Heath Evans at WR

[brdmaverick]

The Patriots continue to line up Heath Evans out wide as a wide receiver. Can someone please explain the reasoning for this?

The way I see......

1.) He has nowhere near the speed of the defenders that are lining up against him.
2.) He doesn't have the hands be a reliable 'wide' receiver.
3.) Further expounding his own lack of speed, the defenders would be sure to collapse on him quickly if the quarterbacks actually did throw him the ball.

All in all it makes no sense to me, so there must be some logical explanation. Is Belicheck just sending him out there as a decoy to 'uncrowd' the middle of the field a little more? Even so, wouldn't an actually wide receiver, even if it were Kelly Washington, be better served in this role?

 

[maverick4]

The same reason why Moss wasn't in a red zone package at the goal line... Josh McDaniels is a COMPLETE MORON who is unimaginative, irrational, and runs the same 5 plays over and over.

 

[JoePats]

They stick him out there every once in a while. It keeps a corner out there (ie Cromartie, a couple of times), and frees up space in the backfield for whatever they want to run.

 

[WhiZa]

why does chad pennington lineup as a WR in the wildcat formation? We didnt know until this week when he was finally utilized.

 

[brdmaverick]

I'd be curious to know how many plays Evans lined up out wide as a wide receiver tonight. I know it was more than a handful of plays. Unless I was mistaking someone else for him, it was on a majority of plays. If the Pats are able to utilize this on one play (like the Dolphins lining up Pennington at WR) then that is a lot of wasted plays just to lead up to one trick play.

 

[TealSox]

From the 15th row on field level, I saw Evans constantly spread wide with Moss or Welker in the slot position. A few times, he was open in the flat, but he was Cassel's last progression (which he couldn't get to because of pressure from SD).

Morris was always motioned out wide as well, but he seemed to be the first or second option.

Cassel, on a few occasions, had the handcuffs on when it came to passing. He wasn't given back up options... see the passes into the ground when the play wasn't there.

 

[Patjew]

I too didn't understand this. I'm a better WR option. And I'm an amateur alcoholic.

Why not stick Faulk or Gaffney out there? Or Faulk? Or perhaps... Faulk?

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

I too didn't understand this. I'm a better WR option. And I'm an amateur alcoholic.

Why not stick Faulk or Gaffney out there? Or Faulk? Or perhaps... Faulk?

I for one, would rather see Ventrone out there, than Heath. Ray was a beast during PS.

 

[unoriginal]

It's not really about matchups, they do this to diagnose coverage. Other teams will more often motion their tailback out wide to see if somebody follows him or if the coverage "scoots" over.

I've covered this before, at least twice with pictures:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-jaguars-chargers.html#post776169

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-giants-week-17-a.html#post768902

 

[Patjew]

It's not really about matchups, they do this to diagnose coverage. Other teams will more often motion their tailback out wide to see if somebody follows him or if the coverage "scoots" over.

I've covered this before, at least twice with pictures:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-jaguars-chargers.html#post776169

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-giants-week-17-a.html#post768902

But why use Evans for this and not an actual receiving threat like Faulk?

 

[Batman]

But why use Evans for this and not an actual receiving threat like Faulk?

hit someone like moss on the out i am pretty sure evans could crack a olb to give us space.
Gets the slot against a LB sometimes very good match up if you get the paly going quick enough and the D doesn't get much chance to change if it's in man.
The backers are more likely to stay home to give support up the middle if there is no RB then then don't have the run to stop 3-5 man blitz better than a 7 man blitz.

 

[unoriginal]

But why use Evans for this and not an actual receiving threat like Faulk?

If both are in the backfield, maybe they send Evans out wide because Faulk is better at blitz pickup. (And he is really good.)

 

[pats1]

It's not really about matchups, they do this to diagnose coverage. Other teams will more often motion their tailback out wide to see if somebody follows him or if the coverage "scoots" over.

I've covered this before, at least twice with pictures:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-jaguars-chargers.html#post776169

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...ve-line-play-giants-week-17-a.html#post768902

:ditto:

Couldn't have said it better myself...