Potential Offensive Breakout Players
As the National Football League (NFL) training camps begin, it’s time to examine which offensive players are most primed for surprise breakout seasons in 2010.
Hakeem Nicks:
The New York Giants wide receiver (WR) seems destined for greatness based on his size and strength. He showed his capabilities for the No. 1 receiver position last season by catching 46 passes for a total of 796 yards as a rookie. He also had six touchdown receptions and is simply destined to grab the No. 1 slot from Steve Smith.
In addition to his size, Nicks is also both fast and agile. He can scorch people on long routes, but he can also out manoeuvre defenders in short red-zone situations just as easily.
Last season’s performance was impressive, but Nicks was suffering through injuries throughout. He sprained his foot in the first week of the season and also battled through hamstring and wrist injuries towards the end of the year. Now that he is healthy, he should be even better than the potential he showed last season.
Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw is also due for a breakout, and if both players perform up to potential, the New York Giants will have a lethal young offence.
Alex Mack:
Mack is going into his second season in the NFL, and the Cleveland Browns centre is already pretty much the smartest selection for this position in the whole league. Centre is a tough position for veterans, let alone rookies, and Mack played really well for Cleveland in 2009 even though he had almost no support on the line.
Mack has shown football intelligence in how he deals with line calls and audibles. He has also shown some serious athleticism in being able to stop both big nose tackle-type defensive linemen. Mack has no weaknesses given his age, and the 6ft 4in, 311 lbs California alum looks on pace for a very long and illustrious career in the NFL.
Chad Henne:
Henne has all the pieces of what constitutes a big-time NFL quarterback; he just needs to assemble them. Henne has a great arm and last season showed that he has developed much greater control when it comes to differentiating between throwing hard and soft. His accuracy is just as impressive, and Henne has been passing to the correct shoulder and leading receivers down routes with pinpoint precision. He also has shown great pocket presence and nerves of steel.
With the addition of wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Miami Dolphins squad, it is inevitable that Henne will have a breakout performance. Miami has one of the NFL’s best offensive lines and running games, and thus should be able to give Henne a lot of time to throw and a lot of ways to score. Last season, he ended the year with 300+ yard games in three of his final five starts, and this year he can start out even stronger.
Jermichael Finley:
The Green Bay Packers tight end (TE) showed just what he was capable of consistently in the 2009 post-season after occasionally showing great performances in the regular season. Now he is in a perfectly tailored situation that could result in him being the best offensive tight end by the middle of the season.
Finley is young and will eventually be a superstar, and this year might be the start of his dominance. His height and speed make him impossible to stop for the average cornerback and he should be one of Aaron Rodgers main targets throughout 2010.
Ben Roethlisberger:
It’s tough to say that a two-time Super Bowl winner will have a ‘breakout’ year, but it makes sense in Roethlisberger’s case. Roethlisberger has often been criticized as scraping through on gritty performances for victories, but last season he showed that he has the ability to be an elite gunslinger as well.
Roethlisberger will be seeking to prove himself after returning from his four-game suspension and might just carry the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise on his shoulders, as expected of elite quarterbacks.
Tags: