THE starting slot receiver is WR Makai Lemon. He’s not really a burner, and I get the impression that the idea is, to get him short, quick passes in space, so that he can make (YAC) yards after the catch. There will be downs when he subs out for a breather though, and a faster receiver can be subbed in.
Getting WR Hollywood Brown running routes deep in the middle of the field, early in the game, will definitely keep opposing Safeties from loading up the box, whenever he’s on the field. That means more room inside to run and throw quick passes, and get the ball out of QB Jalen Hurts hand.
I’m thinking back to a game vs the Bears in 2013. They were so afraid of WR DeSean Jackson’s speed, that they were practically lining up FS Chris Conte in the parking lot. The result was RB LeSean McCoy running for 133 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries, as his back-up RB Bryce Brown ran for 115 and a score on just 9 totes. They combined for 9.1 yard per rush.
The Eagles won that game 54 – 11.
Fast forward to 2017, and we used WR2 Torrey Smith to do just that, in every game of the season. Smith played all 16 games, starting 14, but catching just 36 balls for 2 TD’s. However, the danger that he posed when taking the top off the defense, allowed others behind him to operate with ease and consistency. It won us our first Super Bowl.