Kickoff week did not bring a great showing for the league's Tight End group. The position has been one of the hardest to solidify, with many talented players struggling to put together consistent impact performances. Whether it's because teams don't have a plan for their TE, or the players still haven't figured out their own strengths and weaknesses on the field, so far nobody at the position has stepped out as a true top target like you see in the NFL. Since there are 8 teams, I will rank 8 Tight Ends.
1.) Carmel Gibson
| 6 Rec | 53 Yds | 1 TD | 1 PCK |
There can really be no doubt that Carmel Gibson stood out this week with a great performance. He was the man for Scrub Kyubee as the Hawks had a rough day on offense and gave up a loss to the expansion Legion. He did have 3 dropped passes, so you have to ask whether this performance could have been even better, but I doubt the Hawks are complaining as they have bigger fish to fry. If Gibson can bring this every week, he'll set a new bar at the position, but that would be a tall feat for the rookie.
2.) George Wright Jr.
| 5 Rec | 27 Yds | 0 TD | 4 PCK |
There were few surprises this game, as both teams brought more of the same and got the same results. George Wright was no different, as he ended up with 27 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns, and a good blocking game which helped Jekins and Bowers put up 161 yards of rushing. He did give up a sack, but Winchester gave up two of his own. If he can continue to improve as a receiver and remain consistent, Wright will have a good season as the Otters' Swiss Army Knife.
3.) Gabriel Tenzini
| 4 Rec | 26 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
Expectations are high for Tenzini this year as he won the league's best TE honor last season. So far he has been a little underwhelming, as he has not made many strides of improvement over the offseason. Oddly enough Tenzini had just 4 catches on 8 targets, none of them were drops but he had three off target and one which resulted in a pick by Rafael Reyes. He will need to work on his chemistry with Josh Bercovici to get himself back to his old form this season.
4.) Break Bottles
| 3 Rec | 10 Yds | 1 TD | 2 PCK |
Break Bottles had a solid game as the SaberCats put a show on offense. Although he had only 3 receptions, it was on four targets and included a Touchdown which would eventually put the game out of reach for Philadelphia. Bottles also added in the run game as the Cats tried to run out the clock as best as they could. Bottles needs to stretch the field more and use his height to bring in contested catches, but even if he can't do that he should settle into a role as one of the league's better journeymen.
5.) Joseph Tkachuk
| 4 Rec | 21 Yds | 0 TD | 2 PCK |
Tkachuk has become a solid blocker for the Outlaws, but doesn't impress much as a receiver. In a week where some of the league's flashy TE's fell flat, he looked good in comparison. Joseph had 4 catches on 4 targets and added a pair of pancake blocks which the team was in dire need of. Tkachuk is in for a quiet season, but if he can build on games like this the Outlaws will be happy to have him on the roster.
6.) Ricky Maddox
| 2 Rec | 8 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
Maddox is known for being a chain-mover on the Wraiths, but couldn't bring that to the team this week. He had a quiet week as the Wraiths coasted to a comfortable win over the Yeti. Maddox only caught two passes, one of which was a first down. He also delivered a pancake, which were plentiful for the team despite their horrible rushing performance. To put it simply, Chris Orosz didn't really need him as he had no trouble finding Smallwood and Garden for huge gains. Maddox will not let this hold him down, and he has all the talent to put two games worth of stats in one to bounce back.
7.) Rich Gucci
| 2 Rec | 12 Yds | 0 TD | 0 PCK |
Gucci did very little for the Yeti as Noble struggled to put together a good performance. He had a good moment in the Fourth Quarter, hauling in both of his receptions back to back to put the Yeti in goal to go, but they couldn't deliver on the good position. Gucci has the speed and hands to be an impact player in the open field, so you can expect him to bounce back from this poor start.
8.) Paul DiMirio
| 2 Rec | 10 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
DiMirio was the darling of the Season 2 draft, impressing teams with his pre-draft talk and ending up going in the third round along with fellow TE gone LB Perry Tucker. The Liberty had no trouble generating offense, but fell victim to the SaberCats' occasional tendency to put a ton of points on the board. DiMirio had a rough day with just 2 catches on 8 targets, adding on a penalty and a fumble which he luckily recovered. He will need discipline and some thick skin this season, as it will be a long road to the playoffs for the fledgling Liberty.
After one week, it's simply too early to tell where the cards will fall for these Tight Ends. Players like Gucci, DiMirio, and Maddox hope to become favorite targets for their QBs, while the pressure will be on Carmel Gibson to reproduce his performance this week and help deliver a win for the Hawks. Who do you think will bounce back to have a good performance in Week 2? Who is in for a rough ride next week? Personally, I feel that Maddox will recover at home against a SaberCats team that can struggle on defense, and DiMirio will be in for another rough day against the Outlaws.
Mentions:
@[Sexual Earwax] - Carmel Gibson
Myself - George Wright Jr.
