Wide Receivers

[SchadenfreudeHawk]

1. Our current crop of Wide Outs are easily mitigated by good man coverage. This allows teams to drop 8 in the box and/or run blitz, filling every running lane. While Beast is a phenomenal back, this makes the running game difficult.
2. A big WR would be fantastic because they would be good at what Wilson is good at. Wilson throws a great high pointable ball and a big WR would be able catch those passes with vertical separation.
3. A legitimate number one receiver would force opposing defenses to respect our passing attack and thus put Marshwn Lynch in a better place to run. Passing and running are not oppositional, they actually feed one another. Imagine how Beast would run if teams had to keep two safteys deep.

 

[sc85sis]

We need to improve the short to medium passing game. Seems we go for the deep ball a lot, and that's a feast or famine proposition. We need guys who can get separation more consistently. We need guys who don't drop the ball, which has been a problem lately.

I don't think we will ever be able to do that with Wilson.

The zip he has to put on the balls, makes passes low and too easily for Linemen to knock down. I think this is the limitation for shorter qb's.

not saying we can't always do that, but I think not is more the norm.

We did see some quick passes this season, but we haven't been consistent with them. That's on play calling to some extent but also just a learning process for Russ and the WRs. It may also be an issue with receivers getting jammed.

 

[Hyak]

For as much as they don't like it, the WR group, especially with Tate gone, is pedestrian. If they face a defense with a good secondary, the pass offense often struggles (either the whole game or for part of the game).

PC and JS know this. That's why they swung the fences for Harvin and drafted two WR's last year.

TE is kind of the same. If Miller can stay healthy, it's a much better group but that is a big unknown after the last 2 seasons.

 

[LTH]

I haven't read the rest of the responses, but I'll tell you why. Go back and watch Chris Matthews in the Super Bowl. Watching a big man plucking the ball out of the air is beautiful. Whether Matthews is that guy, or if we need to draft a Dorial Green-Beckham, or go get Brandon Marshall. I want some more of that..... Russ throws a beautiful 50/50 ball. Would be nice if we had a weapon to take advantage of that.

I agree! what was interesting to me was when Mathews started making plays the Pats had to change there coverage up a bit and it opened things up for the other receivers...

I like mathews... maybe his success against NE was due to great match ups, maybe it was talent maybe it was both... but every play he made was a great, tough catch... none of those catches were easy especially in the SB... I think we see more of Mathews...

What I dont understand is How the Hawks view Norwood... havent seen much of him last season... WHY? is he just developing? The WR position historically has a learning curve to it...maybe this is the reason... maybe we will see more of him this next season...

LTH

 

[gonzhawk]

Two things:
1-not to hijack thread, but are "Bevel's shortcomings" due to our running game coach picking all the lineman and having the title of "assistant head coach" so really our passing game is 2nd fiddle? How does that affect play calling, and personel?

2-would you rather have elite speed on the out side? Phillip Dorsette, Miami-5'10 185 runs a 4.4 and catches the ball well-
can take the top off the defense, thus forcing the D to respect the speed and not load box? with safety?
or a Tall guy like Funchess, or DGB, both 6'5 -

I did notice during the superbowl that we did not throw to the TE or even the RB out of back field (except Lynch's great catch) which were supposed to be a weakness of NE D.

I think Doug is a number 2 at best (no pun intended) while Kearse can beat up on #3 and #4 DB's.
Whether we are a running team or not, and while we are still awesome (one yard away) this group needs
an upgrade.
As our Defense gets older, our offense needs to become more efficient and bail them out more-as it stand now, if we were
able to get one more touchdown per game on offense, with this D, minus injuries, we could be even more legendary.

 

[netskier]

Dumbrabbit, The six two Norwoodhas already outgrown the five eleven Butler by three inches, and Butler will never catch up. Norwood is ready to beat Butler today. All that is missing is Russell becoming confident in Norwood, and this takes reps together, and the coaches provide them or not. And so far Wilson has not thrown to Norwood. This is on Bevell and Wilson. Perhaps the other poster is right and and Norwood's development is being held hostage due to lack of special teams performance.

 

[netskier]

I can only recall a couple of throws to Norwood. How many more were there that I did not see?

 

[WilsonMVP]

Why is it said that Wilson and Lynch always bail out Bevell? If that's true, wouldn't that make Bevell a good coordinator because he is calling the right plays?

No...when Lynch constantly has to break tackles or Russ has to constantly scramble around just to find a WR that is bad play design

 

[Rat]

Baldwin, Kearse and Richardson get the job done.

I don't know about Richardson, although he looked promising late in the year. As for our other guys, it's hard to say they "get the job done" when in the Super Bowl, Russell Wilson spent the half the game with an hour to throw on every play and could hardly find anyone open.

Having a guy like Marshawn Lynch means you can get away with lesser wideouts, but it doesn't mean you SHOULD have lesser wideouts. With so few weaknesses on this team, it'd be crazy to not consider upgrades at one of those few places.

 

[netskier]

JTB, we drafted Norwood because he had great hands and could reliably catch contestable balls at Alabama. My hunch is that he can do it today in the NFL. We need Bevel and Wilson to try this. I blame Bevell so far for the play calling, and for the distribution of practice reps, since that derives from Bevells game plan, and the reps determine Wilson's confidence in each of the receivers. I can hardly wait to put Norwood to the test catching contestable balls against Sherman.

 

[Rat]

Norwood was a fourth round rookie. Based on past data with those types, it's hard to blame Bevell for nothing getting him on the field. It's most likely, that he simply wasn't ready.

 

[Hyak]

JTB, we drafted Norwood because he had great hands and could reliably catch contestable balls at Alabama. My hunch is that he can do it today in the NFL. We need Bevel and Wilson to try this. I blame Bevell so far for the play calling, and for the distribution of practice reps, since that derives from Bevells game plan, and the reps determine Wilson's confidence in each of the receivers. I can hardly wait to put Norwood to the test catching contestable balls against Sherman.

I am not down on Norwood and think he could make a jump in the offseason for sure. He essentially missed TC this year with the injuries and he got caught up in numbers on ST late (hence Matthews was active for the NFCC and SB).

That being said, I expect them to draft a WR at some point, especially given the uncertainty about Richardson for the start of 2015.

 

[LTH]

Norwood was a fourth round rookie. Based on past data with those types, it's hard to blame Bevell for nothing getting him on the field. It's most likely, that he simply wasn't ready.

Thats my take on it... The WR position has a learning curve it takes a year or in some cases two years to develop... I cant think of anyone who went lights out the first year...


LTH

 

[chris98251]

I don't think it's the WR's as much as it is Bevells design, we have simple route trees, easily defended, in the years that we have had Bevell he has shown he cannot figure out how to incorporate the WR consistently, look how he used Harvin when healthy, Bubble screen, bubble screen bubble screen, the only way he could get the ball to Rice was on a reaching sideline pattern not in stride, rarely down field.

The receivers make catches in spite of Bevell in my opinion, the scramble drills allow them to break out and freelance and get open. We have TE's that get all but forgotten in the passing game for weeks on end.

Tate made plays because of his ability to fight for the ball, team Cable with someone that has a great feel for the passing game and I think we would see big dividends from our receivers.

 

[netskier]

Add another tall guy, six five or so, and Boston will not be able to cope, with only one Browner to defend two people. Tall receivers are much more common than tall cornerbacks.

 

[netskier]

Add another really fast guy to send deep into the corner to stretch the field. Route Lockette into the other corner to stretch the field on both sides.