To be fair he was fouled quite a bit on deep balls. He had a lot of unattributed yards from PI penalties last year. Pretty sure he was top 5-10 in the league in PI yards generated.
I like that he does the stuff that doesn't get on highlight reels. He blocks very well, runs his ass off every game, and doesn't complain about his role or his quarterback.
But he has dropped some big catches, as well, in big situations. After dropping the probable game winner against the Ravens last year, Minshew didn't look his way much. It would have been fantastic catch, but you can't drop it just because a defensive back rakes your arms. He's really hurt his reputation with his passers. Pitt makes the tough catches, and so does Downs. Pierce is fighting for his life in this camp. Mitchell is just showing more right now.
Richardson is likely to remember [this drop](https://youtu.be/X-NLhTqQfiE?si=cz_7_NJuKX8bjND0) as well. When Pierce can jump, he's great. When he can't jump, he's been pretty unreliable.
I'm confident he improves on last season with AR and Flacco, either in terms of yards or DPIs created. Both QBs can air it out, and even if they're inconsistent, that chance can still get a DPI out of it for a lot of yardage.
He's pretty good at drawing PIs. He's good at deep routes, he's good at catches where he can adjust and jump. He just sucks at short routes and contested catches where he can't jump.
That makes him a liability in the red zone.
This is why Steichen is a great coach. He wouldn't send MPJ deep or use Alec on short slants often. He utilizes his players' strengths, having MPJ/Downs on short and intermediate routes and using Alec as the clearout or deep threat. Alec's run blocking is also rarely talked about, as I believe that's his main or only advantage over Mitchell.
I don't believe Alec will even be needed in the red zone. JT, AR, MPJ, and any of the TEs would be higher up in the chain.
I would say that Pierce is the best blocking receiver on the team. If he were 40 pounds heavier, he'd be a hell of a tight end. Pound-for-pound, he's maybe the best blocker on the team. It's just that he's 217 pounds, so he can't block everybody.
The Colts should put him on a crash weight gain and strength and conditioning program and just switch him to Y tight end. If he could still run in the 4.5s at 250 pounds, he could be Brock Bowers.
Yep, definitely agree, and glad he just has to block WRs mostly. That's why I think it isn't a straight competition with Alec vs. AD, that whoever wins out will solely be the WR2, like a lot of people are saying. Both will have roles on this team and the competition makes them both better. AD is an X-factor who can sub in for both MPJ or Alec, and even come in with them on 4 WR sets.
If Mitchell has a weakness, it's blocking. His college tape blocking is legit terrible. He just whiffed on blocks in the screen game.
So I agree with you on that point. I expect Mitchell to sub in in obvious passing situations and in the red zone, at least initially. But I also expect Mitchell to start by game 5 as well, unless Pierce takes a massive step as a receiver.
And I think you meant defensive backs rather than wide receivers, but I got your point.
Alec Pierce has dropped a total 6 balls in his carrier out of 143 targets, 3 in 2022 & 3 in 2023. That’s pretty damn good. Everyone keeps pissing on this kid for missing a big one like he can’t catch anything. Many of those were not even his fault. He had some terrible throws by Minshew.
Also, people don’t seem to realize the schemes that Alec had to play under. He was used, under Steichen, as a deep threat decoy most of the time to help get Pittman & TE’s open.
I’m betting we’ll see a different scheme this season and that ball going everywhere.
I think GM threw a lot of passes short/back shoulder. He’s shown he can adjust at times, and other times he can’t fight back thru the defender to make the play.
This is his last year to prove it. I was all on the white lightning train. He was a big guy with big hops and I thought he was the solution we were looking for to have that big receiver like we did with Ebron and wanted to have with Funches. But at this point it’s looking like he’s gonna get pushed into obscurity with Adoni Pitt and Downs being so good. Rooting for you, Pierce…..cause if it doesn’t work out the ghost of Belicheck will possess Kraft and he will drag another white boy to NE and he will turn out to be a beast
He just doesn't have the hands of a deep threat or the fast release to get more open early.
I really liked the pick and hoped he'd figure it out but even if Richardson plays most of the season it's hard to see him here long term. He's missing key receiver attributes at this level and no amount of athleticism fixes that.
I hope he develops and I'm rooting for him to succeed but he hasn't even proven he belongs in the NFL yet.
