A good article about the evolution of a passing attack.
New trends for 2003
By Pat Kirwan
Special to NFL.com
Changes in the slot
The topic of the "slot" wide receiver, and how to match up on him, is a topic of conversation all around the NFL for a number of reasons. For years, teams simply marched out their third corner to line up opposite the third wide receiver when he came in the game. For years, the profile of the third wide receiver was short, not necessarily fast, but quick in and out of his breaks. Wayne Chrebet was considered the prototypical slot receiver and the Jets' third cornerback, 5-foot-8 Ray Mickens, was the kind of guy teams felt good about matching up on the slot receiver.
Those days seem to be gone after the discussions I have been having with coaches around the league. The Raiders put 6-2, 225-pound Jerry Porter in the slot and experienced very positive results. Oakland began using its three-receiver package more and more, as did the Bucs with 6-5 Joe Jurevicius. When two teams get to the Super Bowl with a new kind of slot receiver, you can bet more teams will follow suit. Of course, this means that defensive coordinators need to have the right people to match up. The sentiment around the league is that the No. 1 corner or at the very least, the No. 2 corner, will match up on these big, vertical-threat types while the third corner will line up outside, and for good reason. The Raiders know either Phillip Buchanon or Charles Woodson will have to move inside and not draft pick Nnamdi Asomugha because it is very complex inside and offensive formations can isolate the slot receiver on easier routes to complete, plus the slot receiver is off the line of scrimmage and is very difficult to jam on his release.
Teams studying the two Super Bowl teams found out that if an opponent didn't have a great answer for the slot receiver, the use of the three-receiver sets went way up past the base personnel. Further complicating the evolution of the slot receiver, as pointed out by a top defensive coordinator in the league, is the fact that defenses loved to blitz the slot corner because he was closer to the quarterback than the outside guys, thus passing the receiver they were supposed to cover to the safety. But these Porter and Jurevicius types can win more than they lose against safeties, so now teams don't really want to send their best coverage man on blitzes too often.
This season, the slot receiver/third corner matchup will be critical in every game.
New trends for 2003
By Pat Kirwan
Special to NFL.com
Changes in the slot
The topic of the "slot" wide receiver, and how to match up on him, is a topic of conversation all around the NFL for a number of reasons. For years, teams simply marched out their third corner to line up opposite the third wide receiver when he came in the game. For years, the profile of the third wide receiver was short, not necessarily fast, but quick in and out of his breaks. Wayne Chrebet was considered the prototypical slot receiver and the Jets' third cornerback, 5-foot-8 Ray Mickens, was the kind of guy teams felt good about matching up on the slot receiver.
Those days seem to be gone after the discussions I have been having with coaches around the league. The Raiders put 6-2, 225-pound Jerry Porter in the slot and experienced very positive results. Oakland began using its three-receiver package more and more, as did the Bucs with 6-5 Joe Jurevicius. When two teams get to the Super Bowl with a new kind of slot receiver, you can bet more teams will follow suit. Of course, this means that defensive coordinators need to have the right people to match up. The sentiment around the league is that the No. 1 corner or at the very least, the No. 2 corner, will match up on these big, vertical-threat types while the third corner will line up outside, and for good reason. The Raiders know either Phillip Buchanon or Charles Woodson will have to move inside and not draft pick Nnamdi Asomugha because it is very complex inside and offensive formations can isolate the slot receiver on easier routes to complete, plus the slot receiver is off the line of scrimmage and is very difficult to jam on his release.
Teams studying the two Super Bowl teams found out that if an opponent didn't have a great answer for the slot receiver, the use of the three-receiver sets went way up past the base personnel. Further complicating the evolution of the slot receiver, as pointed out by a top defensive coordinator in the league, is the fact that defenses loved to blitz the slot corner because he was closer to the quarterback than the outside guys, thus passing the receiver they were supposed to cover to the safety. But these Porter and Jurevicius types can win more than they lose against safeties, so now teams don't really want to send their best coverage man on blitzes too often.
This season, the slot receiver/third corner matchup will be critical in every game.
Going to Tahoe Sat.