Our WRs in 2009... My Thoughts

Sorry but I strongly disagree that Wide Receiver is an issue on this team. We have to solid targets in Moss and Cooley, as well as talent coming up in Davis, Thomas, and Kelly. Sure one or two of them might end up as bust but the fact remains that we have two receiving threats off the LOS and in the NFL that's more then enough.

This receiving corps was more then enough during 6-2 when we were running the ball like mad men. It was when the running game broke down where the passing game fell apart. If you remember during those first 8 weeks CP led the league in rushing with 944 yards (on pace for 1,888) and 7 TD's. In the second half of the season he averaged 3.5 ypc with 2 TD's.

So with the running game gone our O-line, who was breaking down from old age at midseason, started to become a liability when teams decided they could unload on our QB and easily get the ball back after 3 and outs.

If anything we need new blood on the O-Line. Even if it means adding a RT, G, and C with our first three picks in the first three rounds (in this scenario we trade back) or better yet we get Jordan Gross in Free agency, draft Duke Robinson in the late first and find a quality center that falls through the cracks like Alex Mack. Maybe get a DT in between. Of course maybe I'm just a dreamer. Anyway we're a team that lives and dies with the running game just like the Vikings. I mean does anyone here think for a second that Tavaris Jackson is half as good as he is without the Vikings running game?

Trust me, O-Line play means much more then Recievers. I mean look at the Cardinals they got two of the best receivers in the league paired with a quality QB in Warner and they barely went 9-7 in possibly the worst division in football. Of course we're not much better going 8-8 but our problems started when the running game went downhill.

Join me brothers in helping the Redskins rebuild a glorious offensive front.
Great points Dirtbag. I also think we should take a hard look at Hixon as I've stated before. But Dirtbag has hit our biggest problem right on the head as far as I'm concerned. Can anyone imagine our Super Bowl teams without the HOGS? We had great Wideouts and a great RB but without the HOGS opening holes and giving our QB's time to throw the ball, does anyone really think we would have won 3 Super Bowls? How would they have done with the line we have now? These guys were so good you could tell the opposition what we were going to do and they couldn't stop it. Ask Riggo how important these guys were. Ask Williams, Theisman, or Rypien what it was like to play behind these guys. We'll get better behind a strong line. Remember Portis saying he would like to see what he could do behind some of the other lines in the league? The line gets better, we get better. Jason needs to step up. It would probably be easier if he didn't have to wonder how the line was going to hold up from play to play.

i know we all have high expectations for our 08 Draft Picks at WR.
BUT....What about...
T.J. Houshmandzadeh
he could be a Free Agent. Him & Moss would be a deadly Starting Duo. I think Campbell would hit Houshy all day. I could see him being what we need.

Build the lines and the talent at the skill positions will suddenly look much better.

We've got to give Thomas and Kelly more time as well.

matty, why does that seem too hard for people to see? seems really obvious to me

I cant see us drafting a WR...unless we get a big play WR (which I still find to be unlikely). I truely believe size has alot to do with our WR's. Santana is good but no steve smith...he is not a number one. Randle El is a joke. My hope is we utilize both Davis and Cooley somehow. Also I hope Thomas or Kelly breakout, but Im not holding my breath for that. The bottom line is we have hope with davis, thomas, and kelly, and because of that hope we won't get anyone else. We have too many needs elsewhere were there is no hope due to age (OL).

This is absurd. Our WR's looked just fine before the offensive line broke down. While not an elite unit by a mile or three, they are good enough to be successful when the rest of the offense is functioning correctly, as we saw earlier in the season. There are too many more glaring needs to be addressed on this team before we can even think about bringing in another wideout.

Moreover, I really do expect more from at least one of the rookies next year, and I think it's conceivable they could all contribute a lot more. Regardless though, when we drafted 3 receivers in the second round last year Vinnie effectively made our bed for the next couple seasons.

I just think Devin Thomas in specific and solely should be getting with the program and will make an impact next season. Santana will always look impressive without question.

This is absurd. Our WR's looked just fine before the offensive line broke down. While not an elite unit by a mile or three, they are good enough to be successful when the rest of the offense is functioning correctly, as we saw earlier in the season. There are too many more glaring needs to be addressed on this team before we can even think about bringing in another wideout.

Moreover, I really do expect more from at least one of the rookies next year, and I think it's conceivable they could all contribute a lot more. Regardless though, when we drafted 3 receivers in the second round last year Vinnie effectively made our bed for the next couple seasons.

