The Emergence Of Enunwa In Jets Offensive Attack

[jetfuel]

Article about Enunwa w video highlight clips

The Emergence Of Enunwa In Jets Offensive Attack

If there is one thing that is quite apparent in today's NFL, it is that you can never have enough offensive weapons.  The complementary pieces to an offense, or a defense for that matter, often receive far too much scrutiny and not nearly enough credit. Not every member of a team needs to be a superstar, and it is often the role players that can provide you with that extra boost necessary to ascend above the competition. In a league where teams are so evenly matched, it is those with the most depth that rise to the top of the mountain.

One such role player on the New York Jets offense is Quincy Enunwa, a 6^th round pick out of Nebraska in the 2014 NFL Draft. Coming out of Nebraska’s traditionally run-heavy offense, Quincy did not post the gaudy numbers of receivers that played in wide-open spread systems, although he did get a lot of valuable experience as a blocker. He finished his college career with 115 catches for 1,526 yards and 15 TD’s. Enunwa did however accumulate 51 of those receptions for 753 yards and 12 TD’s during his senior year in 2013, giving him the all-time record for most receiving touchdowns in a season by a Cornhusker.

Video: Quincy Enunwa Nebraska Highlights

Serving as a team captain in 2013, Quincy was also named as the team’s Offensive MVP. Furthermore, he went on to finish his record-breaking season with Nebraska by grabbing four catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns, including a school-record 99-yard touchdown reception, in the team’s 24-19 Gator Bowl victory over Georgia. He was also a defensive pass interference penalty away from another potential 94-yard TD. Due to his extraordinary effort in the contest, Enunwa was awarded as the 2014 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl MVP.

Video: Quincy Enunwa 2014 Gator Bowl Highlights

Viewed as more of a developmental H-Back prospect coming out of college, and of course coming out of a run-first college system, Enunwa slipped to the 6^th round of the draft, where John Idzik made one of his rare successful picks after day one of the player selection process. Relegated to the practice field in his rookie season, the coaching staff worked hard to get Quincy acclimated to the NFL game, but were unable to find a way to work him into the offense.

Enunwa spent the 2014 season refining his skills, mostly on the practice squad, and went into the offseason with Chan Gailey and company, with a goal of learning the new system and carving himself a niche. When the new coaching staff had some time to closely evaluate their roster, they were able to find a use for his talent, and Quincy was ready to hit the field on Sundays.

Lining up mostly behind the line of scrimmage, in an H-Back role, the 6’2, 225-pound Enunwa managed to haul in 22 receptions for 315 yards on the season, making a few truly clutch catch-and-run plays down the stretch. He played an integral part in the run game throughout and expanded his role in the passing game as the season went on.

Video: Quincy Enunwa 2015 Jets Highlights

The season did not start out all that smoothly though. After not figuring into the offensive game plan in week 1, other than as a blocker, Enunwa had three ugly drops in the second game of the season against the Colts, to go along with a pedestrian three catches for 27 yards. He then had seven grabs for 67 yards in his next three games before serving a four game suspension for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, stemming from a domestic violence incident in 2014, of which the charges were eventually dropped.

Returning with a rejuvenated focus to his game, Quincy improved upon his hand-eye coordination, dropping only a handful of passes in his final seven contests. He also had 14 receptions for 221 yards during those games, which on the surface may not seem like much, but working behind Marshall and Decker, primarily a blocking role, it was enough to give the team a spark from time to time.

Working relentlessly to raise his level of performance, Enunwa awarded the team for their patience in him with a spectacular 24-yard catch-and-run on a third-and-14 that helped set up a game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys in Week 15. He also had a clutch 48-yard reception in the team’s 26-20 win over the Patriots in Week 16, which set up the game-deciding score in overtime.

