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Stephen Hill Expects a "Breakout" Year 3


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With job on the line, Stephen Hill expects fewer ‘issues’ in Year 3

June 17, 2014 | 7:25pm

 
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Stephen Hill catches a pass during practice last week.Photo: Bill Kostroun

Stephen Hill swears he tunes out the criticism.

The third-year Jets wide receiver said he pays no attention to the critics who call him a bust, say he can’t catch or question whether he ever will be a productive NFL receiver.

“Whatever people say, that’s their opinion,” Hill said. “I’ve got to go out there and run the route and catch the ball. It’s all on me. I’m basically my biggest critic.”

Hill has become a popular target for Jets fans after two disappointing seasons. He hasbattled knee injuries andinconsistency and struggled to live up to the expectations of a second-round pick in the 2012 draft out of Georgia Tech.

Hill has just 45 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns in the two seasons. Both have ended with him on injured reserve thanks to balky knees.

“They didn’t go as I planned, of course,” Hill said. “I planned to do even more than I did, but the injuries were a problem. If I didn’t have those, it was just learning. That’s basically what it really was, a learning curve the last two years. I definitely should be able to break that and get on to it.”

The Jets handed Hill a starting job in his first two years, but this season he has to fight for a roster spot. The Jets added wide receivers Eric Decker and Jacoby Ford in free agency then drafted Jalen Saunders, Shaq Evans and Quincy Enunwa. David Nelson, Jeremy Kerley and Clyde Gates are back from last season. The only receivers who are sure to make the team are Decker and Kerley. Everyone else is battling for roster spots and playing time.

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Stephen Hill talks about his offseason with reporters on Tuesday.Photo: Bill Kostroun

Coach Rex Ryan seemed reluctant to discuss Hill when asked about him Tuesday, but said Hill knows he is going to have to win a job.

“He’s got more experience so I think that’s going to help, obviously,” Ryan said. “I think he feels healthy, so that’s positive. He knows there’s nothing given. Nothing’s assured about guys’ roles right now. He knows the competition is on him.”

Hill is just 23 years old, so there still is time for him to develop. The key will be staying healthy. He had knee surgery two years ago then was sidelined last year when his left knee continued to swell. Hill spent this offseason working with doctors to strengthen the knee and the muscles around it. He said he feels they have solved the problem.

“Right now I definitely feel 100 percent,” Hill said. “I don’t have any issues.”

Hill has looked impressive during OTAs and the first day of the team’s mini-camp on Tuesday. While many of the receivers, including Decker, had some bad drops, Hill made plays all over the field. The nicest play of the day was a deep pass on which he beat cornerback Dimitri Patterson.

“Stephen’s looked good so far,” wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal said. “He’s healthy. His body control has been good. He’s been catching the ball well. He’s caught some balls contested in traffic. It’s a very good start.”

It is now or never for Hill. He said this year is no different than any other, but it is clear the Jets are running out of patience and want to see results.

“Every year is critical,” Hill said. “I fight for my job every day, every single day. That’s every day.”

 

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last shot w/Jets is this year IMHO, maybe even gets cut if he doesnt 'do it' when it counts vs opposing team in preseason games.

 

I don't think he is going anywhere till the end of his rookie contract. He has to pull something like a Joe Mcknight kindda training camp to even be considered for being cut.

 

Reasons being, firstly he does not cost much on a rookie contract. So keeping him around for couple of seasons does not hurt.

 

Secondly if he gets his act together he has a potential to be a game changer. And the offense does not have too many of those. We did draft 3 WR's but none of them may contribute to the offense in the first year. Saunders will have to figure out a way to get of the line of scrimmage consistently against press coverage without being rerouted, Evans has to get  a decent pair of hands because in college he dropped some absolute sitters and Enunwa has to learn how to run routes. Does not sound too promising.

 

We did add Decker and that is the only surefire upgrade in our receiving corps. So i do not see Stephen Hill going anywhere.

