WR Formations and Depth Chart

[DCH]

Right now we have on the roster:

- Tavon Austin
- Kenny Britt
- Brian Quick
- Austin Pettis
- Chris Givens
- TJ Moe
- Stedman Bailey
- Emory Blake
- Justin Veltung
- Austin Franklin

Where do you see these guys lining up, with the assumed question of who do you see making the 52-man roster?

My thoughts:

I think the roster ends up holding 6 WRs - Britt, Quick, Austin, Pettis, Givens, Bailey - with Moe on the roster until Bailey's suspension is up.

I expect to see a lot of Tavon Austin outside, more like a DeSean Jackson than a real slot guy (this is, in case you didn't recognize it, an extension of the good conversation going on in the Bailey TD Catch thread, hopefully without the stupid QB posturing). I love the idea of Pettis in the slot - thought a couple years ago that was where he fit best, and that he reminds me, physically, of Marques Colston in that regard.

I think Austin, though, ends up playing flanker, where he's outside and only dealing with one CB at the snap, but with a couple yards to put on a move to avoid getting bumped at the LOS. Also snaps in the backfield, maybe 10 a game or so.

I expect Britt or Quick to be the split end most snaps, whichever one impresses most in preseason.

Givens will be out at flanker when Austin is moved around.

Moe, depending on how well he shows himself, could challenge Pettis for snaps in the slot, and could come in and be the other inside WR in 4-WR sets (of which I doubt we see many).

Common WR lineups will be:
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside, 2 TE, 1 RB
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis in the slot, 1 TE/FB, 1 RB
- Givens/Quick and Britt on the outside with Pettis in the slot and Austin in the backfield, Kendricks, Harkey or Cunningham inline at TE
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis and Moe (or Cook) in the slot, empty backfield, one of the blocking-specialist TE inline

Whatcha think?

 

[ReddingRam]

You forget ... Cook usually lines up in the slot. He is not an "inline TE"

 

[DCH]

You forget ... Cook usually lines up in the slot. He is not an "inline TE"

That's the final formation I have listed. I also do expect Cook to line up inline, with a lot of motion, like they enjoy doing with Kendricks.

 

[Athos]

I think Moe may actually stick around in the slot. Dude was made for the position and could be the real safety valve, chain mover Sam's lacked since Amendola left. Dude wills himself open and catches everything.

 

[BigRamFan]

Right now we have on the roster:

- Tavon Austin
- Kenny Britt
- Brian Quick
- Austin Pettis
- Chris Givens
- TJ Moe
- Stedman Bailey
- Emory Blake
- Justin Veltung
- Austin Franklin

Where do you see these guys lining up, with the assumed question of who do you see making the 52-man roster?

My thoughts:

I think the roster ends up holding 6 WRs - Britt, Quick, Austin, Pettis, Givens, Bailey - with Moe on the roster until Bailey's suspension is up.

I expect to see a lot of Tavon Austin outside, more like a DeSean Jackson than a real slot guy (this is, in case you didn't recognize it, an extension of the good conversation going on in the Bailey TD Catch thread, hopefully without the stupid QB posturing). I love the idea of Pettis in the slot - thought a couple years ago that was where he fit best, and that he reminds me, physically, of Marques Colston in that regard.

I think Austin, though, ends up playing flanker, where he's outside and only dealing with one CB at the snap, but with a couple yards to put on a move to avoid getting bumped at the LOS. Also snaps in the backfield, maybe 10 a game or so.

I expect Britt or Quick to be the split end most snaps, whichever one impresses most in preseason.

Givens will be out at flanker when Austin is moved around.

Moe, depending on how well he shows himself, could challenge Pettis for snaps in the slot, and could come in and be the other inside WR in 4-WR sets (of which I doubt we see many).

