Charley Casserly's Take on the skins Redzone Problems

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Yeah, I've always dismissed the importance of a tall receiver. The Rams in '99 seemed to do just fine with Bruce, Holt, and Az-Hakim -- all 6'0 or less.....

Give Campbell better protection, get Campbell to be smarter with the ball, and the redzone issues get resolved. Throw in a 6'2 or 6'4 wideout if you want to, but all the height in the world won't matter when your QB keeps throwing the ball to the wrong guys while he's running for his life.

The '99 Rams and '06 Colts both had receivers at 6' that could score inside the 10 yd line, Bruce and Holt, both Pro Bowlers. The stats are strikingly similar for '99 Bruce and '06 Harrison both had 7 of 12 TDs they scored on the season inside the 10. However '99 Hakim has only 2 of 8 and Holt 0 of 6. Reggie Wayne '06 had 3 of his 9 TDs inside the 10. What is my point; if you have a Pro Bowl caliber receiver who runs precise routes and has outstanding hands you can throw for TDs inside the 10 with some consistency. '99 Kurt Warner and '06 Manning had something to do with these TDs also.

A big physical receiver is a weapon that is invaluable to a young QB or a team with a struggling OL. A fade is a one step and throw, the OL almost cannot be beat on this protection. The QB isn't making any decisions, he is throwing to a spot and letting the WR physically beat a smaller DB. Timing is key to the throw, but since Campbell and Mix played together at Auburn they should be able to get back on the same page quickly.

I don't believe a big receiver would magically put us at 8-4 instead of 5-7, but being able to throw the fade could have made a difference in several drives this year where we stalled at the goal line. Do we have other issues in the red zone with the OL not getting the job done, Portis not being a big physical back able to make tough yards on his own, and a young QB who will make mistakes, absolutely. But the option of throwing a fade to a 6'5" receiver can take some pressure away from issues we cannot solve in the short term.