04-24-2022, 01:48 PM
It's interesting how we always used to talk about receivers and their roles as X, Z and slot and how you needed your point guard possession guy (slot), your power forward (Z) and your speed guy (X). Obviously our offense has changed quite a bit since the days of Moss, Carter and Billick, but this basketball analogy from Daniel Jeremiah really nails it.
"Coach (Brian) Billick used to always say it and we used to talk about it all the time on the podcast, which is you build out a basketball team of receivers. You want guys with different skill sets, different sizes, you know, different speed. All that stuff. You just wanted a basketball team. Then, kind of with the Shanahan system, you kind of see more, we want guys that are interchangeable. They can play every spot, and they're real versatile in that way. So, two different schools of thought around the league."
I think as we see more and more offenses from the Shanahan tree, it probably explains why we're seeing fewer oversized receivers and more average size guys with speed who run precision routes. You can put them anywhere and mix them up at will.
"Coach (Brian) Billick used to always say it and we used to talk about it all the time on the podcast, which is you build out a basketball team of receivers. You want guys with different skill sets, different sizes, you know, different speed. All that stuff. You just wanted a basketball team. Then, kind of with the Shanahan system, you kind of see more, we want guys that are interchangeable. They can play every spot, and they're real versatile in that way. So, two different schools of thought around the league."
I think as we see more and more offenses from the Shanahan tree, it probably explains why we're seeing fewer oversized receivers and more average size guys with speed who run precision routes. You can put them anywhere and mix them up at will.