Since Leon has gotten hurt, Sanchez has completed 82 passes. Of those 82 receptions, only 6 have been to running backs. That's only 7%. On the contrary, of the Patriots 342 completions, 70 have gone to running backs, which is roughly 20%. Especially for a rookie QB, that number is extremely low. The loss of Leon obviously hurt the passing game out of the backfield, but nonetheless it's important to give a young QB a safety net. And with a lack of a slot receiver, and a quality receiving back, everyone wants Sanchez to check down but to who? I'm not sure if this is on the playcalling or if Thomas Jones simply isn't a good enough pass catcher to run pass plays towards him, but one thing I'd like to see is more of an emphasis on pass plays that get the running backs involved.
He had 15 receptions for 131 yards in 7 games, but they include the Oakland game in that 7. So more like 6. He was the high receiver against the bills with 46 yards. He was targeted 24 times in 6 games catching 15.
i don't even remember the last time we threw a screen pass to a running back. we were so good at that last season too.
no shit....I knew the offense would be in trouble without Leon. We can't run an effective Screen Pass without him. EDIT: TBallz and I are on the same page. :up:
I noticed several plays last game where he had an RB in the flat waiting for checkdown. But he locks onto recievers so much and seems to have pretty bad field vision, and suffers from happy feet in the pocket, and thinks about running for it instead of check down, and doesn't seem to have learned anything in 13 starts. Good to know all this could be solved with a healthy Leon Washington.
Not just last season. We've been excellent at the screen forever. I definitely agree with poster commenting on Sanchize's field vision. It really hasn't improved at all.
Despite our needs along the D-Line, I would not be opposed to drafting a C.J. Spiller in round 1. I would not bank on Leon ever being quite the same player he was prior to the injury, and Spiller would be an enormous help to both our offense and our return game.
Leon was great and hopefully will be again for the versatility of his game. But he was not a big factor in the passing game. He had 15 receptions in 6 games before he got hurt, or 2.5 catches a game. His yardage was 131, based on as someone said above 24 attempted passes to him. Even ypc is just over 8, compared to Edwards being over 16. Yes, Leon is an RB and not a WR, but he was barely averaging over 20 yards passing yardage a game. So yes, he was a factor, but not a big factor, in the passing game. I suppose you could argue at least on obvious passing downs that he was another receiver the opposing D had to worry about. And I certainly expect if he comes back and is healthy, that would be an improvement. I just think we shouldn't overstate it as a factor.
That's true. I mean, seeing as our offense and return games have been so stellar, we should probably ignore them in the draft. :up:
It's kind of amazing we are still alive missing leon and jenkins for most of the season. That's our most valuable offensive and defensive players that we are missing.
While I agree with many of your posts, I disagree here. Leon is always dangerous and every opponent has to account for him as a checkdown on all passing plays. Leon can torch you if you don't have someone keep him honest. He'll at least get you that 1st down. So no, Leon Washington on the field cannot be overstated. He is sorely missed right now, which is why they brought in Woodhead as a poor imitation of the real thing. Covering Leon means more space for Kellar and Cotchery. But Sanchez needs to use his checkdowns more efficiently, as someone else stated. There was one nice pass to Woodhead on Sunday in which Danny grabbed the ball with one hand and immediately took it north-south. But again, as said, the ball was frightfully rifled at close range.
What's more amazing to me is why TJ hasn't been involved in the passing game at all. He has 10 receptions through 14 games and only 6 catches since Leon went down (7+ games). Last year he had 36 receptions and 28 the year before. I understand the lack of check downs from Sanchez, but one would think they would call some screens or designed plays to get TJ the ball and build some confidence for Sanchez. Instead, they have turned TJ into Jamal Lewis and completely eliminated him from the passing game.
