Has Higbee’s success

[Oregonram]

Come at the expense of Cooper Kupp? And does it in any way matter? Maybe it’s the threat of Kupp that allows Higbee to come so open? Not an important thread, but I’m bored, so might as well sit down with my Ram friends and have a chat. Don’t want Coop to become despondent with the lack of real targets.

 

[Dxmissile]

Naw honestly I feel like it will open it up more for Kupp because teams started to try to take him out the game but with more weapons especially one that can occupy the same space as Kupp makes that plan obsolete now

 

[PhillyRam]

It will help to keep Kupp healthier for sure. He won't take as much of a beating being the main go to guy underneath.

 

[Rams43]

One can never have too many pass receiving options. Period.

Woods
Cooks
Kupp
Reynolds
Higbee
Everett
Gurley

That’s a lot of serious receiving threats for opposing D’s to worry about.

 

[Merlin]

A good passing game requires 3x matchups that can win vs their counterparts. All the media go crazy over #1 wideouts but those guys (who can win 1 on 1 vs any corner) can't carry an offense in today's league because good secondaries can double and remove them for the most part. What can carry an offense is matchup advantages that go 3 deep.

GSoT is a perfect example of this. Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Hakim gave them 4 deep looks with those guys winning matchups vs their counterparts. Hakim wouldn't win vs a top corner, but you're not gonna put a top corner on him and he would eat up most slot corners.

So in answer to the OP any time you have emergence of a passing game threat it's a good thing for the offense. Higbee has emerged in large part due to Cooks' play falling off (as well as Goff's play incidentally and that of the OL at large), which has seen the Rams live off of short and intermediate routes moreso than last year. Gurley has also suffered in the passing game and probably due to his knee status, where the passing game requires more of that lateral movement and cutting he probably doesn't want to do.

So IMO right now the Rams have Kupp, Woods, and Higbee showing consistent wins in their matchups. Everett has potential to grow in that regard and so does Hendy but obviously that's a next year possibility. They're an average passing game offense with 3x matchups, a good one but not special and this is also due to the protections depending on extensive pocket movement and misdirection. If the Rams do nothing other than fix the line, that extra protection should translate into more potency and deep play potential but they're still going to be in the good not great range barring Cooks having a big bounceback season or JRey stepping up as a plus guy.

 

[fearsomefour]

I think involving the TE spot more was a reaction to Kupp getting double teamed.
It’s not fantasy football.
I don’t care who gets the catch. Just that the offense works.

 

[TexasRam]

The Higbee rise started in the Cardinals game where McVay went to heavy use of rollouts to counter an Oline that couldn’t protect Jared on third and long after the run game was declared a liability.

Our offense at that stage evolved to a rollout pass first offense which opened the run game a little as well, and kept the defense in a confused state. Also buying Jared time for the pass game.

Next year if our Oline personell is addressed and we can run the ball again, Higbee/TE spot will be used more spotty then first option. Anything done as a pattern will eventually be stopped by any NFL defense.

I think defenses take away Kupp first and that is why his production decreased. Once defenses need to commit resources to stop our run game then Kupp will become a more viable option.

 

[RamWoodie]

Higbee's success really makes me kind of angry. I'm one that has been screaming for McVay to go to his TEs. I still believe not involving the TE is one reason the Rams lost the SB.

No...it's not at the expense of Kupp. I think it helped Kupp and everyone else. If you use every weapon you have...it strains a defense.