How good can Briscoe and Meier be in 2009?
by I need more Esteban on Jun 23, 2009 10:28 AM CDT
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PrintThis season, one of the most exciting things for fans of Kansas University football are the high amount of skill players on offense we'll get to watch. Everyone knows by now that Todd Reesing is an amazing playmaker but we also know that he has been fortunate to have two stellar options to throw to the last couple of seasons. The sure handed, clutch catching, send me on a reverse to throw a bomb for a touchdown, Kerry Meier and the uber-athletic, all I do is catch touchdowns, Dezmon Briscoe. The receiving corp is one of the smallest questions about this offense going into 2009, but there is no doubt that they are still one of the most important things for this team to be successful and win it's first Big 12 North title.
I won't go into the Kerry Meier QB to WR story because we all know it and love it, and are sure to hear it a billion more times during his senior campaign. The Pittsburg, KS native's first season at WR was 2 seasons ago as a sophomore. The experiment to move him to WR was pretty surprising to most KU fans, but definitely very intriguing. Meier caught 26 balls for 274 yards and 2 TDs (including one gracing the cover of SI). Meier racked up those TE like numbers in pretty limited action, as I'm not sure the coaching staff was quite sold on their experiment, plus we had Marcus Henry, Dexton Fields, Derek Fine, and emerging Dezmon Briscoe all as viable options for "The Todd" to throw to.
In 2008, Henry and Fine were gone, and all of the sudden it made a lot of sense to let Meier go full time. He responded with what will most likely be one of the most impressive single seasons for a KU WR in history.
97 Rec., 1,045 yards and 8 TDs
Not mentioned in those numbers, the enormous amount of huge catches on 3rd downs that Meier made. And probably the most important line of the season to KU fans: @ Missouri: 14 Rec, 106 yards, 2 TDs.
One TD was a little bigger than most: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1CdnLCUoY
So now the question becomes, in his senior year, can Meier possibly top last year? This is what I'm not so sure about, I've got to think it's going to top the overall numbers he had. Teams will definitely be keying on him a lot more after the monster season, but then again, one has to think that Minnesota was keying on him in the Insight bowl and he had 10 grabs for 113 and a TD. Meier has an uncanny ability of finding the holes in a defense and with good size and above average speed, he is someone that will certainly cause defenses fits. Plus, the other thing working for him is that other KU receiver one year younger. Oh yeah, did I mention Kerry Meier punts too?
Dezmon Briscoe will play on Sundays. I don't think there is any doubt about that, the question becomes when will he and where will he get drafted. This kid has enormous talent and upside and KU people are just hoping that he takes care of any off the field issues he's had (I'm confident he will). Dezmon Briscoe burst onto the Big 12 radar in KU's magical 2007 season. The freshman from Dallas quickly became one of Todd Reesing's favorite endzone targets when he caught 43 balls, 7 of which were TDs. Big things were expected of him in 2008 and he delivered emphatically. I could've saved all the words and shown you this to describe how special Briscoe is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hzh8dBoBoA&feature=related
92 catches, 1,407 yards with 15 TDs
Big catches were frequent for Dezmon too, in the Insight Bowl against Minnesota, Briscoe made history for the Jayhawks, catching 14 balls for 201 yards and 3 TDs, non cooler than this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tz6AY1yL3I&feature=related (with a little help from the magical Reesing)
This season shockingly only earned him 2nd Team All-Big 12 because of 3 other sophomores in the conference named, Maclin, Crabtree, and Bryant. Two of the three are gone as 1st round NFL draft picks and all eyes rest on Dezmon Briscoe and Dez Bryant this season.
I won't go through all the numbers that I could with Briscoe because there are just too many, but it's safe to say that KU people are expecting big things from the Junior this season. I would say most people believe that this will be his last season as a Jayhawk. Not only does he have the talent and draft status to leave but his QB that has made him even better will be leaving to graduation after this season.
