01-01-2019, 04:58 PM
(01-01-2019, 02:35 PM)BengalChris Wrote: I'm not sure how you can improperly utilize a WR. He either runs the routes assigned and catches the ball or he doesn't.
I'm more inclined to believe that in college he was going against weak DBs as he played in the Pac 12 during a time when defense was optional. Now he's in the NFL and the quality of the DBs is much higher. He gets knocked off his routes.
His catch stats are his catch stats. There's no real way to sugar coat them. He has a small catch radius when compared to AJ Green and Tyler Eifert. It's just what it is.
However, he is good at running along the back of the endzone and out running the defender there and catching TDs. So that alone will give him targets in the NFL. I'm hoping he can become a better route runner.
As others have said, maybe a new HC will get more out of him. I'm also hoping the new HC will get more out of this team all over, especially the D.
To touch on your first point, some WRs have a full route tree, while some excel more in the short game etc. That’s where the utilization can go wrong. If you continuously send someone deep who isn’t good with deep routes, they won’t play well. That’s the thought here, is that perhaps Ross is being utilized more like a DeSean Jackson when he isn’t a DeSean Jackson.
For what it is worth, I’m coming off of this opinion. Early in the season, I didn’t see him getting many shallow routes and was frustrated because of this. As the season wore on, he received more looks in the short game. Overall, I did see him get open at times but nothing consistent. He needs to improve his release and fine tune his route running.