Common WR lineups will be:
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside, 2 TE, 1 RB
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis in the slot, 1 TE/FB, 1 RB
- Givens/Quick and Britt on the outside with Pettis in the slot and Austin in the backfield, Kendricks, Harkey or Cunningham inline at TE
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis and Moe (or Cook) in the slot, empty backfield, one of the blocking-specialist TE inline

Whatcha think?

I think you've done a great job with roster / line up predictions. I do hope we add some bunch formations with Austin between two bigger (Britt, Quick, Pettis) WRs. I also expect to see Cook lined up in the slot quite often as well. I wonder what happens to Moe (in this scenario) when Steady returns. I guess his performance up to that point will be the deciding factor. But can we realistically keep 7 WRs, assuming he plays well?

 

[CoachO]

Not to nitpick, but you meant to say 53 man roster, right? LOL

I agree with you in regards to Austin lining up all over the place, including on the outside. But to say that will be his primary position might be over stating it some. I also think that there is no way he gets 10 snaps out of the backfield. They will have a tough enough time splitting up reps for the RBs they already have. I expect to see Austin back there 3-4 snaps tops per game.

One of the formations they showed a lot of last year in training camp, but went away from it throughout the season, was having Austin and Cook lined up next to one another in the slot, with either Quick/Pettis out wide. Givens was isolated on the opposite said of the field. This formation was deadly against man coverage, as it forced the safety to stay with Cook who ran a post, and left Austin one on one with the Nickel CB. If he beat his off the LOS, it was a TD.

I think its one of the reasons teams played primarily zone, especially with 2 deep safeties most of the time. Teams knew they were susceptible to this match up if they played straight man.

I also foresee a package of "big" targets, as I mentioned in my report this week in the RedZone. Imagine the problems having Britt, Quick, Cook and Kendricks will cause for opposing defenses down there. Who do they choose to take away?

 

[lockdnram21]

I think Moe may actually stick around in the slot. Dude was made for the position and could be the real safety valve, chain mover Sam's lacked since Amendola left. Dude wills himself open and catches everything.

if he sticks who gets cut?

 

[Rams and Gators]

Ideally Quick has the long awaited break out season. My ideal depth chart then becomes:

Austin
Bailey
Starters both see the most playing time, I'd go with a base 2WR, 2 TE line up

Quick
3rd WR in 3 WR packages, the "big" WR the closer we get to the goal line.

Britt
3rd WR whilst Bailey is out, hopefully pushes Quick to do enough to force him to the bench

Givens
Pettis
Role players, may not see much.

TEs:

Cook
Harkey

Kendricks able to play both roles so sees plenty of playing time.

Get 1,700 yards from WVC, then 700 yards from Quick and "you're cooking with gas" as my Grandad would say.

 

[Zaphod]

That's the final formation I have listed. I also do expect Cook to line up inline, with a lot of motion, like they enjoy doing with Kendricks.

Exactly, I expect to see that too with the two TE sets mentioned above with motion.

It's how you actually create the favorable match ups IMO. If he becomes a decent threat as an inline blocker for us, he's really worth the money.

Anyway, awesome post. I agree with just everything and I do froth at the idea of Kendricks and Cook at tight end and Britt and Quick at wide out.

 

[DCH]

Not to nitpick, but you meant to say 53 man roster, right? LOL

Naw dawg, I think the Rams will be so good they'll run a man down on the roster and still dominate.

Er, yeah... 53.

I agree with you in regards to Austin lining up all over the place, including on the outside. But to say that will be his primary position might be over stating it some. I also think that there is no way he gets 10 snaps out of the backfield. They will have a tough enough time splitting up reps for the RBs they already have. I expect to see Austin back there 3-4 snaps tops per game.

True, but I see him as running plays out of a split-back formation with Stacy, Mason, Pead or Cunningham back there, too. Interesting possibilities.

One of the formations they showed a lot of last year in training camp, but went away from it throughout the season, was having Austin and Cook lined up next to one another in the slot, with either Quick/Pettis out wide. Givens was isolated on the opposite said of the field. This formation was deadly against man coverage, as it forced the safety to stay with Cook who ran a post, and left Austin one on one with the Nickel CB. If he beat his off the LOS, it was a TD.

