Why didn’t Sammy Watkins thrive here?

[MauiRam]

Sammy's talking the talk now in the off-season, it should be interesting to revisit this question at the end of the regular season. Can he really walk the walk? I am stoked we were able to acquire Cooks, who appears to give all he's got on any given play - definitely an effort/team guy. Sammy by contrast seemed more of a me not we type. Time will tell in Kansas City ...

 

[XXXIVwin]

One of Sammy’s offseason goals, he said, was to become a better reader.

Noble, sure, but it calls into question the whole mental aspect of his game. So glad we have Cooks instead of Sammy.

Never trusted Sammy to be a true disciple of the McVay offense. I’ll believe it when I see it in KC.

 

[Selassie I]

He's blessed with tremendous physical abilities... but when it comes to mental abilities, he's tremendously LACKING.

 

[dieterbrock]

Sammy looked every bit the part of the "#1 WR" early on. Then he had that concussion and IMO never really bounced back. Again, all my opinion but the way I saw it, he came back slow after the concussion and Woods/Kupp started taking huge leaps and he wasn't able to keep pace.

 

[Soul Surfer]

While true, yes... Woods and Kupp exceeded expectations.

So why didn’t Sammy?

Didn't I read that Goff and Robert Wood started working out as soon as he was signed?

I think that gave them extra time to get their timing down and look at the playbook together.

Also, as has been well-documented, Watkins was getting the double coverage more often than the other two receivers which actually helped their game but hurt Watkins game.

I'm not really that surprised by how it turned out when you consider these three main factors;

Watkins was double-covered much more often.

Watkins had less time working with Goff and looking at the playbook.

Goff would more likely go to his other receivers that he felt more comfortable with.

 

[snackdaddy]

Everything is great this time of year. But the reality is, Watkins will have a signal caller who will be a starter for the first time this season throwing to him. I have a feeling it won't be as easy as it is in practice.

 

[MauiRam]

Sammy looked every bit the part of the "#1 WR" early on. Then he had that concussion and IMO never really bounced back. Again, all my opinion but the way I saw it, he came back slow after the concussion and Woods/Kupp started taking huge leaps and he wasn't able to keep pace.

Fair points ..

Didn't I read that Goff and Robert Wood started working out as soon as he was signed?

I think that gave them extra time to get their timing down and look at the playbook together.

Also, as has been well-documented, Watkins was getting the double coverage more often than the other two receivers which actually helped their game but hurt Watkins game.

I'm not really that surprised by how it turned out when you consider these three main factors;

Watkins was double-covered much more often.

Watkins had less time working with Goff and looking at the playbook.

Goff would more likely go to his other receivers that he felt more comfortable with.

Again, fair points. That said, I still wonder if he had enough between the ears to learn and execute a full route tree. Time will tell ...

 

[Memento]

My guess is that he somehow didn't get enough sunlight, since he's an advanced reptilian solar being that's superior to other humans.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Was it a lack of offseason in the offense?

I'm going with this one. Kupp was helping Sammy get lined up all season long in many pre-snap situations.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Watkins is a better version of a guy like Tavon. He relies too much on his physical skills, and not enough on his brain and learning the intricacies of his position. Sammy dominated in college, because he was a better athlete than anyone covering him. Hopkins was the real technician that helped Sammy shine.

So far I haven't seen anything from Watkins, that looks like he is trying to expand on the same role he had at Clemson. It's been long enough for us to see that he is a physical freak, that has never been able to adapt to the complexity of NFL offenses. If Reid really is trying to put a lot on Sammy's plate, it is a mistake IMO. But, they made one mistake by overpaying him, so they might as well go full Monte.

 

[So Ram]

Everything is great this time of year. But the reality is, Watkins will have a signal caller who will be a starter for the first time this season throwing to him. I have a feeling it won't be as easy as it is in practice.

That’s what he had last season. Just saying.

 

[So Ram]

I'm going with this one. Kupp was helping Sammy get lined up all season long in many pre-snap situations.

Dude where is the excuse ?? I guess I didn’t see the full quote.

Anyway imo Sammy was a bit of a drama queen, who lacked effort at times. He is a hell of a WR when his mind is straight & gives full effort.

Cooks is a better fit for The Rams all around except in balls with height , such as red zone & covered outs.Even then Cooks does not quit on balls & will contend in flight.

 

[TexasRam]

Big name. Super Athletic high draft pick that is not NFL WR Material.

Some people can’t separate the college player and name from the NFL player.

There is a reason Adam Theilen went undrafted and now is a Pro Bowl WR. the NFL WR requires more than Speed. The mental part, the separation, the Hands, catching when hit, ability to quickly adjust to ball in the air.

Sammy has value a number 3 type of WR in my book.

 

[Karate61]

Starting to sound like the blonde vs. the brunette. Done with the blonde (Watkins); time for a long term marriage to the brunette (Cooks).

 

[bluecoconuts]

While true, yes... Woods and Kupp exceeded expectations.

So why didn’t Sammy?

Woods would work after practice with Goff on a number of routes until both felt good about it.

Kupp would do catching drills with coaches hanging off of him.

Watkins would go home and relax.

 

[dang]

Cooks is a cheetah and Watkins is a lion. The Rams will miss the strong red zone/over the middle target that Watkins provided. What they gained with Cooks is an elusive receiver who provides elite speed/crisp route running. Cooks is the receiver that everyone wanted Tavon Austin to be. We should be able to tell early in the season if Cooks/Goff have the chemistry that Watkins/Goff never achieved - adding a dimension the Rams haven't had since Reverend Ike.

 

[jrry32]

Goff didn't trust him. I can't blame him for that.

 

[shaunpinney]

I like Sammy - I think he could have done great things in LA for the Rams. But, as soon as I heard him say he'd get the offense down in less than a month, I was worried. I think it came down to that in the end, I don't think he quite got the playbook, we saw Kupp (the Rookie!) help him line up, we saw him drift off routes, or just give up on them. Couple that with the fact that Goff has a working healthy chemistry with Woods and Kupp, and the resurgence of Gurley II, he was always going to the #4 on the QB's target radar. Goff (and McVay) seemed to trust Kupp and Woods with difficult catches in traffic, I don't think the same level of trust was there with Watkins.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Watkins, like I said at the top, I like him, and I wish him all the best in KC, I think he's the type of player that if you give him #1 status and #1 targets, he could thrive, I just worry that if someone else on the team gets more targets or is more reliable than him, then the rails could come off the hype-train.

It's all about "we not me"

Cooks is an upgrade. End of.

 

[Pancake]

Did Watkins give a full effort on every play? If he did I wasn't paying attention.

 

[Loyal]

Any discussion of this without at least looking at Goff's role in Sammy's performance seems incomplete.

This season will tell a lot. If Goff and Cooks are a dynamic duo in completions downfield, it will tell me that Watkins not only didn't know the playbook, but also ran routes that Goff couldn't predictably throw to the "spot." Watkins came in late, but still should have been more effective than he was, and I was hoping this off season would cure a lot of what was missing between them.

Having said that, I was WAY disappointed and concerned to see him give up on routes when he didn't think the ball was coming to him.