How Tom Coughlin has failed the Giants

[gmenroc]

 

I tend to think of the physical attributes of an X receiver... should be able to win the jump ball.. whereas the slot has to be able to stop on a dime.

 

You could still play a slot receiver on the outside and what you refer to as an X receiver in the slot. Position shouldn't dictate what routes are run.

[JMFP]

 

That's not my logic at all. Beckham is showing us how talented he is as a rookie. That's the slate Coughlin has to work with, and the benchmark to improve upon. I fear he'll only regress in following years without competent coaching. Just like Cruz, who showed tons of natural playmaking ability early on, which seems to have been stripped from his game now. He's nothing like the threat he used to be.

 

I'm not going to give coaching a pass, but I think the main issue is with talent acquisition. I say that with the understanding that injuries have swept out many of the guys Reese was hoping would improve the team.

 

I look at the 2007 and 2011 runs, and really, I think the coaching was a huge part of those wins. Keeping people together, working together as a team, not giving up....those are head coaching intangibles.

[Storm]

Wes Welker is far less effective on the outside. Same as Cruz, very quick guys that can operate in space that might not have the size and wingspan of say, Brandon Marshall, are clearly more suited to play out of the slot. Someone like Marshall's physical advantages are diminished if he plays inside, where the likelihood is greater he can't take advantage of one on one matchups. I think just about every organization would disagree with your assessment. And part of the equation is the amount of time the ball is in the air. You need a more physical player on the outside where the time the ball is in the air is longer, where they can out-muscle contested balls, which, there are more of on the outside. Similarly, a quick guy inside only needs to get open for a moment to have a short throw to get to him, which works to the benefit of his skill set, like Cruz.

 

Also, where a WR lines up is going to dictate defensive assignments as well. You won't see a linebacker out on the X receiver, but you very well could get that type of matchup from the slot, though it's typically the Nickel back...who, regardless, is the less talented defender than the outside corner. You want your slot guy mismatched while the outside receivers theoretically should be able to beat the more physical and quick, but often smaller, outside cornerbacks.

[Allstarjim]

 

You could still play a slot receiver on the outside and what you refer to as an X receiver in the slot. Position shouldn't dictate what routes are run.

I don't think position dictates what routes are run, but where those receovers are lined up on the field, physical attributes are important to where receivers play. Sure, there are some guys who would be successful at both, for example ODB, Antonio Brown, Steve Smith, to name a few. Bjt there are plenty of receivers, in fact most receivers, who are more physically suited to play inside or outside, but not both.

[Sephiroth]

 

These are all great points.

 

I'd also like to point out to all the people that think Coughlin should stay... while he himself may still be a very good coach... he's the guy in charge of hiring all these guys that are inefficient.

 

Most of us would like to see Fewell and Quinn gone. So within a 12-month period of time, management would be saying that the offense, defense, and special teams were all sub-par, but it would NOT be the head coach's fault. What other business is run like that?

 

This is a failure from top to bottom. Mara needs to let everyone go he can and start fresh. That San Francisco game told us everything we needed to know... its over.

 

These are some really great points, Seph.

[gmenroc]

I don't think position dictates what routes are run, but where those receovers are lined up on the field, physical attributes are important to where receivers play. Sure, there are some guys who would be successful at both, for example ODB, Antonio Brown, Steve Smith, to name a few. Bjt there are plenty of receivers, in fact most receivers, who are more physically suited to play inside or outside, but not both.

 

My point is, that you could have your "slot receiver" line up outside the numbers and do a quick out, quick in, slant, or curl...routes typical of a slot receiver. OR you could have your "X receiver" line up outside the numbers and run fades, fly routes, posts, come backs...routes that typically involve fighting for the ball or for space.

 

Yes, there are differing types of receivers. And yes, different receivers have different routes that they're best at given their skills. But, I think there would be an advantage to having your receivers change up the lineup so that your outside receivers line up inside and your inside receivers line up outside. Again, you can have your receivers run whatever routes their best suited to run...they're just running them from a different starting point.