Heh. I don't know how well these next couple of Posts will be received!! But I'll risk it, Brothers!!
Regarding Split Ends, SlotBacks, & Flankers
Split Ends ~ for those who don't know but are interested ~ unlike their fellow "Wide Receivers", the SlotBack and the FlankerBack, are technically Linemen, like those 300 Pound Grizzlies that man the Trenches!!
Being Linemen, they are indeed required to line up on the Line of Scrimmage before the Snap, unlike the others.
As this places them nose to nose with the opposing CornerBack ~ whereas the SlotBacks & Flankers are allowed to align a couple steps back, thus affording them more room to maneuver ~ they need to be beefier.
Flankers ~ or FlankerBacks ~ for those who don't know and are interested in knowing ~ are the "Wide Receivers" who line up a step or two off the Line of Scrimmage on one end or the other ~ hence the term "Flanker."
They tend to be smaller than the Split End though usually larger than the SlotBack, if there is one.
SlotBacks ~ for those who don't know and are interested in knowing ~ are the "Wide Receivers" who line up a step or two off the Line of Scrimmage somewhere in the Slot between the Offensive Line and the SideLine.
Hence the term.
They tend to be smaller than either the Split End or the Flanker, and the best ones are remarkably Quick.
SlotBacks & Flankers are actually considered "Backs" ~ like HalfBacks or FullBacks...or QuarterBacks!!
Personally, I find that rather cool.
*Please do note, though: Schematically, each WideOut is obviously whoever lines up at each particular Position...But for the purposes of these Scouting Reports, I am applying this NomenClature to those who are Split Ends, SlotBacks, or Flankers by trade, so to speak: Those whose Skills Sets apply best to that particular Job Description.
What their Coaches might do with them, once they're drafted, is another matter all together.
All can obviously at least conceivably play multiple Roles, as can indeed many FootBall Players.
The most compelling Attributes of any WideOut in the 21st Century, are, in my view, and in no particular order:
Separation. Getting Open. This encompasses their ability to beat Press, their Acceleration out'f the Blocks, their Routing Precision, their Agility, their Ricochet, their capacity to outsmart Defenders, and their Instincts.
Catching. This encompasses Hands, Catch Radius, Vertical Agility, and Timing.
Navigation. How well he Navigates the Field in Pursuit of Yards After Catch: Power, Agility, and Field Vision.
Blocking. Having a WideOut who doesn't Block effectively is like having 10 Men on the Field of Battle.
Where We're At & Where We're Heading
SE Aaron Dobson ~ Ascending StudHorse. For all my concerns about picking him last Year ~ and I maintain that that Pick could've been much better deployed ~ I was very impressed with Dobson's Performance. It seems that Tom Brady can develop young WideOuts if he's forced to. Dobson's went through considerable growing pains last Year, as Rookies always do, and his Future is far from certain ~ beware the Sophomore Slump ~ but I was highly impressed.
FL Kenbrell Thompkins ~ Ascending Beast. I'm amazed by all the chatter I read on Fan Boards about Thompkins's possible imminent demise. His Rookie Campaign, too, was painful. But it's one Hell of a difficult job, mastering an Offense at This Level, and it takes time to get in Sync. Thompkins was a SuperBinky of mine, last Year. He boast phenomenal Processing Speed, exceptional Agility, and Balls of Steel. I foresee an extraordinary Career.
FL Josh Boyce ~ Potential Beast. Boyce can Tear The Top Off. The Long Speed is there, both on Tape and on Timer. But unlike most Zoomers, Boyce consistently carves out his Routes crisply. And he's more than beefy enough to take some punishment, dish some out, and keep plugging. He didn't do much as a Rookie, but I really like his UpSide.
SB Julian Edelman ~ Ascending StudHorse. I love the guy, but while he can play Flanker effectively as well as SlotBack, the Slot is his forte, and I want bigger guys playing Flanker. As a "Utility" WideOut, I'd love to keep'm, but of course his spectacular BreakOut Campaign will drive his Price far higher than I'd wish to consider.
SB Danny Amendola ~ Starter. Like Edelman, Amendola is a SlotBack who can play Flanker. And like Edelman, Amendola plays SlotBack exceptionally well during his rare appearances on the Field. But like Edelman, he's neither Tall nor especially Fast, and is consequently only adequate at Flanker, falling far short of warranting his Salary/Atrocity.
SE Mark Harrison ~ Lottery Ticket & Potential Star. I was ecstatic when the Patriots got their UFA hands on two of my Deep Dark Draft Binkies, last Spring, in Thompkins and Harrison. Interestingly, there seems to be lot of whispering on Fan Boards about converting Harrison to Flex End, but while I think he could manage it, I think that that'd misuse an extraordinary Split End Talent: Harrison is raw, but blessed with a phenomenal fusion of Size & Speed.
What I'd Love To See
1 ~ Dump Amendola. I don't know what the obsession is with Soft, Slow Smurfs, but I wish to Jesus that it would end. Bad enough that we signed the Cripple in the first place, but to dump all that Cap Space on the guy was disgusting. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth will greet this painful Salary Cap Hit, but Bad Medicine is always best taken at once. Deferring Salary Cap Pain until the future is the best way to encourage the Cancer to grow. Kill it.
2 ~ Cut Edelman loose. I love the guy, but 6 Years of Wes Welker ~ the best SlotBack, by far, in History ~ really should've made it excruciatingly clear to all that running one's Offense through a Smurf ~ even a Legendary Smurf ~ virtually guarantees that your Offense gets Shut Down in January, when The Only Games That Matter are played.
3 ~ Foreswear Free Agents and First Rounders. If those first two suggestions don't get people calling for my Scalp, then this surely will. But now that we've all endured all the inevitable pain and suffering that attends the prominence of two Rookie WideOuts on our Offense, I believe it would be incredibly foolish to now place impediments in their way. As Thompkins and Dobson have probably gone through the worst of it ~ and us right along with them!! ~ there is now enormous reason to believe that both have a very good chance of taking huge strides forward, this Year.
4 ~ But that is no reason to fail to draft and develop Depth of Talent at the two Positions, especially if my desire to expunge all SlotBacks from the Roster were to come true. I would be very aggressive in drafting Day 3 & UFA Talent.