So can Dezmon Briscoe top last season? Like Meier, it will be tough, but he does have other threats on his side that will surely help him find openings. Out of the two, I would say Briscoe has the better chance to top last season's numbers, just because of his deep threat possibities. For KU fans, the numbers won't matter as much as the win and loss record that Briscoe and Meier help produce. When it's all said and done, winning the North and beating Missouri and K-State become what really matters...and invitation to the Belitnikoff ceremony for the nation's top WR would be pretty damn cool too.
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I suppose my response might be a tad controversial but...
I say neither tops their 08’ numbers. I will say that had Meier been healthy all of 08’ (injured pretty much 3/4 of the season) his numbers could have been astronomical. Either way though they both had huge 08’s and will be marked men in 09’
Briscoe will clearly draw the top defender of each team with both likely facing a substantial amount of the new 4-2-5 Nickel sets that seem to be the new rage against the Big 12 spreads. This is going to make the running game an important piece and I suspect last season we threw the ball far more than Mangino would typically prefer.
Combine that with the emergence of Johnathan Wilson, further trust in Tim Biere at tight end and I’m still calling for a potential breakout season for AJ Steward in 2009. Steward may not put up huge numbers but I really believe he will see his share of minutes and balls and all three of the aforementioned will take away a bit from the overall Meier and Briscoe number.
They’ll be close, and if we win the North and get that one extra game in the Big 12 championship I think one of them will eclipse their mark from last season, but it’s going to be tough…last year was a pass happy Todd Reesing free for all and both Meier and Briscoe were huge beneficiaries and took full advantage of it.
and for what it’s worth I’m also going to go ahead and predict that barring injury or some other reason for not playing, you can consider Briscoe as good as gone at the end of this season.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
Great points
last year was a pass happy Todd Reesing free for all and both Meier and Briscoe were huge beneficiaries and took full advantage of it.
I especially agree with this and didn’t think about it while writing the post. For us to be successful next season, there is no way we can pass as much as we did last season. A more balanced offense will definitely be important this coming season.
by I need more Esteban on Jun 23, 2009 11:29 AM CDT reply actions
speaking of the running game and being more balanced...
I’ve been somewhat surprised to see Jake Sharp so highly thought of in several publications…I mean I suppose I should be confident in his abilities but I’ve even seen him listed in some mock drafts as a 4th-5th round selection.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
yep....
obviously some mock’s are less reliable than others but I was still shocked to some extent…maybe they seem him as the next Don Beebe or Steve Tasker. I’m just not sure he’s NFL back material…I’d love to see it, but I doubt it.
I guess I should withhold judgement though considering he really hasn’t been given a full healthy season to show us what he can do on the field…maybe that will be 2009
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
Once again Esteban bringing some football to the slow, hot summer, thanks.
My thought is neither will do it either. Meier and Briscoe both had some monster games last season that help put them over the edge and Meier was on the recieving end of many a third down conversions which I don’t think happens as much.
My reasons for the decrease are more running, more efficient drives, improved defense, other improved recievers and the focus of the opposing defenses. In the end I think they could very well exceed the TD statistical production but I don’t think Briscoe puts up that kind of yardage and I don’t see Meier having that high a number of receptions again. Not a knock on these two at all but last year was pretty incredible.
That's what we do at Kansas, we WIN.
by Ghost of Mark Randall on Jun 23, 2009 2:58 PM CDT reply actions
You're right about those big games
Briscoe:
Florida Intl: 9 rec, 55 yards, 3 TDs
vs. LA Tech: 7 rec., 146 yards, TD
Sam Houston St.: 5 rec, 124 yards, TD
@OU: 12 rec, 269 yards, 2 TDs
Then the last 4 games really got him up there:
@ Neb: 6 rec, 176 yards, TD
Tex: 9 rec, 115 yards
@ Misery: 9 rec, 115 yards, TD
Minn: 14 rec, 201 yards, 3 TDs
Damn good, but these games also made up for a couple duds.
