The Not So Obvious From the Browns Game

Our passing game won't fire on all cylinders until we have better receivers. The rookie 2nd rounders were supposed to fix this problem but haven't so far. It is still early in their NFL lives, though.

I don't see how receivers are the problem when Moss, ARE, and Cooley are all having very good seasons.

Cooley is a stud hands down.

Moss is not the big receiver that you need to go over the middle and make the clutch 3rd down catch in traffic or to grab the fade in the end zone. He also has trouble getting free when double covered. So do some other receivers, but the great ones find a way to get open, anyway.

Don't get me wrong - I love Randle El - but he really is a third, slot receiver. Not a number 2. Look at it this way: Arizona's 2nd wideout caught 90 balls last year. Randle El caught 50 balls in his best year.

I love Thrash for his character and his special teams play but he just is not that productive as a number 3 receiver.

Bottom line production wise: Cooley, Moss, and ARE are all on pace for at least 69 catches each. That's pretty damn good. The passing game will continue to develop as they all gain more experience in the offense. I don't think talent is the problem.

I looked it up and Boldin only caught 70 balls last year, not 90. Sorry, I misremembered. He has caught 100 balls before, though.

Randle El is on his way to his best year. Nonetheless, if you look over time, you see that his norm is a 30 catch year.

I completely agree that the passing game will get better as the season goes on.

I'd love for the rookie receivers to get more involved too, but at this point I'm losing hope for any of them to have a major impact this year.

I looked it up and Boldin only caught 70 balls last year, not 90. Sorry, I misremembered. He has caught 100 balls before, though.

Randle El is on his way to his best year. Nonetheless, if you look over time, you see that his norm is a 30 catch year.

I completely agree that the passing game will get better as the season goes on.

Dude AZ is the expectation not the rule to 2nd WR production. Fitz and Boldin would be number one on almost any other team. I would not use them as your bench mark.

Moss is not the big receiver that you need to go over the middle and make the clutch 3rd down catch in traffic or to grab the fade in the end zone. He also has trouble getting free when double covered. So do some other receivers, but the great ones find a way to get open, anyway.

Someone is obsessed with size...

Moss is a pro-bowl receiver and we are blessed to have him. He does get open.. just not on every play. He has had the clutch 3rd down catch. I saw that many times when Brunell was QB and we had fewer options at WR. Getting open often is hard to do when you have 2 or 3 defenders covering you, and why should JC throw into coverage when he has other options? The only reason you say he isn't getting open is because JC doesn't chance it that often. He is safe. Which would explain the no INTs. Moss deserves a great deal of respect, IMO.

I figured I'd get hammered for saying something critical...

mredskins, Arizona was just one clear example of a team with a fine #2 receiver.

hesscl34, I am not obsessed with size. But it is in fact an advantage in the NFL. Look at how many grabs Randy Moss (just one example) makes simply because he is taller than the db covering him.

I'm not saying anything that Zorn and VC didn't say in the run-up to the draft. Why do you think we spent our first 3 picks on pass catchers?

Matty, I think that you are right that the rooks will not produce much this year. I'm hoping that they turn a corner in the second half of the season. Nonetheless I stand by my claim that the passing game would improve with better receivers.

HTTR

I know everyone is obsessed with big receivers but Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El run the West Coast offense very well. Because they are run well after the catch, they fit into this offense perfectly. The big receiver is needed on the goal line for the fade route. That's the only play where a big receiver is advantageous.

I know everyone is obsessed with big receivers but Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El run the West Coast offense very well. Because they are run well after the catch, they fit into this offense perfectly. The big receiver is needed on the goal line for the fade route. That's the only play where a big receiver is advantageous.

A big possession receiver is great for plays between the hashes, although we do have Cooley to help with that.