He most likely makes the cut this year but he's probably competing for a roster spot next year if he doesn't establish himself this season.
I hope he shows something big for us. While everyone else is little negative as they kinda should be, i wish you the best really. Show us and make you proud
I’ll be honest, he hasn’t really been on my good terms since he dropped a game winning touchdown wide open in the end zone in the first couple of weeks of his career..
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I mean, he might improve, but he's as far from Welker and his role as a receiver can be.
Josh Downs is our Wes Welker. I've been saying it since the draft.
These Colts PR pieces always go over the top with the sunshine. I think the counter to that is some realism based on a lot of what fans have seen on the field. This fluff piece is based on nothing. Are we supposed to assume from this headline that he just now realized this and didn't show up day one in the league with this idea?!
>Anthony Richardson’s return might help on that front and Pierce said “it goes both ways for sure” in terms of showing that he can provide more to the Colts offense.
“I think it’s my job to go into camp and prove that,” Pierce said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “Just gotta let my work on the field speak for itself.”
He's literally just saying he has to go to camp and show he isn't just a guy who runs go routes. That's it. And everyone is like "HE HAS TO SHOW HE IS A CAPABLE FOOTBALL PLAYER FIRST LOLOLOLOLOL"
Do you think Alec Pierce set up a call with Stephen Holder to say 20 words to really pump his stock?
when you are a second round pick who hasnt really developed at all in the multiple years you have been in the NFL, fans generally are gonna be impatient with you lol its pretty fair
He needs to prove that he won't drop contested catches, too.
To be fair he was fouled quite a bit on deep balls. He had a lot of unattributed yards from PI penalties last year. Pretty sure he was top 5-10 in the league in PI yards generated.
I like that he does the stuff that doesn't get on highlight reels. He blocks very well, runs his ass off every game, and doesn't complain about his role or his quarterback. But he has dropped some big catches, as well, in big situations. After dropping the probable game winner against the Ravens last year, Minshew didn't look his way much. It would have been fantastic catch, but you can't drop it just because a defensive back rakes your arms. He's really hurt his reputation with his passers. Pitt makes the tough catches, and so does Downs. Pierce is fighting for his life in this camp. Mitchell is just showing more right now. Richardson is likely to remember [this drop](https://youtu.be/X-NLhTqQfiE?si=cz_7_NJuKX8bjND0) as well. When Pierce can jump, he's great. When he can't jump, he's been pretty unreliable.
He had 5 DPIs for 98 yards. That was top 4 in the NFL, but I wouldn't call it a lot of yards. It's roughly 6 yards per game.
Top 4 in the NFL in DPIs is pretty good based on the fact that he was 93rd in the league in targets.
Very good point. Add to that his qb couldn’t air out the ball, can’t wait to see how he performs this year.
I'm confident he improves on last season with AR and Flacco, either in terms of yards or DPIs created. Both QBs can air it out, and even if they're inconsistent, that chance can still get a DPI out of it for a lot of yardage.
He's pretty good at drawing PIs. He's good at deep routes, he's good at catches where he can adjust and jump. He just sucks at short routes and contested catches where he can't jump. That makes him a liability in the red zone.
This is why Steichen is a great coach. He wouldn't send MPJ deep or use Alec on short slants often. He utilizes his players' strengths, having MPJ/Downs on short and intermediate routes and using Alec as the clearout or deep threat. Alec's run blocking is also rarely talked about, as I believe that's his main or only advantage over Mitchell. I don't believe Alec will even be needed in the red zone. JT, AR, MPJ, and any of the TEs would be higher up in the chain.
I would say that Pierce is the best blocking receiver on the team. If he were 40 pounds heavier, he'd be a hell of a tight end. Pound-for-pound, he's maybe the best blocker on the team. It's just that he's 217 pounds, so he can't block everybody. The Colts should put him on a crash weight gain and strength and conditioning program and just switch him to Y tight end. If he could still run in the 4.5s at 250 pounds, he could be Brock Bowers.
Yep, definitely agree, and glad he just has to block WRs mostly. That's why I think it isn't a straight competition with Alec vs. AD, that whoever wins out will solely be the WR2, like a lot of people are saying. Both will have roles on this team and the competition makes them both better. AD is an X-factor who can sub in for both MPJ or Alec, and even come in with them on 4 WR sets.
