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Rams43
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dzrams
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AlbaNY_Ram
Interesting that he is not just used as a deep threat this year. I had assumed, based on his usage last year, that he wasn't suited to running short or intermediate routes. Now I'm left wondering why McVay didn't expand Watkins' role last year.
I've posted this several times but here goes again...
McVay stated himself several times, in interviews immediately prior to free agency, why he didn't expand Watkins' role last year. He didn't have time.
He said Watkins arrived late, after the offense had already been installed, and the only thing he absolutely NEEDED for the offense was a deep threat. McVay expressly stated that he knew Watkins had a larger skill set than what he utilized.
I haven't dug up a link, and this was interview stuff so there may not be one but McVay explained it pretty clearly...more than once.
As for his capabilities, when larams was still posting on the board, I believe it was him who pointed out that Watkins did mostly short and intermediate stuff in Buffalo.
And we saw that with the Rams last year too. They used him on short stuff and slants in the RZ. That's how he got 8 TDs.
I recall McVay saying those things, dz.
Question. Is it possible that McVay was offering that story up as a sort of fig leaf to protect Watkins from criticism? A coach trying to protect one of his players that seemed to have a glaring inability to master the system?
It’s my opinion that it was a McVay fig leaf. Lol.
It's possible 43. McVay has shown a tendency like a good leader to shield his players from external criticism.
However, there are two reasons why I don't think it was a fig leaf.
First, he was answering the question in the context of why the Rams really wanted Watkins back. He didn't sound that enthusiastic about the Rams wanting Johnson back. He always said in regard to Johnson that we'll see how things turn out.
And we know from their actions that the Rams wanted Watkins back because, although they got outbid by KC at the 11th hour, they offered him a substantial sum of money. And again, that's different than how they handled any of the other free agents.
Secondly, what McVay was saying makes sense with what we already knew about Watkins. He had already demonstrated a short / intermediate skill set in the NFL. McVay was only acknowledging that he knew that he had that skill set.
Where I think he was shielding Watkins was in taking ALL of the blame for the lackluster production. Some of it is on Watkins. But if you look at the facts and McVay's words, it doesn't make sense to say he wasn't speaking the truth at least a little bit.
People for months have been asking why Watkins wasn't used more. Occam's razor would apply here: the simplest explanation is to take McVay at his word.
