Ace Sanders released by Jaguars

[NYJetsVets91]

Possible punt or kick returner pickup?...

 

----

 

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said that return man Ace Sanders was having a "very good" offseason in late May. On Friday, the team released the third-year player.

Sanders was drafted in the fourth round in 2013, and was expected to be a gadget player for theJaguars. At 5'7 and 176 pounds, he never caught on as a difference-making returner. The news comes as a surprise; the Florida Times-Union projected Sanders to make the team as a punt returner.

Sanders was suspended four games to open the 2014 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, and had a hard time finding snaps in Jacksonville's young receiver group. Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns and rookie Rashad Greene should be the top four receivers on the team this season.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000502360/article/jacksonville-jaguars-release-ace-sanders

[joewilly12]

Id rather sign Ace Frehley besides aren't we also crowded at the WR position

 

[flgreen]

Id rather sign Ace Frehley besides aren't we also crowded at the WR position

 

 

Jets are very crowded at WR.   Problem is they don't have a punt returner.

 

I'd bring him in for a 0 guaranteed look. 

[Gastineau Lives]

Funny, I distinctly remember someone lamenting giving up a fourth rounder for Chris Ivory and not being able to draft this guy. Wish I could necro that thread.

[Jet9]

How about the Ace of Spades?

Lemmy at OLB would be worth a look.

[Jet9]

How about the Ace of Spades?

Lemmy at OLB would be worth a look.

[Ghost]

I think we're set at WR. I think we'll carry 7 this season.

[NYJetsVets91]

I think we're set at WR. I think we'll carry 7 this season.

 

We're definitely set at WR, although we don't have any real locks for PR/KR... Sanders is a return specialist and he can also make plays, he had a decent rookie season with 50 receptions and almost 500 yards. Only going into his third season... I think he'd be a good guy to bring in for camp to try out at PR/KR.

[Patriot Killa]

I also think we are set at WR. But KR/PR has been a major problem when finding someone who can take it to the house permanently. Too many flip flopping between below average PR/KR. Harvin was good... For 7 games. I would sign Sanders for that one purpose if he can consistently get the job done. We will definitely need good field position. That stat is very underrated but teams with anemic offenses need it.

[TuscanyTile2]

Ace Sanders?  Now that's a cool football player name!  Sign this beast.

[peekskill68]

Something about signing a player from the trash heap from a team with less talent than us just seems wrong...

[Ghost]

We're definitely set at WR, although we don't have any real locks for PR/KR... Sanders is a return specialist and he can also make plays, he had a decent rookie season with 50 receptions and almost 500 yards. Only going into his third season... I think he'd be a good guy to bring in for camp to try out at PR/KR.

This is the way I see it:

Marshall

Decker

Smith

Kerley

Owusu

Evans

1 more WR.

[drdetroit]

Ace Sanders? Now that's a cool football player name! Sign this beast.

Sounds like a name from that awful 80's football tv show on HBO 1st and 10.

[NYJetsVets91]

Would you guys really be satisfied with a Hakim/Kerley tandem?

[jetfuel]

Sounds like a name from that awful 80's football tv show on HBO 1st and 10.

Bring TD Parker to the Jets!!!! He has a great cutting and slashing running style

[drdetroit]

Bring TD Parker to the Jets!!!! He has a great cutting and slashing running style

Hey man OJ was framed Stephen A told me.

[Rexorcism]

Id rather sign Ace Frehley besides aren't we also crowded at the WR position

 

Recently heard Ace can still run a 4.5...Sign me up

[Larz]

wasn't ace ventura a dolphin fan ?

[joewilly12]

This is the way I see it:

Marshall

Decker

Smith

Kerley

Owusu

Evans

1 more WR.

Posey

[Obrien2Toon]

Sounds like a name from that awful 80's football tv show on HBO 1st and 10.

loved that show

[pdxgreen]

Who wants to live in a world where a guy named Ace can't make it as a punt returner?! Mac, you know what to do!

