Orson Charles to Bengals in NFL Draft- Bleacher Report
Orson Charles to Bengals: Video Highlights, Scouting Report and Analysis
BleacherReport.com
By: Wes Stueve
April 28, 2012
An excellent athlete, Orson Charles is yet another new age, receiving tight end. The 6’2″, 251-pounder was fairly productive at Georgia, and he has the ability to produce at a high level.
Charles produced in all three of his seasons at the college level, but he finally broke out in his junior season, nearly doubling his previous season’s catch total.
| National Football Post writes about Charles: “Looks like a yoked up, physically put together wide out with a strong set of arms. Is a natural bender who can sit into his stance when playing from a three-point stance. Fires off the ball well and does a great job with his short area quickness and has the length to side step the bump and cleanly getting into his route. Consistently is able to side step linebackers, get up to speed and get down the field.” |
Though he is an explosive player, Charles isn’t necessarily a deep threat, yet is also hindered by his size. In the NFL, Charles’ lack of size and blocking ability will limit his role. Charles has also had some drop issues, but he frequently makes great catches and displays natural hands. The Georgia tight end is a threat working across the middle on underneath and intermediate routes. As a rookie, Charles will see the playing field. He won’t start, and he will only play on passing situations, but he will be used out of the slot similar to an Aaron Hernandez.
Pick Analysis
B/R’s NFL Draft Expert Matt Miller had Charles in the Top-60 of his Big Board, which shows this athletic TE could prove to be a steal this late in the draft. Time will tell, but this could work out well for the Bengals, especially as the league is more and more falling in love with the uber-athletic tight ends.
Plant Claims 8A State Title 31-20 -TBO
Plant Panthers Celebrate Their 8A State Championship Victory. Photo Credit BILL WARD Tampa Tribune
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By:Joey Johnston
Tampa Tribune
December 18. 2011
ORLANDO – A state football championship was on the line. The momentum had swung away from the Plant High Panthers. Now here was an opportunity.
Plant junior defensive lineman Mitchell Wright said he might remember the sight forever. There he was, crashing into the opposing end zone, trying to create third-down pressure. There was Miramar quarterback Camren Hudge, running for cover. And there in front of Wright, fully extended and largely unprotected, was the football.
“My eyes got big,” Wright said. “I swatted at it.”
The ball popped loose, into the waiting arms of linebacker Tate Rogers for a put-away touchdown with 6 minutes, 7 seconds remaining, and the Panthers had clinched their Class 8A state title.
Outside of some bad patches, the Panthers took it to the Miramar Patriots, winning 31-20 Saturday night before 4,802 fans at the Citrus Bowl. Miramar (13-1) was the nation’s No.3-ranked team, according to USA Today, but Plant was by far the better team on this night.
It was Plant’s fourth state football championship (along with 2006, 2008 and 2009), setting a Hillsborough County record and providing a nice local bookend for Armwood’s Class 6A title achieved earlier in the day.
“I think we played great, really great,” said Panthers coach Robert Weiner, whose team finished 14-1.
“At times, outside of a mistake here and there, we might have played a perfect game,” Panthers defensive coordinator John Few said. “The kids followed the game plan almost to perfection.”
The Panthers, who never trailed, limited Miramar to 145 yards. Two of the Patriots’ touchdowns were set up by Plant mistakes.
Meanwhile, Plant opened the game with a six-play, 63-yard touchdown drive as Wesley Bullock scored on a 21-yard run (part of his 124-yard night). It also got offensive scores from quarterback James Few on an 8-yard run and linebacker Mike Tate, who made a guest appearance in the backfield for a 1-yard score, along with a 37-yard field goal from Grant Van Aman.
After Miramar cut Plant’s seemingly comfortable 17-point lead to 24-20 with two third-quarter touchdown passes, the Panthers regained possession at their 24-yard line with 11:47 remaining in the game. Then Plant mounted its best drive of the night, grinding away, methodically moving the chains, converting on two long third-down plays, reaching the Miramar 6.
But on the drive’s 13th play, as Antonio Crawford swept left toward the end zone, he fumbled at the 2. Patriots free safety Marrell Jackson recovered.
The moment was crushing.
