Roundtable: Battle & Lloyd
Roundtable question: Which of our two, young starting WRs; Brandon Lloyd or Arnaz Battle, will emerge this year?Nick Newton
Both receivers, with a better team around them this year, will grow lightyears and into respectable players. I see both receivers posing part of a dual threat and making their names a little bit better known around the league. Lloyd is an acrobat, and actually seems to do better when the ball isn't thrown straight to him, and when hes covered well. Battle did well last week against the Rams and has shown not only good hands, but the ability to come through on important plays (Especially when throwing ;-) ). All of this you knew, so let me surprise you by this one; Battle, provided he stays healthy, will be our number one receiver this year, allowing Brandon Lloyd to fall back into "clutch" receiver status. While I wouldn't go so far as to say Battle is a better Wide Receiver, I do think hes the better all around athlete. Mark my words.
More Roundtable Discussion...
Vini Chopra
This is a tough question given the context of our team right now. It's difficult for either WR to "emerge" in the sense that one will dominate or make a ton of fancy grabs when our offense has exhibited some serious problems (costly turnovers, poor blocking, inability to run for example). But, here is my take on both of our starting WRs: Brandon Lloyd, in my opinion, is the ideal slot WR. He is prone to make an amazing grab, but what he's shown in his short tenure as a starting WR is that he lacks consistency. There will be games ala the Rams where he emerges for the big play, but I don't see Lloyd as a guy who's going to consistenly grab 8-10 catches a game. Battle I see as the more consistent WR. While he may lack the flash of Brandon Lloyd in terms of sheer, insane acrobatics, he's a much more physical WR and he has some speed and playmaking ability. I see him as an ideal #2, but I can envision him catching more passes per game than Lloyd. With Eric Johnson maybe gone for the entire season (he's our best receiving threat btw), we need a presence at receiver. While Arnaz Battle is not a Terrell Owens or an Eric Moulds, he's the closest thing to a physical presence that we have. So I see him emerging out of the two, with Lloyd continuing to chip in a TD or impressive catch every now and then. But don't expect a pro bowl season out of any of these guys given the constraints of our offense.
Spencer Stegeman
I believe that both Lloyd and Battle have the ability to be VERY strong number two wide recievers,and will have proven it by the end of the year. Brandon Lloyd has the ability to make insane catches,but his route running isn't all that great and he isn't all that fast. He can definately be a respected WR,but I dont feel that he'll ever be a top 5-7 WR.
Arnaz Battle is more of a posession receiver. He isn't all that fast,and he won't make Lloyd-esque acrobatic catches. BUT, he is elusive as hell. Not only does he have the ability to shake tackles, but he just wants those extra yards so bad. Neither of them are terribly big or fast.
My answer in short? Both will emerge as heavily respected recievers,but neither will ever be that consistant gamebreaker. If they make the Pro Bowl in the next few years,I will be surprised. That being said, sometimes a dominant number one isn't totally necessary. Two very good number two WRs can be just as good,if not better,than one Randy Moss and one no-namer.
Matt Gagnon
I'm not sure I see either of them "emmerging". When one thinks of the term, one usually thinks of a previously unknown dominant force that has yet to have an opportunity coming out and showing what they are. In the case of Battle and Lloyd, I don't really see that happening.
Both are very solid recievers. Both have some unique talents. However, I don't think either of them are dominant enough physical specimens to take the league by storm and begin slaughtering defenses - which is pretty much what is required for one of them to "break out".
But to properly answer the question, perhaps I should view it from a different angle. Perhaps the answer to the question is, "who will end up being the go to reciever on the team - when the chips are down and we need a reception for a first down, who are we looking for?".
From that perspective, I would argue that Arnaz Battle is indeed going to be the "break out" reciever. Why? That's a good question.
When you look at Brandon Lloyd - he strikes you as a slippery receiver who can easily lose defensive backs, burn by them, dive and make a spectacular catch. Battle on the other hand is an all around athlete - not exceptional in any one area, but quite excellent in ALL areas. He had great speed, not phenomenal. Runs great routes, not phenomenal. Has great hands, not phenomenal. He's quite good at everything - just not up to superstar levels.
Lloyd has his limitations. For the type of reciever he is, he should be a faster runner. If he was, I think he could truly be a phenom in the NFL. As it is, he is quick with sticky hands, and that is all. Still a guy I want on my team catching balls, but not necessarily the guy who I am looking for if I have a 4th and 10.
Battle on the other hand is in one word - solid. He can run you a great route, with very good speed, has very good hands, and makes some nice moves once he gets the football. He seems to me to be much more consistant and reliable, and for that reason I think he will have a solid season, with 50 catches or so, 800-1000 yards and 8-10 touchdowns.
And on this team, THAT will constitute a "break out".
Erik Klackner
It depends on the definition of "emerging." If it means gaining attention in the national media, I would say Brandon Lloyd, because he make some pretty spectacular highlight-reel catches. If it means someone who has come from virtually nowhere to turn into a productive player, that would clearly be Battle. But if it means stellar production in terms of numbers, I don't think either of them will. I'd be shocked if either of them had over 1,000 yards receiving. Although I could see Lloyd approaching 10 TD receptions, which is pretty impressive.
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