Nice thoughts on the original post.
I'm usually optimistic, but right now the WR situation concerns me a bit. Here are my issues:
In the 2010 playoff game against the Jets, Rex Ryan went 1 deep all night long and trusted outside coverage to his CBs. That game him 1 extra guy to stick to the midfield on either spying duties, zones, doubling our inside receivers or covering the run/screen plays.
In that game, we should have learned one lesson the hard way: If we cannot bring in a group that forces the opponent to stretch the field vertically, then all they need to make TBs life miserable are 2 talented corners.
In 2010, sure there was the "when the going gets tough, abandon the run" mentality going on with TB and OBrien, but nonetheless our personnel grouping is still looking like it lacks one dimension. The vertical one.
Its not so much about completing deep passes, as it is about forcing the opponent to account for that possiblity. If they play bold and reckless like Ryan did in the 2010 playoffs, then TB has to thread a needle on every throw in the short and intermediate inside routes. We know he can do it, but not on every down.
McD loves to run, and he loves screens. But he also loves the deep pass, which usually complements those two very well. That is why releasing both Gaffney and Stallworth amazed me. Now we have only 1 legit outside receiver who can burn CBs. I'm sorry to say this, but as reliable as Branch is, he is no longer an outside threat against a talented corner.