So When is Curtis Samuel going to Make an Impact?

[CRA]

I wouldn’t expect much out of Samuel.  Maybe late in the year. 

As another poster mentioned it took our former MVP weeks to get into a groove.  Samuel is a rookie who missed the prep time.  It simply might not happen this year and that isn’t a talent issue.  Doesn’t help that CMC basically dominates a ton of the reps Samuel likely fits into as well

[TalonNC]

theres only 1 ball ....

[FattyFatFat]

2019?

[SOJA]

He's a rookie still learning a new position and missed a significant portion of training camp

 

oh and it's not even half way through the season

 

calm down Curtis probably isn't making an impact this year other than breaking out a big play here and there 

[Mvp2014]

Tonight.  

[KendrickPanther]

He needs to get good at NFL route running so we can use him and CMC together. Idealy those two should both be able to lineup in the backfield and both be able to catch passes. 

[shaqattaq]

6 hours ago, ItsPantone278 said:

I don't blame the guy for having basically no idea in the offense we are running.  The fact that McCaffrey can play almost every snap is beyond impressive.  You have to imagine the level of communication Cam had with Olsen, Benjiman, and now even Funchess... Samuel has a lot of catching up to do.  He is so talented you have to imagine it can't take too much longer, but it's getting about time to see something soon.

We also have to remember that Cam has had to learn a new offense with no preseason. I think that this had as much to do with his somewhat dismal start as the sore shoulder and "rustiness".  When he came here, our offense completely changed to become what he was best at - pretty much what he ran in college. Now that he's becoming more comfortable (he's only going to get better) with shorter, quicker passes and fewer QB runs, I suspect that Samuel will get more attention. Even if it's just as a decoy to stretch the field. By the time we face the Falcons, he'll be a legit threat.

[thefuzz]

3 hours ago, Chardee MacDennis said:

The problem with running him on deep routes is he had injuries that probably limited his ability to consistently sprint downfield. Also, it may have been a function of the protection schemes not being trusted with our OL being beat up, and defenses blitzing hard. 

I see Samuel as a hybrid though. He simply isn't a good enough WR yet. He's a "playmaker". Just as CMC isn't good enough at reading the running holes at the NFL level yet. He needs time to see the opportunities instead of like in college where he just had big holes to run through. 

 

My personal opinion is that Stewart should have been, and still should be traded. That may be an unpopular opinion. But with CMC, Fozzy, CAP, and Samuel, there are enough weapons out of the backfield for this offense to find success. Imagine how a defense would have to plan to stop a formation that has CMC in the slot, Samuel and Funchess on the outside, Fozzy next to Cam, and then CMC and Samuel motioning around the field pre-snap....

You'd have no clue if it is a run or pass. Or read option. And, which of the speedy playmakers will get the ball.

 

Alternatively what we have now is the defense knows if Stew is in the game, there's a very good chance we are going to hand it to him up the middle. Or, if we decide to get "tricky", we will hand it to him stretched out, which plays more to the strength of every defense more than to the offense. Hell, even on a pass play with Stew in the game, the defense can simply count him out of the play as he is zero threat as a receiver.

I realize this won't change and it's just who this team wants to be. But, if you want true evolution, go ahead and trade Stew. Name CMC the starting RB, Fozzy as the backup, and Samuel as the slot WR. And then make all 3 interchangeable throughout the game.

Trade the 5th highest paid RB, who is on the wrong side of 30, who is underperforming?

Who makes that trade, and what in the world do you think we would receive?

Stew is healthy right now, and we are winning, let's keep our bell cow (even underperforming) around till the end of the season.

[Snake]

8 hours ago, ItsPantone278 said:

I don't blame the guy for having basically no idea in the offense we are running.  The fact that McCaffrey can play almost every snap is beyond impressive.  You have to imagine the level of communication Cam had with Olsen, Benjiman, and now even Funchess... Samuel has a lot of catching up to do.  He is so talented you have to imagine it can't take too much longer, but it's getting about time to see something soon.I

It really doesn't take much knowledge to run a go route or clear route and that's what we need him for. Decoy or not teams will have to respect his speed. I think that hamstring injury was big and he got even more banged up after that.

[ItsPantone278]

48 minutes ago, Snake said:

It really doesn't take much knowledge to run a go route or clear route and that's what we need him for. Decoy or not teams will have to respect his speed. I think that hamstring injury was big and he got even more banged up after that.

Responding to the question of when will he make an impact he'll need to do a little more than run decoy go routes.  If NFL offenses were that simple you would see every team just send their fastest guy tearing down the field.  The last thing you need is a guy getting a penalty because he didn't line up properly or limit your ability to audible or change play direction because a player doesn't fully understand his responsibilities.  I'm hoping he's getting closer to contributing in a big way, but the kneel on the return is just an example of why the coaches likely aren't ready to trust him to this point.

[Snake]

54 minutes ago, ItsPantone278 said:

Responding to the question of when will he make an impact he'll need to do a little more than run decoy go routes.  If NFL offenses were that simple you would see every team just send their fastest guy tearing down the field.  The last thing you need is a guy getting a penalty because he didn't line up properly or limit your ability to audible or change play direction because a player doesn't fully understand his responsibilities.  I'm hoping he's getting closer to contributing in a big way, but the kneel on the return is just an example of why the coaches likely aren't ready to trust him to this point.

 

 

You do understand we run about the same complex offense as Urban Meyers at Ohio state right? With that said teams use guys all the time on simple decoy routes to make a safety commit. Tyrek Hill is a perfect example of that.  You might need to brush up on your football knowledge and then we might be able to talk about something Samuel actually struggles with. 

[CPcavedweller]

I'm not enjoying the use of him. He is being used in traditional routes over the middle, and bubble screens. As far as I can tell, they haven't sent him into Cam's prime zone (15 yards downfield) which would allow him to create more separation. My hypothesis is that Shula doesn't trust Cam to put the ball on such a short receiver at that distance. 

[jfo89]

I think he has a good day returning kicks today. He's shown his explosiveness, just needs the opportunity.

[ItsPantone278]

1 hour ago, Snake said:

 

 

You do understand we run about the same complex offense as Urban Meyers at Ohio state right? With that said teams use guys all the time on simple decoy routes to make a safety commit. Tyrek Hill is a perfect example of that.  You might need to brush up on your football knowledge and then we might be able to talk about something Samuel actually struggles with. 

What Urban Myer runs at OSU has nothing to do with anything.  If the staff doesn't trust him on the field it could be for a number of obvious reasons.  As for my own football knowledge, I know enough to enjoy the game.  I certainly don't care to brush up on anything for a discussion with you.  Thanks for the offer tho.