I agree with everyone that states that the offensive line is a much bigger priority than the WR position. Our Wideouts were fine in the first half of the season, when there was some semblance of pass protection, and Portis ran the ball well.

If we are going to look at tweaking our WR group, then I really don't think you need to get a TJ Housh. I think our rooks have talent, and have the potential to be very good next season. They got their kinks out of the way this year, and they will have a full training camp to get them up to speed, which in turn will help them get in sync with Campbell. That along with Moss, ARE, and Cooley, I just don't see the need to bring or draft anymore wideouts, save maybe for a replacement for Thrash.

Earlier I criticized the coaching of wideouts, b/c I noticed throughout the latter part of the season, that in those rare moments when Campbell had time to throw, the WRs were not open beyond the 1st down marker. I think this even happened earlier in the season when they were doing well. So maybe a new position coach can help develop the rookies, and help our wideouts get open.

Ok, you know, the more I have thought about why our offense is just NOT helping us over the top, I started to realize something...

Wide Receiver is STILL the most glaring weakness on this football team, over O-Line & D-Line.

I am kind of combining thoughts I put on other various threads, but here are some points I want to make:

What we HAVE at receiver:

* One short, above-average receiver who was doubled for the MAJORITY of the season. (Moss)
* One short receiver who really isn't a "receiver" that runs crisp routes, escapes jams, and is finding holes in the D. (Randel El)
* One “tall” receiver who only started one year as a WR in college and doesn't seem very bright as the coaches & QB didn't REALLY trust him being out there as a target on plays. (Thomas)
* One “tall” receiver with the knees of a 37 year-old offensive lineman and again, not too bright with the playbook as he was healthy enough at times and still was INACTIVE. (Kelly)
* TWO really good receiving tight ends (Cooley & Davis) playing in a West Coast Offense that doesn't exactly use the Gibbs two TE set that often. (lol) It's SUPPOSED to be a 3 WR set most times

Why this was a HUGE issue for us in 2008:

Our Wide Receivers made EVERYONE else on offense look worse. Think about many of the sacks/runs by Campbell had this year and you notice that many times he would plant and hold or pump fake, because no one was open down field. I really do think this was the reason for at LEAST a quarter of the sacks this season, which made our O-Line look bad.

Our running game suffered at the end of the season because the rest of the league figured out that they needed to just play up at the line, jamming Moss/Randel El and cover Moss over the top as well as the simple fact that EVERYONE figured out that our offense WAS the run game and started playing up tight with linebackers & safties with no fear of our receivers. If we had even an AVERAGE passing offense (that included stretching the field), the run game would come back.

Why this is STILL a huge issue for 2009:

Basically, I am pretty sure we are going to have the same well below average WRs as this year (because I just don't see Cerrato going there again).

We have to hope that:
* One gets smart quick (Thomas)
* One gets Earnest Ainsley to HHHEEEAAAALL (!) those knees (Kelly)
* Zorn figures out how to use TWO TE's in the WCO (Davis).

My Opinion:

Imagine if we were to do something at WR this offseason? People would flip out after taking 2 in the 2nd round last year.

I know I may get reamed for this but, I REALLY think that we might be well served to go after a T.J. “Whoseyourmamma” Houshmandzadeh. Really.

If we have him & Moss as 1 & 2, then Randel El/Thomas/Kelly can battle it out for the 3rd receiver in our 3 man sets. The main thing is... we'd have a REAL wide RECEIVER that knows how to run routes, has great hands and is PROVEN in the league. I also think that it would have a TREMENDOUS effect on Santana Moss' success. Think about it. Since he's been here, there has been absolutely NO threat on the other side of the field at WR... it could only open things back up for him. And our O-Linemen look SOOOO much better when receivers are open, Campbell is getting rid of the ball & not holding it, and all of this softens the defense for the run game.

I know that I'm gonna be called crazy for saying spend money on him over a lineman, but I think our entire draft should be focused on the O& D-Lines and that Samuels/Kendall/Rabach/Thomas/Jansen/Heyer can be effective for another year until Rinehart & whoever we draft get ready.

What are your thoughts on our WR crew for 2009? Who will line up for us? Who should? Do you have faith that Thomas & Kelly will help us win next year?

This is Vinny C logic. Games are won on the line of scrimage...until our front office starts thinking that way we will never have sustained success.

It would be absurd to draft a WR in 2009. We need to focus on O-line, D-line, and maybe a LB in the later rounds with Fletch getting older and MW falling off.