Why are "slot" receivers so undervalued?

[pazrul72]

Rich Eisan on NFL network touched on this when the Welker news broke and if the mediots caught on it seems pretty obvious. Based on numbers and stats Welker has been a top 5 receiver for the past 5 years, and has shown no signs of slowing down. I have every faith that for a bare minimum of the next two he will continue to be a 100+ catch 1200 yard 5 TD receiver. An AMAZING bargain at 6 million when guys like Wallace (who I expect to have 70 catches 900 yards 8 TD) get 12 million. I do not buy the whole stretch the field changing the way the defenses play is worth more because all your hear coaches say is what a pain in the ass defending Welker is. Converting third down after third down leads to touchdowns.

So not Welker specific because we see it with all of the "slot" receivers, why do they get so much less when their numbers are just as good if not better? It baffles me that tall guys who can run fast are worth SO much more then brilliant route runners that can catch. Any theories?

 

[Marqui]

They tend to not lead teams to superbowls if you think about it.

 

[makoute]

They tend to not lead teams to superbowls if you think about it.

They tend to have a negative effect on the running game too.

 

[Big-T]

It's also not glamorous, same goes with TE.

If a WR entered the draft built like Gronk & with the same speed/route running etc you'd be looking at the #1 overall pick.

 

[letekro]

Here are a few reasons why it is easier to rack up a lot of catches as a slot receiver vs. an outside receiver, and why you can fill the position with a lesser athlete:

1. A slot receiver is often lining up against LBs, safeties, and 3rd CBs. An outside receiver is lining up against the other team's best or second best coverage player.

2. A slot receiver has a two-way go. He can go left, he can go right...where will he go? He has a lot of real estate on both sides to create separation. A boundary receiver is up against the boundary, which acts as an additional defender and limits the ability to get separation.

3. A slot receiver often plays off the line of scrimmage, which makes him difficult or impossible to jam. An outside receiver often plays on the line of scrimmage, making him easier to jam.

 

[IllegalContact]

there are real limitations on having a slot guy be a primary target......they're only worth so much....once you over emphasize the short game, there's the whole rest of the field the defense does not need to worry about. slot guys are role players

kind of like having a singles hitter as your DH

 

[pazrul72]

They tend to have a negative effect on the running game too.

Care to go into more detail? I have seen Welker as a damn good blocker. Not so much through mass but attitude. He gets where he is supposed to be and walls them out. Hines Ward was not a burner or a large guy but is known as a great run blocker. Good thought I would like to hear more because I disagree with it.

 

[pazrul72]

It's also not glamorous, same goes with TE.

If a WR entered the draft built like Gronk & with the same speed/route running etc you'd be looking at the #1 overall pick.

That might be true for some GMs but I can not imagine Bill seeing it that way. He puts more time and energy to unglamorous roles like TE, special teams, and offensive line then anyone else. Yet even with that he did not pay more then market value for Wes or DA. Not that I want him to pay more then market value but he did not budge when he found he had underestimated market value slightly.

 

[letekro]

That might be true for some GMs but I can not imagine Bill seeing it that way. He puts more time and energy to unglamorous roles like TE, special teams, and offensive line then anyone else. Yet even with that he did not pay more then market value for Wes or DA. Not that I want him to pay more then market value but he did not budge when he found he had underestimated market value slightly.

It has nothing to do with glamour. It is supply and demand. As I described above, it takes a rarer, more elite athlete to get open and make plays outside the numbers.

 

[pazrul72]

there are real limitations on having a slot guy be a primary target......they're only worth so much....once you over emphasize the short game, there's the whole rest of the field the defense does not need to worry about. slot guys are role players

kind of like having a singles hitter as your DH

Excellent comparison and I'll add to it, get enough singles and that turns into runs. If you have a super elite single hitter who gets on base over half the time that eventually adds up to just as many runs as a guy who hits a home run once every twenty times. Its not as exciting or easy to see but for someone who really knows the game like a GM should it adds up.

 

[IllegalContact]

Excellent comparison and I'll add to it, get enough singles and that turns into runs. If you have a super elite single hitter who gets on base over half the time that eventually adds up to just as many runs as a guy who hits a home run once every twenty times. Its not as exciting or easy to see but for someone who really knows the game like a GM should it adds up.

good point with one caveat.......the .500 singles hitter does not exist and never has

and if he did, he would be a leadoff hitter........only spot in the lineup for him

 

[pazrul72]

It has nothing to do with glamour. It is supply and demand. As I described above, it takes a rarer, more elite athlete to get open and make plays outside the numbers.

