DeSean Jackson has been dazzling with his explosion onto the scene for the Birds but in the long run, the development of tight end Brent Celek may be just as important.
Most of the time, a quarterback is able tio get the ball to his tight end even under the most difficult of circumstances. A qiuarterback with a good tight end gives them supreme confidence because they know they have an outlet if they’re under pass rush pressure.
If a quarterback is struggling he goes to his tight end to get himself going.
On first downs a quarterback can go to his tight end to get that five or six yard gain to keep the defense guessing. The easy short throw to the tight end gets them started on a positive note.
Kevin Kolb wisely started off his game yesterday with a short throw to Celek on first down.
Having a good tight end means a quarterback always has a place to go with the football in case his wide receivers are not open downfield. A tight end and quarterback will get to the point where they both are always on the same page.
If the tight end is pass blocking he will always release late to give his quarterback a safety valve.
We all know how important the tight ends are in the red zone. Most of the time they’re the number one target in the red zone.
You can tell by his ability to carry tacklers when they try to tackle him that Celek has gotten stronger during this off season.
It also allows him to do a better job of pushing off during his routes.
You might say that pushing off by a receiver is illegal. Yes it’s illegal but all the good tight ends do it against the linebackers and safeties. Celek opens an alley for the quarterback to deliver the football and uses his body to screen off the defenders.
The other thing he does very well is catch the football. This is a must for a good tight because you can’t be a reliable security blanket if you can’t consistently catch the football.
Do I need to bring up the name L.J. Smith?
