Figuring Out the Tight End Spot
So, I found myself staring at my options, like a lot of us do, trying to make sense of the tight end landscape. Two names kept nagging at me: Trey McBride and Isaiah Likely. Both young guys, both shown they can play a bit. But who do you actually roll with? I figured I had to stop just thinking about it and actually dig in. My own little project, you know?
First thing I did, I decided to just ignore the chatter for a bit. You hear a lot of noise. I wanted to see what was real. So, I started pulling up the actual game logs. Not just the flashy stuff, but the targets, how much they were actually on the field – the snap counts. That’s the stuff that tells you who’s really part of the plan.
Taking a Look at McBride
I kicked off with McBride. You remember when Zach Ertz got hurt with the Cardinals? That was when McBride suddenly became the guy. So, I went back. I actually watched parts of those games, the condensed versions. And what I saw was a dude getting a whole lot of footballs thrown his way. The offense itself? Not always a masterpiece, let’s be real. But McBride was getting opportunities. He was out there running routes, catching passes underneath. Looked pretty steady when he was the main tight end.
- I checked how many targets he was getting when he was TE1.
- Had a look at his catch percentage.
- And yeah, you gotta think about who’s throwing him the ball, ’cause that changes everything.
My feeling on him was, he’s a volume guy. If he’s the top tight end on that team, he’s going to get his chances. Plain and simple.
Then Over to Likely
Alright, next up was Isaiah Likely. Now, his deal in Baltimore is different. They’ve got Mark Andrews, and Andrews is, well, Andrews. A top dog. So, Likely is mostly playing second fiddle. But, and this is a big but, when Andrews couldn’t play, Likely really stepped up. I can picture a couple of those games in my head where he looked like a proper weapon. Maybe a bit more explosive than McBride, made some splashier plays.
So, I did the same homework:
- Pulled his numbers for games Andrews was out.
- Watched some of his highlights from those spots. The guy can move.
- Couldn’t ignore that the Ravens love getting their tight ends involved near the end zone.
With Likely, the talent seems to pop more, but his chance to shine depends on someone else. He’s definitely got skill, but he’s behind a stud.
Where My Brain Started to Hurt
This is where it got messy. It wasn’t just about who’s got more raw talent. It was the whole picture. McBride, it seemed like his path to getting consistent footballs thrown his way was clearer, especially at certain times depending on how the Cardinals’ roster looked. Less guys to fight for targets, you know?
Likely, on the other hand, had that boom potential. If Andrews was on the sidelines, Likely could go out and have a monster game. But if Andrews was healthy? Likely was probably not doing much for you, maybe not even on your roster.
I actually spent a fair bit of time just mulling this over. Am I looking for the fella who’s gonna get me a decent, steady number of points when he’s the main option (McBride)? Or am I chasing the guy who might get me almost nothing, or might explode for a huge score, all riding on whether the starter is playing (Likely)? It was a real back-and-forth.
What My Digging Led Me To
So, all this looking at numbers, watching film – my little “practice” as I call it – it wasn’t about finding some secret, one-size-fits-all answer like “this player is just flat-out better.” Nah. It was about getting a handle on their jobs, their roles, and what they could do based on what was actually happening on the field.
After chewing on it all, here’s kind of where I landed:
- For a guy you can count on more week-to-week (when he’s the lead TE): McBride. He showed he can take on a lot of targets. He’s not going to blow the doors off every game, but he’ll get you something.
- For a guy with a higher ceiling (if the main starter is out): Likely. He’s got that extra juice. Can really make a difference in those specific situations.
It sounds pretty basic when I lay it out like that, but getting to that point took some real effort. I had to really look at when these guys were producing and why. It wasn’t about who was getting more hype online or anything like that. It was about opportunity and what they actually did when they got it.
So, there you have it. That was my process for trying to sort out the McBride versus Likely question. No easy answers in this game, just a lot of looking at what’s what. Hope my thinking out loud helps someone else who’s been scratching their head over the same thing!
