a route.
For players like Hardy, being tall and big, their game is quite different. They may not be able to shake out the smaller, nible CB of NFL like they have in college, but they have the size and strength to fight off them and catch the ball.
The key word here is "fight off." That means literally doing a little of hand fighting and getting your body AND you hands in better position to catch the ball. That's where the basketball rebound skills come into play, and porbably why hardy was successful in college because of his basketball background.
In NFL, the corners are in general of much higher caliber than most he faced in college. I saw a Hardy yesterday that did not know how to do some fighting work prior to the catching. He simply ran to a spot and jumped up, trying to out-leaping his cover guy. That may work when he's wide open, like his TD catch in Jacksonville. But it won't when people are draping all over him. He needs to use his body subtlely to sort of "bang the bodies" (in basketball term) before the arriving ball. That's a skill, and it may take some time to learn. I'd suggest him to take a look of some Burress' tape and if he wants to stay in Bills history, some Moulds' tapes.
Once again, running a good route helps. One ball he did not catch yesterday was a comebacker that he failed to come back on the ball. If he could bang on Bartell a second early and then come back on the route, it would've been an easy catch.
) he looked like a boy playing among men.
" ~ yordad
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