Posted August 11 Trust me I know Hardy is a vet and was drafted by us. TD is loyal to his picks, but Russell Gage looks ready for business. We knew he was a athlete, but now he is becoming a better WR. He showed glimpse last season, and it has transitioned to the preseason . He is a gunner on ST, and is bigger,faster,and has more big play potential than Hardy. Thoughts? Emmitt, g-dawg, octoslash and 2 others like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 He'll be the 3rd after Sanu most likely leaves after this season. atljbo, Vandy and Drew4719 like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Just now, caponine said: He'll be the 3rd after Sanu most likely leaves after this season. Right. If we don't draft or sign his replacement...meaning a big possession type WR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 In full support of Gage blkbigdog35, Emmitt, 408Falcon and 2 others like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Agreed. I think the thing that really separates Hardy and Gage is that Gage has a lot more big play potential. Hardy has good hands but has never really been effective at taking the top off. Gage is our 4. g-dawg, Cole World, OilFuturesTrader19 and 1 other like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Gage is awesome. Reminds me of Sanu Drew4719, Cole World, dawgsfan426 and 5 others like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 1 minute ago, Artys Arryn said: Agreed. I think the thing that really separates Hardy and Gage is that Gage has a lot more big play potential. Hardy has good hands but has never really been effective at taking the top off. Gage is our 4. If Hardy was 6'2 210 he would be perfect. But 5'10 192 and slow, but great hands isn't the combo we need him to be Dr Long Shot likes this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 The future is bright at our WR spot. Love Sanu and open to him staying next season, but the prospect of having Julio, Calvin and Gage as top 3 if he goes is comforting. Hopefully Hooper takes a step forward this season so Ryan has a 3rd down big body when he needs it outside of Sanu. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 (edited) 6 minutes ago, jfalconsp said: The future is bright at our WR spot. Love Sanu and open to him staying next season, but the prospect of having Julio, Calvin and Gage as top 3 if he goes is comforting. Hopefully Hooper takes a step forward this season so Ryan has a 3rd down big body when he needs it outside of Sanu. Thats very true. If we let Sanu go next season(very likely) I wouldn't be mad with Ruggs III or Reagor in the 2nd round. I hope we have a eye on Justyn Ross from Clemson in the 2021 draft was a potential JJ replacement....he is a JJ clone Edited August 11 by lju713 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 #GageHive Let's Gooooooo! Godzilla1985, Vandy, Drew4719 and 2 others like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Pulling for Gage and OZ right now Cole World, ATLSlobberKnockers and Drew4719 like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Yeah, might be some things we don't see- missed blocking assignments, bad routes- that might mean Gage isn't ahead of Hardy, but everything we've seen looks really good. When you play out your first contract, test free agency and come back for vet minimum, your job isn't secure. Bad timing for Hardy, he has value, and if he'd been drafted in 2007, might have been used a lot more. Too many other options on the team now. PokerSteve and Tim Mazetti like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 45 minutes ago, lju713 said: Trust me I know Hardy is a vet and was drafted by us. TD is loyal to his picks, but Russell Gage looks ready for business. We knew he was a athlete, but now he is becoming a better WR. He showed glimpse last season, and it has transitioned to the preseason . He is a gunner on ST, and is bigger,faster,and has more big play potential than Hardy. Thoughts? He is better but they are actually the same size. Both are listed at 6' 185 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Don’t think you’ll get much argument here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 (edited) I think Gage and Hardy are locks. Hardy would back up Sanu/Cal (slot) while Gage would back up Julio/Cal (outside). Both have plus value on ST. I think we will carry 6 receivers: Julio Cal Sanu Gage Hardy Green, Zaccheaus, Blake and Gray. Green's been the least impressive but he comes with a strong ST skillset and ability to be a decent depth receiver but his first outing was not the best first impression. Being a draft pick I think helps a bit . Zacc has been most impressive overall and he has some return ability but so far has just a muff in that regard. Blake has looked great as a receiver but looks like just a guy on ST. Gray is similar but has flashed less and made a couple more mistakes with the cameras rolling. Edited August 11 by Monolith2001 Geneaut, Chaz and vitaman like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 This is really two totally different types of receivers. Hardy is more like Sanu in being the disciplined receiver who follows his routes exactly and would be important for a 3rd down conversion. Gage is instead the flashy deep threat important for a first down surprise or 3rd and long situation. I see us keeping Gage and Hardy, more like a WR4A and WR4B than a WR4 and WR5. We will then try to stuff 2 of the young ones on the PS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 I don't claim to be anything even close to a 'draft' guy but for some reason when we drafted Gage I said immediately he was a good pick. And I agree with OP; it's a tough business, but Gage's potential is way better than what Hardy brings. If it comes down to either/or, I know which man I want on the team. Cole World, Vandy and Tim Mazetti like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 ps What a great 'problem' to have...figuring out which good WR to keep, huh? Tim Mazetti and PokerSteve like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 1 hour ago, Artys Arryn said: Agreed. I think the thing that really separates Hardy and Gage is that Gage has a lot more big play potential. Hardy has good hands but has never really been effective at taking the top off. Gage is our 4. This. I love how dependable Hardy's hands are. He doesn't drop anything, but Gage has playmaker ability. Cole World, Drew4719, Tim Mazetti and 1 other like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 35 minutes ago, ltstorm2 said: This. I love how dependable Hardy's hands are. He doesn't drop anything, but Gage has playmaker ability. What good are hands when you can't get separation? That has always been Hardy's weakness. He'll catch it, but he can't have a defender close on him. I agree about Gage's playmaking ability, that in itself is why I'll take him over Hardy. ya_boi_j likes this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 40 minutes ago, ltstorm2 said: This. I love how dependable Hardy's hands are. He doesn't drop anything, but Gage has playmaker ability. And also seems to have reliable hands as well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 (edited) You know what's funny? Even without Julio (i know, i know blasphemy) most franchises (Dallas for one) would LOVE to have a rotation like Sanu, Ridley & Gage. Making Julio the highest paid receiver is a honestly a fashion statement imo. It's what rich people do when they buy wildly expensive things simply because only they and a few others can afford them lol. If this was Madden I'd trade Julio for Ramsey in a heartbeat. Especially with what we're about to pay him. But back to the topic at hand Hardy had a low ceiling coming in and honestly Gage should be at the #4 spot like NOW. Edited August 11 by Hurry_Up_And_Buy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 1 hour ago, ATLSlobberKnockers said: And also seems to have reliable hands as well Yeah, I was thinking this also even with some receptions that were not easy to make. I'd love to see that continue into the regular season. A playmaker with good hands? Yes please. ATLSlobberKnockers likes this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 1 hour ago, Statick said: What good are hands when you can't get separation? That has always been Hardy's weakness. He'll catch it, but he can't have a defender close on him. I agree about Gage's playmaking ability, that in itself is why I'll take him over Hardy. I mean that is my point. Although he does have a ton of contested catches BECAUSE he doesn't get separation. The only big play that comes to memory would be against Patrick Peterson a few years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11 Hardy was never going to be an important part of this offense. Gage is unquestionably going to be an impact player. A new day dawns. It's Gage Time in the ATL. ATLSlobberKnockers and octoslash like this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
