Lawrence Cager Video

[win4ever]

I'll be the first to admit, he wasn't on my radar.  I was expecting some other choices and focused in on different receivers.  Anyway, since he's signed with the Jets, figured I'd take a look.  So here I present two things at once.  We look at Cager, and we also look at why Jake Fromm drops.  I'll name the time stamps for the video.  

 

1st Play: 0;08- Shows off a better release than I expected here with his foot, creates a yard of separation, and catches the ball.  I have to give Fromm credit here, that's a beautiful pass.  

2nd Play: 1:04 - Once again shows off a bit better speed than expected, but that's a bad drop.  He maintains separation from the defender, yet just drops the ball.   

3rd Play:  1;40- This play is one of the reasons why Fromm fell.  His footwork is bad (open hips) and doesn't anticipate well.  Nothing to do with Cager.  

4th Play: 2:40- A good catch by Cager, although I don't like the little hop steps he takes at the stem of his routes.  That would definitely need to be cleaned up.   

5th Play: 3:05- Another Fromm indecision.  He has an easy pass to Cager on the outside, doesn't pull the trigger and then basically throws it away.  He's giving me a Luke Falk vibe.  

6th Play: 3:35- An easy throw, I'm not sure why the defender is playing so far off Cager down in the red zone.  

7th Play:  3:45 - What a stupid throw, misses two easy touchdown options, with Cager being wide open in the middle.  

8th Play: 4:30 - A short pass, I do like that Cager uses his hands to maintain separation from the defender.  

9th Play: 5:30 - This is one of the big negatives I see with Cager, he jumps for no reason.  This ball is coming at his chin straps, there is no need to jump.  Stephen Hill used to have this issue, jumping for no reason.  

10th play:  5:45 - What a terrible throw, especially when you see Cager wide open across the field for the easy 3rd down conversion.  That Luke Falk vibe is hitting hard.  

11th Play:  6:05 - Cager with a great catch down the sidelines in traffic.  Unfortunately, he gets hurt on this play and you don't see him for the rest of the game.  

12th Play:  7:55 - Lol, what a terrible throw, this is Luke Falk with a mix of Hackenberg footwork.  

You can watch the rest of the film to see how mediocre he is.  

 

Now we move onto Florida:  

1st Play:  0;02 - A simple crossing route, but once again, why is Cager hoping in the middle of the field? He does show good speed again.  

2nd Play: 0;25 - Is that you Luke?

3rd Play: 2;05 - Lol

4th Play: 2:55 - Lol, again.  Remember, this is with two first round tackles, and a stud RB.  

5th Play: 3:15 - A very good comeback route by Cager, as he creates separation from the CB.  The DB is CJ Henderson, so quality guy, and I like how the quick turnaround.  Once again, he jumps for no reason.  

6th Play: 4:20 - Another terrible throw, but notice Cager coming open in the middle for an easy pass.  

7th Play: 4;45 - Simple throw and catch

8th Play:  5:00 - Cager at the top of the screen, with some foot fakes at the stem of the route.  I can't see the angles well to see if he's selling the out route but DB seems to struggle.  Fromm with a bad throw.  

9th Play:  5;55 - What a horrible throw.  I don't know if it was a catch or not, but the only reason it wasn't an interception is because Henderson actually expects the back shoulder. much like Cager.  

10th Play: 7:20 - Could have been a TD, Cager was open.  I'm not going to blame Fromm too much because he was scrambling here, but Cager was open.  

11th Play: 7:45 - It's a catch by Cager, but notice the timing of these breaks.  That ball needed to be out much sooner, yet Fromm just waits around and then throws it. 

12th Play:  9:00 - A deep route to Cager, although I'm not sure why the DB is bailing so far down the field.  Anyway, good route from Cager and shows off more speed than I initially thought.  

13th Play:  11;40- This is just a blown coverage, easy throw and TD for Cager.  

14th Play:  12:30 - The two point conversion to Cager as well, shows good hands.  

