Quote Originally Posted by ursula View Post
A question as I am not a very good evaluator of WR's:

About Ryan Swope- I think I am right that he mainly played slot in college, but with his speed and okay size couldn't he possibly be considered out wider and compete for the X? Again I don't know if this is silly or what...

Great info you are giving us!
Good question and not silly at all

Basically, your slot guy needs to be able to find or create space very quickly. So quick feet and quick leg turnover are key. These factors are also key once the reception has been made--running away from the bracketed zone coverage of the OLB and safety.

Match-up: Many if not most NFL teams are not fortunate enough to have 3rd CB that can well cover quick slot guys. IOW, just b/c they are in that role that doesn't mean that they can perform. With QB accuracy in the NFL, all you need is one step and you are open. The slot WR has a two yard cushion to use to his advantage, and the good ones have most often already "won" the route by their 4th or 5th step (not stride, but step). Watch tape on Welker, Cruz and Colston for this.

Why not Swope out-wide? In some offenses, he could be positioned there. I think he's quick enough and strong enough. Teams that run 2 TEs quite a bit could also put Swope out-wide. Generally, team-by-team though, it's about the personnel that you already have onboard.

For us, Torrey is very fast, we know. However, he's a strider, and throttling up and down while settling into holes in the middle zones is not something he will do well. He also doesn't give a good fake, so you want to keep him outside. The ball often comes faster in the slot, or the ball is pretty much right in your face as you turn your head; so you want a good hands catcher. (Note: I just happened to be watching our NYG game right now. Our 1st TD vs. NYG...it was a 6 yard slant from the slot. Joe threw a bullet and Torrey plucked it with his hands. What has to be factored in though is how awful Corey Webster is in coverage, and that NYG was caught in a blitz and Caldwell had the perfect play called.) Until he perfects his route running though, Torrey should be used very conservatively in the slot.

About JJ12. He's similar to Torrey, but with less effective hands, and not even as quick laterally.

Boldin worked in the slot, b/c he was the best of three bad options. Down the stretch he was able to create space with his body/strength vs. man, certainly not his feet or speed. The general timing and trust that he had developed with Joe over three years was the perhaps the greatest factor in his/their success down the stretch.