Who will emerge as the second vertical threat?

**The Excellector** · 07-21-2015, 10:43 AM

Breshad Perriman will eventually count as one vertical threat as long as he stays healthy. Who will be the second? Who will be that Jacoby Jones vertical threat that comes in 3 and 4 Wide sets while everyone pays attention to vertical threat #1. Who will be that vertical threat if Perriman gets hurt?

**Sarcasticfury** · 07-21-2015, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

Breshad Perriman will eventually count as one vertical threat as long as he stays healthy. Who will be the second? Who will be that Jacoby Jones vertical threat that comes in 3 and 4 Wide sets while everyone pays attention to vertical threat #1. Who will be that vertical threat if Perriman gets hurt?

Waller.

**JAB1985** · 07-21-2015, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

Breshad Perriman will eventually count as one vertical threat as long as he stays healthy. Who will be the second? Who will be that Jacoby Jones vertical threat that comes in 3 and 4 Wide sets while everyone pays attention to vertical threat #1. Who will be that vertical threat if Perriman gets hurt?

injury is really the only question here. we didnt ever really use "duel" vertical threats.

Id assume Waller fits the mold best but I think Campanaro could fill that role in a similar fashion.

**GOTA** · 07-21-2015, 11:24 AM

Way too early to know. Wait until the 3rd playoff game

**Justlovemybirds** · 07-21-2015, 11:38 AM

Steve Smith was still very much a deep threat last year so I wouldn't count on him automatically falling back into the work-the-middle possession receiver.

**HotInHere** · 07-21-2015, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Justlovemybirds

Steve Smith was still very much a deep threat last year so I wouldn't count on him automatically falling back into the work-the-middle possession receiver.

:word

"Vertical threat" doesn't have to be a burner. Someone who's 15-yard-out and fly patterns look the same can do the job nicely.

**The Excellector** · 07-21-2015, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by GOTA

Way too early to know. Wait until the 3rd playoff game

GOTA............for the win............

**The Excellector** · 07-21-2015, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Justlovemybirds

Steve Smith was still very much a deep threat last year so I wouldn't count on him automatically falling back into the work-the-middle possession receiver.

The wheels do have to come off at some point.

**The Excellector** · 07-21-2015, 12:55 PM

During the 2012 season, they occasionally went with two vertical threats. It was like a domino effect. Torrey got the double team, which opened up things for Pitta and Boldin (In the slot in the playoffs). Then, when the attention was geared toward the middle of the field, people would forget about Jacoby.

**HotInHere** · 07-21-2015, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

The wheels do have to come off at some point.

The wheels were already off last season. He wasn't getting open deep by blazing off the line in a fly pattern, but he did keep getting open deep.

--He got deep in each game against the Bengals. (The second one was wiped out by the OPI call) Both times, it was on scramble drills.
--He got over the top twice against the Panthers: once on a pump fake, and once on a fumbled snap.
--His deep ball against the Bucs is a perfect example of why SSSr is a deep threat even without the wheels he used to have. It came on a perfect double move on a play-action pass.

**JoeCool5** · 07-21-2015, 01:15 PM

Butler?

**Rxdoxx** · 07-21-2015, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by JAB1985

injury is really the only question here. we didnt ever really use "duel" vertical threats.

Id assume Waller fits the mold best but I think Campanaro could fill that role in a similar fashion.

Agree.

Vertical threat must do a couple of things.
1- Expose a CB by making him give a cushion of respect at the line of scrimmage
(When we were going with patchwork secondary, we were giving 7+ yards off the line in accordance with our bend/don't break philosophy)
2- force the D into some type of high help (Tampa 2, rolled safety....) effectively taking a man out of the box.
(I seem to remember someone -DeCosta?-telling Forsett that we did that for him with the Perriman pick)

SSSr or Pitta/Gilmore deep isn't an inate threat, it is a situational/scheme thing ... neither has the speed to blow by a defender and force the cushion coverage. Now they may end up deep and open, but as someone else stated, scramble can be the reason also.

Baltimore Colts traded Big Daddy Lipscomb and Buzz Nutter to get Jimmy Orr.
Jimmy averaged about 5 yds/catch more than Raymond Berry. We needed speed back then, we still need speed today

Jacoby's issue was hands (Patrick Johnson anyone?) He had the speed to command respect but not the human vaccuum cleaner to force any major adjustment.

Be interesting to watch things develop, it is more than getting open, it is finding the ball, adjusting and catching that we don't know with some new pieces yet.