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Three years, really?  His entire college career and nfl experience hasn't resulted in effectivness by now?

Really?  Come on.

 

WRs taking until their 3rd season to become an impactful NFL WR is, and has been, pretty much the norm for decades. 

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last shot w/Jets is this year IMHO, maybe even gets cut if he doesnt 'do it' when it counts vs opposing team in preseason games.

 

I think he just has to show that he's on the right track.  He doesn't necessarily have to turn into a finished product this year.  You almost have to treat this year as a hybrid rookie/1st year with him because he was so raw (and then because of the injuries last year). The injuries you can't figure on, but being so raw is why it's not typically smart to take these guys with a top 40 pick.  Projects are for later rounds (or 3rd-4th round if they look SO fantastic now & then on film).  But a 2nd round pick - particularly a high one, even more so when you give up another pick to move up even higher to get him - is too high a price for a guy who you expect next to nothing until year 3.  

 

If he starts to turn the corner this year, and then fully gets it in year 4 or beyond, then fine.  But the problem is the team loses out while waiting because they have to keep a roster spot for a guy who isn't contributing much, not to mention the producing-player they could have taken with the same pick(s).  There's also the danger of the team losing patience and moving on instead of giving him a full 3-4 years to get it together, because the only thing worse than using the picks on him and wasting 2 years on him is doing the same but wasting 4 years instead.

 

It's hardly unprecedented for a guy to do little the first 3-4 years and then become a stud WR.  But it's also not the norm.  Most guys who suck horribly their first 2 years continue to suck.  

 

I hope he gets it. He does seem like a good kid, and we don't exactly have a dozen WRs on the roster who are 6'4 and can run a sub-4.4 forty.

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I think a great deal depends on the knee.  If we believe the knee was bad and is now better I expect a pretty big jump.  It's common around here to act like there was no improvement from year 1 to year 2, but I think he improved significantly.  It is common to say that he fell off a cliff after the concussion (Titans week 4) or getting drilled by Polamalu (Steelers week 6), but the fact is, his production didn't drop off until the Saints game (week 9).  

 

If you go through the first 8 and throw out the TItans game (he was KO'ed pretty early and had zero catches - he averaged around 3.25 and 48 yards per game.  Extrapolated over 16 that would be 52 and 777.  Not great numbers but a very nice progression from 2012.  You also have to consider that he had almost nothing across from him and that Mornhinweg had specifically said that due to injuries to all the other WRs they were riding him too hard in practice.  

 

If his drop off in production was due to the knee and it is better I think we can expect some decent numbers out of him.  50 and 800 would be great.  43 and 500 was enough to have everybody go into full on BJ mode over Kerley.  Extend Kerley now!!! How will we be able to afford him in 2015?!?! 

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I do think he'll break out...but the truth is, the Jets dont necessarily need him to put up break out type numbers.  Dont get me wrong, it would be an incredible lift for the team if he became a legit #1, but I dont think its unfair to say that will never happen.

 

What they need him to be is a deep threat.  Someone who can truly take the top off and push the safeties back.  Between Decker, Kerley, Nelson, Cumberland, Saunders, Amaro and Johnson...the Jets are going to be able to move the chains in the air with competent QB play.  If Hill could be the Jets version of a Robert Meachem, the offense actually could be pretty good.

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I think a great deal depends on the knee.  If we believe the knee was bad and is now better I expect a pretty big jump.  It's common around here to act like there was no improvement from year 1 to year 2, but I think he improved significantly.  It is common to say that he fell off a cliff after the concussion (Titans week 4) or getting drilled by Polamalu (Steelers week 6), but the fact is, his production didn't drop off until the Saints game (week 9).  

 

If you go through the first 8 and throw out the TItans game (he was KO'ed pretty early and had zero catches - he averaged around 3.25 and 48 yards per game.  Extrapolated over 16 that would be 52 and 777.  Not great numbers but a very nice progression from 2012.  You also have to consider that he had almost nothing across from him and that Mornhinweg had specifically said that due to injuries to all the other WRs they were riding him too hard in practice.  

