Panthers WR group "Under Construction"

[NAS]

https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/gm-report/panthers-wide-receiver-group-is-under-construction

Panthers Wide Receiver Group is 'Under Construction'

Shawn Jefferson is learning his personnel during this phase of the offseason.

• SCHUYLER CALLIHAN
• 4 HOURS AGO

 

A couple of years ago, former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters that the team's offensive line was "under construction" similar to I-85. And he was right. The line was in bad shape and needed a ton of work, including adding some new pieces.

On Thursday, new Panthers wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson used the same term. However, it's not because he believes this group doesn't have enough talent. It's more so about finding out how to use all the pieces to maximize the potential of the passing game.

"We are a group that's under construction right now. That means everybody. We're under construction," Jefferson said. "We're trying to get the offense implemented, so we're in the building process -- the land-clearing process phase here. Everybody right now is in learning mode and trying to get used to what we want them to do. We're finding out what guys can do. It's part of our job as coaches to put it out there and see what these guys can do, then we can start building the blocks of how we want them, plug them in where we want them to be, and where they fit best according to their talent skillset."

The one thing Jefferson is doing in this phase of the offseason is inserting guys in different spots, even some places they're not used to playing. It's how you find not only the right mix of who you want on the field but where. For example, DJ Chark has had a solid career as a X/Z receiver but he may get a couple of reps in the slot just to see what he can do. By doing this, you may discover that a player could raise his level of production simply by lining up in a different spot.

But it's not just about creating individual production. It's also to keep defenses guessing.

"We want to be different. We don't want to be just stagnant with people where people can just say, okay, they're going to play here or there. I want to move these guys around because it's an advantage to us. We're all about putting stress on the defense. If we got these guys in multiple positions, they don't know who's getting this ball. What defenses typically do is they say he's the 'X', he's the 'Z', they see these types of formations then they're doing that. But we don't want to do that. We want to be multiple. We want to cause some stress to the defense."

With Adam Thielen, DJ Chark, Terrace Marshall Jr., Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault, and Damiere Byrd, there's a lot of opportunity for Jefferson to get creative and do exactly what he set out to do - confuse the defense.

 

[NAS]

 

[MHS831]

POTENTIALLY---I think the WR room has never been better.  I saw signs from Marshall last year that told me he was ready to turn the corner--and Shenault should have broken out last year but the coaches thought he was to be the designated screen WR...So, if all factions step up as I realistically expect, we can say we have never been as deep or as good--even when we had Smith, Moose, and Proehl---I think this group could be very special.

A QB who gets you the ball on time and in stride makes you better--Cam rarely threw after planting his drop foot--when the pass is supposed to be thrown--maybe the WRs were not open, maybe he was not reading the defense quickly--or maybe both were at play.  Secondly, Cam's accuracy was not elite by any means. He used his arm strength to atone for his late delivery, and the increased velocity created a ball that was tougher to catch and not on target. That leads to more dropped passes, fewer Yards after the catch--Cam as a passer was not top 10 ever--as an overall force at QB--he was.  So now we have that passer who reads quickly, throws an easier ball to catch, and gets the ball out on time. 

Some will be angry at this, but watch the tape and look at the number of completions and drops.  Watch film where he does not throw after planting the back foot. 

Another point--Cam was not a good screen passer for some reason.  That is a play that protects the QB because it keeps the pass rush honest.  Young is good at that--so I expect to see improved WR play based on QB alone. 

In fairness to Cam, Bryce is not going to bulldoze LBs and scamper for 50 yards on third and 32. 

[Stuart Smith]

14 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

POTENTIALLY---I think the WR room has never been better.  I saw signs from Marshall last year that told me he was ready to turn the corner--and Shenault should have broken out last year but the coaches thought he was to be the designated screen WR...So, if all factions step up as I realistically expect, we can say we have never been as deep or as good--even when we had Smith, Moose, and Proehl---I think this group could be very special.

