http://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/packersroutetree.html?viewall=1
The article itself is not Dolphins related or draft related, but I think we can extrapolate from this what Miami probably should and is likely looking for when it comes to the talent and skill level of the wide receivers.
Just a few things to note.
1. All of Green Bay's receivers not only run a full route tree, but they also understand coverages and reading defenses. This is probably a reason why it is difficult for a rookie to get a lot of reps in the offense, as Randall Cobb noticed during his rookie year.
2. The receivers are interchangeable. Each of them can play the X, Z, and H (slot) positions. Idealistically, you think of your X as your speed guy, Z as your physical guy, and H as your quick guy. In their system, Jennings is the X that can play the other two positions. Nelson is the Z that can play the X and H. Cobb is the H that can play the X and Z. Finley is the Y.
3. The passing offense and progressions are not built around one receiver in particular. It is build around concepts. Each concept may have a different "open" receiver based on the coverage given.
So, how does this relate to the Dolphins. Well, IMO, the Dolphins offensive philosophy is very close to the Packers offensive philosophy, if not identical. I think this should give us an idea of what Miami will likely be looking for in their receivers, whether through the draft or through free agency.
IMO, they will be looking for receivers who are versatile enough to play all three receiver positions within the offense and can run a full route tree. A lot of the other stuff will be qualities that will come once they get into the NFL.
IMO, this is also why Mike Wallace is a very poor fit for the Dolphins. Yes, he has the down the field speed and play making ability the team needs, but he is also very limited in his route tree and can only play the split end position. There is a reason Pittsburgh resigned Antonio Brown and is letting Mike Wallace walk. Brown is the more complete receiver. Even if Wallace wasn't looking for $10 million plus a year, he'd still be a poor fit for the offense.
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Patton is perhaps the best fit at this position in the draft. I'm interested to see what his forty and vertical are at the combine. To me, this is a younger Greg Jennings type that will likely play the X receiver while easily being able to play the Z and H.
SICK, Tone_E, PhinGeneral and 4 others like this. -
If they are different, and Sherman's philosophy was more predominant, I'd love to know the same info from his own Packers years, as well as his TexasAM stuff (although I don't think the college would necessarily translate directly). -
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I think Keenan Allen fits that mold very well. That's why while he's not my top choice, I would be okay if they took him. Stedman Bailey also would be a very good fit IMO.
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I would add that the WRs need a certain amount of football IQ. A big part of it is having the QB and WR on the same page. They both know the whole concept and who is most likely to get the pass. I think that was part of the reason that Hartline had good production this season. He's a smart WR.
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Just of note, while he doesn't have the best RAC ability, a big reason why the team would like to resign Brian Hartline is that he is a quality receiver that has a high IQ and can play all three spots. Personally, I don't see the infatuation with Mike Wallace. Yes, he's a big time down the field receiver, but do you really want to pay a limited vertical threat $10 million plus a season? We can likely resign Hartline for $5 million per season.Stringer Bell, RevRick, Boomer and 2 others like this. -
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MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member
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MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member
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This somewhat reduces how much I want the guy I had pegged as the second WR I wanted in the second round (the first being Stedman Bailey): Terrance Williams.
Not versatile enough, IMO.
But definitely scares safeties and keeps them out of the box. -
Do they have no #1s or multiple WRs who are or are close to being #1s? All four are deep threats imo. Jordy Nelson has wheels, Jones has wheels, Jennings has wheels and Cobb has wheels plus excellent quicks. They all can stretch a defense and have quicks, Nelson maybe more of a size/speed guy. They can attack a passing defense from multiple angles, more power to them, but I would take any of the Packers top 4 WRs over any WR that we have, and they have better TEs as well, not to mention Rodgers. That is a talnted quartet, and I've been a fan of James Jones for a while, and he had more TD receptions last year than Bess has in his career, more than double Hartline's career total. His 34 career TDs are almost double the NFL career output of Bess/Hartline combined (18).
No matter how you cut it imo we need WRs who can stretch the defense and score TDs- make plays. If you want to call that #1 WR traits, that's fine. But when you have opposing Safeties sneaking up in the box and WRs that can't score TDs or get open deep all that often, there's a problem there. Call it whatever you want, just get better speed out wide to keep the offense from getting constricted and get some play makers, the labeling of #1 isn't as important as getting the job done, and the Packers do it by committee with four solid WRs, which is not a bad way to go. -
The other thing that disturbs me is the lack of understanding that the Dolphins have changed the recipe for the team four times since the abdication of Wannstedt - and are in their second year of the fourth change - four different head coaches in 9 years. This team has had no stability at all, and the fan base has sometimes been about as stable as a liberty boat load of drunken sailors in a Marseilles cathouse. Everybody is a flaming expert about how to fix the team, when in truth, there about six (maybe) people on the board with any real idea about how to do it, several who may have a fair idea - and the rest of us haven't got a flamin' clue!
Excuse me... I am heading into rant territory - and I don't trust myself there.
TTFN -
Greg Jennings has spent about half his time in the slot, the last few years. Just thought I'd add that in there.
Bpk likes this. -
I'm going to have to agree with Alen in that I'm not seeing much in these that don't apply for most offenses in the NFL.
As much as we talk about versatility, Jordy Nelson and James Jones each spent only 7% of their time in the slot this year. Last year that was higher but still only ~9%.
As much as we talk about the lack of a #1 in the offense, in 2007 Donald Driver had 122 targets and the next closest receiver had 85. In 2010, Greg Jennings had 125 targets and the next most popular receiver had only 87 targets. And in 2008, things were lopsided toward Jennings (139 targets) and Driver (115 targets) and the next most popular receiver had only 55 targets. Similar in 2009 (118 + 112 ===> 71). This hardly paints the picture of egalitarianism that is most often painted based on 2011 & 2012.
From what I've seen the most interesting aspect of their offense from the standpoint of the receivers is how quickly their receivers flow from one break to the next. I guess the coaching term for that is probably tagging as I think Alen is alluding to.
If there is a real mental barrier to entry for young receivers (which I think is in some ways more imagined than real) then it's probably due to that. -
Bpk likes this.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSXOjOcE3Aw
I'd still like to see more speed- Bess is quick but not fast and and Hartline isn;t particularly fast or quick. Rishard Matthews may have the best combo, but we certainly need to improve speed and play making capabilities imo. -
BTW, I remember during Nelson's first or second year that Philbin said he wanted Jordy versed at all 3 receiver positions.djphinfan likes this. -
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MrClean Inglourious Basterd Club Member
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