 

1st Play: 0;02 - Do they just chuck it to Cager on the first pass in each game? Once again, this is bad timing.  Notice the route breaks, and how Fromm only throws it afterwards.  Good catch by Cager.  

2nd Play:  0:20 - A good comeback route by Cager, good throw. 

3rd Play:  1:40 - A good attempt by Cager here.  He catches the TD but gets called for pass interference, pretty easy call.  Although, worth a try I guess.  

4th Play: 2:40 - A good attempt by Cager again, although it looks like it should be an incomplete pass.  It's a stop and go route, and he didn't create much separation.  

5th Play:  5:00 - A one on one win, reminds me a bit of Brandon Marshall's time here.  Just too physical.  This is probably his best way to playing time.  

6th Play:  5:45 - I don't like this play from Cager, it's a coverage catch because they leave the middle of the field open.  1, he does a hop release for no reason, and 2, he jumps to catch the ball for no reason.  

7th Play: 8:40 - A good crossing route by Cager, but he's also hurt on this play.  

 

1st Play: 0:15 - Cager is open on an easy short catch, but so are a lot of the receivers.  

2nd Play: 1:00 - Notice Cager to the left with a great release off the line to get behind the DB.  

3rd Play:  2:00 - Lol

4th Play:  3:45 - A great back shoulder throw and catch by Cager.  

5th Play:  4:25 - Cager, good catch in traffic

6th play;  6:40 - A quick in route catch

7th Play:  7:20 -  It's a simple go route that doesn't generate much separation, but Cager with an excellent catch.  

8th Play:  7:40 - Once again, a great catch in traffic.  

9th Play:  8:30 - Great catch once again, absolutely great back shoulder throw.  

OK, I think that's good for now.  

Takeaways:

- Fromm sucks.  I have no idea why people say he's an intelligent QB, because all he does is sit in the pocket and wait for something because he has elite tackles.  Any pressure and he's absolutely horrible.  I wouldn't even want him as a back up QB.  

- Cager tends to get a hurt a lot, saw two injuries in four games.  

- Cager's release and speed are better than I expected, I think he was hurt by not having the Pro-Day results.  He kinda reminds me of Juwan Jennings from Tennessee, who I did watch a few times.  Different styles in terms of YAC though.  

- Back shoulder passes and Cager has the chance to be absolutely special.  

- I'm not sure he makes the 53 man roster, but he'd be a great stash on the PS.  I hate the stem of his routes being just hop steps, and how he jumps for balls when he can get more yards after catch if he kept running.  

I would take Mims/Perriman/Crowder/Berrios over him.  I'm intrigued by his potential, and if he could clean up some route issues, I'd be excited.  Definitely someone to watch in the pre-season.  

[Scoop24]

I see why Fromm dropped I also see why Cager wasn’t drafted. 

[Snook]

Coles used to hop/jump when he caught the ball.

[Patriot Killa]

CAGER! My guy.

so glad to have him on the Jets. He should of been drafted but I’m really glad it all worked out.

[win4ever]

I see why Fromm dropped I also see why Cager wasn’t drafted. 

Fromm is someone that just looks lost out there. I'm not just saying that because it's the Bills that got him, but his processing speed is ridiculously low.

[win4ever]

Coles used to hop/jump when he caught the ball.

I've seen a couple of people do it, but it really hurts his YAC ability. The worst was Stephen Hill, almost always jumping for no reason, which got him lit up consistently. He needs to learn to catch and run, it'll allow him to avoid direct hits.

[DieHard34]

Was an Intern Strength Coach down at “The U” a few summers ago while Cager was there. He was a freak athlete in the weight room! Dude would stack multiple box jumps and just float up there. It was incredible, I’m only 5’9 and he jumped on a box that was easily eye level. Off vert! I’m glad we took a shot on him. He’s an animal when healthy. 
 

Wish we could’ve landed Deejay Dallas he was also a warrior in the weight room and has great leadership. But I’m cool with Perine back there will Bell. 

