Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Meck
but it IS the point you're making, whether you realize it or not.
The fact is, Hardman is struggling at WR2.
Ok.
If Hill goes down, and Hardman takes THAT spot, then a defense still has to behave as if nothing has changed. Hardman is not as good as Hill, but he's practically speaking just as fast. He's just as much a threat to blow by your corner and go for 6.
Hardman has decent WR3 numbers, and I expect he'll put up more this year than last.
He'll split with Pringle-who is not flashy but very dependable, and DRob, who's frustrating but also has good chemistry with Mahomes. Depending on the play, we'll see a mix of that. And that will be more than fine with the improved line and running game.
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No, I never disputed that we'll regress no matter what if we lose either of those guys. That's common sense.
But as of right now... Losing a healthy Sammy Watkins stings a little bit. It stings a lot if either hill or kelce go down. Watkins is at least capable of playing like a WR1 (when healthy). If Hardman is struggling to get open in the slot, it's going to be that much harder to get open against press coverage and double teams against elite corners. Then there's a waterfall effect. We saw it last year... When tyreek doesn't draw double teams, drob and mecole have to fight more to get open instead of being bailout options.
If tyreek or kelce goes down, it's unreasonable to expect to replace them with a like superstar. But you need a WR2 who can at least be adequate. I haven't given up on mecole and will be rooting for him. But none of our WRs have proven they can be that guy. Being a role WR doesn't really help when your elite guys aren't giving you lots and lots of help.