Deep Pass

[Shake n Blake]

(10-17-2016, 12:41 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Should be noted that Boldin is a #3 for the Lions, and LaFell is a #2. Amazingly enough, both of their totals is on 37 targets.

I know LaFell beings more speed to the table, and I admittedly don't have the exact numbers on drops, but I am fairly confident in saying Boldin probably has very little to none.

There's just something to be said about having a guy at your disposal who has caught 78.4% of all his targets, even if they are for shorter yardage, and can do it in the middle of the field, too.

That means Dalton has a 62.2% completion when throwing to LaFell, which is good overall, but still actually 5.2% below his season %.
(Gio has 29 catches on 35 targets.)

Since Dalton doesn't have a reliable TE anymore, I think he's missing that hands WR who can get the tough 3rd down yardage if the guys deeper can't get open.

I agree on the "hands" target, although I feel there is no replacement for a solid TE (we need to address that next offseason). I do feel like Boyd has shown he has excellent hands and it seems like they've failed to creatively utilize him. His production is decent (19-242-0 on 28 targets), but it feels like maybe they should use him more and Uzomah/Kroft less. Uzomah hasn't exactly been efficient.

As for the targets thing, it's a little tricky to judge receivers on that. People often confuse missed targets with drops or just assume the receiver did something wrong if his target % is lower than another receiver's. In truth, outside passes to WRs are the lowest % throw a QB can make (especially mid and longer range), therefore WRs are almost always going to have a lower % than TEs. And TEs will be lower than RBs. Boldin's higher completion % and his low YPC aren't coincidental IMO.

I don't doubt that Boldin has 2-3 fewer drops, but I don't think that's the explanation for the discrepancy in their target percentages. Boldin is just catching easier stuff.