Dawgs By Nature
This is not a bold strategy, Browns should use David Njoku’s skillset
The Cleveland Browns have a weapon in TE David Njoku. He has an ability that isn’t being utilized that much on the field during games.
The dude can flat-out jump.
There is a football play designed for guys who can outjump defenders. It is a mystery as to why the Browns aren’t using it. There is little in the way of defensive maneuvers to defend this play and, if executed properly, it is almost impossible to defend.
RELATED: NJOKU GOES OVER DEFENDER FOR TD
It is not a trick play. There is no deception or Tomfoolery. Everybody on both sidelines knows what to expect and what the strategy is.
There are two parts: a timely thrown ball and a pass catcher who can leap higher than anybody else on the gridiron.
Enter Njoku.
Njoku has a 40” vertical jump. He has made many spectacular catches where he outjumps everyone and is able to reach the catch point without defender interference.
The play is called the “Alley-oop.” You may know it from the basketball court where it is a staple.
On the court, a guard brings the ball down and then heaves an easy floating pass to the right or left of the rim just inches above the hoop opening. As the ball is coming toward the rim, a larger player moves from outside the lane, runs toward the ball and grabs the pass, and then slams it into the net.
When done properly, it is a dramatic occurrence on the court that excites the crowd and causes the successful team’s bench to erupt.
Even though the alley-oop is an offensive play used widely in basketball and is a mainstay, its origins began in American Football.
Raleigh Climon Owens, or better known as R.C., was a basketball standout for the College of Idaho. His college roommate was future NBA legend Elgin Baylor. Both men were exceptional rebounders and could jump, but Owens had freakish leaping skills. He had the ability to out-leap defenders but he wasn’t the offensive shooting menace that Baylor was.
Owens was taken in the 14th round of the 1956 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers as a receiver and halfback. He was just 6’-3” and weighed 197 pounds, but was shifty, quick, and had long arms. In college, he averaged 28 rebounds per basketball game because of his ability to leap.
At the time, the 49ers were stacked on offense with Y.A. Tittle at quarterback, Hugh McElhenny and Joe Perry in the backfield, with Joe Arenas and Billy Wilson at receiver. Owens played sparingly as a rookie with just 27 receptions for 395 yards.
But that all changed in 1957. The Alley-Oop was invented – by mistake.
The play’s first appearance was in a preseason game played in Seattle against the Chicago Cardinals. Trying to avoid a sack, Tittle threw the ball up wildly and Owens outjumped the defenders...
