08-30-2019, 05:07 PM
(08-30-2019, 04:33 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: I getcha, but let me ask you. If it came down to Core or Tate, who do you take?
Core is established on teams, though unspectacular. His tackles are middling to nothing but some people (i'm sure Bengals coaches too) value him for his speed as a gunner and i get that. If he gets down field and disrupts the return guy--slows him down--there's more of a chance of someone making the tackle for a nominal gain. I don't dispute any of this.
My thing is, if Core and Tate are who the last spot is between, i'm taking Tate because he's a better WR. I'll sacrifice Core's contributions on teams and find someone else fast to take his spot. It's easier to replace speed than catchability.
WRs get hurt. I want the best i can get top to bottom. Before a game starts, the last thing i'm worried about is being in the 4th quarter and having to punt. I want guys that can get the job done on offense and defense to end the game.
Special teams is 1/3 of the game but it's an unequal 1/3. You're gonna get 65-85 snaps a game on both offense and defense. Teams will get maybe 5-10 snaps (punts and kickoffs).
P.S. Core's contribution to special teams is greater than his actual production. There are guys in the past who were tackling machines and they would need to be viewed in a different way.
I'm not defending Core so much as the concept of rostering Special Teams specialists. Tate's already on my roster (my first 6 are Green, Boyd, Ross, Willis, Erickson and Tate), it's just working out who will be 7th - it would have been Stanley Morgan but his injury situation is murky.
Special Teams is an unequal partner but it's still way more than 5-10 snaps a game. It's every time you kick-off a half, every time a team scores and restarts, every time a team punts - both receiving and kicking. In the 4th quarter I hope to be looking at the special teams receiving the ball after we force a punt and then defending the kick-off after we've scored! Any edge we can get in those phases I'm looking for.
