Tanier: Days of struggling rookie WRs are finished

Jones, Green, Moore, Cobb just four wideouts significantly impacting their teams

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Falcons receiver?Julio Jones is doing what most rookie receivers don't do -- make an impact.

ANALYSIS

updated 10:28 p.m. ET Oct. 4, 2011

Mike Tanier

In the glory days of the West Coast Offense, it took three years for a rookie receiver to have an impact. Now it takes about three weeks.

As pass offenses opened up, it become easier for rookie wide receivers to play a major role. The systems themselves are still complicated, with lots of option routes and adjustments, but they now contain so many ?college style? plays ? tunnel screens, short smash routes in open space ? that a newcomer can catch lots of passes, even if he doesn?t know every nuance of the playbook. Throw the occasional bomb up for grabs, mix in some end-arounds and kickoff returns, and a lot of rookies are making names for themselves before learning all 256 different ways to run a post route.

Here?s a rundown of some of the most dynamic rookie receivers of 2011 ? who they are, what they have done, and what makes them so special:

Julio Jones, Falcons: 24 catches, 342 yards, no touchdowns
Jones is one of the most gifted athletes you will ever see on a football field, but NFL history is littered with talented speedsters who could not learn an offense or get open against zone coverage. Jones? speed and leaping ability got him to the NFL, but his mastery of the Falcons' offense has set him apart from the others on this list. Jones is not a bombs-and-screens receiver or trick-play specialist. He is running a full route tree and making an impact in a variety of situations, including third-and-long.

Figure 1 shows the Falcons facing 3rd-and-13 against the Seahawks. Jones (11) is to the left of the formation. White (84) and Tony Gonzalez (88) are to the right, along with a slot receiver. In the past, White and Gonzo were the only Falcons defenses had to worry about on third-and-long, but this play is designed to get the ball to Jones and let him use his athleticism to move the chains.

The Seahawks are playing four-deep zone coverage, with their safeties and cornerbacks deep and man-to-man coverage on the three ?inside? receivers (everyone but Jones and White). The defense is designed to prevent deep passes and make it easy for the safeties to tackle receivers shy of the a first down. At the snap, all three receivers to the right of the formation run deep routes, bringing their defenders with them. Jones runs a shallow drag route at seven yards.

Last year, this coverage would have worked against the Falcons. Michael Jenkins played Jones? position, and Jenkins could easily be tackled after a catch over the middle. But Jones accelerates too quickly for defenders to allow to roam free like this. The safety is a step late to make the tackle, and Jones turns upfield to make a catch, gaining 29 yards.

Jones is still waiting for his first touchdown, though it is only a matter of time. The next receiver on our list scored a touchdown on his first NFL reception.

A.J. Green, Bengals: 19 catches, 312 yards, 2 TDs
The Bengals are 2-2, but they could easily be 0-4 without Green. His 41-yard touchdown catch gave the Bengals a fourth-quarter lead in their season-opening win against the Browns. He had 58-yard catch and a 40-yarder against the Bills, the second gain setting up a field goal that sparked the Bengals? comeback.

Athletically, Green is nearly on par with Jones. He was known for his eye-popping catches at Georgia, and his long receptions demonstrated his outstanding body control. He has not matched Jones? production, but their circumstances are different. Jones gets to be a cog in a talent-laden offense, while Green instantly became a go-to receiver in the Bengals offense and must catch passes from fellow rookie Andy Dalton.

That is why Green may mean more to the Bengals than Jones does to the Falcons ?take him away, and Dalton has no one who can command deep coverage or get open 10 yards down the field.

Green is still finding his way as a route runner, and Green and Dalton need to improve upon their third down efficiency; they are just 2-of-10 when trying to connect on third downs, with three of those incomplete passes occurring in the red zone. (One of the completions, to be fair, was the touchdown against the Browns). Once Green and Dalton find ways to connect in critical situations, they will turn some field goals into touchdowns, and near misses into Bengals victories.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44779749/ns/sports-nfl/

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