Although the top choice as the most anticipated young player to watch was not MY choice, I applaud the outcome on this week’s SBNation Reacts Pollall the same.
Because who isn’t excited about a running game that could be revived by a rookie?
So Jonah Coleman it is as the top choice for favorite young player to watch.
No doubt we’ve been excited for this many seasons before. And it often depends on the scheme and how much an offensive play caller is willing to stick with the run game (ahem), but the preseason
definitely brought us hope.
Even Sean Payton thinks the run game is ahead of where it has been.
“There’s a lot more to winning each week in regard to how we’re going to win this game and what we think we have to do to win this game. So per our run game, there’s some really good things I think that we’re doing,” Payton said earlier this week. “Then ultimately you kind of settle in on what type of run team you are relative to a zone scheme, a gap scheme and those types of things. So we certainly feel like we’re further along than we’ve been here in my three years, just with the depth in both groups.”
In fact, Payton said early in camp that Coleman “did not look like a rookie.”
And hats off to Pat Bryant as well, hauling in a solid 36% of the votes. Payton has certainly been high on his progress this offseason and preseason, most recently touting the receiver’s consistency and strong hands.
“Rarely does he have to leave his feet to make a clean catch. Even if you just skip to catch it, at that moment, everyone’s moving and you’re kind of frozen and rarely does he do that,” Payton noted. “So his yards-after-catch are noticeably different because his feet are on the ground as he runs through a ball. He’s smart, he’s sudden, he’s big. He’s having a heck of a camp. You guys have seen it, and it’s been consistent. He’s super intelligent. It’s really important to him, and I like his size.”
My vote went to Que Robinson mostly because I’m curious how he helps fill in for an absent Jonathan Cooper. Plus, I want to see if (when) he’ll do more of this:
