OK....hear me out here. I have been wondering if we'll see some 5 WR sets this year. Last year, I'm not sure if I saw this formation even once. One could assume that it was because we didn't have the WR depth we wanted or because the O-line needed the TE in to help block. This year I don't see why we wouldn't run this formation.
We have the depth (healthy M. North/ eligible P. Williams) to line up 5 worthy wideouts. My five would be:
M. North
V. Pearson
A. Howard
J. Croom
P. Williams/J. Jennings/ J. Malone
This gives us 4 WRs that are 6'3" or better according to some rosters and the always reliable Pig. The argument here would be what about the O line. I think with Dobbs at QB, and the nightmare matchup this would be for opposing teams, that the harm done to the O line will be minimal. First, the defense won't be able to bring too many in to rush Dobbs because they'll need 6 DBs on the field to cover our wideouts. Secondly, I think our line will be efficient enough to hold blocks for 2-3 seconds which should be all we need because Dobbs can buy you an extra second or two with his legs and that should give WRs plenty of time to get open against man coverage or zone against most defenses we'll see this year. Third, even if we aren't open we're open. We'll have 4 WRs 6'3" or better on the field at the same time and they all are pretty athletic. If one of these guys can't get a jump ball in a one on one situation then our team is not near as good as we're getting credit for.
My second question or point is; Why not, with the TE attrition, play Jason Croom at TE in certain 2 TE sets where we are sure to pass? I think Croom will be a nasty TE on the next level if he learns the position. The kid is huge and I think he could be a pretty good blocker if he focused on the position. I could see a formation with Croom and Wolf at TE with North and Von spread out wide and Hurd in the back field. This gives you a tremendous run threat with two TEs in a "jumbo" package and Hurd at 242 behind a "jumbo" set. A lot of teams would expect us to run out of this set but Wolf and Croom could "eat" out of a formation like this.
Anyway, kicking around some ideas post Marquez North drama. Let me know what you guys think?
We have the depth (healthy M. North/ eligible P. Williams) to line up 5 worthy wideouts. My five would be:
M. North
V. Pearson
A. Howard
J. Croom
P. Williams/J. Jennings/ J. Malone
This gives us 4 WRs that are 6'3" or better according to some rosters and the always reliable Pig. The argument here would be what about the O line. I think with Dobbs at QB, and the nightmare matchup this would be for opposing teams, that the harm done to the O line will be minimal. First, the defense won't be able to bring too many in to rush Dobbs because they'll need 6 DBs on the field to cover our wideouts. Secondly, I think our line will be efficient enough to hold blocks for 2-3 seconds which should be all we need because Dobbs can buy you an extra second or two with his legs and that should give WRs plenty of time to get open against man coverage or zone against most defenses we'll see this year. Third, even if we aren't open we're open. We'll have 4 WRs 6'3" or better on the field at the same time and they all are pretty athletic. If one of these guys can't get a jump ball in a one on one situation then our team is not near as good as we're getting credit for.
My second question or point is; Why not, with the TE attrition, play Jason Croom at TE in certain 2 TE sets where we are sure to pass? I think Croom will be a nasty TE on the next level if he learns the position. The kid is huge and I think he could be a pretty good blocker if he focused on the position. I could see a formation with Croom and Wolf at TE with North and Von spread out wide and Hurd in the back field. This gives you a tremendous run threat with two TEs in a "jumbo" package and Hurd at 242 behind a "jumbo" set. A lot of teams would expect us to run out of this set but Wolf and Croom could "eat" out of a formation like this.
Anyway, kicking around some ideas post Marquez North drama. Let me know what you guys think?
