Baltimore Hawks rookie wide receiver Matthew Vincent can be seen as an intimidating figure. At 6 foot 3 and 250 Lbs, he is a monster of a receiver. Essentially, he is a receiver in a tight end frame, and his stat line through the first four games of the season seemed to reflect that. He came into game 5 of the season averaging almost 5 catches a game for around 58 yards per game; but, unfortunately, he has yet to find the end zone. At 81 hands and 71 intelligence, he knows where the ball will be, how to get there, and can make sure that the ball will be in his possession, and with his 56 strength, he can make sure the ball will stay in his possession. All this poised him for a solid game against the Sabercats in week 5, especially considering his previous performance against them. But he forgot to account for one thing: John Canton.
At only 6 feet tall and 190 lbs, Canton isn't exactly the biggest corner in the league, and he isn't the strongest by any means. But he is experienced, and with that experience comes his defensive prowess. Canton comes into the game boasting 20 tackles, 8 passes defended (3 of which coming against the number 1 wide receiver from last season, Josh Garden), 2 interceptions, and a defensive touchdown. After having underestimated Vincent in their first meetup, Canton looked at this game with an eye for revenge. And that comeuppance would start immediately.
The very first pass from Baltimore Hawks quarterback Scrub Kyubee was straight to Vincent, and Canton made his presence known. On a 3rd and short, Canton batted the ball down forcing the Hawks to punt, and setting up the Sabercats' first touchdown drive. The second target for Vincent wouldn't come for over twenty more minutes. After a Sabercats kickoff and a quick two plays to get a first down, Kyubee went for his big man, and again Canton batted the ball away from the sure handed receiver. At this point, Canton was getting into Vincent's head. The very next play Vincent received another target, but this time he dropped it. His team's confidence in him noticeably shaken, he would not receive another target for the rest of the half.
It would appear that Vincent and Kyubee had had a chat and their confidence had returned, as the first play of the second half was a quick pass to Vincent for a 7 yard gain before being brought down by Canton. His next target would come just four plays later, but once again Canton was ready and waiting to make a play on the ball, deflecting it away from the outstretched hands of Vincent.
In their next possession, Vincent would again be targeted, this time looking down a 1st and 15. Looking for the smart play, Kyubee would target his receiver with the largest catch radius on the team down the sideline. Unfortunately for Kyubee, Canton was eyeing him the whole time, and was able to disrupt the pass once more to set up 2nd and 15. A quick 5 yard run later and Kyubee would be looking at Vincent again to try to convert the 3rd and long. With Canton having his way with him all game, and another deflection or worse bearing down on him, the pressure was too much, and Vincent dropped the ball once more, resulting in a Hawks punt on 4th down. Vincent's final target of the game would come toward the beginning of the 4th quarter, a quick out on 1st down where he was immediately brought down by Canton for a gain of 4 yards.
The Cats would go on to lose the game after a poor coaching decision to chance a 52 yard field goal attempt on first down with 28 seconds left to go. But, after all was said and done, Vincent, who averaged almost 58 yards per game and 12.8 yards per catch leading up to this, had only 11 yards on 2 catches from 8 targets (1.375 yards/target), and dropped his averages to 48 yards per game and 12 yards per catch. Meanwhile, Canton's 4 defensed passes brings him to 12 total, makes him the league leader in the category, and puts him in the running for arguably the best corner in the league. Canton had made a statement about wanting to go up against a rookie receiver to "bring them down a peg", and it looks like he did just that.
Having said all this, this may have been an off game for Vincent, an above average game for Canton, or a combination of the two. But Matthew Vincent has shown in previous outings that he has the makings of a great receiver, and someone with the potential to develop into a terrifying red zone threat. The Vincent/Canton match-up may be one we all look forward to watching in the coming years.
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Payout=$1,228,000
At only 6 feet tall and 190 lbs, Canton isn't exactly the biggest corner in the league, and he isn't the strongest by any means. But he is experienced, and with that experience comes his defensive prowess. Canton comes into the game boasting 20 tackles, 8 passes defended (3 of which coming against the number 1 wide receiver from last season, Josh Garden), 2 interceptions, and a defensive touchdown. After having underestimated Vincent in their first meetup, Canton looked at this game with an eye for revenge. And that comeuppance would start immediately.
The very first pass from Baltimore Hawks quarterback Scrub Kyubee was straight to Vincent, and Canton made his presence known. On a 3rd and short, Canton batted the ball down forcing the Hawks to punt, and setting up the Sabercats' first touchdown drive. The second target for Vincent wouldn't come for over twenty more minutes. After a Sabercats kickoff and a quick two plays to get a first down, Kyubee went for his big man, and again Canton batted the ball away from the sure handed receiver. At this point, Canton was getting into Vincent's head. The very next play Vincent received another target, but this time he dropped it. His team's confidence in him noticeably shaken, he would not receive another target for the rest of the half.
It would appear that Vincent and Kyubee had had a chat and their confidence had returned, as the first play of the second half was a quick pass to Vincent for a 7 yard gain before being brought down by Canton. His next target would come just four plays later, but once again Canton was ready and waiting to make a play on the ball, deflecting it away from the outstretched hands of Vincent.
In their next possession, Vincent would again be targeted, this time looking down a 1st and 15. Looking for the smart play, Kyubee would target his receiver with the largest catch radius on the team down the sideline. Unfortunately for Kyubee, Canton was eyeing him the whole time, and was able to disrupt the pass once more to set up 2nd and 15. A quick 5 yard run later and Kyubee would be looking at Vincent again to try to convert the 3rd and long. With Canton having his way with him all game, and another deflection or worse bearing down on him, the pressure was too much, and Vincent dropped the ball once more, resulting in a Hawks punt on 4th down. Vincent's final target of the game would come toward the beginning of the 4th quarter, a quick out on 1st down where he was immediately brought down by Canton for a gain of 4 yards.
The Cats would go on to lose the game after a poor coaching decision to chance a 52 yard field goal attempt on first down with 28 seconds left to go. But, after all was said and done, Vincent, who averaged almost 58 yards per game and 12.8 yards per catch leading up to this, had only 11 yards on 2 catches from 8 targets (1.375 yards/target), and dropped his averages to 48 yards per game and 12 yards per catch. Meanwhile, Canton's 4 defensed passes brings him to 12 total, makes him the league leader in the category, and puts him in the running for arguably the best corner in the league. Canton had made a statement about wanting to go up against a rookie receiver to "bring them down a peg", and it looks like he did just that.
Having said all this, this may have been an off game for Vincent, an above average game for Canton, or a combination of the two. But Matthew Vincent has shown in previous outings that he has the makings of a great receiver, and someone with the potential to develop into a terrifying red zone threat. The Vincent/Canton match-up may be one we all look forward to watching in the coming years.
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828 Words
@sapp2013
Graded
Payout=$1,228,000