Why did Isaiah McKenzie fail as starting Slot WR?

[billsfan89]

The whole plan was to not have Mac be the slot receiver, the plan to start the season was to have Mac and Crowder split the slot WR role. Crowder was supposed to help cut up zone coverages as he was more of a traditional slot WR, less fast but a crisp route runner with solid hands who could poke holes and sit in open spots in zone coverages. While Mac was supposed to be the slot against man coverage as he simply had the speed to break man coverage effectively. 

 

But after Crowder got hurt they had to lean into Mac full-time in the slot and because of the fact that Mac simply didn't have the consistent hands and route running it just didn't work consistently. Mac is fantastic as a gadget WR4/5 he can do jet sweeps and step in on 4 WR sets and isn't the worst option if you have multiple injuries at the WR position. But he simply isn't a WR3, while he has great speed he just doesn't run routes consistently or have great hands to make up for his issues. 

[DCofNC]

On 6/1/2023 at 7:45 PM, Warriorspikes51 said:

yes. IF if if Harty can stay healthy, his analytics have been elite when on the field and given opportunities. Explosive player who plays bigger than his size

Watching Harty, you see somebody who is not only a great athlete, with awesome speed, but he also looks to have a feel for the game.   I hope that’s the case and he stays healthy, if so, he could be a major contributor.
 

McKenzie, obviously is a great athlete, by all accounts works hard, is a great locker room guy, but really lacks that natural feel for the game.   The reason he never got paid big money, nor got the role he thought he should, was he was nothing like Cole Beasley.  Beas was/is an average athlete (by NFL standards), who understands the game and can make mid-stride adjustments.  McKenzie could do what he was told, but he’s not a guy you can trust to make a read and go to the right spot. My biggest fear is we have the same problem with Gabe Davis.

 

Looking at it now, I believe the thing we didn’t really appreciate about Daboll was his understanding of players limitations and he played away from their weaknesses.  At some points I wondered why he didn’t put people in different roles, once he left and Dorsey gave those players freedom (appeared to anyway), I saw why the play calls were what they were w Dabs.   Hopefully, Dorsey is able to adjust and make it all come together a bit better this year.  I don’t want to go too far off track, but I think a lot of JA’s problems in the red zone w turnovers were option routes that the receivers didn’t go where they were supposed to (Davis and McKenzie especially).   That seems further validated by the additions of Vets late in the year to try to get things on track.  I don’t think Dorsey quite knew how to handle it all when things went south, hopefully he learned and adapts.  Time will tell.

[Beck Water]

On 6/2/2023 at 4:59 PM, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

IDK about that. A perfectly healthy Shakir should've been used more and I'm sure 90% of this board would agree. McD needs to start taking chances w/ talented rookies.

 

Based upon what?  Your in-depth analysis of his 275 snaps showing that he was, in fact, running the correct route at the correct depth, reading the zone defense correctly and choosing the correct option, getting open against zone, and catching the ball consistently?

 

What was Shakir's catch %?  His drop %?  Let me help - he had 10 receptions on 20 targets with 2 scored drops (meaning the ball hit him in the hands and should be caught with "ordinary effort).

 

You could be right that 90% of the board would agree with you, I dunno - but if so, what would that say to 90% of the board's football acumen?

Edited June 5, 2023 by Beck Water

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

3 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Based upon what?  Your in-depth analysis of his 275 snaps showing that he was, in fact, running the correct route at the correct depth, reading the zone defense correctly and choosing the correct option, getting open against zone, and catching the ball consistently?

 

What was Shakir's catch %?  His drop %?  Let me help - he had 10 receptions on 20 targets with 2 scored drops (meaning the ball hit him in the hands and should be caught with "ordinary effort).

 

You could be right that 90% of the board would agree with you, I dunno - but if so, what would that say to 90% of the board's football acumen?

That’s just too small of a sample size to judge a receiver.