Pegues moves to DT

[DAG 33,955]

1 hour ago, metafour said:

This is where the "storyline" clouds your interpretation of reality.

He had 7 catches for 57 yards and 5 carries for 14 yards last year. He did absolutely nothing with the ball in his hands that couldn't be replicated or OUTMATCHED by any number of players on the roster. Analyze the last part of your statement: have you considered that they couldn't get the ball to him past the LOS because....he's 300 pounds and not fast enough to stretch the field lol? The question answers itself. He has enough athleticism to get some short-area touches, but asking him to run any actual routes is futile because he's not going to "get open" at his weight and speed. Being 300 pounds doesn't make you hard to cover. Every single LB has no problem running with him because he's not faster than any of them. And by virtue of being 300 pounds, he has BELOW AVERAGE "stop-and-go" ability, short-area quickness, change of direction skills, etc. So what is he supposed to use to create separation on ACTUAL passing routes? He's slow, not very tall, and not quick enough to create separation by virtue of being "sudden". 

You bring up a lot of good points . I get where you are coming from. I can’t speak for others, but for my own selfish reasons I wanted to see him succeed at the TE position because he didn’t fit the mold. I also understand why the staff moved him and for that I am grateful. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

That being said, if he can catch up to the hand-fighting techniques as well as leverage ability, then it will be great. 

This is the unknown part that a lot of folks either don't know about, have ignored, or have just taken for granted. I hope the blind faith is rewarded for sure. 

[meh130 1,043]

Not a bad move. It surely will make Pegues a better potential NFL prospect, as he is not an archetypical NFL tight end. He is shorter and heavier than a typical NFL TE.

We have a stable of tight ends, and we still could pull Pegues in as a short yardage additional blocker.

[meh130 1,043]

6 hours ago, 80Tiger said:

I am sure they did this for depth, but he was recruited strictly as a tight end. That is all he played in high school. I could not find anything about him playing defense in high school or being recruited as a defensive player. So from a technique standpoint he knows nothing about dline. I am sure his quickness is an asset but I could see it being a real learning experience. 

I think Gus saw Pegues as an H-Back, not as a true tight end.

I don't see that many tight ends who are 6-3. Most want taller TEs. However, I think many schools thought JJ could lose 20-30 lbs and gain some speed, and be a good TE/H-Back especially schools that run 12 personnel.

But he clearly has the physical attributes to be an interior DL.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

OM was recruiting him to play DL. They said he could moonlight on offense, but they wanted him as a DT. 

[toddc 13,194]

1 minute ago, mcgufcm said:

OM was recruiting him to play DL. They said he could moonlight on offense, but they wanted him as a DT. 

Don’t come in here swinging your big facts around, it’s not how you play on this thread! 😝 

[TexasTiger 12,800]

12 minutes ago, mcgufcm said:

OM was recruiting him to play DL. They said he could moonlight on offense, but they wanted him as a DT. 

Kiffin thought he could be a top five draft pick— at DT.

[80Tiger 899]

26 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

Kiffin thought he could be a top five draft pick— at DT.

Just read an article from his recruitment and quoted peruse saying that he never talked to Kiffen and Kiffen never visited him.

[80Tiger 899]

38 minutes ago, toddc said:

Don’t come in here swinging your big facts around, it’s not how you play on this thread! 😝 

How is this a fact.

[Hank2020 3,195]

1 hour ago, meh130 said:

Not a bad move. It surely will make Pegues a better potential NFL prospect, as he is not an archetypical NFL tight end. He is shorter and heavier than a typical NFL TE.

We have a stable of tight ends, and we still could pull Pegues in as a short yardage additional blocker.

And slower too!!

[TexasTiger 12,800]

38 minutes ago, 80Tiger said:

Just read an article from his recruitment and quoted peruse saying that he never talked to Kiffen and Kiffen never visited him.

43 minutes ago, 80Tiger said:

Just read an article from his recruitment and quoted peruse saying that he never talked to Kiffen and Kiffen never visited him.

True. Kiffin claims communication issues during the small window between his going to Ole Miss and Pegues signing with Auburn prevented them meeting. But read until the end:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al.com/auburnfootball/2020/10/300-pound-auburn-tight-end-jj-pegues-is-unlike-anything-youve-seen-before.html%3foutputType=amp

[boisnumber1 2,817]

11 hours ago, Hank2020 said:

Throw him the ball!!

Lol that's a thought, but hardly creative. 