I think its one of the reasons teams played primarily zone, especially with 2 deep safeties most of the time. Teams knew they were susceptible to this match up if they played straight man.

I also foresee a package of "big" targets, as I mentioned in my report this week in the RedZone. Imagine the problems having Britt, Quick, Cook and Kendricks will cause for opposing defenses down there. Who do they choose to take away?

That is a scary prospect if those guys are playing up to their potential. Pettis could be in the mix there, too... I hate empty backfield sets, but having Britt and Quick on the outside, then Pettis, Cook and Kendricks lined up inside is a pretty interesting thought. Average height is, what, 6'4" at that point?

 

[DCH]

Exactly, I expect to see that too with the two TE sets mentioned above with motion.

It's how you actually create the favorable match ups IMO. If he becomes a decent threat as an inline blocker for us, he's really worth the money.

Anyway, awesome post. I agree with just everything and I do froth at the idea of Kendricks and Cook at tight end and Britt and Quick at wide out.

All about matchups and having guys out there with complementary skillsets.

 

[-X-]

I honestly only see Quick, Britt and Givens as X or Z receivers.
Tavon, Pettis and Bailey can work inside and out.
That leaves Moe (I think) as the only 'true' Y receiver.

Like you said, there are plenty of subpackages to work with here depending on what defenses show or what the pre-game scouting reports reveal as weaknesses in the defense. Cook, for all intents and purposes is a tight end. I realize he's lined up elsewhere, but that's gonna have to be his designation if they want to keep more than 6 receivers (Veltung might need one of those slots due to his special teams contributions). And this might be off your beaten path, but I'm still dying to see Cook and Kendricks in Ace formations tearing shit up in the seams.

 

[simonblaze]

Tavon had his best game lining up outside. He may have blazing speed but he lacks "jukes" and I hope the rams realize it sooner rather than later. I think Austin, Quick, Britt, Givens, Bailey, Givens, and Pettis make it. I'm hoping Britt regains his form and we have Britt and Quick on the outside with us moving Tavon around.

 

[CoachO]

Tavon had his best game lining up outside. He may have blazing speed but he lacks "jukes" and I hope the rams realize it sooner rather than later. I think Austin, Quick, Britt, Givens, Bailey, Givens, and Pettis make it. I'm hoping Britt regains his form and we have Britt and Quick on the outside with us moving Tavon around.

IMO, his "best" game was vs. Indy, and it was more a case of exploiting the man coverage they chose to deploy, rather than where Austin lined up. In that scenario, he would have had a huge game regardless. Most teams just didn't roll the dice and played primarily zone against them last year.

 

[DCH]

Tavon had his best game lining up outside. He may have blazing speed but he lacks "jukes" and I hope the rams realize it sooner rather than later. I think Austin, Quick, Britt, Givens, Bailey, Givens, and Pettis make it. I'm hoping Britt regains his form and we have Britt and Quick on the outside with us moving Tavon around.

I'm not sure he 'lacks "jukes"', quite the opposite - he's got great quickness to go with top-caliber straight-ahead speed. That was the whole basis of his hype and high draft choice last year.

 

[bskrilla]

He may have blazing speed but he lacks "jukes" and I hope the rams realize it sooner rather than later.

Tavon lacks jukes?! I believe this would be news to pretty much every college defense he played against. One of his biggest tools is his shiftiness.

Examples A-Z

 

[PrometheusFaulk]

I agree with pretty much everything presented in the OP, nice synopsis.

It makes my heart glad to see positive reports about Britt and Quick in camp. While Pettis did yeoman's work last year, I feel as though he's in over his head physically as an X receiver getting a lion's share of the snaps. He's probably more suited as a complementary guy.

