I want to preface this by saying that I don't pretend to have extensive knowledge about wide receivers (or route trees). I'm a casual observer, but I think I've picked up a few things from watching guys in the NFL.
The underneath quick-twitch guy seems to be an ever-developing trend. Wes Welker got it started and New England always has one (Danny Amendola currently).....Ryan Switzer with the Raiders and now Steelers.....(JINX due to his flipped commitment to UNC), the dude from Dallas and Adam Humphries who I've discovered watching Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay. The 3, 5, 7 yard routes to these quick little speedsters are pretty much un-defendable. When Welker was on top of his game he was pretty much open every single play.
To me, Hamler and Polk are custom-made with the same moves and body types (except the obvious difference.......don't go there). I mean yeah, it makes sense to use your fastest guys to take the top off of defenses but what percentage of the time are you running drags, straight go, or hitch and go routes.....even long outs. Wouldn't it be more effective to have the little guys inside or outside closer to the line of scrimmage with "ankle-breaker" cuts in space? Especially Hamler (the human joystick). It seems every time I see them catching a pass it's 10 or 20 down yards down field or way, way down field.
It's to me something that seems to be missing from our offense, maybe I'm just missing it. Like I said not a big expert and maybe the timing/difficulty of those routes prohibit their use in college but with a veteran QB and the type of wide receivers in our current crop (including Thompkins), it seems like a logical thing.
Take this into consideration........how many times have you seen Brandon Polk come down with a long bomb where he wasn't wide open? A small wide receiver who doesn't high spot has to be twice as wide open as a tall wide receiver. The 3,5 and 7 yard routes in the passing game are just like 3, 5, and 7 yard gains in the rushing game. Easiest way to get your QB comfortable and the pass game flowing. Then, as soon as they start cheating up on the short stuff.......boom, over the top. Just a thought.
But seriously, why don't we do this??
The underneath quick-twitch guy seems to be an ever-developing trend. Wes Welker got it started and New England always has one (Danny Amendola currently).....Ryan Switzer with the Raiders and now Steelers.....(JINX due to his flipped commitment to UNC), the dude from Dallas and Adam Humphries who I've discovered watching Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay. The 3, 5, 7 yard routes to these quick little speedsters are pretty much un-defendable. When Welker was on top of his game he was pretty much open every single play.
To me, Hamler and Polk are custom-made with the same moves and body types (except the obvious difference.......don't go there). I mean yeah, it makes sense to use your fastest guys to take the top off of defenses but what percentage of the time are you running drags, straight go, or hitch and go routes.....even long outs. Wouldn't it be more effective to have the little guys inside or outside closer to the line of scrimmage with "ankle-breaker" cuts in space? Especially Hamler (the human joystick). It seems every time I see them catching a pass it's 10 or 20 down yards down field or way, way down field.
It's to me something that seems to be missing from our offense, maybe I'm just missing it. Like I said not a big expert and maybe the timing/difficulty of those routes prohibit their use in college but with a veteran QB and the type of wide receivers in our current crop (including Thompkins), it seems like a logical thing.
Take this into consideration........how many times have you seen Brandon Polk come down with a long bomb where he wasn't wide open? A small wide receiver who doesn't high spot has to be twice as wide open as a tall wide receiver. The 3,5 and 7 yard routes in the passing game are just like 3, 5, and 7 yard gains in the rushing game. Easiest way to get your QB comfortable and the pass game flowing. Then, as soon as they start cheating up on the short stuff.......boom, over the top. Just a thought.
But seriously, why don't we do this??
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