Jenkins to practice today

[Beef]

(09-23-2010 05:39 PM)Radical Wrote:  I've seen both Roddy and Finneran in the slot before, yes. Douglas can play as an outside WR, he's done it these past two weeks, and has done it well. I am sure he'll be even better as time goes on and he gets back to speed, as well as comfortable being on the field during games. A learning process.

White, Douglas, Gonzalez, with Turner/Snelling/Ovie in the backfield. If you put four on White, Douglas, and Gonzalez, two people get a one on one match-up. Blitzing 6 would mean we have a potential RB/FB running free if he's running a route, and the OLB would still be in a one on one match-up with the RB. It isn't really what I'd call a horrible situation to be in. Throw in the fact that you can force your opponent to show coverage or deal with a mismatch by putting Douglas in the slot on the same side of the field as Roddy, and the possibilities are hardly limited.

The problem with Jenkins is this. In 09, he was a liability. He wasn't getting open much and he wasn't making the important catches, and that was in one on one coverage. In 08, he was fine, in 09, he wasn't. Jenkins has NEVER in his career been a consistent deep threat. A deep threat is a guy who can run a go route or deep post and out run the CBs/Ss for a big play. Jenkins has never been that guy in his career. Jenkins' longest play of his career was in 08, a 62 yard TD, where most of the play was YAC. After that, a 41 and 37T yarder was the biggest he saw in 08.

The guy should be a deep threat, but plays like a possession receiver. He doesn't play fast, he doesn't really attack the ball in the air, he has average hands at best, isn't really a sharp route runner, and isn't much of a YAC guy either. He does block though, I'll give you that.

Until I at least see the Jenkins of 08, then I am not going to have very many positive things about him to add, because he hasn't shown it yet. Right now, Douglas looks like the better receiving option.

Your scenerio is also viable, I agree. But it still doesn't open the field until you put HD in the slot (which you actually mentioned as one of your options & is what I've obviously been saying all along). There is a HUGE difference in having 3 actual "receivers" + TE + a catching RB vs. 2 receivers + TE + 2 RB's. Your set is a play-action/run first formation. One of those RB's is going to be taken out of the play (if it's a pass) because he's specifically designed to be a decoy (although it doesn't have to be run like that, but if it's not, & it's just a QB drop back & obvious pass, it's even easier to defend). Not only are you then short a receiver, but you're short a blocker. And, in your set, an extra LB gets to stack the line & safeties get to cheat up. So you're right that it is an option, but if that's the only option, you're making it real easy to defend.

And I still think one of the main reasons Jenkins didn't have as good a year in 09 as he had in 08 is because HD was missing & they just didn't trust Weems enough to manage that slot receiver position. Which IMO, was a HUGE mistake & why I'm constantly ticked off with some of the things Mularkey does. I hate being an armchair QB, so you rarely hear me criticize Mularkey, but he sure is good at getting the minimum out of our offensive potential. We could do so much more if he would use the pass to open up the run rather than try to force the run & those easily predictable & telegraphed run formations to open up the pass. He's got the talent all around & he's just utilizing it backwards.