“My brothers (teammates) told me to forget it, but I was feeling bad,” Crawford said. “We were determined to make something good happen.”
Something did.
With Miramar looking to convert a third-and-11 from its 1, Wright made the biggest play of his life. Rogers was there to score. Plant had taken back the game.
The Panthers’ defense, which had seven sacks and 13 tackles for a loss, was the most important factor.
“We played a very sound game,” Wright said. “I know Miramar was highly ranked. We heard they didn’t even know who we were and they were already being fitted for their championship rings. It just goes to show you that if you have hard work and heart, you can come out on top.”
Few, the senior quarterback who joined Robert Marve, Aaron Murray and Phillip Ely as a state-champion Plant signal-caller, displayed plenty of his own heart. He rushed for 57 yards and generally had Plant in the right play all night.
“This is like a dream,” he said. “It’s something I’ve wanted my whole life. We came out and showed them we can play with physicality. Then when things started to go against us, our defense stepped up. You talk about a team effort! It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Plant won a state title in its third different classification.
“I guess we’re the Floyd Mayweather of high school football,” Weiner said. “I can’t say enough about how we progressed this season. We were up to all challenges. And when it was getting away from us, we found a way to get it done.”
Armwood 21 Plant 0 – TBO
Plant vs. Armwood TBO Game of the Week Photo By BILL WARD Tampa Tribune
By: Katherine Smith
Tampa Tribune
October 29, 2011
Plant and Armwood ended last season with silver medals around their necks. Both teams have worked extremely hard toward ensuring those medals are gold at the end of this season. Armwood took a significant step Friday night toward that goal. On a night they honored their seniors, the Hawks (9-0) shut out Plant for the second straight season, this time 21-0.
Armwood took advantage of several Plant (7-1) mistakes, which included two turnovers and nine penalties for 85 yards. The Hawks held a 3-0 lead after the first half, but opened the third quarter and essentially sealed the game with Garian Brown’s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. “We felt like the wheels on the Plant bus were wobbling and we just wanted to make sure we could finish it and tip it over,” Armwood coach Sean Callahan said. “That was big at that time.” The Hawks’ next two touchdowns widened the gap. Quarterback Darryl Richardson connected with running back Wade Edwards on a screen pass that resulted in a 77-yard touchdown. Senior running back Matt Jones (14 carries for 82 yards) capped off the Hawks’ scoring with a 30-yard touchdown with 4:18 remaining.
But the majority of Armwood’s highlights were on defense. The Hawks held Plant, a team averaging more than 440 yards of offense a game, to 151 yards. Panthers senior quarterback James Few handled the onslaught of pressure well for most of the game, but wasn’t helped by numerous drops from his receivers. The closest Plant got to scoring was Armwood’s 10-yard line, but Hawks defensive back Jarvis McCall stripped the ball out of Antonio Crawford’s hands for the first of two Plant turnovers. “When you’re playing (Armwood), you can’t give them freebies,” Plant coach Robert Weiner said. “They are just a little bit better than us in every single area of the game and they outcoached us a little bit.”
Armwood senior linebacker Eric Striker got to Few twice, and his second sack set a school record for career sacks at 35. USF defensive lineman Ryne Giddins held the previous mark of 34. “We bent, but we didn’t break,” Hawks defensive coordinator Matt Thompson said. “Plant’s a top team. We gave up some yards tonight, but the whole deal was keeping them out of the end zone, but we’ve got to clean some stuff up.”
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Plant vs. Jesuit – Tampa Tribune Game of the Week
Coach Robert Weiner addresses players during practice for the Plant vs Jesuit Game Season Opener | Photo by BILL WARD Tampa Tribune
Photos from Jesuit and Plant’s pregame practice sessions as the two squads prepare to square off Friday night at Dad’s Stadium in South Tampa. For high-resolution copies of any photo from the gallery, please contact Ron Kolwak of the Tampa Tribune at (813) 259-8223 or e-mail reprints@tampatrib.com. All photos by BILL WARD/The Tampa Tribune. http://www2.tbo.com/photoalbum/2011/sep/01/game-of-the-week-for-sept-2-2011-jesuit-vs-plant/