Quote:
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud
Huh. What I saw in training camp video showed a very smooth route runner.
If what your saying is true, the Chiefs made a blunder in trading up for him, especially considering the WCO is predicated on precise route running.
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Smooth and explosive aren't exactly the same thing.
With his long strides, he can run a post or flag/fade route with anybody because it doesn't require a hard stop before the change of direction (though you'd still like the DB to have a more conscious threat of the hard stop in the back of their minds so you can put in a hip shimmy or something to get them off balance).
So he can run a post and look plenty smooth doing it. But if you're looking for a double move or quick hitch, he's simply not going to do that as well as many.
And even he never really becomes superb at that, he can still be a valuable weapon here. You're right that the WCO is predicated on precise routes...but not all of them. Every route isn't a hitch and go. Every route isn't a smash. You can scheme around weaknesses in the system especially when you have guys like Kelce that can force defenses to shade (and create space elsewhere). A guy like Wilson would help as well. He can be a valuable X in this system, presuming he's able to get the hand-fighting down and get off press coverage since the X is pretty much always on the line in Reid's offense.
It wasn't a mistake to trade up to get him just because he won't be Calvin Johnson (which is what he'd be if you gave a guy with his size/speed the same footwork as Amari Cooper). He can be Chris Chambers. He can be a bigger version of what Maclin was before Maclin got hurt (when he was running simpler routes as the X and was relying on speed rather than smarts). He can be very good here.
But don't oversell him. There are flaws in his game, some of which are probably not completely correctable but rather will need to be schemed around.