The potential of pairing Austin and a healthy, focused Kenny Britt is tantalizing, and I feel a big reason why Fisher and Snead keep up the mantra of "set at wideout." If those guys play the way they are physically capable of (along with Cook) the Rams should have no problems with making plays catching passes.

Is that a lot to hope for? Possibly, but a lot of teams are hopeful for success for certain positions where there isn't a whole lot of previous evidence of it.

 

[So Ram]

I think you will see some real power sets as well.I'm not sure what formation the Rams were in when Harkey had his TD reception(Saints ?). He will play FB at least 10-20 snaps.I had to listen to a couple games on radio & heard D.Farr talk about B.Quick blocking a DB 10 yards out of bounds.

I'd like to see a power set to say the left with Harkey,Stacy with a pitch to Austin coming rt to LFT from a short side of the field.

 

[DCH]

I think you will see some real power sets as well.I'm not sure what formation the Rams were in when Harkey had his TD reception(Saints ?). He will play FB at least 10-20 snaps.I had to listen to a couple games on radio & heard D.Farr talk about B.Quick blocking a DB 10 yards out of bounds.

I'd like to see a power set to say the left with Harkey,Stacy with a pitch to Austin coming rt to LFT from a short side of the field.

I like that although I think you have 1-2 of Austin/Britt/Quick in the "power" formations for their blocking and size.

I think you'll see some formations like offset-I with Quick/Britt out right, then Harkey tight to the LT and Cook right next to him (double TE left), Harkey lined up as the offset FB and Stacy behind them all running with evil and hatred in his heart.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

Right now we have on the roster:

- Tavon Austin
- Kenny Britt
- Brian Quick
- Austin Pettis
- Chris Givens
- TJ Moe
- Stedman Bailey
- Emory Blake
- Justin Veltung
- Austin Franklin

Where do you see these guys lining up, with the assumed question of who do you see making the 52-man roster?

My thoughts:

I think the roster ends up holding 6 WRs - Britt, Quick, Austin, Pettis, Givens, Bailey - with Moe on the roster until Bailey's suspension is up.

I expect to see a lot of Tavon Austin outside, more like a DeSean Jackson than a real slot guy (this is, in case you didn't recognize it, an extension of the good conversation going on in the Bailey TD Catch thread, hopefully without the stupid QB posturing). I love the idea of Pettis in the slot - thought a couple years ago that was where he fit best, and that he reminds me, physically, of Marques Colston in that regard.

I think Austin, though, ends up playing flanker, where he's outside and only dealing with one CB at the snap, but with a couple yards to put on a move to avoid getting bumped at the LOS. Also snaps in the backfield, maybe 10 a game or so.

I expect Britt or Quick to be the split end most snaps, whichever one impresses most in preseason.

Givens will be out at flanker when Austin is moved around.

Moe, depending on how well he shows himself, could challenge Pettis for snaps in the slot, and could come in and be the other inside WR in 4-WR sets (of which I doubt we see many).

Common WR lineups will be:
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside, 2 TE, 1 RB
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis in the slot, 1 TE/FB, 1 RB
- Givens/Quick and Britt on the outside with Pettis in the slot and Austin in the backfield, Kendricks, Harkey or Cunningham inline at TE
- Austin/Givens and Britt/Quick on the outside with Pettis and Moe (or Cook) in the slot, empty backfield, one of the blocking-specialist TE inline

Whatcha think?

Good post, thanks.

*Off topic* that dude in your avatar is a DBAG... my girl, some of her friends and my friends went to Knotts Scary Farm a few years ago (theme park for you non Cali cats) and we waited 2 hours to get on this ride. Right when we get next in line that douche bag and his whole group of 30 or whatever it was comes in through the exit of the ride and they make all of us wait even longer so they can ride. not to mention his D-BAG attitude about it too, he was laughing at everyone in line and pointing, some random girls started taking pictures and he demanded they lose the pictures and then the staff of Knotts started acting like cops and shit. yea fuck that guy.

sorry for the off topic