Article: Speed at wide receiver

[GoIrish41]

Link to an article on ND recruiting, with speed at WR as the focus.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/05/01/rivals.recruiting/index.html

 

[Newc]

Does anyone know much about Floyd's situation? I know I've heard things here and there but not any big developments that show which way he wants to go...any news?

 

[bbrennan]

Maybe it's just me but I think this notion of speed at wide receiver is overblown. I don't think it was Shark's speed that made him a threat I think it was his size and willingness to be physical with smaller DB's. I would rather have 6'-4" receivers who can catch and run good routes that run 4.6 than a smaller guy who can do nothing other than run down the field. I think guys like Duval and Goodman will be a huge success in our offense.

Besides the greatest all time (Jerry Rice) wasn't all that fast by todays standards. And the fastest wide out in college last year (Ted Ginn) will be nothing but an OK return man in the NFL.

 

[Axl Rose]

Is there a possibility we use Armando Allen as a receiver also ala Reggie Bush. We need to get his speed on the field any way possible.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Maybe it's just me but I think this notion of speed at wide receiver is overblown. I don't think it was Shark's speed that made him a threat I think it was his size and willingness to be physical with smaller DB's. I would rather have 6'-4" receivers who can catch and run good routes that run 4.6 than a smaller guy who can do nothing other than run down the field. I think guys like Duval and Goodman will be a huge success in our offense.

Besides the greatest all time (Jerry Rice) wasn't all that fast by todays standards. And the fastest wide out in college last year (Ted Ginn) will be nothing but an OK return man in the NFL.

If it was over-rated, the best teams would never talk about it. It matters.

Our boys got man-handled by the DBs at USC/LSU/UM. Speed matters when you are up against a good DB.

We need more speed at the WR position, plain and simple...

 

[Ricochet]

Maybe it's just me but I think this notion of speed at wide receiver is overblown. I don't think it was Shark's speed that made him a threat I think it was his size and willingness to be physical with smaller DB's. I would rather have 6'-4" receivers who can catch and run good routes that run 4.6 than a smaller guy who can do nothing other than run down the field. I think guys like Duval and Goodman will be a huge success in our offense.

Besides the greatest all time (Jerry Rice) wasn't all that fast by todays standards. And the fastest wide out in college last year (Ted Ginn) will be nothing but an OK return man in the NFL.

I know what your saying but those smaller guy's who can do nothing other than run down the field as you put it do alor more than you think. The fact that they are out there put's pressure on the defense and keeps them honest so that it open's it up for the rest of the offense.

 

[GoIrish41]

Why does it have to be one or the other. I personally like the tall guys like Shark, Duval and Goodman, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at a 5-10 guy who runs a 4.3. Having both on the field at once gives the defense more to think about.

That said, I'd like to have 3 or 4 guys on the field who are 6-5, can run 4.3 40s, can fight through press coverage, stop on a dime, catch anything thrown their way, and burn by DBs with ease. But, since that isn't likely to happen we're probably going to have to take a mix of guys to get all of those skills on the field at once.

 

[kjones]

Why does it have to be one or the other. I personally like the tall guys like Shark, Duval and Goodman, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at a 5-10 guy who runs a 4.3. Having both on the field at once gives the defense more to think about.

That said, I'd like to have 3 or 4 guys on the field who are 6-5, can run 4.3 40s, can fight through press coverage, stop on a dime, catch anything thrown their way, and burn by DBs with ease. But, since that isn't likely to happen we're probably going to have to take a mix of guys to get all of those skills on the field at once.

I think really the best option is to have both guys in your arsenal. It just means you have more weapons and options for the defense to have to watch for. When we had Matt Sheldon on the field, teams always knew that he was a threat for a wide open deep ball because of his speed. Last year, I don't think we really had a credible deep threat, coupled with rather spotty pass protection, which meant that teams could jam our tall receivers on the line more and make it hard for them to hit their stride and get open quickly. I think it made it rather easy for the most athletic teams on our schedule to defend us, rush the QB hard and jam the receivers. The teams that were capable of doing that to us did, and the rest got beat. Anyway, having any size guy who is a threat to burn you with speed makes it harder to pull of that strategy. But I'd like to have both types of guys.

 

[Newc]

Yea, Kjones is right, having a mix of recievers would be the best. I think people sometimes underestimate how important a possesion reciever is. Look at the NFL and you can see that both types of recievers are effective. It would be great to have a little speedster that can sneak across the middle or turn those short outs into big gains, much like a steve smith and then have a taller possesion reciever for the deep ball or endzone fades. Having a 6'5 reciever who runs a 4.3 or 4.4. is a rare and special find, and ofcourse we would love to load our team up with such talent, but that is very difficult. Having a mix of those kinds of recievers is easier to find and I believe end up working out better in offensive production.

 

[knute]

Maybe it's just me but I think this notion of speed at wide receiver is overblown. I don't think it was Shark's speed that made him a threat I think it was his size and willingness to be physical with smaller DB's. I would rather have 6'-4" receivers who can catch and run good routes that run 4.6 than a smaller guy who can do nothing other than run down the field. I think guys like Duval and Goodman will be a huge success in our offense.

Besides the greatest all time (Jerry Rice) wasn't all that fast by todays standards. And the fastest wide out in college last year (Ted Ginn) will be nothing but an OK return man in the NFL.

Having speed at WR isn't just about the one-on-one battle between the WR and CB. It's also about getting the safeties to back up a bit. The farther back the safeties are, the more room you have in the middle of the field for TEs, RBs and other receivers. Having fasts WRs that can get behind the CBs for the deep bomb loosens up the whole defense a bit and makes everyone on the offense a little better.

 

[Sureal]

Good point Knute. A speedy wr will stretch a 2 deep and keep that safety on that side honest. Also, if that safety creeps up on the line due to a productive running game you would want some speed because that wr would have no problem going over the top with a little play action. Seperation from your DB would be key and it is better than having jumpballs everytime you throw it deep. But like KJones said those receivers have to be able to get off the line when they are jammed.