Still a work in progress, Quincy has a long way to go in order to become a consistent weapon in the Jets offensive attack, but he has certainly proven to be a contributor with an unknown, yet promising upside. He has surely refined his route-running skills as well as his concentration on the ball in the air. And once he does get the ball in his hands, good luck getting him the ground, as he fights for every yard available to him with every ounce of his 225-pound being. Work still needs to be done, but Enunwa has shown that he is willing to put in the time and effort to get to where he needs to be.

Originally buried on the depth chart at the beginning of training camp, Quincy opened eyes and climbed his way up the ladder. He slowly but surely earned his way into the lineup, and has not looked back ever since. As time went on in the 2015 season, Chan Gailey found new and interesting ways to utilize his skills, and Chan is sure to discover even more innovative approaches to work Enunwa into the offensive plan going forward.

[Mainejet]

He drops the ball way too much. Whatever benefit he can bring to the table will be null and void if he cannot improve his ability to catch the ball. Quite frankly, he needs to make major strides next season.

[TuscanyTile2]

1 minute ago, Mainejet said:

He drops the ball way too much. Whatever benefit he can bring to the table will be null and void if he cannot improve his ability to catch the ball. Quite frankly, he needs to make major strides next season.

He does need to make strides but I'm a fan of his.  That run he made against New England in OT was with serious author-i-tay!

 

[Spoot-Face]

That 2015 Jets Highlights video is the best highlight video without a single TD for an NFL WR.

[Jetster]

Some players explode on the scene others get better with time like wine. With the right attitude & practice habits (I'm sure Brandon has helped), Quincy might turn into quite the beastly 3/4 WR. Especially if we draft a RB like Ezekial now that we signed Powell for another year. Shore up the RT spot & this team could have the best offense we've seen in forever.

[Shadetree]

Amaro 2.0....hands like feet.

That was a big, big drop on that middle screen in buffalo 

[Mainejet]

44 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

He does need to make strides but I'm a fan of his.  That run he made against New England in OT was with serious author-i-tay!

 

Ah, you got me there. Really, all year I was criticizing the guy saying, "What's the point of having him on the field? The guy can't catch a cold. But just like you, that catch and run to start off OT in NY was AWESOME.  A big time play in a big spot. That's when I started thinking... Wow! These guys Enunwa, Thompkins, and Powell are really making an enormous difference with this offense. To be honest, I think the emergence of Kenbrell Thompkins, Quincy Enunwa, and especially BILAL POWELL is what started us on that 5 game winning streak. Those guys really were paramount to us late in the season.

[jetfuel]

58 minutes ago, Jetster said:

Some players explode on the scene others get better with time like wine. With the right attitude & practice habits (I'm sure Brandon has helped), Quincy might turn into quite the beastly 3/4 WR. Especially if we draft a RB like Ezekial now that we signed Powell for another year. Shore up the RT spot & this team could have the best offense we've seen in forever.

They re-signed Powell?

[Colgateman]

1 hour ago, Mainejet said:

He drops the ball way too much. Whatever benefit he can bring to the table will be null and void if he cannot improve his ability to catch the ball. Quite frankly, he needs to make major strides next season.

Honestly, I agree. But there was also a guy named T.O who dropped the ball a lot too, or a guy named Chad Johnson, or Braylon Edwards, and also our very own BRandon Marshall has been top 5 in drops every season since he entered the leauge, can't write the man off yet

[Jet Nut]

1 hour ago, Mainejet said:

He drops the ball way too much. Whatever benefit he can bring to the table will be null and void if he cannot improve his ability to catch the ball. Quite frankly, he needs to make major strides next season.

Are a rag with everything in your life or just the Jets?

 

[UnitedWhofans]

3 hours ago, Shadetree said:

Amaro 2.0....hands like feet.

