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It's not stats at all. It's the FACT that McVay didn't use him. It's an assumption that Goff didn't trust him. It's the fact that other WR's on the teams did things that Watkins would not do. Those things build trust in a young coach and a young QB.
I can only speak for myself. I have never said Goff didn't trust him. I have said that Goff missed him when he was open. Maybe there are good reasons for that, but maybe not. Maybe a mix of both.
McVay DID, however, use him. In all the ways the stills showed. In the red zone, running slants in crowded areas and on deep routes the clear out the underneath and also when he got targeted once in a while.
You see, you just said what you previously fought against. You said it's a "FACT" that McVay didn't use him. The only possible way to come to that conclusion is to look at targets and catches, i.e. stats.
I say McVay DID use Watkins. Because the things Watkins did that opened up Woods and Kupp are all part of the scheme, it's how route concepts work. It takes the 5 eligible receivers and sets a pattern to go so the defense will respond in a way that pops open receivers. Sammy, who is the X was often away from the 3 receiver side, which is where most of the action is going to be, but still that is part of the concept, so even if a guy is not targeted on a play does not mean he's not part of the concept, he can be taking the top off the defense and thusly expanding the room underneath where Kupp and Woods operate.
And I come to these conclusions based on watching the film. No,
studying the film.
And I only show a few things, a small portion of what I watch on the stills. I choose not to spend hours and hours doign stills, jut maybe 1 hour or maybe 45 minutes.