@ S. Florida: 3 rec, 36 yards
@ Iowa St.: 2 rec, 22 yards
K-State: 3 rec, 40 yards, TD
Granted, I’m nitpicking on those games because not many receivers can blow up every game, sometimes other factors come into play like we are kicking the crap out of our in-state rival so we stop throwing too. But, Briscoe did have some huge games last season, no reason to think he can’t have 4-5 like that again, plus hopefully leave the duds on the sidelines?
by I need more Esteban on Jun 24, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Random Thoughts
I too am guessing that neither Meier nor Briscoe top their 2008 numbers. As others have mentioned, I believe the goal for the coaching staff will be to have a more balanced offense. Much of that depends on offensive line play. KU struggled to get the running game going early in the season and I think that basically killed the offensive balance Warriner and Mangino wanted.
For much of the 2007 season, KU was one of the very few teams than averaged 200+ yards per game passing and rushing (I can’t remember if we finished the year averaging over 200 yards rushing). Anyway, I think that season showed us what the coaches would like to do with this offense. Now, if this year’s o-line with all its new parts starts slow again, then we could very well see Reesing throwing as much as he did last year.
KU needs production out of the TE. I was on a flight to Dallas last summer with Reesing and asked him how KU was going to replace Derek Fine. His answer was “Oh, we’ll think of something.” I’m not so sure they did. KU’s TEs only caught 9 passes last year (Biere – 6, Dedeaux – 2, Steward – 1). That’s not good. A lot of that had to do with youth and inexperience at the position (Biere and Steward) as well as the need to keep the TE in for pass protection. Still, KU needs to get the TE involved more in the offense. Imagine how that could open things up for Meier who already has a knack for finding open spaces as it is.
One argument against Meier and Briscoe putting up bigger numbers this year is that opposing defenses will be keying on them more this year. I’m not completely buying that. It was very apparent to all of KU’s opponents last year that those 2 guys were Reesing’s primary targets and Big 12 defenses still had trouble containing them. Then again, the Big 12 wasn’t exactly known for its defense last year.
Regarding Briscoe and the NFL: I will not be surprised if this is Dezmon’s final year at KU; however, I don’t think it’s a lock that he’ll be playing on Sundays. He doesn’t have the blazing speed the pros like and I think he needs to show more consistency with his hands. He has good size and great athleticism which allows him to make some phenomenal catches but he still drops too many easy ones (though not as bad as Marcus Henry was at times). After he’s drafted, it will be interesting to see how he responds to pro style defenses with corners that jam him at the line of scrimmage. You don’t see a lot of that in college. I guess we’ll hear a lot more about what the pro scouts think of him later in the season.
Now you're just trying to give us reasons...
…to make us think you’re the REAL Lew.
I was on a flight to Dallas last summer with Reesing and asked him how KU was going to replace Derek Fine. His answer was "Oh, we’ll think of something."
Did that happen to be a charter flight of some kind?
OH THE INTRIGUE.
by tequilaprophet on Jun 23, 2009 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Ha Ha
I should have worded that sentence a little differently. We were on the same flight but I don’t mean to imply we were traveling together. Coincidentally (or not) we were also on the same flight back to KC the next day. Oddly, he was wearing the same clothes as the day before.
seriously....
the unbelievable coincidences that seem to occur with you Lew are one to make a man wonder…have any insight into the current KU athletic audit…hopefully nothing like K-State?
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
you may be right about Briscoe
I tend to see Plaxico Burress when I look at him, though, without the gun charges
by I need more Esteban on Jun 24, 2009 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions
I dunno
I could see Briscoe hauling in a few more TDs, but those numbers are pretty high in catches. I agree with everybody that I think we’ll try to run a bit more, last year before the Colorado game (when Sharp broke out a bit as a workhorse back and had I believe 30 plus carries), we had all but abandoned running the ball (South Florida game, anyone?). Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if Wilson starts to get heavily in the mix, he showed a few breakout flashes of talent last year, and was real good in the Spring game.