[FSU_Jet]

SIGN THIS BEAST!!!!!!

 

See, I'm part of the cool club who gets to say "sign this beast". That makes me cool, right?

[BurnleyJet]

SIGN THIS BEAST!!!!!!

See, I'm part of the cool club who gets to say "sign this beast". That makes me cool, right?

Is T0m Shane in this club...

[Sperm Edwards]

We're definitely set at WR, although we don't have any real locks for PR/KR... Sanders is a return specialist and he can also make plays, he had a decent rookie season with 50 receptions and almost 500 yards. Only going into his third season... I think he'd be a good guy to bring in for camp to try out at PR/KR.

The whole premise behind the release is the team that drafted him to fill those roles thinks he stinks at it and any upside he may have isn't worth whatever other baggage of his that the team must carry.

Sanders has been a sucky PR, who doesn't return KOs (he is NOT a PR/KR returner; he's just a PR), and has no value to this Jets team as a receiver (and 484 yds on almost 90 targets isn't really any good anyway). And the GM/HC combo that drafted and coached him - and unlike the Jets, Jacksonville could actually use receiver help on offense - want nothing more to do with him.

[#27TheDominator]

The whole premise behind the release is the team that drafted him to fill those roles thinks he stinks at it and any upside he may have isn't worth whatever other baggage of his that the team must carry.

Sanders has been a sucky PR, who doesn't return KOs (he is NOT a PR/KR returner; he's just a PR), and has no value to this Jets team as a receiver (and 484 yds on almost 90 targets isn't really any good anyway). And the GM/HC combo that drafted and coached him - and unlike the Jets, Jacksonville could actually use receiver help on offense - want nothing more to do with him.

 

I actually liked him coming out of SC.  He had very few drops in college.  I thought he had an excellent catch rate there, but it may just have been lack of drops.  He came out early ran poorly and dropped.  People were surprised that he came out, but he may have been trying to avoid the WR heavy 2014 draft.  He had an excellent time on the long shuttle and I think his short shuttle time was good, so I thought he would be a good punt returner and a poor man's Tavon Austin/Percy Harvin/D'Anthony Thomas.  He had around 50 catches as a rookie, but they threw at him a bunch.  There was not much on the other side since Blackmon was injured and then suspended.  Basically Sanders was de facto #2 after Cecil Shorts.  Jags tried to load up on WRs and either something is wrong with him or Bortles didn't like him.  The kid is tiny and not particularly fast, but his rookie numbers stack up pretty well - from LIJetsFan's thread on 2nd round WRs:

. 

This is an average of 31 catches, 423 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

The medians are 25 catches, 375 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Sanders rookie year:  51 catches, 484 yards, and 1 touchdown.  He also threw a 20 yard TD.

 

Good chance that he is a head case and/or just not considered physically gifted enough.  Still only 23 years old though. The main issue is that he simply has not been that good as a punt returner and he regressed in his 2nd year.  Every year new gadget players come out.  His time might already be past.

[Sperm Edwards]

I actually liked him coming out of SC.  He had very few drops in college.  I thought he had an excellent catch rate there, but it may just have been lack of drops.  He came out early in a WR ran poorly and dropped.  He had an excellent time on the long shuttle and I think his short shuttle time was good, so I thought he would be a good punt returner and a poor man's Tavon Austin/Percy Harvin/D'Anthony Thomas.  He had around 50 catches as a rookie, but they threw at him a bunch.  There was not much on the other side since Blackmon was injured and then suspended.  Basically Sanders was de facto #2 after Cecil Shorts.  Jags tried to load up on WRs and either something is wrong with him or Bortles didn't like him.  The kid is tiny and not particularly fast, but his rookie numbers stack up pretty well - from LIJetsFan's thread on 2nd round WRs:

. 

