These players went missing last season. Any information leading to their whereabouts could prevent future crimes in the fantasy preseason.
Intro
If you're old enough, you'll remember when photos and pertinent information about missing children took up real estate on the backs of milk cartons. According to an April 20th article in Slate about the National child Safety Council's decision to take this route to inform the general public, this practice ended in the late 1980s "after prominent pediatricians like Benjamin Spock and T. Berry Brazelton worried that they frightened children unnecessarily."
Slate reported that this measure of plastering photos on milk cartons, pizza boxes, grocery bags, and junk mail never yielded data that showed it was effective. Considering that the only subject in football approaching this level of gravity is head injuries, I thought I'd take the milk cartons out of retirement for our purposes. Hopefully, prominent Footballguys pediatrician Dr. Jene Bramel doesn't worry that this will frighten fantasy football owners unnecessarily.
Then again, a photo of a player with the phrase "Have You Seen Me?" should scare you. I'm profiling players at each position this month who mystified their fantasy owners last year when their starter production disappeared - perhaps never to be seen again.
The series began with two quarterbacks that got lost in the fantasy wilderness and their whereabouts are unknown at this time. Part Two continued with three runners that got lost between the parking lot and the stadium. This installment profiles three receivers last seen at the fantasy pre-game parade seated on a float as drum majors high-stepped down the road and lead the procession towards an overpass. Exiting the tunnel the float was empty. Parade officials are still scracthing their heads.
The end result is we have three milk carton photos distributed to the Dairy Council: Larry Fitzgerald, Dwayne Bowe, and DeSean Jackson. I think we're going to find them before September.
Last year's Amber Alert: Larry Fitzgerald Last Seen Getting into Car with Suspicous Characters
If you were watching television last September you may have been witness to this announcement [Queue the cheesy, dissonant '80s slasher movie sound effect]:
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to alert you that a fantasy football star has been reported missing and has been potentially kidnapped. Fitzgerald was last seen getting into an SUV with two white males in the downtown Phoenix area.
The suspects are all over six feet tall and in excess of 220 pounds and go by the moniker of "quarterback." Both suspects - John Skelton and Ryan Lindley are considered armed and dangerous to themselves and to fantasy owners. They were last seen taking Fitzgerald's career south of the border. Time is of the essence, any information leading to their whereabouts could save a career.
Fitzgerald remained missing for the rest of 2012. While reports are sketchy, detectives Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer have solid leads to recover the Cardinals best football player and a fantasy football national treasure from 2005-2011.
Here's some supporting data to illustrate how the Cardinals organization obtained it's clues:
Larry Fitzgerald's Receiving Career
Year
|
Game
|
Targets
|
Receptions
|
Yards
|
Y/R
|
TDs
|
Fpts
|
Rank
|
2004
|
16
|
104
|
58
|
780
|
13.4
|
8
|
127
|
30
|
2005
|
16
|
165
|
103
|
1409
|
13.7
|
10
|
205
|
2
|
2006
|
13
|
108
|
69
|
946
|
13.7
|
6
|
131
|
24
|
2007
|
15
|
167
|
100
|
1409
|
14.1
|
10
|
201
|
5
|
2008
|
16
|
154
|
96
|
1431
|
14.9
|
12
|
215
|
1
|
2009
|
16
|
151
|
97
|
1092
|
11.3
|
13
|
187
|
5
|
2010
|
16
|
172
|
90
|
1137
|
12.6
|
6
|
150
|
16
|
2011
|
16
|
153
|
80
|
1411
|
17.6
|
8
|
189
|
5
|
2012
|
16
|
156
|
71
|
798
|
11.2
|
4
|
104
|
42
|
The numbers tell the beginning of the story. Before Todd Haley and Kurt Warner's arrival in Arizona, Fitzgerald was a young receiver with great talent. The Cardinals quarterback and offensive coordinator found ways to maximize that talent from 2005-2009. During this span Fitzgerald had three, 1400-yard seasons and four years with double-digit touchowns.
