The Final Countdown: Dustin Keller
Position: Tight End
Player: Dustin Keller
Summary:
When the Jets moved into the tail end of the first round last season to select Dustin Keller, many fans did not know what to make of the selection. Keller had been projected to be a third round draft pick, or thereabouts, by most sources, until his strong combine performance. The Jets felt they had bolstered their passing game by selecting the best pass catcher in the draft, even if he wasn’t a wide receiver.
During the season, Keller got off to a slow start, catching more than one pass in just one of the first five games. He then had 33 catches in a six game span (the 5 game winning streak and the loss to Denver that followed it). In fact, he caught 27 passes for 313 yards in the last four of those games. At the end of the year though, he ended up in Coach Eric Mangini’s doghouse and finished the season with 48 catches in total.
Keller’s strength is obviously pass catching and he is also dangerous after the catch. Last year, he did most of his damage underneath and over the middle and may have been more statistically productive if Brett Favre had been able to hit him in stride more often. His blocking skills still need work and he did drop a few catchable balls, including one in the endzone in New England, so he needs to ensure he maintains focus. He did, however, display an ability to bounce back in that game, making several crucial grabs in overtime, which makes Mangini’s decision to bench him with the season (and his job) on the line all the more puzzling.
Moving Forward:
Keller is the clear-cut starter for the Jets, but since he is not a great blocker, the Jets may choose to employ plenty of two tight end sets. In the passing game, he is likely to continue to do most of his damage from the slot. Both Sanchez and Clemens have the ability to make use of a tight end, having played with Fred Davis and Dante Rosario in college.
Questions:
Who will be the second TE in that two-tight end alignment? Will his blocking show signs of improvement? Just how productive could Keller be if he starts and plays 16 games without getting benched? Can we (please) see more of him running over people like in the picture above?
12 Responses to The Final Countdown: Dustin Keller
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Bent says:
Well, if you extrapolate that 4 game stretch over the whole season…108 catches and 1,252 yards! So…it’s possible I guess, but if Cotchery stays healthy, he’ll presumably be the bookie’s favorite. I’m not going to make a prediction though, because I read earlier today that predictions are worthless!
Recently, David Clowney said on Twitter that one of his goals is to lead the Jets in receptions and yards this year. I thought that was outlandish – I’m not 100% convinced he’ll be active on gameday yet!
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Vinny Interceptaverde says:
Either way DK is awesome. I’m not sure why he fell into Mangini’s doghouse, but I think Rex Ryan will look for DK to be one of the leaders on offense. I expect that Sanchez to Keller will be one of the most prolific passing combinations in Jets history.
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T-Bone says:
I love Keller. He’s the man. A young Gates if you will. Great hands, great explosiveness. He can only get better.
But why did we ever get rid of Chris Baker? He was one of the best two-way TE’s in the league and was hardly ever utilized in the passing game. Imagine how dangerous we would be if we had him in addition to Keller.
And of course, he signs with NE…..
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EastSide says:
Please bury Chris Baker. Bent did a great piece on why Baker was cut that everyone should check it out.
Next season we might have the most dangerous yardage after the catch tandem in the league with Cotchery and Kels. If Stuckey can man the slot with the proficiency that we’ve seen in flashes during camp, this team could thrive off of short passes alone.
My favorite Keller moment was when he ran over Pats DB Brandon Merriweather for a OT first down. -
Bent says:
“But why did we ever get rid of Chris Baker?”
*clears throat*
http://www.thejetsblog.com/2009/07/15/bent-gets-serious-so-why-did-they-cut-chris-baker/
Please read this…
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SackDance99 says:
If Sanchez starts, Keller has a very good chance of leading the Jets in receiving yards. Rookie QBs are often afraid of making mistakes, so they won’t pull the trigger on passes to WRs who are covered, but have a good chance of catching the ball anyhow. Keller will always be open. Safeties aren’t big enough to cover him and LBs aren’t fast enough. Plus, Sanchez is very mobile in the pocket…if LBs follow Sanchez or play action, Keller will be open in the flat all day long.
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ramble914 says:
Bent,
Thanks for “re-playing” that post on why the Jets cut Baker, I was away on 7/15 and missed it. It all makes sense now. So I guess Mr. T knows what he is doing after all.
The way the Jets took Keller to counter the Baker BS, is probably the same thing that will happen with T. Jones now that they took S. Green.
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spentmiles says:
Will someone please extrapolate on how Keller got into Mangini’s doghouse?
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Bent says:
spentmiles – It came about after he dropped a catch in San Francisco last year. There must be more to it than that though, otherwise Coles would have been benched several times during the season. I doubt he would have bad-mouthed Mangini and got benched for showing a lack of respect (because he’s not that type of kid and, with his job on the line, Mangini would have been more concerned with winning than teaching a rookie a life lesson…we can assume from his burying of Gholston that winning was his primary goal, not player development).
Therefore (and this is pure conjecture, but…) I reckon it probably shook out something like this.
Mangini: I can’t believe you dropped that.
Keller: Maybe if the guy didn’t throw everything 3 feet behind me, I wouldn’t have been so startled when he threw it right to me.
Favre: What did he just say about me, coach?
[Mangini thinks "Oh crap, now my most productive receiver and QB have fallen out. Well, I can't possibly risk alienating Favre because I've proven I have no faith whatsoever in Clemens, so I'd better continue to tip-toe round him and bench the rook."]
Mangini: Go sit next to Sione Pouha for the next 4 weeks, Dustin.
Pouha: *Devours sandwich* -
BubbyBrister/shovelpass says:
I love that picture! So symbolic of what DKNY is gonna do to the entire AFC East !
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runningeasy says:
Brent, wow… that is a great example of how to start a nasty rumor on the internet :). Come on… Keller was never “benched”, they used him the same way through the whole season (sparingly). He was a rookie and they had other options. Favre struggled in the last half of the season and the entire teams’ stats followed suit.
Keller is probably the best athlete on the team. I hope they use him this year because he could be a beast. With the moves they have made it looks like they will, he should be fun to watch.
Bent,
This season, will he join Rich Caster and Mickey Schuler as the 3rd Jets TE to lead the team in receiving yardage?