That was a big, big drop on that middle screen in buffalo 

So Jerry Rice never dropped a ball. Everyone judging everything on one game. Classic Jets fans who want to be miserable

[Shadetree]

2 hours ago, UnitedWhofans said:

So Jerry Rice never dropped a ball. Everyone judging everything on one game. Classic Jets fans who want to be miserable

You got me.. I'm a miserable jets fan.. Very pessimistic..i try not to be but, you know, it's the Jets. Still love my team through all the pain tho.

please, let's not bring up jerry rice when discussing amaro and enunwa...

 enunwa and amaro have suspect hands- this is not breaking news. They've both shown flashes, sure, but having NFL hands is not the kinda thing that is practiced and improved upon. IMO, having decent hands is something you have coming into the league or you don't. I don't think either guy will practice with a jugs machine day and night and have hands like OBJ come the 2016 season.

 

 

[jetfuel]

3 hours ago, Colgateman said:

Honestly, I agree. But there was also a guy named T.O who dropped the ball a lot too, or a guy named Chad Johnson, or Braylon Edwards, and also our very own BRandon Marshall has been top 5 in drops every season since he entered the leauge, can't write the man off yet

So true ... and we really don't know how high Enunwa's ceiling is yet. He still needs to work on his concentration and route running, and it definitely remains to be seen if he can be more consistent in those areas. His hands are not the problem. His lack of concentration at times is. He made a few spectacular catches this year and proved he has enough speed and vision to turn up field after the catch as well as the strength and willingness to fight hard for every extra yard possible. The guy has shown a ton of potential if he can just keep his head in the game, which can be tough on a young player who was raw coming out of college and has been asked to play multiple roles. I'm interested to see what the guy can do after a year in the system, which was essentially his rookie year since he did not play at all in 2014. 

[RoadFan]

Enunwa is not a "weapon."  Calling him one is an exercise in delusional.   He is a poor man's version of Jerricho Cotchery athletically,  with much less natural hands.

[BroadwayJets]

36 minutes ago, RoadFan said:

Enunwa is not a "weapon."  Calling him one is an exercise in delusional.   He is a poor man's version of Jerricho Cotchery athletically,  with much less natural hands.

He's a weapon in the sense that he has the speed and attributes of a WR with the ability to block like a TE. He's a big reason why we were successful on offense last season.

[Jet Nut]

2 hours ago, Shadetree said:

You got me.. I'm a miserable jets fan.. Very pessimistic..i try not to be but, you know, it's the Jets. Still love my team through all the pain tho.

please, let's not bring up jerry rice when discussing amaro and enunwa...

 enunwa and amaro have suspect hands- this is not breaking news. They've both shown flashes, sure, but having NFL hands is not the kinda thing that is practiced and improved upon. IMO, having decent hands is something you have coming into the league or you don't. I don't think either guy will practice with a jugs machine day and night and have hands like OBJ come the 2016 season.

 

 

How many drops did Amaro have?

How many the second half of the season? 

And, he was a rookie, right? 

BTW, having good hands is not something you either come into the league with or not.  Lots of WRs come into the league with lousy hands and develop.  Try Wesley Walker.  He was a drop machine early.  

[Shadetree]

7 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

How many drops did Amaro have?

How many the second half of the season? 

And, he was a rookie, right? 

BTW, having good hands is not something you either come into the league with or not.  Lots of WRs come into the league with lousy hands and develop.  Try Wesley Walker.  He was a drop machine early.  

I honestly don't remember how many they had, I just remember a couple wide open-hit em-in-the-hands drops. 

Hey, I hope they pan out. Ginn is a drop machine but he was still a key contributor. Our problem is we won't be putting up points at the same rate the panthers did, so every drop is magnified.  

[j4jets]

Emergence? 

Am I reading it correctly? 

[rex-n-effect]

Emergence is a stretch. The guy plays a role position, has had some not entirely great route running and way too many drops for my liking. He is seemingly a good fit for Gailey's system and has earned the team spending time trying to develop him.

[Jet Nut]

3 hours ago, Shadetree said:

I honestly don't remember how many they had, I just remember a couple wide open-hit em-in-the-hands drops. 

Hey, I hope they pan out. Ginn is a drop machine but he was still a key contributor. Our problem is we won't be putting up points at the same rate the panthers did, so every drop is magnified.  