Fitzgerald was a a top-five fantasy receiver four of those five seasons and one of the two best fantasy pass catchers during two of those seasons. The reasons for this level of production can be attributed to several factors, but the most prominent are an offensive philosophy that complemented the team's personnel and a quarterback willing to engage in what is considered risky behavior in conventional situations with receivers not named Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Vincent Jackson, Randy Moss, (and sometimes) Brandon Lloyd.
This behavior is something I have discussed in relation to these players and several rookie prospects at quarterback and wide receiver: the ability of a receiver to win the ball in tight coverage paired with a quarterback's willingness to give his receiver a chance to make the play. This is an overstated skill for receivers, but a rare one for quarterbacks.
Until Warner joined the Cardinals, he was always taught not to throw the ball into double coverage. He learned early that this rule did not apply to Fitzgerald. Moreover, Warner found if he didn't target Fitzgerald in double coverage the way he'd target most receivers in single coverage, he was preventing the offense from elevating its production to the level of a contender.
Think about the effect a receiver making plays in double coverage does against a defense. It provides opportunities for even the most anemic running game because the safeties cannot afford to crowd the line of scrimmage.
For a team like the Lions, who have lacked a quality receiver opposite Johnson - who has consistently beaten triple coverage - Detroit still manages to field a competitive offense. I've seen enough Detroit football in the past two years to know that Matt Stafford has delivered quality targets to his receivers not named Johnson, but they failed to capitalize. Immaturity/mental illness (Titus Young) and injury (Ryan Broyles) have been significant factors.
During the Warner-Haley era, the Cardinals' willingness to target Fitzgerald regardless of coverage reinforced a lot of these double teams and gave the offense a chance to make opposing defenses pay when Warner found Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston for big plays - particularly Boldin. While the Haley era ended in 2008, Warner was still at the helm of the offense in 2009.
Although Fitzgerald's production dropped in 2010 when the Cardinals sent Boldin packing, he rebounded in 2011 with the combination of Kevin Kolb and John Skelton at the helm. Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm remained at the offensive controls post-Haley and the Cardinals played 13 games where the difference in the final score was 7 points or less and Arizona won an NFL-record, 4 overtime games.
However the wheels fell off in 2012 and I think quarterback play was a factor. Kolb couldn't stay healthy and opposing teams had enough tape on him by that time to generate good scouting reports to neutralize him with Boldin gone. John Skelton also had done enough in 2011 to give teams some tape and they shut him down in the same fashion.
Another significant factor when it comes to the difference in the Cardinals' 2012 production was the deterioration of an already mediocre offensive line. Tackles Levi Brown dealt with a triceps tear and Bobby Massie was scary-bad the first half of the year. Neither are great edge players, but they can be adequate if the Cardinals get quality production from rookies Johnathan Cooper and/or Earl Watford. I think Cooper is going to start strong and this should help the line gel as a run unit and with play action, which will ultimately help Fitzgerald.
I believe there is enough change to the Cardinals offense and continuity with the defense that this team could start hot. It might not lead to wins in a difficult NFC West, but the the quality of play should be markedly different. The reason will be this line and Palmer.
I've heard this throwaway comment over and over this spring: Carson Palmer isn't the same quarterback he used to be . . .
Let's examine this assumption because frankly, I think it stinks. I watch Raiders games with the same morbid thrill that some racing fans enjoy car wrecks and the only difference I saw with Palmer in Oakland in 2011-2012 from the Palmer in 2005-2007, when he was a top-10 fantasy passer in three of those five years was a lack of surrounding talent.
Name a receiver in the starting lineup who can catch a football or run the correct route in 2012 who was healthy. You can't. Darrius Heyward-Bey would be Torrey Smith if he could catch the football with any level of consistency. Now he's the player I hope all my opponents pick in the mid-rounds in 2013 becuase they think Andrew Luck offers a magical elixir that will make Heyward-Bey catch the ball better. Sorry folks, Stick-um left the game when Fred Biletnikof retired.