This is an average of 31 catches, 423 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

The medians are 25 catches, 375 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Sanders rookie year:  51 catches, 484 yards, and 1 touchdown.  He also threw a 20 yard TD.

 

Good chance that he is a head case and/or just not considered physically gifted enough.  Still only 23 years old though. The main issue is that he simply has not been that good as a punt returner and he regressed in his 2nd year.  Every year new gadget players come out.  His time might already be past.

On paper he's averaged 6.4 yards per punt return, which is not only bad but also misleading in his favor.

First, Fair Katch Kerley with his 8 yard PR avg does better than that now (and at the 2-year point in his career - where Sanders is now - he was averaging over 4 more yards per PR than Sanders).

Next, even that lousy average (aided by a 7.1 avg in 2014) is a little bit of a mirage. His best punt return in his career was mostly useless and was an unnecessary risk with a higher chance of failure than success no matter what the result was. A 23 yard punt return sounds really good until you find out it's only because he backpedaled to his own 3 yard line to catch a long punt that outkicked the coverage (rather than a short/high one with increased risk of bouncing forward). He could have - and should have - just let it go into the EZ and they would have started on the 20 instead of the 23. Not a big deal for the team (23 vs 20 yard line) but his risk of getting tackled inside the 20 was high. And in the end, this significant risk/insignificant result return upped his PR average by a half yard per return on the season.

Since it's supremely likely he was coached to let a punt go if it's that deep, it speaks to his ability (or willingness) to take or listen to coaching, which you alluded to. Let someone else waste time on him this year. Assuming he's even in the league and not suspended again. If that pans out for someone else, then goody for them.

Absent that 1 return that he was surely instructed not to catch in that situation, his average on the year was 6.6 not 7.1. His "real" returns, other than that one, add up to a 6.1 average for his 2 year career (he doesn't really average a little bit of that 23 yarder on every return). And this is his one specialty area of supposed prowess and upside. Not that 6.4 (or 7.1) is acceptable in the first place for a player who is granted a roster spot just to do this one thing.

He's not a receiver (certainly wouldn't be for the Jets), not a kick returner, and his one duty - punt returning - he is terrible at it, and won't marches to his own drum rather than those of the coaches. I have little doubt he is physically gifted (for his size). But that isn't enough, and as you say, these types of players come out every year. We just drafted one last year ourselves, and he got cut from 2 more teams after we dumped him.

I have to believe Jacksonville didn't cut him for no reason.

[SouthernJet]

On paper he's averaged 6.4 yards per punt return, which is not only bad but also misleading in his favor.

First, Fair Katch Kerley with his 8 yard PR avg does better than that now (and at the 2-year point in his career - where Sanders is now - he was averaging over 4 more yards per PR than Sanders).

Next, even that lousy average (aided by a 7.1 avg in 2014) is a little bit of a mirage. His best punt return in his career was mostly useless and was an unnecessary risk with a higher chance of failure than success no matter what the result was. A 23 yard punt return sounds really good until you find out it's only because he backpedaled to his own 3 yard line to catch a long punt that outkicked the coverage (rather than a short/high one with increased risk of bouncing forward). He could have - and should have - just let it go into the EZ and they would have started on the 20 instead of the 23. Not a big deal for the team (23 vs 20 yard line) but his risk of getting tackled inside the 20 was high. And in the end, this significant risk/insignificant result return upped his PR average by a half yard per return on the season.

Since it's supremely likely he was coached to let a punt go if it's that deep, it speaks to his ability (or willingness) to take or listen to coaching, which you alluded to. Let someone else waste time on him this year. Assuming he's even in the league and not suspended again. If that pans out for someone else, then goody for them.

Absent that 1 return that he was surely instructed not to catch in that situation, his average on the year was 6.6 not 7.1. His "real" returns, other than that one, add up to a 6.1 average for his 2 year career (he doesn't really average a little bit of that 23 yarder on every return). And this is his one specialty area of supposed prowess and upside. Not that 6.4 (or 7.1) is acceptable in the first place for a player who is granted a roster spot just to do this one thing.