[CanadienJetsFan]

Thanks for the analysis.

This Cager guy does show some promise and can be a big help in the red zone.

Let’s hope he makes the most of his opportunities.

[Lith]

2 hours ago, win4ever said:

 

Fromm is someone that just looks lost out there. I'm not just saying that because it's the Bills that got him, but his processing speed is ridiculously low.

 

Fromm's strength is pre-snap.  Understanding what the defense is trying to do and getting into the right play given what he sees.  He sees the weaknesses in a defense and makes the right pre-snap adjustments.  He was a big part of his running backs success over the past few years.  Once the ball is snapped, though, he is extremely limited.  He left a ton of plays on the field either with inaccurate throws or just not seeing a guy running wide open, usually in the middle of the field.  Most of his effectiveness was touch passes outside the numbers.  Never thought he had the arm srength to drive the ball into tight NFL sized windows in the middle of the field  I do not see him as a fit at all with Buffalo as a back up to Allen -- they are so much different.  I don't see Fromm stepping in and running a similar offense to Allen.  I am not surprised he fell. 

 

[win4ever]

Fromm's strength is pre-snap.  Understanding what the defense is trying to do and getting into the right play given what he sees.  He sees the weaknesses in a defense and makes the right pre-snap adjustments.  He was a big part of his running backs success over the past few years.  Once the ball is snapped, though, he is extremely limited.  He left a ton of plays on the field either with inaccurate throws or just not seeing a guy running wide open, usually in the middle of the field.  Most of his effectiveness was touch passes outside the numbers.  Never thought he had the arm srength to drive the ball into tight NFL sized windows in the middle of the field  I do not see him as a fit at all with Buffalo as a back up to Allen -- they are so much different.  I don't see Fromm stepping in and running a similar offense to Allen.  I am not surprised he fell. 
 

As a UGA fan, why do you think they didn't cater to Fields. He seems like a much better fit in their system, run RPO for days with that O-Line. I think he's a better passer too. When he transferred, I figured Fromm was just an elite arm talent that they were conservative with because of his age.

He really reminds me of Luke Falk. Falk was drafted by the Titans and I remember fans saying he was a steal. Wrote about him in preseason for them, got killed saying I was hating. I even like Eason better than Fromm.

[#27TheDominator]

19 hours ago, win4ever said:

9th Play: 5:30 - This is one of the big negatives I see with Cager, he jumps for no reason.  This ball is coming at his chin straps, there is no need to jump.  Stephen Hill used to have this issue, jumping for no reason. 

In my memory, Johnny Lam Jones literally jumped every time he caught the ball and sometimes when he dropped it.. 

[Lith]

14 hours ago, win4ever said:

As a UGA fan, why do you think they didn't cater to Fields. He seems like a much better fit in their system, run RPO for days with that O-Line. I think he's a better passer too. When he transferred, I figured Fromm was just an elite arm talent that they were conservative with because of his age.

He really reminds me of Luke Falk. Falk was drafted by the Titans and I remember fans saying he was a steal. Wrote about him in preseason for them, got killed saying I was hating. I even like Eason better than Fromm.

 

Just speculating, but I think Kirby Smart was being loyal to the guy who got him to within one play of the Natty in 2017 and was comfortable with Fromm running a run first/play-action passing type offense.  He is a smart kid, supposedly a great leader, solid game manager and did not turn the ball over much.  A lot to like for a Coach.  Unfortunately, he was limtied as a passer and when our running game was taken away &/or we needed him to make plays with his arm to beat Bama or compete with LSU, he couldn't do it.  

I know that there were rumblings last year that players were not thrilled with the way FIelds was used in 2018 and that players recognized that Fields would be the better QBr.  No way of knowing if true or not, but I did hear that the receivers who declared after 2018 (Ridley and Hardman) might have returned had we kept Fields.

 

[JetBlue]

14 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

In my memory, Johnny Lam Jones literally jumped every time he caught the ball and sometimes when he dropped it.. 