As for TE, Fine was good but does anyone remember how many passes he dropped? Nebraska game, endzone….ouch. I feel that Meier success has somewhat decreased our use of a TE, as he usually runs the shorter 5-8 yard routes for first downs TE ran (I was a TE in my football days, so awesome to run 5 yards and get drilled by a LB). Biere was a 4 star recruit I believe, and it looked like he has good hands and toughness in a couple flashes last year, so it’d be great to get him more involved, or Steward.
Biere...
earned a lot of trust from the staff last year and played pretty regularly late last season although primarily as a blocker. However I do think this year we’ll see him used much more in the role that we saw Fine. Not quite to that production level but he will continue to see an increased roll.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
Bringing in a little bit of a new discussion piece related to this
This will surely be covered when we delve into the WR preview later this summer but is there anyone besides the big 2 + Wilson that people see being a 4th and 5th receiving option?
There are virtually no one else besides the big 3 that are still around who did much receiving last season, as Dexton Fields graduated.
Here are some options according to the roster on KUsports.com, write down any I miss:
SR: Raimond Pendleton
Jr: Reece Petty
So: Willie O’Quinn
So: Daymond Patterson (still listed at WR, he is officially a CB now, though, correct?)
Jr: Rod Harris
Fr: Patrick Schilling (who?)
Jr: Tertavian Ingram
Incoming Freshman:
Erick McGriff
Chris Omigie
D.J. Beshears (listed at WR but rumored to be trying out DB when he committed)
Bradley McDougald (listed as DB but rumored to be trying out WR when he committed)
So that is not a lot of experience coming back, but quite a bit of expectations from recruits coming in. If McDougald is indeed going to play WR I say you’ve got to put him in the mix based on his high ranking. After that, I think it’s a battle between McGriff and Omigie to get the other chance at WR.
As far as the guys coming back, Pendleton will probably get a shot since he’s been around for awhile. I’ve heard people mention Rod Harris before also. I’m looking at Tartavian Ingram, though. It seems like he’s been around for awhile since we recruited him out of Florida. I’m hoping he steps up in his junior season.
So first 6 receivers, I’ll go:
Briscoe
Meier
Wilson
Pendleton
MacDougald
McGriff
Who you guys got?
by I need more Esteban on Jun 24, 2009 12:36 PM CDT reply actions
Freshmen WRs
Like you, I expect to see at least one of the incoming freshmen in the WR rotation. Maybe not to start the season, but perhaps by the time conference play starts. My guess would be McDougald is the leading candidate.
What KU really needs is another slot receiver behind (or with) Meier to replace Fields. Patterson would be great for that role (see La. Tech game last year) but I don’t see him playing offense – at least not until other DB’s show they can cover someone better than Daymond. Omigie and McGriff are both tall (6’4" – 6’5" range) and are probably better suited for the flanker position. McDougald at 6’2" is probably better suited for the slot receiver position.
I would have definitely put Harris in the rotation but I believe he hurt a knee in the spring. Not sure the extent of the injury though.
If Pendleton or Ingram is ever going to step up and show they belong on the field, now is the time. They’ve both been in the program long enough to know what’s expected. When Ingram signed with KU I thought he would eventually become a big contributor at the WR position. I’m a bit disappointed that hasn’t occurred yet.
One thing we’ve seen from this coaching staff is that they have no problem moving players around. For all we know, there may be a guy playing DB now that becomes a WR during the season.
I'm...
Still sticking by AJ Steward not as a TE but in the backup role to a Kerry Meier type. After that there have been very positive words coming out on McGriff and I think everyone thinks McDougald has the potential as well.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
There was a lot of talk also...
that Rod Harris had a great redshirt year and was a name to watch for but if I’m not mistaken he may have had a fairly serious injury over the offseason that might slow his progress.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
Well looks like
the high expections continue with this poll question.
Not very many votes on this one, but both exceeding last year’s numbers wins the poll. Should be tough.
by I need more Esteban on Jun 30, 2009 12:16 PM CDT reply actions
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