How concerned are you with our WRs?

[max]

I have no idea if it affected his confidence or performance. Did he drop a lot of passes his rookie year? Maybe there's a correlation between being worried about your footwork and not as much on the rest of the catching process. I mean, I get it. The Rams' receivers dropped passes last year. The only alternative to correcting that through coaching is to keep drafting wide receivers until you find one or two who never drop passes. At this point our options are extremely limited, so we've gotta have a little faith that these things will get worked out.

It is really a lot simpler than that. All they had to do was to do what many on this board said to do, pick Jeffery instead of Quick.

Sure, it's water under the bridge now. But it just goes to show how critical it is not to take surprise projects at pick #33. You take those guys after the 3rd round. I chalk that mistake up to a rookie GM going nuts. And Snead went Martzian again trading down and picking Pead. I got the sense that Fisher had enough of that when he said he'd get Bobby Wagner mad if they missed on Joyner.

Thankfully, I think they've found their footing after the 2012 craziness.

 

[Athos]

Did his ankle injury hurt his catching ability too? Givens dropped too many easy passes last year.

If these guys just had dependable hands I would be happy. The guy with the best hands is suspended the first 4 games.

The even more frustrating point with Givens was watching him just give up on plays. There were many points in the season he just gave up on his route, that led to near INTs and Pick 6s. He took himself out mentally a lot. That was the most concerning point.

Pettis will be nothing more than that tall guy who SHOULD be used mainly for RZ packages. He isn't athletic or fast enough or quick twitch enough to dominate a game. He won't break one. He'll get that 3rd down pass better than a few, but I wouldn't say he's the best at it. If healthy, I honestly think TJ Moe stands a chance of being that 3rd down chain mover. Dude just DISAPPEARS in coverages. Defenses just don't pick him up. And when they do, he still has the savvy and moves to break open. It's incredible to watch his highlights.

Moe just became the biggest possible key when Bailey went down in regards to a more run-oriented attack. He's the perfect slot guy for it.

 

[FRO]

That niche is pretty simple, when Bradford and the Rams need to move the chains, it’s Pettis they look to first. When they need to put the ball in the end zone, it’s Pettis who finds a way to get it done.

Of Pettis’ 22 catches, 14 have gone for first downs and four more have gone for touchdowns. That means 81 percent of Pettis’ catches are either moving the chains or putting points on the board.

Over the past two seasons, Pettis has 52 catches with 38 of them going for a first down or touchdown.

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/1661/rams-pettis-filling-important-niche

I think the reason they go to him on third down is because he is assignment sound and he has good hands. If we had more reliable options we would probably look their way on third.

 

[max]

That niche is pretty simple, when Bradford and the Rams need to move the chains, it’s Pettis they look to first. When they need to put the ball in the end zone, it’s Pettis who finds a way to get it done.

Of Pettis’ 22 catches, 14 have gone for first downs and four more have gone for touchdowns. That means 81 percent of Pettis’ catches are either moving the chains or putting points on the board.

Over the past two seasons, Pettis has 52 catches with 38 of them going for a first down or touchdown.

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/1661/rams-pettis-filling-important-niche

That's because they either don't have anyone else who can catch the ball or they're rookies.

I sat in the dome and watched the Packers DBs laugh at Pettis until the game was decided. He's a plodder.

 

[FRO]

It is really a lot simpler than that. All they had to do was to do what many on this board said to do, pick Jeffery instead of Quick.

Sure, it's water under the bridge now. But it just goes to show how critical it is not to take surprise projects at pick #33. You take those guys after the 3rd round. I chalk that mistake up to a rookie GM going nuts. And Snead went Martzian again trading down and picking Pead. I got the sense that Fisher had enough of that when he said he'd get Bobby Wagner mad if they missed on Joyner.

Thankfully, I think they've found their footing after the 2012 craziness.

Agree with the 2012 second round. Hated the Quick and Pead picks at the time. I felt they could have been had later, but I'm not an expert and didn't see the other 31 teams boards. That second round haunts us. But I will cut Snead some slack due to the fact it was his first go around and he didn't have his guys in place.