I would say different athlete not rarer or more elite. The quick twitch run exactly the right route is a skill just as rare IMO. For the sake of debate though I'll go with your line of thinking. If slot guys are more productive (Wes is twice the receiver Wallce is) why do NFL teams pay for tall burner potential over proven numbers?

 

[randomk1]

I think it's because of the lack of big play ability you get from the prototypical slot WR.

A true #1 WR will threaten all levels of a D.

 

[makoute]

Care to go into more detail? I have seen Welker as a damn good blocker. Not so much through mass but attitude. He gets where he is supposed to be and walls them out. Hines Ward was not a burner or a large guy but is known as a great run blocker. Good thought I would like to hear more because I disagree with it.

When teams beat the Pats they tend to flood the middle of the field to stop the short passing game, they are able to do that and not pay because Wes wasn't going to beat them deep, Hernandez probably wouldn't beat them deep, even Gronk is not a burner that will beat you deep like a V Davis can, and because so many defensive players are close to the LOS, it has a negative effect on the run game too (after all if you are being gash by the run game, you bring a safety down), so by teams trying to stop their passing games, the run games actually suffers, when it actually should be the opposite .

 

[Brady6]

Rich Eisan on NFL network touched on this when the Welker news broke and if the mediots caught on it seems pretty obvious. Based on numbers and stats Welker has been a top 5 receiver for the past 5 years, and has shown no signs of slowing down. I have every faith that for a bare minimum of the next two he will continue to be a 100+ catch 1200 yard 5 TD receiver. An AMAZING bargain at 6 million when guys like Wallace (who I expect to have 70 catches 900 yards 8 TD) get 12 million. I do not buy the whole stretch the field changing the way the defenses play is worth more because all your hear coaches say is what a pain in the ass defending Welker is. Converting third down after third down leads to touchdowns.

So not Welker specific because we see it with all of the "slot" receivers, why do they get so much less when their numbers are just as good if not better? It baffles me that tall guys who can run fast are worth SO much more then brilliant route runners that can catch. Any theories?

I think for the same reasons a RB's like Stephen Jackson, Frank Gore, Michael Turner, Green-Ellis do not have the value of the Peterson, Spiller, Martin type RB's. They may have similar results but they require a lot more help and attempts getting to them along with lacking that explosiveness that cannot be game planed against.

I'd also look at the main factor touchdowns. Welker had 38 in 7 seasons Randy Moss had 40 in 3.25 seasons and Gronkowski he has 38 in a little more than 2.5 seasons.

 

[pazrul72]

good point with one caveat.......the .500 singles hitter does not exist and never has

and if he did, he would be a leadoff hitter........only spot in the lineup for him

I said getting on base not hitting because your right that guy has never existed and never will. With walks and the such the elite single guys do get on base that often. In baseball you need both same as in football, I just don't see one as being MORE valuable then the other. It is my opinion that elite "slot guys" should get the same as elite burners....and that burners get paid way to much.

 

[letekro]

Excellent comparison and I'll add to it, get enough singles and that turns into runs. If you have a super elite single hitter who gets on base over half the time that eventually adds up to just as many runs as a guy who hits a home run once every twenty times. Its not as exciting or easy to see but for someone who really knows the game like a GM should it adds up.

Wait. The question is why elite outside receivers are more highly valued than elite slot receivers. That has been answered above. In this post you are analogizing to the comparison of an elite singles hitter and a mediocre home run hitter. That is not the right comparison because Wes and other elite slot receivers are worth more than less-than-elite outside receivers--ask Brandon Lloyd.

 

[IllegalContact]

I said getting on base not hitting because your right that guy has never existed and never will. With walks and the such the elite single guys do get on base that often. In baseball you need both same as in football, I just don't see one as being MORE valuable then the other. It is my opinion that elite "slot guys" should get the same as elite burners....and that burners get paid way to much.

NFL GM's dictate that that is certainly not the case.

 

[Brady6]

there are real limitations on having a slot guy be a primary target......they're only worth so much....once you over emphasize the short game, there's the whole rest of the field the defense does not need to worry about. slot guys are role players

kind of like having a singles hitter as your DH

Paul Molitor just shed a tear..

 

[IllegalContact]

Paul Molitor just shed a tear..

as did rod carew