[boisnumber1 2,817]

17 hours ago, IronMan70 said:

If he was going to be on offense, just find ways to get him the ball more than GM did. I figured they would get a lot more creative with JJ (Worm too) but I was leaving the rest to them. Like I said though, I expected this sooner or later and now JJ will be on the field more. I think he's going to do well.

Yeah, I get the get him the ball more, but honestly how creative can you really get with a 300 lb TE. The ceiling for creativity there is pretty low. It's not like he's some 6'6 pass catching machine. His blocks could he highlights at times, but the other TEs can be just as effective there. Idk...to me, it was more of a cool novelty to have a 300 lb TE than anything else. Gus surely thought it was, whether he used him or not.

[AURex 1,984]

With his raw athletic abilities, and with some A+ coaching, this young man can be a real disruptor on the DL. I'd love to see him chasing down QBs in their backfield. I'm 100% behind this move.

 

[IronMan70 3,277]

49 minutes ago, boisnumber1 said:

Yeah, I get the get him the ball more, but honestly how creative can you really get with a 300 lb TE. The ceiling for creativity there is pretty low. It's not like he's some 6'6 pass catching machine. His blocks could he highlights at times, but the other TEs can be just as effective there. Idk...to me, it was more of a cool novelty to have a 300 lb TE than anything else. Gus surely thought it was, whether he used him or not.

Good points all. I can't say I disagree with any of that, well except for one minor point about creativity. I think Harsin-Bobo will be a lot more creative incorporating the TEs into the offense than the previous staff had the ability to do. Tank and Worm are going to benefit from that too.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

Charlie5 on 247 board said that JJ had 2 sacks and a TFL in the scrimmage. I am unclear what unit he was working with or going against, but still pretty impressive.

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,945]

I feel an athlete with JJ's talents could play just about any position.   It comes down to where he could help the team the most,  and where his future may lie.

Makes me wonder how far a 300 pound player with his natural athletic ability could punt a football.   He wouldn't be your average punter on tackles either.   

[W.E.D 11,070]

59 minutes ago, Tigerpro2a said:

Charlie5 on 247 board said that JJ had 2 sacks and a TFL in the scrimmage. I am unclear what unit he was working with or going against, but still pretty impressive.

Our OL is still terrible 

[ellitor 33,062]

15 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Our OL is still terrible 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

The only thing I'd like to know is if this was done with the idea that he's just fallen behind in terms of offensive value during the spring or they were just chomping at the bit to get him on the DL, and he was needed that bad. 

One outcome would have me optimistic about the TE room, the other might have me pessimistic about the DL. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

1 hour ago, Tigerpro2a said:

Charlie5 on 247 board said that JJ had 2 sacks and a TFL in the scrimmage. I am unclear what unit he was working with or going against, but still pretty impressive.

continuing the theme of dualities, a guy doing this in his first week in the position could mean two things (either or and!) 

[TexasTiger 12,800]

2 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

The only thing I'd like to know is if this was done with the idea that he's just fallen behind in terms of offensive value during the spring or they were just chomping at the bit to get him on the DL, and he was needed that bad. 

One outcome would have me optimistic about the TE room, the other might have me pessimistic about the DL. 

Probably a bit of both. 

[AUpreacherman22 3,876]

As fun as JJ could be to watch at TE/HB, I think this is the best move for him and for the team.   Good Luck at DT JJ!!!

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

The only thing I'd like to know is if this was done with the idea that he's just fallen behind in terms of offensive value during the spring or they were just chomping at the bit to get him on the DL, and he was needed that bad. 

One outcome would have me optimistic about the TE room, the other might have me pessimistic about the DL. 

I don't think it's an accident that he started getting reps so soon after Wright went down. And that TE room is deeeeep with diverse skill sets. 

But it's entirely possible that @auburnphan and others were right all along and that it's less "We're desperate for a body" than "We've already got a first round freak on the team". It might be telling that they didn't even wait for spring to be over to test the free agent market. Also, there was a short period of him taking reps and then it was quickly decided that he would make the move full time.

So that's my guess. There came a real need for another guy on the defensive line, but it just happened to provide the opportunity for something that a lot of people thought should happen anyway.

 

[dilligas 581]

9 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

The only thing I'd like to know is if this was done with the idea that he's just fallen behind in terms of offensive value during the spring or they were just chomping at the bit to get him on the DL, and he was needed that bad. 

One outcome would have me optimistic about the TE room, the other might have me pessimistic about the DL. 

I read that Eason was campaigning for Pegues move to DL since he met him.  Not sure why he was moved but Eason maybe had some influence in that.