He's not a receiver (certainly wouldn't be for the Jets), not a kick returner, and his one duty - punt returning - he is terrible at it, and won't marches to his own drum rather than those of the coaches. I have little doubt he is physically gifted (for his size). But that isn't enough, and as you say, these types of players come out every year. We just drafted one last year ourselves, and he got cut from 2 more teams after we dumped him.

I have to believe Jacksonville didn't cut him for no reason.

LOL, 'Fair Catch Kerley',,, funny but true........

[#27TheDominator]

I have to believe Jacksonville didn't cut him for no reason.

 

That is what really makes you shake your head.  I'm sure he would be a bubble player, but it is awfully early to cut ties.  He had a substance abuse suspension which may be an issue.  During mini-camp they were talking him up big time which was probably an attempt to get a late round pick for him, but ended up cutting him outright less than a month later.  Something is up..

[Sperm Edwards]

LOL, 'Fair Catch Kerley',,, funny but true........

It's really the only knock on him as a returner. His PR average isn't great but it isn't hurting. More likely when he's actually returning it the results are as good as needed, minus the 1-2 per year he's not breaking 50-80 yards. Like 2 years ago he posted an 8.8 average and his longest return was 24. So I'd take that over someone with 9.1 and had 1 PR of 75 yards, since it means the balance of the 3-4 dozen returns were generally worse than Kerley. Sure it really helps to get a return like that, but in the end it's 1 return in 1 game. It helps on one play, which isn't what an "average" stat is supposed to be cluing us in on.

I'm totally fine with upgrading at PR if there's an upgrade, but if we set aside a roster spot for a returner who does just this one thing, he should at least do it better than the guy we already have. Actually that (single job) slot should be a top 5-10 PR if that's all we're getting out of his roster spot (an in particular, an active gameday roster spot). Not someone else's project who failed miserably in his alleged area of prowess, but has also shown extreme stupidity + awful judgment on and off the field.

With his (supposed) innate talent, Sanders's career need not be over, but he's fast on his way there already. Sure he's an all upside guy but that's only because he's only shown downside thus far for 2 years. Let someone else waste roster spots and practice time on him and those like him. If/when we take longshots on players, they should at least be hungry and appreciative of the opportunity. Sanders sounds nothing like this.

[Sperm Edwards]

That is what really makes you shake your head.  I'm sure he would be a bubble player, but it is awfully early to cut ties.  He had a substance abuse suspension which may be an issue.  During mini-camp they were talking him up big time which was probably an attempt to get a late round pick for him, but ended up cutting him outright less than a month later.  Something is up..

Agree. I mean they didn't even want to wait 2 weeks to see him in a single full contact drill or practice.

It's unusual for someone who is "the goods" and who can be had so cheaply/easily to just get cut like that for no good reason. Particularly from a franchise so starved for talent. Talent that Sanders would theoretically seem to have.

[#27TheDominator]

Agree. I mean they didn't even want to wait 2 weeks to see him in a single full contact drill or practice.

It's unusual for someone who is "the goods" and who can be had so cheaply/easily to just get cut like that for no good reason. Particularly from a franchise so starved for talent. Talent that Sanders would theoretically seem to have.

 

Yep.

 

 

ESPN Jaguars reporter Mike DiRocco said Ace Sanders has been "the talk of OTAs."

DiRocco said Sanders is "catching everything in sight." This is the second positive report we've heard on Sanders in the last week. Behind Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns, and possibly Rashad Greene, Sanders isn't guaranteed a roster spot. The 23-year-old was a non-factor last season, catching just 6-of-8 targets for 55 yards. He's competing for the slot receiver job. Jun 7 - 10:42

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/8528/ace-sanders

 

This is typical in an attempt to get a late pick before you cut somebody, but still...  Awful early.