That's my point, he had something like 5 drops in his last half of the season and the majority of his catches.  It really wasn't as bad as we remember it being, he needs to get healthy.

Carolinas receivers are not on the same planet as ours.  What they have is Cam. 

[Jetster]

You guys crack me up. I can't believe how fast Jet fans give up on players. Management shouldn't have given up on Danny Woodhead, or James Farrior. Enunwa is not a 1 or 2 WR, we're talking about beastly built 3 or 4 that just in his size alone is a mismatch for 3rd & 4th CBs & safeties.

2015 was really his rookie season. Gailey used him in the H back role which is a position that has many roles. Just being in the same system (how many systems has this organization had?), with Chan (a great teacher), professional football has a lot to do with being comfortable in a system, learning your role & doing your job with natural confidence. 

We missed Quincy during his suspension, along with Bilal Powell during his injury. What was missing was what Smith was supposed to give us & didn't. If we get someone to be a field stretcher that defenses can't ignore at the 3/4 WR spot, this offense will be very good. The drop in Buffalo was big but stop looking at that game through the eye of a needle, the defense really lost that game by allowing the Bills to convert 3rd & 4th down at an alarming rate & the Bills having double the TOP in that game.

[Bocajetfan]

8 minutes ago, Jetster said:

You guys crack me up. I can't believe how fast Jet fans give up on players. Management shouldn't have given up on Danny Woodhead, or James Farrior. Enunwa is not a 1 or 2 WR, we're talking about beastly built 3 or 4 that just in his size alone is a mismatch for 3rd & 4th CBs & safeties.

2015 was really his rookie season. Gailey used him in the H back role which is a position that has many roles. Just being in the same system (how many systems has this organization had?), with Chan (a great teacher), professional football has a lot to do with being comfortable in a system, learning your role & doing your job with natural confidence. 

We missed Quincy during his suspension, along with Bilal Powell during his injury. What was missing was what Smith was supposed to give us & didn't. If we get someone to be a field stretcher that defenses can't ignore at the 3/4 WR spot, this offense will be very good. The drop in Buffalo was big but stop looking at that game through the eye of a needle, the defense really lost that game by allowing the Bills to convert 3rd & 4th down at an alarming rate & the Bills having double the TOP in that game.

Well put. Many fans see every rookie as as a first round talent and expect to much. Quincy was drafted as a project reciver and for the most part preformed beyond that. He will need to develop further to be a major contributor but would have to say his performances last season on the whole was beyond expectations.

[jetfuel]

11 hours ago, j4jets said:

Emergence? 

Am I reading it correctly? 

Yes you are

[jetfuel]

8 hours ago, rex-n-effect said:

Emergence is a stretch. The guy plays a role position, has had some not entirely great route running and way too many drops for my liking. He is seemingly a good fit for Gailey's system and has earned the team spending time trying to develop him.

Emergence: the act or process of emerging.

Emerging: to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity

[jetfuel]

14 hours ago, Shadetree said:

You got me.. I'm a miserable jets fan.. Very pessimistic..i try not to be but, you know, it's the Jets. Still love my team through all the pain tho.

please, let's not bring up jerry rice when discussing amaro and enunwa...

 enunwa and amaro have suspect hands- this is not breaking news. They've both shown flashes, sure, but having NFL hands is not the kinda thing that is practiced and improved upon. IMO, having decent hands is something you have coming into the league or you don't. I don't think either guy will practice with a jugs machine day and night and have hands like OBJ come the 2016 season.

 

 

Enunwa actually does have good hands. However, he does have a concentration problem at times, which can lead to drops. I never said the guy was going to the HOF. He's certainly not Jerry Rice, but he is a good complementary piece to the offense with the potential to come up with a big play from time to time.

[Mainejet]

17 hours ago, Jet Nut said:

Are a rag with everything in your life or just the Jets?