Rod Streater? He ran poor routes at inopportune times and dropped easy passes. He flashed a little promise beyond the practice field, but he'll have to make a huge jump this year to have a future in the league. Juron Criner? Here's a player who has the kind of skills to become a quarterback's safety blanket, but he has to earn a starting job first. Jacoby Ford? Can't stay healthy. Denarius Moore? Couldn't stay healthy this year and he dropped passes and made poor adjustments with Palmer when he returned to the lineup.
Forget the Raiders run game in 2011. Darren McFadden was awful in a zone scheme and this weakened the play-action component and forced Oakland into passing situations where Palmer lacked the personnel to get the job done.
Misinformed comment No.2: His arm isn't the same . . .
To be fair, this might be true but if it's true, then it's like saying Drew Brees' hairline has receded a little more in recent years - it may appear as more reputable analysis than Brees' coif, but it's equally useless. Palmer can still make all the throws with anticipation, power, and accuracy. Maybe he can't make some of the off balanced plays under duress that he once did, but how many of these "missed plays" were due to Palmer's "weaker" arm and how many were due to surrounding talent?
Based on what I saw, I'd say it had more to do with talent and situation. Even the numbers reflect a lot of positives about Palmer's game in a bad situation.
Palmer's Best Years Behind Him? No. 9's Best Years in Cincinnati vs. Two Tough Ones in Oakland
Year
|
Tm
|
Gm
|
Cmp
|
Att
|
Cmp%
|
Yds
|
TD
|
TD%
|
INT
|
INT%
|
Lng
|
Y/A
|
AY/A
|
2005*
|
Cin
|
16
|
345
|
509
|
67.8
|
3836
|
32
|
6.3
|
12
|
2.4
|
70
|
7.5
|
7.7
|
2006*
|
Cin
|
16
|
324
|
520
|
62.3
|
4035
|
28
|
5.4
|
13
|
2.5
|
74
|
7.8
|
7.7
|
2007
|
Cin
|
16
|
373
|
575
|
64.9
|
4131
|
26
|
4.5
|
20
|
3.5
|
70
|
7.2
|
6.5
|
2011
|
Oak
|
9
|
199
|
328
|
60.7
|
2753
|
13
|
4.0
|
16
|
4.9
|
78
|
8.4
|
7.0
|
2012
|
Oak
|
15
|
345
|
565
|
61.1
|
4018
|
22
|
3.9
|
14
|
2.5
|
64
|
7.1
|
6.8
|
Year
|
Tm
|
Y/C
|
Y/G
|
Rtg
|
Sk
|
Yds
|
NY/A
|
ANY/A
|
Sk%
|
4QC
|
GWD
|
AV
|
Rnk
|
2005*
|
Cin
|
11.1
|
239.8
|
101.1
|
19
|
105
|
7.07
|
7.26
|
3.6
|
1
|
3
|
17
|
1
|
2006*
|
Cin
|
12.5
|
252.2
|
93.9
|
36
|
233
|
6.84
|
6.79
|
6.5
|
2
|
3
|
15
|
4
|
2007
|
Cin
|
11.1
|
258.2
|
86.7
|
17
|
119
|
6.78
|
6.14
|
2.9
|
2
|
2
|
14
|
9
|
2011
|
Oak
|
13.8
|
275.3
|
80.5
|
17
|
119
|
7.63
|
6.30
|
4.9
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
26
|
2012
|
Oak
|
11.6
|
267.9
|
85.3
|
26
|
199
|
6.46
|
6.14
|
4.4
|
2
|
2
|
10
|
16
|
When I examine these five seasons, I see few differences. Where I do, I attribute them less to Palmer's decline and more to the decline in surrounding talent. You may disagree, but I think the notion that the quarterback must be a borderline superhuman figurehead feeds into the perception of Palmer's decline.
