How far has Nick Toon come as a receiver?
“He’s doing a fantastic job,’’ Al said. “I watch him on the field — the confidence and the maturity of his route-running — and those were the things I knew were going to take a little time to develop.’’
In the next breath, Al Toon confessed, “I’m always critiquing, it’s innate, it’s the way I’m wired, but it’s critiquing from a positive perspective.’’
He then added, “Let me put it this way — from 2007 when he graduated from high school until now — he’s matured quite a bit; He’s actually more advanced as a receiver than I was …’’
Nick Toon has caught at least one touchdown pass in three straight games, a career first.
It’s obvious that quarterback Russell Wilson and Toon have been good for each other.
“The chemistry has always been at a good level,’’ Wilson said. “But it’s getting better. That’s from the hard work that we put in every single day during practice.
“We just have to keep growing.’’
The Badgers have already shown a growth spurt on offense.
“We are obviously very efficient in what we do,’’ Nick Toon said. “Russell does a very good job of spreading the ball around and bringing the best out of everybody.’’
The growing list of weapons includes split end Jared Abbrederis and tight end Jacob Pedersen.
“Nick obviously draws a lot of double coverage and guys are trying to focus on him,’’ said Abbrederis, a walk-on. “If defenses do that, it should open me up a little more.
“But I’ve got to be able to make those plays so they’re not just focusing on him (Toon).’’
Toon sparked his teammates, Abbrederis said, with some of his acrobatic grabs last Saturday.
The Badgers are 9-0 when Toon catches a touchdown pass during his career.
“I’ve always been a hand-catcher, I guess you could call it,’’ Toon said. “That’s something my dad kind of instilled in me as a young player — catching the ball in your hands.’’
That 132nd catch, whenever it comes, will be something both Al and Nick Toon can be proud of.