@princekyle - Gabriel Tenzini
@Blake Bortles - Break Bottles
@Theo667 - Joseph Tkachuk
@SimmerDownBruhh - Ricky Maddox
@`7Sports` - Rich Gucci
@124715 - Paul DiMirio
1.) Carmel Gibson
| 6 Rec | 53 Yds | 1 TD | 1 PCK |
There can really be no doubt that Carmel Gibson stood out this week with a great performance. He was the man for Scrub Kyubee as the Hawks had a rough day on offense and gave up a loss to the expansion Legion. He did have 3 dropped passes, so you have to ask whether this performance could have been even better, but I doubt the Hawks are complaining as they have bigger fish to fry. If Gibson can bring this every week, he'll set a new bar at the position, but that would be a tall feat for the rookie.
2.) George Wright Jr.
| 5 Rec | 27 Yds | 0 TD | 4 PCK |
There were few surprises this game, as both teams brought more of the same and got the same results. George Wright was no different, as he ended up with 27 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns, and a good blocking game which helped Jekins and Bowers put up 161 yards of rushing. He did give up a sack, but Winchester gave up two of his own. If he can continue to improve as a receiver and remain consistent, Wright will have a good season as the Otters' Swiss Army Knife.
3.) Gabriel Tenzini
| 4 Rec | 26 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
Expectations are high for Tenzini this year as he won the league's best TE honor last season. So far he has been a little underwhelming, as he has not made many strides of improvement over the offseason. Oddly enough Tenzini had just 4 catches on 8 targets, none of them were drops but he had three off target and one which resulted in a pick by Rafael Reyes. He will need to work on his chemistry with Josh Bercovici to get himself back to his old form this season.
4.) Break Bottles
| 3 Rec | 10 Yds | 1 TD | 2 PCK |
Break Bottles had a solid game as the SaberCats put a show on offense. Although he had only 3 receptions, it was on four targets and included a Touchdown which would eventually put the game out of reach for Philadelphia. Bottles also added in the run game as the Cats tried to run out the clock as best as they could. Bottles needs to stretch the field more and use his height to bring in contested catches, but even if he can't do that he should settle into a role as one of the league's better journeymen.
5.) Joseph Tkachuk
| 4 Rec | 21 Yds | 0 TD | 2 PCK |
Tkachuk has become a solid blocker for the Outlaws, but doesn't impress much as a receiver. In a week where some of the league's flashy TE's fell flat, he looked good in comparison. Joseph had 4 catches on 4 targets and added a pair of pancake blocks which the team was in dire need of. Tkachuk is in for a quiet season, but if he can build on games like this the Outlaws will be happy to have him on the roster.
6.) Ricky Maddox
| 2 Rec | 8 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
Maddox is known for being a chain-mover on the Wraiths, but couldn't bring that to the team this week. He had a quiet week as the Wraiths coasted to a comfortable win over the Yeti. Maddox only caught two passes, one of which was a first down. He also delivered a pancake, which were plentiful for the team despite their horrible rushing performance. To put it simply, Chris Orosz didn't really need him as he had no trouble finding Smallwood and Garden for huge gains. Maddox will not let this hold him down, and he has all the talent to put two games worth of stats in one to bounce back.
7.) Rich Gucci
| 2 Rec | 12 Yds | 0 TD | 0 PCK |
Gucci did very little for the Yeti as Noble struggled to put together a good performance. He had a good moment in the Fourth Quarter, hauling in both of his receptions back to back to put the Yeti in goal to go, but they couldn't deliver on the good position. Gucci has the speed and hands to be an impact player in the open field, so you can expect him to bounce back from this poor start.
8.) Paul DiMirio
| 2 Rec | 10 Yds | 0 TD | 1 PCK |
DiMirio was the darling of the Season 2 draft, impressing teams with his pre-draft talk and ending up going in the third round along with fellow TE gone LB Perry Tucker. The Liberty had no trouble generating offense, but fell victim to the SaberCats' occasional tendency to put a ton of points on the board. DiMirio had a rough day with just 2 catches on 8 targets, adding on a penalty and a fumble which he luckily recovered. He will need discipline and some thick skin this season, as it will be a long road to the playoffs for the fledgling Liberty.
After one week, it's simply too early to tell where the cards will fall for these Tight Ends. Players like Gucci, DiMirio, and Maddox hope to become favorite targets for their QBs, while the pressure will be on Carmel Gibson to reproduce his performance this week and help deliver a win for the Hawks. Who do you think will bounce back to have a good performance in Week 2? Who is in for a rough ride next week? Personally, I feel that Maddox will recover at home against a SaberCats team that can struggle on defense, and DiMirio will be in for another rough day against the Outlaws.
Code:
Word Count: 1075Mentions:
@[Sexual Earwax] - Carmel Gibson
Myself - George Wright Jr.
@princekyle - Gabriel Tenzini
@Blake Bortles - Break Bottles
@Theo667 - Joseph Tkachuk
@SimmerDownBruhh - Ricky Maddox
@`7Sports` - Rich Gucci
@124715 - Paul DiMirio
![[Image: C7zrKWj.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/C7zrKWj.jpg)
![[Image: USs0IGI.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/USs0IGI.jpg)