Palmer's production has remained above 60 percent in Oakland despite receivers that didn't come remotely comparable to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmadzadeh in their prime. Perhaps Denarius Moore does a solid imitation of the late Chris Henry, but that's it and with Moore missing most of the year, it's no wonder that Palmer's yards per attempt dropped from 8.4 in 2011 to 7.1 in 2012.
It also comes as no surprise to me that Palmer coupled with a young players and a mediocre offensive line in 2011 would have a nearly 5 percent interception rate after joining the team mid season with any off season prep time to learn the offense and build rapport with his teammates. It's understandable to me why Palmer would throw a higher percentage of picks and take a higher percentage of sacks in Oakland that year - and even last year with a run scheme ill-suited for its personnel and critical talent missing from the receiving corps for long stretches.
Palmer's 2012 production and efficiency is not much different than his 2006 Pro Bowl season where he was the No.4 fantasy quarterback. From what I saw on the field, last year could have been a 5000-yard, 30-touchdown season if Palmer had a receiving corps like the one he's inheriting in Arizona. I'm thinking 4200 yards and 27 touchdowns for Palmer in 2013 is a decent projection in Arians' offensive scheme, considering that Andrew Luck had 4374 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions in a Colts offense that lacked Fitzgerald's gifts, and had an equally bad - if not worse - offensive line.
Andrew Luck in Bruce Arians' Offense
Year
|
Tm
|
Gm
|
Cmp
|
Att
|
Cmp%
|
Yds
|
TD
|
TD%
|
INT
|
INT%
|
Lng
|
Y/A
|
AY/A
|
2012
|
Ind
|
16
|
339
|
627
|
54.1
|
4374
|
23
|
3.7
|
18
|
2.9
|
70
|
7.0
|
6.4
|
Year
|
Y/C
|
Y/G
|
Rtg
|
QBR
|
Sk
|
Yds
|
NY/A
|
ANY/A
|
Sk%
|
4QC
|
GWD
|
AV
|
Rnk
|
2012
|
12.9
|
273.4
|
76.5
|
64.9
|
41
|
246
|
6.18
|
5.66
|
6.1
|
4
|
7
|
13
|
11
|
Luck didn't even complete 55 percent of his passes and Palmer is a career 62.5 percent passer. There's very little difference between Luck and Palmer's production last year. Luck's ability to scramble and score as a runner aided his efforts and elevated him to a QB1. While I love the work Luck and Reggie Wayne did together, Palmer was not that far off in an offense that couldn't run the ball and lacked Wayne.
It's not difficult for me to imagine what Palmer can do with Fitzgerald and if Michael Floyd plays to his talent and Andre Roberts gets to play in the slot, I think fantasy owners will realize that this could be Kurt Warner Part II in Arizona with the same dynamic where fans wrote off the veteran quarterback way too early.
What this means is that Larry Fitzgerald may be a bargain even as a low-end WR1 in fantasy drafts. If the veteran receiver is worse than a WR2 this year, it will only be due to injury to him or Palmer. Consider the suspect QBs apprehended and Fitzgerald's fantasy treasure safe and sound.
Dwayne Bowe: Last Seen Catching a Touchdown against San Diego (5:36 4th QTR)
After that seven-catch, 108-yard day versus the Chargers, Bowe was a non-entity as a fantasy starter. The Chiefs receiver finished 45th overall among fantasy receivers with just three scores - the third one at the end of the game above in Week 3.
The Chiefs put Romeo Crennell out of his misery this off season and installed Andy Reid, who brought in veteran coordinator Brad Childress, pistol inventor and retired Nevada head coach Chris Ault as a consultant, and acquired quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Donnie Avery.
