How Larry Donnell can Improve his Play in 2015
By Jesse Connor
Sep 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell (84) makes a catch in the end zone for a touchdown while being defended by Detroit Lions free safety Isa Abdul-Quddus (42) during the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Despite having a breakout year Donnell sputtered for much of 2014. In his two best games he totaled 90 yards and 81 yards, both on 7 catches. He also had a game vs the Redskins where he scored 3 touchdowns to go with 54 yards receiving on again 7 catches. Those are all productive games.
Unfortunately Donnell had 8 games where he failed to total 30 yards receiving and 3 games where he didn’t even reach 15 yards. These numbers are not going to cut it in the NFL. His size and speed can really put him on a different level but he simply just disappears for long stretches of time.
He had 3 games where he hauled in 7 passes, but he counteracted that with 3 games with 2 receptions, 1 game with just 1 reception and even 1 game where he was completely shut out. I’m not saying he needs to catch 6 or 7 balls a game because that is unrealistic and frankly unfair but he has to be somewhere in the middle.
Larry Donnell has the potential to be a very good tight end in the NFL, but he still has some work to do before he gets there.