Do we need a tall WR?

With the loss of Sidney to retirement I was wondering what you all think of the need for a tall WR in the lineup. I for one think having a big target like Sidney, Mike Williams etc... enhances our passing game. Do you believe we will go out there searching for a big WR?

If Sidney Rice hadn't got injured midseason we would have had a tall WR who could have helped us win the superbowl last year

We have the Mathews kid.

It's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it.

A tall WR is something the fans want, but I'm not convinced its a major priority for the team. Rice is the only tall WR we've sunk major resources into in the Carroll/Schneider era. Meanwhile, during that time we've spent two high picks on smaller WR's (Tate and Richardson), traded multiple high pick for a smaller WR (Harvin), and made a priority out of re-signing a smaller WR (Baldwin).

Other than Rice, the big WR's we've gone after have been late round picks and street free agents.

This teams seems to value speed and RAC ability far more than size at the position. Get used to it.

We have speed on the outside now. We have TE for tall wr's, and the Matthews kid.

Would we say no to a big body? No. Who wouldn't love a Megatron or Brandon Marshall. The kinda guys who by sheer mass can go up and bring down a ball against all but the best corners. But it's hardly a priority. And with the advent of the big, physical corner (I wonder who is at fault for that), I think we're seeing that there's more value in constant motion on the field. Confusing defenders with multiple crossing routes and long posts to really open up defenses. Unless you can land someone of the above mentioned talent, which comes around so rarely and costs so much, it just doesn't seem like something to reach for. Richardson and Harvin will give people fits with their speed. Kearse and Doug have improved amazingly and now come down with almost everything thrown their way. Mathews is big, but unproven, so maybe he is that bag body. Norwood sounds like while he lacks the size, he's got the polish to be a great go-to. I think we're good with where we are.

McGruff":1xyvlhwi said:

A tall WR is something the fans want, but I'm not convinced its a major priority for the team. Rice is the only tall WR we've sunk major resources into in the Carroll/Schneider era. Meanwhile, during that time we've spent two high picks on smaller WR's (Tate and Richardson), traded multiple high pick for a smaller WR (Harvin), and made a priority out of re-signing a smaller WR (Baldwin).

Other than Rice, the big WR's we've gone after have been late round picks and street free agents.

This teams seems to value speed and RAC ability far more than size at the position. Get used to it.

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You work with what you've got and never cease trying to get better.

I think that the team along with a few fans would like to acquire a tall but comparatively fast WR but not at the expense of losing a player that is a stronger competitor, or a proven difference maker. The team has had real interest in several big WRs like Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson speaks to that interest. Both of them and Rice were perceived to be superior players at their position and guys who were capable of using their size and unusual athleticism to be difference makers.

The interest has been continuous too b/c they tried to resurrect the career of Mike Williams and drafted Kris Durham and have looked hard at others like Chris Harper, Ricardo Lockette, Phil Bates. The latest on their list of guys to check out are Chris Matthews and Kevin Norwood who will both need to show they can compete, are versatile and mentally tough enough to make this team.

Fundamentally though I agree speed and RAC ability are key, but the right tall guy is still on the wish list and has always been part of Pete's thinking.

We have Mathews (listed at 6' 5") and Lockette or Norwood (both listed at 6' 2") so I think we're ok with height guys. This is without even considering that we have our top 3 tight ends, McCoy, Miller & Wilson (all 3 listed at 6' 5"). We definitely have the height factor that Sidney brought in the red zone. I see no need in looking outside our ranks for any receivers whatsoever. I wasn't even so sure that Rice was going to make the squad, although I was rooting for him.

Yes we do need a tall WR, and that's why we have two of them now in Mathews and Norwood.

Seeing what the team has shown interest in, yes they want a tall WR. Pete has even expressed that before.

You really have to look at who you have at QB.

Hasselback was very good at throwing guys open, throwing to an open side of the WR and throwing some jump balls. Notice that BMW flourished with Hass throwing to him.

Jackson has to hit guys that are open, and usually to the right side. He rarely throws to the middle and doesn't seem to see the left of the field at all. I don't see him throwing jump balls a lot, you have to have separation for him to throw it to you.

Wilson sees the field pretty well. He finds the open guys, but as we've all seen, he likes to throw jump balls. Tate was good at high pointing the ball even though he wasn't that big. That was actually a strength of his that was commented on in his college scouting report. Baldwin can win some jump balls and Kearse has shown that ability. The fact that Wilson throws it up to a guy that's 5'10" speaks to the fact that he likes to give his guys a chance for the ball.

A tall WR would play into this, but like others have said, it's really going to be about that guy personally. There are teams that stress certain physical characteristics to the point of ignoring some other weaknesses. The Hawks won't put a tall guy out there at the expense of a guy like Baldwin, just because the 1st guy is taller.

Matthews is an unknown, but he's big. Norwood has size and has shown a knack for making contested catches in big situations in college. He's going to get some jump balls thrown to him for sure.

I honestly don't think we need to search out a big body, but I don't doubt that JS is still looking just to see what falls to him. We had issues in the red zone last year, and some of it has been attributed to lack of size in the end zone. I'm not sure it's true, as Rice got great separation and I didn't see him win a ton of jump balls (they weren't necessary to throw him) at 6'4".

CALIHAWK1":1jm2pye7 said:

We have the Mathews kid.

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We have Matthew @ 6-5, 215, Lockette- 6-2, 211, and Norwood- 6-2, 199.

I think we're covered on the tall WR front, in addition Paul Richardson, even though he's 6-0 I recall them mentioning after the draft he has really long arms which give him a reach of a 6-3 WR.

Bates 6-1
Kearse 6-1
Lockette 6-2
Matthews 6-5
Norwood 6-2
Price 6-1
Presley 6-3

Seems pretty tall to me going in to camp.

I think many fans when they say "tall" they mean code for that flashy 6-4ish 220ish burner WR that catches everything. Those guys aren't exactly growing on trees and typically require a Top-5 overall draft pick to snag.

We will be a lot shorter overall once the final roster comes out. We're only going to keep 5-6 based on history and style and Harvin, Baldwin, Kearse and Richardson are going to be locks. That gives you 1-2 spots between a draft pick in Norwood and a special teams ace in Lockette as the front runners.

But give me reliable hands and the ability to get open over height any day of the week.

Let Sherman play both sides, he's gotta get bored back there sometimes.

Morrell Presley is added to the team today as a WR not as a TE and NFL draft scout says he's 6'4"-225. So in answer to the above ? it appears the FO is still interested in adding that right big guy at WR.

I thought Rice made a difference at the end of the year when he came back.

We have a tall receiver. His name is Luke Willson, who they like to line up in the slot. Great hands, 38-inch vertical, 10-foot-2 broad jump, 4.28 short shuttle, and 4.57 40. Expect big things from him this year.

I am SICK of this stuff........


Every year it's the same old crap, "Do we need taller WRs?", "Why don't we ever try to get taller Wrs?"


We just won the Super Bowl with Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Percy Harvin, Jermaine Kearse at WR.....




Let me ask a question,...... Why do we need a taller WR?..... Russell can throw the ball to these guys and win games and even Super Bowls.... Lets the Lions never make the playoffs with Calvin Johnson and his contract....

Our WRs play bigger than they are. I suspect that will be a continuing trend :thirishdrinkers:

We were a below average team in the red zone and on third downs. Improvement on the offensive line, the addition of Harvin, and the expanded use of Willson could very well change that.