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Marcellus Rivers

Texans | Look to Sign M. Rivers - from www.KFFL.com
Tue, 17 May 2005 20:52:26 -0700

ESPN.com's John Clayton reports the Houston Texans are apparently going to sign free agent TE Marcellus Rivers (Giants). He visited with the Texans Tuesday, May 17 and the team kept him in town overnight. Rivers was flown in after the Texans found out TE Bennie Joppru was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
 
think he is considered better blocker than receiver. Seems like he has some physical talent, but never put it together. He was drafted the year before the Giants drafted Shockey. Even with Shockey being in and out of line-up he never was looked to in the passing game with the Giants. In no way a lock to make the roster if signed.
 
TexAntagonise said:
This tells me that the Texans were not expecting to much out of Joppru this season.
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Missing the connection. Except for Franks any Free Agent TE signed at this point is spare, some better-named spares (Cam Cleeland,etc), but still a spare. None of the guys with a name you might have heard of is really any better than Rivers, just a name that you have heard of.

Unlike some expectations that I have read on this board, my understanding was the Joppru was 4th on the depth chart basically because he has basically never taken a live game snap (pre-season included).
 
Cool, that's exactly what I wanted to know. So he is decent, not spectacular. I can live with that. If he is between B. Miller and M. Bruener, I'm happy.
 
Rivers wouldn't have been given much chance in NY once loud mouth Shockey got there. He may be coming into his prime four years in the league. Gotta be as good or better than we have now. :twocents:
 
Sounds like a better blocker than reciever which may be a good thing at this point. Just has to have better hands than Brunner which shouldn't be to hard to do and block better than Miller which again shouldn't be to hard to do. Personally, I would preffer Franks, but who knows, may be a reasonablly good TE and probably a LOT less money.
 
I know he has at least some starts with the Giants. I remember him from OK State. I think he was actually an undrafted FA in 01.

The good news is he fits right in with the new look Taiters, or is it Rexans?

Quote:
Marcellus Rivers of the New York Giants and Alvin Porter of the Baltimore Ravens reached a settlement with a woman who accused the former Oklahoma State players of sexual assault in 1999.

link

Here is the great Joel Buscbaum's assessment of Rivers in 2001:
Notes: Partial qualifier in 1997 who was not allowed to play. Shared time at tight end in ’98 and started about half the games while catching 22 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Cowboys’ pass-catching tight end in ’99, when he caught 27-336-4 and won second-team All-Big 12 honors, although he only started three games. Was basically used as a slot receiver in 2000, when he caught 19-292-2.

Positives: Good target with very good athletic ability. Appears to have soft hands and will make some tough catches. Runs well for a tight end.

Negatives: Is not much of a blocker and seems to think of himself as a wide receiver. Lacks strength and is not a good weightroom guy. Too slow to be a wide receiver on the next level and will have to really upgrade his blocking to even be an H-back. Lacks consistency. Is a little late coming off the line of scrimmage on a lot of plays. Seems to lose concentration and focus. Has not worked hard enough to improve.

Summary: Needs to grow up and learn what it takes, but he has the physical tools to play at the next level as an H-back type if he realizes he no longer is on scholarship.
link
 
Here is what Mel Kiper said in an article about underated players for the 2001 draft:

Marcellus Rivers, TE, Oklahoma State: Shared the spotlight at tight end with fellow seniors Khary Jackson and Bryan Blackwood while also operating in an offense that didn't allow his skills as a pass receiver to be maximized. Rivers is an athletically gifted performer with the ability to stretch the deep middle and then adjust to haul in the poorly thrown ball.
 
Guess I got it wrong. Looks more like a reciever type than a blocker type. Hope he can block better than Billy.
 
edo783 said:
Guess I got it wrong. Looks more like a reciever type than a blocker type. Hope he can block better than Billy.
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I was going by memory on the blocker thing, but i do know from looking around that he probably has not made more than 20-25 catches and 3 or 4 TDs over that time.
 