 

If his drop off in production was due to the knee and it is better I think we can expect some decent numbers out of him.  50 and 800 would be great.  43 and 500 was enough to have everybody go into full on BJ mode over Kerley.  Extend Kerley now!!! How will we be able to afford him in 2015?!?! 

 

Agreed.  I thought he showed last season he can play.  The injuries just killed him.

 

I could see him going for like 40-50/600-700/2-4 16ypc, something like that.

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Keep in mind this kid will be 23 when the season starts.  He is the same age as most of the rookies.  He's from a college O that just didn't throw the ball.  He is having a nice offseason.

 

IMO, if he can stay healthy, he will be the #2 WR, and put up very nice #'s 

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From an article by Cimini

 

 

3. Another Hill to climb: WR Stephen Hill, who could be fighting for his roster spot, finished with a terrific practice. This was a positive offseason for Hill, who needed a jolt after a second straight disappointing season. He worked with the starting base offense, withDavid Nelson replacing him in some three-receiver packages. Nelson, too, looked sharp, hauling in two completions from Smith. Unlike past years, the Jets actually have some depth at receiver. It'll be interesting to see which players separate from the pack in training camp.

 

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/jets/post/_/id/40055/practice-report-couple-of-hiccups-for-geno

 

All three days of mini camp there have been notes by scribes on how improved Hill has looked

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From an article by Seth Walder NYDN

 

 

 

1. The race to be the Jets' No. 2 receiver has a long way to go, but Stephen Hill made a strong impression at minicamp. Not only did Hill perform on the field but he said all the right things in the locker room. He caught a lot of balls and didn’t have a drop. The rest of the picture is pretty murky: None of the three draft picks really stood out positively more than the others. Shaq Evans, back from finishing up a Scandinavian literature class at UCLA, had quite a few passes in his direction hit the ground. David Nelson also got some first-team work.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/learned-jets-minicamp-article-1.1838449#ixzz35HRyQ3V2

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From an article by Seth Walder NYDN

 

 

 

1. The race to be the Jets' No. 2 receiver has a long way to go, but Stephen Hill made a strong impression at minicamp. Not only did Hill perform on the field but he said all the right things in the locker room. He caught a lot of balls and didn’t have a drop. The rest of the picture is pretty murky: None of the three draft picks really stood out positively more than the others. Shaq Evans, back from finishing up a Scandinavian literature class at UCLA, had quite a few passes in his direction hit the ground. David Nelson also got some first-team work.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/learned-jets-minicamp-article-1.1838449#ixzz35HRyQ3V2

 

 

Please, please, please have Shane interview this kid. 

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From an article by Seth Walder NYDN

 

 

 

1. The race to be the Jets' No. 2 receiver has a long way to go, but Stephen Hill made a strong impression at minicamp. Not only did Hill perform on the field but he said all the right things in the locker room. He caught a lot of balls and didn’t have a drop. The rest of the picture is pretty murky: None of the three draft picks really stood out positively more than the others. Shaq Evans, back from finishing up a Scandinavian literature class at UCLA, had quite a few passes in his direction hit the ground. David Nelson also got some first-team work.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/learned-jets-minicamp-article-1.1838449#ixzz35HRyQ3V2

 

 

Please, please, please have Shane interview this kid. 

Wait....he missed early minicamp for a Scandinavian Literature class when he could have simply watched the 4th season of Game of Thrones???

 

Really? 

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Gotta' say, I don't have as much hate for Hill as a lot of folks do.  Looking at his situation coming out of college, I figured he'd be a project, albeit more productive up to this point.  However, I told myself it'd probably be 3 years before we see him start to make a real  impact.  If he hasn't made huge strides this season, then I'll be on board with the "bust" crowd.

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