Stompin' Tom Connors
Footballguy
It's been interesting -- to say the least -- about the different trends that develop over time (and sometimes in short order) in the NFL.
Spread/no huddle and the desire of the NFL to increase excitement of the game through scoring is certainly the biggest shift, along with protection of players -- especially QBs. I can point to tons of others that came in and flamed out as fast (remember the Wildcat phase anyone?), trends that cemented themselves as de rigueur -- like the Cover 2 basically becoming a base defensive coverage scheme these day -- and ones that get installed based on player skill-set (like the prevalence of the physical, basketball power forward TE/WR, or the pistol offense that PIT often uses to help Big Ben when he's dinged).
This year, I am noticing a new offensive trend -- and I am not talking about not allowing any defensive player to even THINK about hitting the QB.
I am talking about shifting the WR1 to the slot, which often creates mismatches in the defense against DBs and LBs. We've seen teams do this before, often with other positions (e.g. Gronk is a slot monster).
But so far this year, a lot of teams seem to be doing this with their primary receiver instead of lining themselves outside, and the results are pretty impressive. It's not totally surprising to see Michael Thomas being hugely effective playing out of the slot, as I believe NO leveraged Colston out of the slot as well. But it isn't just one team doing it. I noticed last weekend the Raiders were doing this with Cooper, which contributed to his 10-catch night.
Some other teams who are leveraging this set include:
CIN - AJ Green
ARI - David Johnson (not a WR1, I know, but let's face it, he is as much an offensive focal point in the receiving game as FItz).
SEA - Doug Baldwin
MIN - Adam Thielen
IND - TY Hilton
Are we seeing a shift in how offenses think of the typical X,Y,Z receiver lineup sets, and becoming more fluid solely based solely on pre-snap looks? Is this one of these trends we'll see become more prevalent, or fade as Ds adjust?
What other WR1s have you seen this season play out of the slot? Any other interesting trends you guys are seeing this year?
Spread/no huddle and the desire of the NFL to increase excitement of the game through scoring is certainly the biggest shift, along with protection of players -- especially QBs. I can point to tons of others that came in and flamed out as fast (remember the Wildcat phase anyone?), trends that cemented themselves as de rigueur -- like the Cover 2 basically becoming a base defensive coverage scheme these day -- and ones that get installed based on player skill-set (like the prevalence of the physical, basketball power forward TE/WR, or the pistol offense that PIT often uses to help Big Ben when he's dinged).
This year, I am noticing a new offensive trend -- and I am not talking about not allowing any defensive player to even THINK about hitting the QB.
I am talking about shifting the WR1 to the slot, which often creates mismatches in the defense against DBs and LBs. We've seen teams do this before, often with other positions (e.g. Gronk is a slot monster).
But so far this year, a lot of teams seem to be doing this with their primary receiver instead of lining themselves outside, and the results are pretty impressive. It's not totally surprising to see Michael Thomas being hugely effective playing out of the slot, as I believe NO leveraged Colston out of the slot as well. But it isn't just one team doing it. I noticed last weekend the Raiders were doing this with Cooper, which contributed to his 10-catch night.
Some other teams who are leveraging this set include:
CIN - AJ Green
ARI - David Johnson (not a WR1, I know, but let's face it, he is as much an offensive focal point in the receiving game as FItz).
SEA - Doug Baldwin
MIN - Adam Thielen
IND - TY Hilton
Are we seeing a shift in how offenses think of the typical X,Y,Z receiver lineup sets, and becoming more fluid solely based solely on pre-snap looks? Is this one of these trends we'll see become more prevalent, or fade as Ds adjust?
What other WR1s have you seen this season play out of the slot? Any other interesting trends you guys are seeing this year?
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