Which seemed to be more often than he caught it.... 

[sec101row23]

21 minutes ago, Lith said:

Just speculating, but I think Kirby Smart was being loyal to the guy who got him to within one play of the Natty in 2017 and was comfortable with Fromm running a run first/play-action passing type offense.  He is a smart kid, supposedly a great leader, solid game manager and did not turn the ball over much.  A lot to like for a Coach.  Unfortunately, he was limtied as a passer and when our running game was taken away &/or we needed him to make plays with his arm to beat Bama or compete with LSU, he couldn't do it.  

I know that there were rumblings last year that players were not thrilled with the way FIelds was used in 2018 and that players recognized that Fields would be the better QBr.  No way of knowing if true or not, but I did hear that the receivers who declared after 2018 (Ridley and Hardman) might have returned had we kept Fields.

 

That was a tough spot for Kirby.  If he goes to Fields and he doesn’t play well, people will get on him about “how do you not play Fromm when he got you to a title game”.   That was a risk that Kirby probably should have taken though, at the very least allow Fields to start the season.  I don’t think Fromm would have transferred out at that point, but who knows.   A lot of hindsight stuff.   

[32EBoozer]

19 hours ago, DieHard34 said:

Was an Intern Strength Coach down at “The U” a few summers ago while Cager was there. He was a freak athlete in the weight room! Dude would stack multiple box jumps and just float up there. It was incredible, I’m only 5’9 and he jumped on a box that was easily eye level. Off vert! I’m glad we took a shot on him. He’s an animal when healthy. 
 

Wish we could’ve landed Deejay Dallas he was also a warrior in the weight room and has great leadership. But I’m cool with Perine back there will Bell. 

Was he a gym rat kind of guy? Sometimes these guys rely purely on their God given talent. They don’t invest in their bodies. I’m hoping being oft injured he has decided to strengthen and elongate his muscles. 

And I know what some of you are thinking.... Don’t..... just don’t 

[mrcoops]

14 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

In my memory, Johnny Lam Jones literally jumped every time he caught the ball and sometimes when he dropped it.. 

Stephen Hill was the same. Left his feet on even the simplest of catches, and body-caught all the time. Except when he dropped it, which was often.

[DieHard34]

7 minutes ago, 32EBoozer said:

Was he a gym rat kind of guy? Sometimes these guys rely purely on their God given talent. They don’t invest in their bodies. I’m hoping being oft injured he has decided to strengthen and elongate his muscles. 

And I know what some of you are thinking.... Don’t..... just don’t 

He was definitely a hard working kid, did have that “Can’t tell me nothing” attitude but when it came to workouts and practice he seemed to always bust his tail and compete with his teammates. 
 

But hopefully he’s grown up a bit and really hones in on learning and doing what he can to take care of his body to give him longevity in the NFL. 

[32EBoozer]

8 minutes ago, DieHard34 said:

He was definitely a hard working kid, did have that “Can’t tell me nothing” attitude but when it came to workouts and practice he seemed to always bust his tail and compete with his teammates. 
 

But hopefully he’s grown up a bit and really hones in on learning and doing what he can to take care of his body to give him longevity in the NFL. 

Thanks for the information and welcome to the board. How long u been a fan?

[Jetsfan80]

55 minutes ago, 32EBoozer said:

Was he a gym rat kind of guy? Sometimes these guys rely purely on their God given talent. They don’t invest in their bodies. I’m hoping being oft injured he has decided to strengthen and elongate his muscles. 

And I know what some of you are thinking.... Don’t..... just don’t 

 

Sounds an awful lot like you're telling us not to make a penis joke here.  That's gonna be really hard.  

[DieHard34]

4 hours ago, 32EBoozer said:

Thanks for the information and welcome to the board. How long u been a fan?

For sure! 
Was Born in ‘92 so been a fan for about 28 years!! 
Originally from Jersey, had season tickets from 96 to 04 when my family moved to FL.