 

[-X-]

I think the reason they go to him on third down is because he is assignment sound and he has good hands. If we had more reliable options we would probably look their way on third.

Which lends to the theory that this isn't a group of receivers that play second fiddle to a "#1." This is a group of receivers who, when employed in very specific sub-packages, can all fill specific roles and open up opportunities for each other. I don't know why you'd suggest they go to other options when I just gave you stats to support the idea that he's a chain mover. What would be the point in fixing what's not broken?

 

[LesBaker]

Agree with the 2012 second round. Hated the Quick and Pead picks at the time. I felt they could have been had later, but I'm not an expert and didn't see the other 31 teams boards. That second round haunts us. But I will cut Snead some slack due to the fact it was his first go around and he didn't have his guys in place.

It's worth keeping in mind he was working off of info form guys he let go.

 

[RamFan503]

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks we are actually going to have a more balanced attack. Sure it may be predicated on the run and play-action but there is no way IMO that they take the game that much out of Sam's hands. And with another year under their belts - collectively - I think our receivers are going to do just fine. I will agree however that we will use pretty much all of our receivers. Again - we may not have a 1,000 yard receiver but instead several that hover around 700 or so. I could easily see 4 receivers with 6-800 yards to go along with a hard nosed running game that can get those short yardage, must have, 3rd and 2s - while averaging 130 - 140 yards per game.

The defense will give us more opportunities and hopefully give the offense a short field several times a game.

 

[-X-]

That's because they either don't have anyone else who can catch the ball or they're rookies.

I sat in the dome and watched the Packers DBs laugh at Pettis until the game was decided. He's a plodder.

Whatever, man. You actually watched DBs "laugh" at Pettis, and he's a plodder.
Thanks for your objective analysis and well researched contributions to this thread.

 

[grease]

That niche is pretty simple, when Bradford and the Rams need to move the chains, it’s Pettis they look to first. When they need to put the ball in the end zone, it’s Pettis who finds a way to get it done.

Of Pettis’ 22 catches, 14 have gone for first downs and four more have gone for touchdowns. That means 81 percent of Pettis’ catches are either moving the chains or putting points on the board.

Over the past two seasons, Pettis has 52 catches with 38 of them going for a first down or touchdown.

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/1661/rams-pettis-filling-important-niche

Sure they look to him because they have to. You can't compare him to Amendola or Proehl. Maybe some day but not as of last season. The start of last season showed our WRs were not up to the task of being the main focus of the offense. It could be there are few obvious passing downs this season because of our subpar WRs. I hope Bradford can scramble when he has to.

 

[FRO]

Which lends to the theory that this isn't a group of receivers that play second fiddle to a "#1." This is a group of receivers who, when employed in very specific sub-packages, can all fill specific roles and open up opportunities for each other. I don't know why you'd suggest they go to other options when I just gave you stats to support the idea that he's a chain mover. What would be the point in fixing what's not broken?

Meaning they would spread it out more if they had more guys capable of moving the chains. You don't know if Quick will run the right route or get the hot route if the route is changed. You don't know if Givens will catch the ball. Austin and Bailey were rookies. That just leaves you Pettis.

 

[-X-]

Sure they look to him because they have to. You can't compare him to Amendola or Proehl. Maybe some day but not as of last season. The start of last season showed our WRs were not up to the task of being the main focus of the offense. It could be there are few obvious passing downs this season because of our subpar WRs. I hope Bradford can scramble when he has to.

I didn't compare him to Amendola or Proehl. You did.

 

[FRO]

It's worth keeping in mind he was working off of info form guys he let go.

Exactly. That second round is the only problem I've had with Snead/Fisher's drafts. They have done a great job drafting. Good thing too, would have hated to waste all those picks in the RGIII trade.

 

[mr.stlouis]

Im not because our running game is so good. Last year basically the same WR's and no running game, early on. That wasn't good...

 

[grease]

Not concerned. At some point you have to roll with who you have and let the development come to fruition. We replaced Amendola, Gibson, Fells, Alexander, Robinson and Salas with Tavon, Givens, Quick, Kendricks, Bailey, Cook, and Britt. Pettis is one of the (if not THE) best third down receivers out there, so there's a guy for every possible scenario in passing situations. All they have to do now ... is do their job.

