Curtis Samuel needs more touches

[NAS]

One of the things I liked about the first drive against Jacksonville was that we got the ball into Samuel's hands running the ball to keep the defense hones.  He picked up 20 yards on 2 carries.

However, he doesn't seem to have developed the chemistry with Kyle Allen just yet.  He was targeted only 6 times and caught 3 passes for 19 yards.   He has only 19 receptions and 227 yds receiving through 5 games.  I strongly believe we need him to get involved more in the offense and utilize his quickness and play-making ability.  

[*FreeFua*]

Had Kyle recognized the Hayden blitz on that 2nd down play on their 2nd drive, he had Samuel over top for 6. 

 

[Forty-Eight]

Samuel is just another guy. The hype is fake. Samuel can be an offensive weapon but not as a legitimate wide receiver. The guy doesnt have any hands. He body catches everything. Samuel wont be here long if he doesnt take a real improvement next season. 

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

While I agree, part of it is an aspect of Allen that I generally like.  Allen seems to spread the ball out.  A lot.  If you take away CMC's touches, these are our receiving group touches (receiving and rushing) under Allen:

Samuel 14 

DJ Moore 12

Wright 8

Olsen 8

Hogan 

Samuel is the top targeted receiver when you remove CMC from the equation.  

[*FreeFua*]

Would love to see a healthy Cam with Samuel

[ncfan]

He does

But the guy id really like to see them get more involved is Wright.

This dude is really getting open.  And can really open things up for those other guys

[BrianS]

Specifically with regards to the Jax game, Samuel was targeted six times in 30 throws . . . that's 20% of the targets.  That seems fine to me.

[NAS]

Just now, BrianS said:

Specifically with regards to the Jax game, Samuel was targeted six times in 30 throws . . . that's 20% of the targets.  That seems fine to me.

I am talking about the season as a whole, but 20 % seems low for a WR2 in a game where the tight ends are mostly blocking.

[Khyber53]

We seem to be getting the ball to the open man the majority of the time, whoever it is. That's how you win games rather than trying to feed a narrative.

It ends up going to CMC the most because of the nature of how he is used in plays, the fact he can pick his spots often as he moves out post chip-block, and the fact that the guy has some of the best catching hands in the entire NFL -- not just for a RB but for any receiver as well.

Sit back, enjoy, cheer and everyone will be fed before it all finishes out in February.

[BrianS]

3 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

We seem to be getting the ball to the open man the majority of the time, whoever it is. That's how you win games rather than trying to feed a narrative.

It ends up going to CMC the most because of the nature of how he is used in plays, the fact he can pick his spots often as he moves out post chip-block, and the fact that the guy has some of the best catching hands in the entire NFL -- not just for a RB but for any receiver as well.

Sit back, enjoy, cheer and everyone will be fed before it all finishes out in February.

Exactly.  Find the freaking guy who is open and let him make plays.  We have actual NFL caliber players across the entire offense now.  No more forcing the ball, find the open guy and let him do his thing.

[NAS]

2 minutes ago, BrianS said:

Exactly.  Find the freaking guy who is open and let him make plays.  We have actual NFL caliber players across the entire offense now.  No more forcing the ball, find the open guy and let him do his thing.

I dont' disagree with that notion, but I think there's more to it than just finding the open man.  We know that each play-call may have different primary receivers.  I would like to see more designs for Samuel to be the primary.  If he's not open, fine, but I think there's more to it than just saying "spread the ball".  Sometimes, you may have only time to go through one or two progressions.  Let's face it, Allen has left plenty of opportunities on the field.  

[Wolfpack352]

5 minutes ago, NAS said:

I dont' disagree with that notion, but I think there's more to it than just finding the open man.  We know that each play-call may have different primary receivers.  I would like to see more designs for Samuel to be the primary.  If he's not open, fine, but I think there's more to it than just saying "spread the ball".  Sometimes, you may have only time to go through one or two progressions.  Let's face it, Allen has left plenty of opportunities on the field.  

So has Cam, missed open receivers as well as overthrown them.  Actually....every QB has missed open players even Brady, sit down and review the play tablet, listen to what your receivers are saying and try again.  

[Davidson Deac II]

Samuel is 3rd in targets among all of our pass catchers, and has more rushing attempts than anyone other that CMC.  He is getting his share.  He just needs to catch more of them.  Although in fairness a significant percentage of the targets were off target for a variety of reasons.  

[Anybodyhome]

Samuel is quick and can get separation, but his routes simply aren't crisp enough to get that first step advantage. However, get him the ball in the open field and he'll burn anyone. That being said, he is used sometime to run a deep route and bait the safety to open up something underneath. 

Commit a little more to the route and stick the corners instead of rounding everything off and he'll find himself open more.