Tight Ends Still Useful?

[Isabellas2007]

While many teams are going to the West Coast offense do you think the tight end can still be useful? I know they are useful for blockers, but do they still make an impact on the passing game?

[Waynefire]

The tight ends are still very useful. They are great blockers on the running downs, impact players on special teams. However, if you have a player of Antonio Gates caliber, you can easily have a catching threat as well. So they are useful as well.

[Sugarhill]

Considering that some of the TE are just WRs in disguise, I'd have to say that they are more than useful even with the West Coast offense. What position would you propose they replace the TE with?

[Isabellas2007]

I do not propose they would replace them with anything. I am just saying it is something which seems to be fading except for the ones who are acting like a receiver.

[Sugarhill]

What? Tight ends were always receivers, they were just too big and slow to be a wide receiver and too small to be a lineman.

[joe128139]

Rob Gronkowski. Case closed. Excellent receiver and blocker. If you can find the right guy the tight end is still very useful.

[Sugarhill]

Rob is hardly the final word for whether a tight end is useful or not. Jason Witten, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark and many more have proven the usefulness of a tight end. I don't even know why or how this question was even asked.

[Shaggz235]

So you think players like Rob and Jimmy aren't useful? Do you even watch football?

[NoCanklesPlease]

A big-time WR and a top tier TE are the best friends a QB has. TE are more important now than ever; they used to just be blockers that could catch better than an OL. Now they are impact players; especially if a team has a young QB.

[adamnawroc]

I think the two tight end scheme we see in New England is going to be a trend in the NFL. If anything, tight ends are more useful than they once were.