J. Kapp 11 wrote:Patterson and Harvin are totally different receivers. Harvin is so small that it's hard to throw to him outside the numbers. You can't throw him a high ball or a contested ball because he's not going to jump over anybody grab it, and he's not much of a target for back-shoulder throws. You really need size and jumping ability to be effective on the outside.
I should've addressed this in my post because I knew a savvy poster like yourself was going to bring it up. While I think it's an advantage to have height, I don't believe it's a requirement to be an effective outside receiver. I mean, seriously, Steve Smith is 5'8 (three inches shorter than Harvin) and at his peak he was one of the best outside receivers in the league (or best receivers period). Heck, he
still is. And how about Antonio Brown? He's listed as an inch shorter than Harvin and has been a top-3 receiver the last couple of years.
but the smaller they are, the harder time they have getting open outside.
I don't necessarily buy that. Sometimes shorter guys are quicker (understanding the difference between quick and top-end fast) and are able to create separation on larger, lankier corners more than their taller counterparts. I do think that the league values taller receivers to win contested balls and there's perhaps a larger margin of error or increased chance for a completion if a receiver is as tall or taller than the defender. However, if the ball is placed where it should be, a shorter receiver has just as much of an opportunity to make the reception.
Harvin, to me (and apparently to NFL offensive coordinators) is more of a slot guy. His damage is done in the middle of the field or behind the line of scrimmage.
I think he's absolutely effective there. I'm just not convinced that's the only place where he'd win.
All of which begs the question -- why isn't Patterson more of an outside threat? You've shown in his combine metrics that he has the size, speed and jumping ability to be successful there. So what's the problem? Is it route running? Inability to beat press coverage? Lack of trust by the quarterbacks to throw at him when he's covered? More defensive attention since coordinators don't have to deal with Peterson? A combination?
Relevant article:
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Expe ... ning101614
The expectations couldn't have been higher for Patterson, who has just 17 catches and a rushing touchdown in six games of 2014.
"I feel like these last couple weeks, I've been thinking too much," Patterson told 1500ESPN.com. "I've been trying to do what people want me to do. I just have to buy into myself, be yourself and great things will happen for you."
"[Patterson] had a chance to get his feet wet," receivers coach George Stewart said. "We brought him along slow as we talked about this summer, in terms of special teams, some offense. And now we give him a lot more responsibility being a starting 'X' receiver for us. He has taken it, but again there's that learning curve, because everything is new. The route structures are different, terminology is different."
Patterson is not immune to the blame. Head coach Mike Zimmer has repeatedly said his star receiver needs to be more efficient in getting open on his routes - repeating a four-step mantra on Thursday that his coaching staff has preached to receivers this week: "Get into the route, win in transition, get out of the route and extend to the football," Zimmer said.
The entire article is worth a read. Maybe he's just not "seasoned" yet and we all have really high expectations for him. I recall it took Vincent Jackson three full years to start realizing his potential, which isn't unheard of for receivers. Patterson may be behind that curve given how raw he was coming out of college.