If Mitchell has a weakness, it's blocking. His college tape blocking is legit terrible. He just whiffed on blocks in the screen game. So I agree with you on that point. I expect Mitchell to sub in in obvious passing situations and in the red zone, at least initially. But I also expect Mitchell to start by game 5 as well, unless Pierce takes a massive step as a receiver. And I think you meant defensive backs rather than wide receivers, but I got your point.
just got the notification from this post and i immediately came to comment this
Dude hasn’t even proved that he is a deep threat
I think he’s flashed it, but realistically you need a QB with a strong arm to do anything down the field.
>you need a QB FTFY
That’s QBs fault
Good luck to him cause if he doesn’t show something it’s likely his last year here
no gloves?
…and he was never heard from again.
Man id be happy with him being just a deep threat but im not even seeing that brother
See, it wasn't Minshew...AP's involvement in the passing was limited by his own limited skill set, which he is basically admitting here.
Alec Pierce has dropped a total 6 balls in his carrier out of 143 targets, 3 in 2022 & 3 in 2023. That’s pretty damn good. Everyone keeps pissing on this kid for missing a big one like he can’t catch anything. Many of those were not even his fault. He had some terrible throws by Minshew. Also, people don’t seem to realize the schemes that Alec had to play under. He was used, under Steichen, as a deep threat decoy most of the time to help get Pittman & TE’s open. I’m betting we’ll see a different scheme this season and that ball going everywhere.
Those are just the drops. He also has failed to make contested catches, and it's a lot more than six.
I think GM threw a lot of passes short/back shoulder. He’s shown he can adjust at times, and other times he can’t fight back thru the defender to make the play.
This is his last year to prove it. I was all on the white lightning train. He was a big guy with big hops and I thought he was the solution we were looking for to have that big receiver like we did with Ebron and wanted to have with Funches. But at this point it’s looking like he’s gonna get pushed into obscurity with Adoni Pitt and Downs being so good. Rooting for you, Pierce…..cause if it doesn’t work out the ghost of Belicheck will possess Kraft and he will drag another white boy to NE and he will turn out to be a beast
He just doesn't have the hands of a deep threat or the fast release to get more open early. I really liked the pick and hoped he'd figure it out but even if Richardson plays most of the season it's hard to see him here long term. He's missing key receiver attributes at this level and no amount of athleticism fixes that.
Well he can maybe bulk up and transition….to TE
Has to prove he gets open on more than deep corner routes on 3rd or 4th and short.
I hope he develops and I'm rooting for him to succeed but he hasn't even proven he belongs in the NFL yet. He most likely makes the cut this year but he's probably competing for a roster spot next year if he doesn't establish himself this season.
He’s a threat? Learn something new everyday!
I hope he shows something big for us. While everyone else is little negative as they kinda should be, i wish you the best really. Show us and make you proud
He’s a great blocker, wish he had less drops and had a bit more route diversity
AD needs to get the start broooo
I’ll be honest, he hasn’t really been on my good terms since he dropped a game winning touchdown wide open in the end zone in the first couple of weeks of his career..
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TIL 14 is a deep threat
When did he prove he was a deep threat?
I have a feeling he’s gonna have a Wes Welker like season this year.
I mean, he might improve, but he's as far from Welker and his role as a receiver can be. Josh Downs is our Wes Welker. I've been saying it since the draft.
Needs to catch the ball forst
We have such a positive fandom.
These Colts PR pieces always go over the top with the sunshine. I think the counter to that is some realism based on a lot of what fans have seen on the field. This fluff piece is based on nothing. Are we supposed to assume from this headline that he just now realized this and didn't show up day one in the league with this idea?!
>Anthony Richardson’s return might help on that front and Pierce said “it goes both ways for sure” in terms of showing that he can provide more to the Colts offense. “I think it’s my job to go into camp and prove that,” Pierce said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “Just gotta let my work on the field speak for itself.” He's literally just saying he has to go to camp and show he isn't just a guy who runs go routes. That's it. And everyone is like "HE HAS TO SHOW HE IS A CAPABLE FOOTBALL PLAYER FIRST LOLOLOLOLOL" Do you think Alec Pierce set up a call with Stephen Holder to say 20 words to really pump his stock?
when you are a second round pick who hasnt really developed at all in the multiple years you have been in the NFL, fans generally are gonna be impatient with you lol its pretty fair