He's been primarily a backup - maybe five or six starts in his career. He's a body and he will be given a golden opportunity to prove what he can do here.
 
he was drafted by the Giants in the 11th round in 2001. cannot block, did 7 reps @ 225 coming out of OSU, thats soft but reportedly he uses those soft hands to catch the ball very well :ouch:
 
beerlover said:
he was drafted by the Giants in the 11th round in 2001. cannot block, did 7 reps @ 225 coming out of OSU, thats soft but reportedly he uses those soft hands to catch the ball very well :ouch:
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11th round? That's odd, considering the draft only has 7 rounds. :dangit:
 
Here is a link to the entire 2001 NFL draft. Rivers is nowhere to be found that I can see. I am even more sure than earlier that he was an undrafted FA. Or maybe he was chosen in round 32. :confused:
 
This is what AOL Sports has to say about him:

All he does is catch touchdowns. An undrafted free agent in 2001, Rivers impressed the Giants with his size, work ethic, and good hands. In return, they've thrown him a few bones in the red zone. We like his potential as a pass-catcher, but he needs to improve on his blocking.
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Sounds an awful lot like Billy Miller...
 
Maybe he can at least get open.

If we go with a two TE set, at least his hands will be better than Bruener's.
 
I think this is about the best we could hope for, Franks seems like a knee jerk reaction, there is a reason he hasn't gotten looked at this offseason, either GB will retain him or match an offer or something about him.

Maybe someone's TE will fall out of favor. Jerrmay Stevens in seattle is always an option for that. I'm sorry but with this many lower body injuries i dont see Joppru being in the picture again. he will go on the IR AGAIN. He will be asked to re-struture his deal if he doesn't he will be cut.
 
he cant be a worse blocker than billy, i mean billy is bad... so ill take rivers, even if he is just avg blocker. some kind of dual TE threat at least
 
Texans | Rivers Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Wed, 18 May 2005 13:06:02 -0700

Updating an earlier story, the Associated Press reports the Houston Texans have signed free agent TE Marcellus Rivers (Giants) to an undisclosed contract.
 
D-ReK said:
Texans | Rivers Signed - from www.KFFL.com
Wed, 18 May 2005 13:06:02 -0700

Updating an earlier story, the Associated Press reports the Houston Texans have signed free agent TE Marcellus Rivers (Giants) to an undisclosed contract.
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Now, let's see if we can get Boulware!
 
I hope rivers will be a complete TE and not 1 sided. commenting on O.G. it looks as if he is in good shape. If we can work something out with him i think he would have a great season and be back to form.... just my specualtion
 
We dont Need Stellar blocking but he has better size than miller who looks kinda short rivers is 6 5 i think miller is like 6 - 6'2...

Hopefully he can do well enough to be an all around tight end unless bruener's hands have undergone a metamorphsis.
 
Porky said:
11th round? That's odd, considering the draft only has 7 rounds. :dangit:
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I know it sounds funny but 2001 was the last year they went 12 rounds. here is the link for Rivers selection- http://home.comcast.net/~kenbarrett/sports/sfl/drafts/2001/rd11.htm

it looks funny (check out the names) because its early fantasy drafting, this stuff is classic :rofl:

oops it was 1992 the last year the NFL draft was 12 rounds. this was strictly a fantasy draft. Riley was undrafted, but if they did have 12 rounds he would have been selected in the 11th :heh: just kidding
 
His Texans bio has him as an undrafted FA signed by the Giants in 01
PRO: Hard-nosed physical tight end who will challenge for a roster spot…signed by the Texans as an unrestricted free agent on 5/18/05 after spending his first four seasons with the Giants…has 27 career catches for 227 yards (8.4 avg.) and four TDs…can also boast 55 special teams tackles…originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent on 4/27/01.
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http://www.houstontexans.com/team/roster_detail.php?PRKey=171
 
Looks to me to be a temporary type of player that they hope might work out better than expected.
 
I think that his blocking improved quite a bit since he was in college.
I've seen Rivers play in a couple of games and his blocking looks decent. He's definitely a better blocker than Miller. He's not quite as fast as miller and his hands aren't as good. But, he is much faster than Bruener and his hands are quite better. Pat Kirwan had him rated the #2 TE available behind Cam Cleeland, but, I think Cleeland is as slow as Bruener. I think Cam's hands are better than Bruener's, but he can't block as well. So why would we want another slow TE ? I think out of the choices Rivers was the best choice for us. Unless they went after Bubba Franks, obviously. But, since they didn't sign him, hopefully they are saving that cap room to improve the line.

To tell you the truth, I think that Rivers is a better player right now that Joppru. Rivers has played four years already, and he's a decent red zone target, since 4 of his 27 catches were for touchdowns. 15% isn't too shabby. So he should give Carr another redzone target, wouldn't that be nice.

My predictions for Rivers 38 catches, 336 yards, 5 TDs

I hope I'm wrong and he does better than that.
 