 

I'm not being a rag, I'm telling it like it is. If Enunwa cannot learn to cut down on drops then what good will he be? And comparing Marshall to him is completely lame. Brandon Marshall was targeted 170 times in 2015, but he caught 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 TD. When you put up those kind of numbers you are going to drop the ball every now and then. It goes with the territory

Quincy Enunwa, on the other hand was targeted just 4 times in the Buffalo game and caught just one pass. The Jets offense does not tend to target him much because he drops the ball too much.

[Shadetree]

13 minutes ago, jetfuel said:

Enunwa actually does have good hands. However, he does have a concentration problem at times, which can lead to drops. I never said the guy was going to the HOF. He's certainly not Jerry Rice, but he is a good complementary piece to the offense with the potential to come up with a big play from time to time.

Let's hope enunwa and amaro pan out.. I have reservations about both of them. Fitz doesn't exactly put that ball between the numbers every time, ya know. We need guys with legit hands.

[jetfuel]

Just now, Shadetree said:

Let's hope enunwa and amaro pan out.. I have reservations about both of them. Fitz doesn't exactly put that ball between the numbers every time, ya know? We need guys with legit hands.

I'm definitely not completely sold on either of them. I am interested to see what Enunwa and Amaro can do next year though ... both will basically be in their second season, so we'll see what they learned and if they can work on their lapses of concentration. They definitely both have the skillset to get it done, just gotta check between the ears.

[slats]

17 minutes ago, Shadetree said:

Let's hope enunwa and amaro pan out.. I have reservations about both of them. Fitz doesn't exactly put that ball between the numbers every time, ya know. We need guys with legit hands.

I think you have those two, Devin Smith, and maybe Bilal Powell, all in a competition to be the team's third option in the passing game. The two second rounders have been a disappointment so far, but they'll get a chance in camp this year. It's really not a group devoid of talent but, unfortunately, the success of the offense hinges completely on the health and success of Marshall and Decker. 

Be surprising if they drafted a WR or TE before the fifth round this year, but maybe they'll find the legitimate pass catching back many of us have been hoping for for years now before then. 

[Jet Nut]

1 hour ago, Mainejet said:

I'm not being a rag, I'm telling it like it is. If Enunwa cannot learn to cut down on drops then what good will he be? And comparing Marshall to him is completely lame. Brandon Marshall was targeted 170 times in 2015, but he caught 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 TD. When you put up those kind of numbers you are going to drop the ball every now and then. It goes with the territory

Quincy Enunwa, on the other hand was targeted just 4 times in the Buffalo game and caught just one pass. The Jets offense does not tend to target him much because he drops the ball too much.

Targets and catches don't come close to telling you a thing about hands and drops. 

 

[Bocajetfan]

2 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Targets and catches don't come close to telling you a thing about hands and drops. 

 

Our focusing on one game!!!

[Jet Nut]

2 minutes ago, Bocajetfan said:

Our focusing on one game!!!

Exactly, thanks.  

Funny, what a QB of ours did the last 5 games of 2015 is meaningless.  One game by a receiver defines him

[Shadetree]

7 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Exactly, thanks.  

Funny, what a QB of ours did the last 5 games of 2015 is meaningless.  One game by a receiver defines him

<cough, cough, Jackie Smith, cough, cough>

 

 

[Mainejet]

35 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Targets and catches don't come close to telling you a thing about hands and drops. 

 

Yes, you're absolutely right. What tells you about and hands and drops is watching with your own two EYES. Quincy Enunwa, although he fits a specific role in Chan Gailey's offense, is more of a liability right now because HE DROPS THE BALL TOO MUCH.

[Jet Nut]

42 minutes ago, Shadetree said:

<cough, cough, Jackie Smith, cough, cough>

 

Bill Buckner.  

Lots of players who unfortunately are remembered for one play.  But you get my point.  Trying to predict what a player will ultimately become off a single game, good or bad doesn't mean much in the big picture. 

Poor Jackie Smith, ouch