Slot receivers hit jackpot
For a long time teams in the National Football League operated with a running game-oriented mentality. However as more and more talented quarterbacks entered the League, the landscape of the NFL transformed more towards passing. Initially this involved flashy deep-threat receivers. Now, with ultra precise throwers like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the slot wide receiver has become a favourite target and mode of yardage gain.
Slot receivers were originally formerly talented deep receivers who had aged and could still catch but couldn't scorch secondaries like they used to. Brandon Stokley dominated the slot for Manning. Slot receiver Bobby Engram was Matt Hasselbeck’s best receiving option for years.
Now the slot is not just for players without speed, and recent years have seen an extreme influx of young talented receivers lining up in the slot position.
The New England Patriots have a deep threat in Randy Moss, but Tom Brady has been more and more reliant on slot receiver Wes Welker for production. Welker led the NFL in receptions in 2009 and has become the only receiver in NFL history to have 110 catches in three consecutive seasons.
His importance was also evident based on how much the Patriots struggled in the play-offs following Welker’s week 17 knee injury.
Teams all across the League are embracing their slot receivers. The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly considering moving their top pick in last year’s draft, Michael Crabtree, to the slot. In older years, Crabtree would have been used as a deep threat, but now teams have realized that using players with speed and strength for lots of shorter catches is perhaps more dangerous than the lower-percentage production of deep passing.
The Dallas Cowboys are planning on using their top receiver Miles Austin in the slot more so. They drafted Dez Bryant to fill an outside receiver position and transition Austin to a permanent slot spot where he can attempt to improve on his 2009 totals of 81 catches for 1,320 yards.
Last year’s offensive rookie of the year Percy Harvin essentially won the award due to his production in the slot and more and more college-draftees are being put to work immediately in the slot rather than on the outside.
This increased use of the slot is perhaps a result of the NFL’s gradual embrace of the spread offence. By spreading out and using less size and less blocking, most spread offences don’t use a fullback. The spread helps create dangerous opportunities for short passes and open running.
As Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer notes: "The slot receiver gets more speed on the field for an offense. You’re taking out a fullback, who is 260 pounds, and you're putting in Anquan Boldin or T.J. Houshmandzadeh or a player with more speed and athleticism. You're getting more passes as opposed to running from the I-formation and just running downhill.”
The Bengals’ recent signing of Terrell Owens is a clear effort to set up a dominant three- receiver set with a slot receiver. Due to the relative newness of such a scheme, defences often struggle to adjust properly to guard effectively.
Teams adjusted to the passing game by using the 3-4 defence. This defence made it harder for airing it out down-field by creating lots of blitzes. With the slot, the quarterback no longer has to worry about having enough time to get the ball down-field since the middle of the field opens up for short throws to slot receivers.
Palmer is aware of this. He said: "A lot of teams can't make up their minds what to do against three-receiver sets. Do they stay in 3-4 and have a defensive end or linebacker drop back to help cover the slot receiver or do they bring in a nickel cornerback to match up the speed?”
Even if they do bring in a nickel cornerback, it is still difficult to stop now that receivers in the slot are usually young and extremely talented rather than a veteran option. The future bodes well for the three receiver offence and the influx of talented slot players won’t be stopping anytime soon.
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