My predictions for Rivers 38 catches, 336 yards, 5 TDs
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Honestly, I think that is just a bit too high. His last four years he doesn't even have those totals. I think that Rivers might get about 20 catches, 215 yards, and about 3 TD's. The Texans have some good WR's so I don't think that he will do that good.
 
"SCOUTING REPORT: The Texans were scrambling for tight end depth after losing Bennie Joppru for a third consecutive season and were fortunate to acquire Marcellus Rivers, who spent the past three seasons with the New York Giants. Rivers isn't likely to compete for a starting job, but he does give the team a proven blocker in the running game and decent receiver in the passing game. A solid showing during training camp could put Rivers in position for significant playing time in a rotation that figures to include Mark Bruener, Billy Miller and Matt Murphy." FOXSPORTS


Here's the link http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/3633156


So its not just me that thinks, Rivers can block and catch, I don't know about you guys but, I like this guy a lot more that Joppru....Since I've already seen this guy play and he's a reliable weapon in the red zone. Plus he's got some NFL starts, where Joppru didn't even have an NFL snap.
 
I mean it should open up the middle of the field haveing Rivers and Millers being TE bc if the D is lined up where the LB are covering them then we could run a Gaffney, Bradford, or AJ over the middle and hope to get some open room for a catch and run... jmo
 
Why does the report think he's unlikely to start? It's not like he's got much to beat out. The fact that he couldn't get in ahead of Shockey is hardly a reason to think he's not better than Miller or Bruener.
 
Mr Shush said:
Why does the report think he's unlikely to start? It's not like he's got much to beat out. The fact that he couldn't get in ahead of Shockey is hardly a reason to think he's not better than Miller or Bruener.
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but can he catch and beat a LB better than miller?

can he seal a block better than bruener?

i think until he proves himself in training camp and preseason that he is a ligit threat in both aspects he wont be in the starting lineup. JMO
 
I very much doubt he's as good a blocker as Bruener, and he may well be a weaker pass-catcher than Miller. But if he's a better target than Bruener, and a better blocker than Miller - both likely - surely the flexibility that would add to our playcalling is a potential reason for him to start?
 
ccdude730 said:
but can he catch and beat a LB better than miller?

can he seal a block better than bruener?
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I think you have it flipped.
Rivers can get playing time if....

he can seal a block better that Miller
AND
he can catch and beat an LB better than Breuner.
 
Where as the other two guys we have on our roster at TE, have evolved into specialists.

Billy is just a big wide reciever, and I think Andre Johnson can outblock him anyday. Billy is only a pass catching specialist (and even at that he's not that great)

Mark is just an undersized lineman, who would probably be a better fit at Center then he is at TE. He is in no way a complete TE. Only a blocking Tight End, and those are pretty easy to find. (Former OL Eric Beverly has been switched to blocking TE for his team, and he can probably catch better than Bruener)

Marcellus Rivers is a complete TE, no, he can't run as fast as MILLER and he can't block quite as well as Bruener..........but, he can do both, which the other guys can't. Rivers isn't the best TE in confernce, but, he's way better than those two (complete Tight End imposters)
 
throwANDREtheBALL said:
Where as the other two guys we have on our roster at TE, have evolved into specialists.

Billy is just a big wide reciever, and I think Andre Johnson can outblock him anyday. Billy is only a pass catching specialist (and even at that he's not that great)

Mark is just an undersized lineman, who would probably be a better fit at Center then he is at TE. He is in no way a complete TE. Only a blocking Tight End, and those are pretty easy to find. (Former OL Eric Beverly has been switched to blocking TE for his team, and he can probably catch better than Bruener)

Marcellus Rivers is a complete TE, no, he can't run as fast as MILLER and he can't block quite as well as Bruener..........but, he can do both, which the other guys can't. Rivers isn't the best TE in confernce, but, he's way better than those two (complete Tight End imposters)
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I'm going to say that Rivers can run as fast as Billy Miller. Miller's problem isn't simply that he can't block, but it is that he can't block nor can he create matchup problems for a defense in the passing game. Whereas Tony G. demands a form of double coverage or a CB on him, Billy Miller can be handled easily with a SS or good cover LB. If you watch Baltimore (Heap), KC (Tony), SD (Gates), Dallas (Witten)... they move the TEs around, split them wide, etc... in order to exploit matchups or even just to open up a portion of the field... If Houston did that with Billy Miller, the only reaction you'd get from the defense would be a yawn.
 
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