Kansas City also acquired Travis Kelce, the best all-around tight end in the 2013 NFL Draft, a player who stared in the pistol at the University of Cincinnati. If the Chiefs have any hope of recovering Bowe from the Chargers end zone, the pistol could be a significant factor.
I say this because I was underwhelmed when I first heard Reid and company signed Alex Smith. The veteran of the 49ers has played in numerous offensive systems and the one thing he hasn't done well in any of them is throw the deep ball with accuracy. He's a younger, more athletic style of Kerry Collins - a player who can help an NFL team, but not usually a fantasy team.
The Smith signing makes more sense to me now that Chris Ault is part of the equation. I'm hoping Ault's offense is most of what Brad Childress will be using because I think the style is a great fit for the team's new quarterback.
Smith was an excellent runner at Utah and played in a zone read offense under Urban Myer. The pistol will allow Smith to do what he did best at Utah, make quick reads, use his feet, and throw short and intermediate passes in wide open passing lanes. Smith is not a dynamic runner like Robert Griffin, but we have seen flashes of his skill as a runner at big moments in his career:
The elements of the pistol aren't here on this play, but the speed to get the corner on a designed run is there and it's what will force defenses to account for Smith - especially linebackers and this will open the middle of the field behind them. This is where Dwayne Bowe fits into the equation.
When Pierre Garcon was healthy enough to take the field for the Redskins, he was killing the opposition as the receiver crossing behind the linebackers in the pistol. Garcon's athleticism after the catch in an offense that forced linebackers to delay its drops into coverage was a great match.
Bowe might be a better fit in this offense than Garcon. I studied Bowe at LSU for the Rookie Scouting Portfolio, and the part of his game that I was most excited about is the thing he has done the least in Kansas City: run after the catch.
I thought Bowe would be a great fit as a flanker in a west coast offense because he was one of the best runners after the catch that I saw in his rookie class. He made LSU's offense with the wide receivers "smash screen" an inside screen where he would pick his way through the middle of the field for big gains at least three times a game. Here's an example of Bowe running the inside screen that comes after a nice demonstration of his run blocking, which will also be a huge factor in this new Chiefs offense:
In the pistol, Bowe will have even more room to roam than these smash screens and he's still a mismatch with the ball in his hand against many safeties - especially those sideline-to-sideline guys who aren't great tacklers. In fact, the Chiefs offensive personnel is a perfect match for a team that incorporates west coast, pistol, screen game components in its offense - quintessential Andy Reid.
Bowe and Kelce are excellent after the catch at their respective positions. So are Dexter McCluster, Devon Wylie, and Jamaal Charles. Donnie Avery is also a great fit. Avery was a star at the University of Houston, which spread the field with its Air Raid offense and counted on players like Avery to use their speed after the catch to get chunks of yards. It's a big reason why the Rams at the end of the Marc Bulger - Mike Martz era drafted Avery for its offense.
Lots of possibilities here for this Chiefs offense to perform well. As a fan, I hope this offense is pistol heavy and a perfect match for Alex Smith to post strong fantasy production, but I'm not counting on it as an analyst.
Robert Griffin is a good place to start when looking at the possibilities for Smith. The rookie was the No.7 fantasy quarterback in 2012 operating from the pistol. However if this style of offense was slinky with the running game on one side and the passing game on the other, Griffin's abilities would stretch the coils out of the toy until it was a straight piece of metal.
Year
|
Tm
|
Gm
|
Rec
|
Cmp
|
Att
|
Cmp%
|
Yds
|
TD
|
TD%
|
INT
|
INT%
|
Lng
|
Y/A
|
2012
|
WAS
|
15
|
9-6-0
|
258
|
393
|
65.6
|
3200
|
20
|
5.1
|
5
|
1.3
|
88
|
8.1
|
Year
|
Tm
|
AY/A
|
Y/C
|
Y/G
|
Rtg
|
Sk
|
Yds
|
NY/A
|
ANY/A
|
Sk%
|
4QC
|
GWD
|
AV
|
2012
|
WAS
|
8.6
|
12.4
|
213.3
|
102.4
|
30
|
217
|
7.05
|
7.47
|
7.1
|
3
|
2
|
18
|
The completion and interception percentages are outstanding and I think we'll see Smith demonstrate similar production in these areas. Smith is careful with the football and this system encourages a high percentage of completions due to the simpler reads compared to other offenses.