Here you say we replaced Amendola. I don't believe he has ever been replaced. They try with Pettis who you believe is one if not the best third down WRs out there but who can say he was better than Amendola in that role?

 

[CoachO]

It is really a lot simpler than that. All they had to do was to do what many on this board said to do, pick Jeffery instead of Quick.

Sure, it's water under the bridge now. But it just goes to show how critical it is not to take surprise projects at pick #33. You take those guys after the 3rd round. I chalk that mistake up to a rookie GM going nuts. And Snead went Martzian again trading down and picking Pead. I got the sense that Fisher had enough of that when he said he'd get Bobby Wagner mad if they missed on Joyner.

Thankfully, I think they've found their footing after the 2012 craziness.

just another case of only addressing the perceived "miss" on two guys AFTER THE FACT, and ignoring all the other picks, be it via the draft or UDFA that they have managed to bring in that have completely turned over this roster in just 2 seasons. All because these TWO PLAYERS haven't lived up to someone's expectations in TWO seasons. Talk about the instant gratification crowd!

 

[-X-]

Meaning they would spread it out more if they had more guys capable of moving the chains. You don't know if Quick will run the right route or get the hot route if the route is changed. You don't know if Givens will catch the ball. Austin and Bailey were rookies. That just leaves you Pettis.

I don't know that I subscribe to the same theory that all of the other receivers are questionable on third down. I can go through every single game log and cite all of the third down targets if you want, but I'll need to know in advance if that's something that will compel you to reevaluate that statement. I started with the AZ game, and got to 4 different receivers before Pettis was even involved. Richardson, Givens, Austin and Quick were all targets. Three of those were conversions.

 

[grease]

just another case of only addressing the perceived "miss" on two guys AFTER THE FACT, and ignoring all the other picks, be it via the draft or UDFA that they have managed to bring in that have completely turned over this roster in just 2 seasons. All because these TWO PLAYERS haven't lived up to someone's expectations in TWO seasons. Talk about the instant gratification crowd!

How many seasons do high draft picks get to live up to their draft status?

 

[-X-]

Here you say we replaced Amendola. I don't believe he has ever been replaced. They try with Pettis who you believe is one if not the best third down WRs out there but who can say he was better than Amendola in that role?

That's a false dichotomy. I didn't say they replaced Amendola with Pettis. I said they replaced Amendola. I'll say it again ... all of the receivers they have play different roles in the offense. You don't have to replace a receiver with a receiver in this offense. Cook, for instance, can line up in the slot, at TE, or even on the outside. Did he replace Amendola, Fells, and Gibson all by himself? Tavon can line up at X, Y, Z, and HB. He didn't replace anybody either. He is just part of the turnover of receivers, and that's why I mentioned all 6 as a group that replaced the previous 6 as a group. It's all about personnel groupings in this offense.

 

[RustyRay]

I like the Rams WR's as a group, and when you add in the quality of the TE's it has serious potential.

When put into context for me at least it is very hard to judge the group off of last season...just too many changes and injuries and qb issues to get a real read on their development.

The Rams went to a real ground oriented attack and had Clemens at QB. Quick played a bunch last year but like the rest of the guys he didn't have many targets..he is physically gifted.

When you put this group together they have everything you need to be a solid unit.

Quick - size, speed and strength..ability is there...will his head catch up
Austin - legit star potential a game breaker, speed and open field skills
Givens - down season but going into last year there were some that looked at him as a potential #1, speed
Britt - has played at a high level in the nfl over a year removed from injury....really talented
Bailey - again showed flashes of big time potential...big mistake with the suspension..
Pettis - reliable guy, solid hands and good routes...he is a nice fit as a package guy.

One of the guys from last year or this seasons UDFAs is going to make this team as the 6th wr.

The Rams have put significant resources into this position and they are developing them. The Rams have been patient and to me the way they handled the draft was telling....they have confidence in who they have...so will I until proven wrong.

I haven't given up on Quick...it has taken 3 years for players to break out before..why give up when he has flashed ability...losing Sam hurt him more then anyone IMO..