A QB who gets you the ball on time and in stride makes you better--Cam rarely threw after planting his drop foot--when the pass is supposed to be thrown--maybe the WRs were not open, maybe he was not reading the defense quickly--or maybe both were at play.  Secondly, Cam's accuracy was not elite by any means. He used his arm strength to atone for his late delivery, and the increased velocity created a ball that was tougher to catch and not on target. That leads to more dropped passes, fewer Yards after the catch--Cam as a passer was not top 10 ever--as an overall force at QB--he was.  So now we have that passer who reads quickly, throws an easier ball to catch, and gets the ball out on time. 

Some will be angry at this, but watch the tape and look at the number of completions and drops.  Watch film where he does not throw after planting the back foot. 

Another point--Cam was not a good screen passer for some reason.  That is a play that protects the QB because it keeps the pass rush honest.  Young is good at that--so I expect to see improved WR play based on QB alone. 

In fairness to Cam, Bryce is not going to bulldoze LBs and scamper for 50 yards on third and 32. 

I hope your observation is 100% accurate, appreciate your thoughts. 

[Pejorative Miscreant]

I think that there are going to be a few guys we lean on early that get most of the looks but over the season you will see it getting spread around more.  Not a bad thing as chemistry and experience evolve.  
 

I could be wrong as that happens very often but just my .02 

[kungfoodude]

I am a little skeptical of the group overall. High potential but also decent probability that it just doesn't work out for one or more of them.

But, I am gonna trust this coaching staff until they show me any reason not to.

It's been a long time since we had a WR corps that anyone was threatened by.

[rayzor]

27 minutes ago, Pejorative Miscreant said:

I think that there are going to be a few guys we lean on early that get most of the looks but over the season you will see it getting spread around more.  Not a bad thing as chemistry and experience evolve.  
 

I could be wrong as that happens very often but just my .02 

i think you're right, but i think that also it will be spread out earlier rather than later. the way Bryce runs an offense, his favorite target is going to always be the open guy with the most opportunity at any millisecond within a play. they all are going to have to have their heads on a swivel and always be ready to have the ball thrown to them regardless of who the hot read is supposed to be. with Bryce, they're all hot reads. 

[rayzor]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

I am a little skeptical of the group overall. High potential but also decent probability that it just doesn't work out for one or more of them.

But, I am gonna trust this coaching staff until they show me any reason not to.

It's been a long time since we had a WR corps that anyone was threatened by.

i've long believed that a good QB can make a blah WR corps look much better than it is.

[Mr. Scot]

This ruined it for me...

3 hours ago, NAS said:

Former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters...And he was right.

Mind you, I'm not discrediting the rest of the article. It's a good one.

Just hated reading that phrase. Reminds me that Callihan was a Rhule homer while he was on the hot seat.

[kungfoodude]

41 minutes ago, rayzor said:

i've long believed that a good QB can make a blah WR corps look much better than it is.

It can for sure. If we have an elite QB, a lot of those problems are fixed.

[NAS]

55 minutes ago, rayzor said:

i've long believed that a good QB can make a blah WR corps look much better than it is.

And a crap QB can ruin careers. I think TMJ will shine with Bryce distributing the football 

[Prowler2k18]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

This ruined it for me...

Mind you, I'm not discrediting the rest of the article. It's a good one.

Just hated reading that phrase. Reminds me that Callihan was a Rhule homer while he was on the hot seat.

I understand how you feel. And I’m sure you can agree when considering the context - the OL was a mess. Too bad Rhule was too in over his head to fix it or anything else. And listening to this new regime as they lay out their plans is music to my ears.

[poundaway]

This is probably the deepest WR class we've had in recent memory.  Low drop rates, a couple speedsters, and a couple YAC big guys.  

Will a true #1 emerge from this group with this OC and OL?  That'd be nice.

[csx]

Note the use of x, y, etc. Fans typically get caught up in using fantasy terms which completely misses the complexities and nuances