Where I think Griffin is unique is the yards per attempt stats. (Y/A and AY/A). The Redskins quarterback excels as a deep ball thrower, which adds a dimension to the pistol that I think the Chiefs will lack unless Tyler Bray grows up fast and earns a shot to start (this is not likely in 2013, but worth monitoring if he can stick to the roster this fall).
Smith will likely see lower yards per attempt unless Bowe, Charles, Kelce, Avery, McCluster, and Wylie go nuts in the open field and there is that possibility if the Chiefs develop some wrinkles for the pistol that confounds defenses. I'm counting on success, but not that kind of production.
Another aspect of the pistol where Griffin is better than Smith is running the football. Griffin had 833 yards and 7 touchdowns for a 7.1-yard average per carry. Smith's career high attempts in the NFL is 52 for a 3.4 yard per carry average in 2011.
Most of these runs weren't designed plays so I expect an average closer to five yards per carry, which if the Chiefs use the quarterback as a runner as much as the Redskins we're looking at 560-580 yards and 3-5 touchdowns from the position.
The 7.1 percent sack rate for Griffin seems high compared to what we see above with Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer, but this is a run-oriented offense where a bad decision with the zone read can be problematic. Griffin also has a tendency to stand tall and deliver into the teeth of pressure.
What concerns me is Smith's 9.9 percent sack rate in 2012 and his 8.3 percent career sack rate. I think there's a possibility that Smith takes a lot of punishment in this offense. I'm not as concerned about the running as I am the pocket.
If he can withstand the pressure and stay healthy, I think Smith's top-end projections in this offense are 3000 yards passing and 500 yards running with a total of 25 touchdowns (5 running and 20 passing). It would be a career fantasy year for Smith and he'd be within shouting distance of the fantasy top 10 at his position if he reaches each of these top-end projections.
Even with mid-range projections (2800 yards passing, 300 yards rushing, and 20 total touchdowns), I think this is enough offense for Bowe to reach the 1000-yard plateau and earn 6-8 touchdowns. Depending on his reception total and your league format, Bowe should return to production consistent with a player ranked 12-25 overall at his position in fantasy leagues.
You can thank Andy Reid in January if you draft Bowe as your No.2 or No.3 fantasy receiver, because the Chiefs coach will make sure Bowe doesn't get lost in the offense.
DeSean Jackson: Missing in the Fine Print of a 2011 Contract Year
One of the most electric receivers in the NFL, Jackson was the No.4 fantasy receiver in 2009 when Michael Vick has his best season as a pro quarterback and followed up in 2010 as the No. 14 box score maven. We learned after a 2011 season that Jackson was playing with less abandon because it was a contract year and his production dipped to No.27 among fantasy receivers.
It's rare we that we hear about players getting too cautious in contract year. If anything we see slumps after payment, which Jackson also experienced as the No.60 receiver in 2012.
While I think the 2011 season was the fantasy equivalent of Jackson donning a tinfoil hat and hiding in a backyard bomb shelter with shelves stocked with canned goods and condensed milk, 2012 was a mix of injury, poor line play, and Vick regressing into a sloppy decision maker.
Enter Chip Kelly. The former Oregon head coach and his up-tempo offense is, according to Smart Football's Chris Brown (a must-read if you want to learn about the strategy of football and you're not reading books), runs at three different speeds and incorporates a lot of unbalanced sets (think multiple tight ends like Brent Celek, James Casey, and Zac Ertz) to disrupt opposing defenses attempts to control gaps at the line of scrimmage.
Brown mentions that Jim Harbaugh is another former Pac-12 (is it 12 now or 10? I don't' care about the number because it keeps changing and it might as well have a dollar sign before the number to make it what it is - an attempt at a money grab) coach who uses multiple tight ends to foil defenses in similar fashion.
However, where Kelly stands out is the versatility of his offense. He'll run it down an opponents throat, but he'll also use a quick passing game and even incorporate a hyper-aggressive, four-verticals approach (deep passing with four receivers with option routes that can drive a defense to distraction with a good deep-ball passer).
The most important point of Brown's analysis is that Kelly wants quarterbacks who can run if needed but are good throwers. Based on the Eagles depth chart, I think they could go in two directions with Vick and Dennis Dixon and play Oregon football or Matt Barkley and Nick Foles, which will lean towards an up-tempo version of a west coast look with a ton of unbalanced formations.
If there's a player capable of starring in a Chip Kelly offense and thriving, it's Jackson. The former Cal receiver has told the media that Kelly plans to use him as the Eagles version of "Black Mamba," Oregon's DeAnthony Thomas, who compiled 2,235 all-purpose yards in two seasons in this system.
Thomas and Jackson are similar players in terms of speed, quickness, and skill after the catch. I haven't formally studied Thomas' game yet and I only looked at a few minutes of these highlights, but some of these plays are things I know Jackson can do.
- (0:07, 0:38, 0:50, 2:28) - These are crossing routes working off zone-read action that we see a lot from the pistol (see Dwayne Bowe analysis). With Vick at the helm, these plays should work as well as they did with Robert Griffin.
- (1:40) - This is a a quick pass that's a glorified hand off to the flat. It's something we've seen Jackson take for big gains in 2009.
- (0:19, 1:10, 1:27, 1:54, 2:07, 2:35) - These are a variety of option plays and jet sweeps. I don't think these will be as successful at the NFL level and I don't anticipate Jackson running between the tackles as much as Thomas did here. But we should see some of this as a change-up.
- (2:54) - screen passes off end-around/jet sweep-action - I believe we'll see this kind of running play or pass set up by an initial play fake 2-3 times per game with Jackson as the focus or the distraction.
One thing that I imagine you'll see deeper into these highlights will be the vertical plays and we know Jackson does this well. The reason I liked Jackson at Cal was his ability to work the middle of the field and his skill as a route runner. I don't think we saw enough of this in Andy Reid's offense. I don't think Chip Kelly will be as reticent to use Jackson in this fashion. On thing is certain, the unbalanced looks with multiple tight ends will mess with safeties and provide Jackson some big plays behind these defenders.
I acquired Jackson cheap in an auction draft last week. His ADP is currently WR35. Even if it's WR25 in August, I think there's a strong chance that's a value. Jackson to me is one of the few ideal players who you always hope to grab as your WR3 and wind up with a WR1. It's the perfect risk-reward scenario because if Jackson fails, you spent a draft pick somewhere between rounds 5 and 8 (on the lower end in May/June) and likely found a solid No.3 receiver not much later.
The nice thing about this offense is that I don't think Vick will have to return to elite fantasy production for Jackson to have WR1 upside. The up-tempo nature of the scheme paired with the skills of LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, and Vick a runners behind multiple tight end sets will force safeties to play shallow and this will set up big plays. So will the tempo that catches defenses in situations where they can dump the ball to Jackson in flats with one-on-one opportunities or even mismatches favoring the ball carrier.
I'm excited about watching this offense. It might not pan out in the NFL or there will be enough changes that I didn't mention here that make it less dynamic, but if you're a fan of the game and how concepts evolve from different strategic influences, the Eagles are the team to watch in 2013 and Jackson should be a big part of the equation.
I think Kelly's scheme will provide the necessary coordinates to help Jackson rediscover his big-time game.
Next week, the Milk Carton Men Series concludes with a look at tight ends missing in action.