Would Patrick Crayton (or another veteran) make sense for the Rams?
by Ryan Van Bibber on Aug 19, 2010 12:28 PM CDT
in 2010 St. Louis Rams preseason
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In this morning's Random Ramsdom post I linked to Vic Carucci's column filed from the St. Louis Rams training camp in which he suggested that you keep an eye on what happens with Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton as the Rams maintain an interest in adding veteran depth at the position.
One of the most interesting position battles happening of training camp that will stretch into the final weeks of the preseason is at wide receiver. Ten players, mostly with three or fewer years of experience, are jockeying for 5 or 6 spots on the final roster. Competition has been fierce so far with undrafted rookies Brandon McRae and Domonique Curry making the decision that much harder. Against that backdrop you there are two questions that need to be asked in regards to Crayton and the idea of adding veteran depth: Would Patrick Crayton be a fit for the Rams? Crayton or no, what benefit would the Rams get out of a veteran wide receiver on the roster?
It appears to be a logical position on the surface, adding a receiver with six years of experience. Crayton served mostly as a second and third receiver in his time with the Cowboys. Dallas runs a similar offense to what you can expect from the Bradford-led Rams, and Crayton has skills that fit well in that system, i.e. good hands, an ability to pick up yards after the catch and work in the middle of the field…a possession receiver. Another factor that makes him appealing is a pretty good medical record during his time in the league.
Would Crayton be of any benefit to the Rams? For me the issue hinges on duplication. The Rams have some young receivers capable of playing the kind of complementary role that Crayton would play. Keenan Burton and Brandon Gibson both possess very similar skills to Crayton, the difference being their experience and ability to stay healthy. Though not a perfect match, Danny Amendola has been making a strong case as a perfect third receiver to go with Robinson and Avery.
One point that keeps springing to mind, made in the discussion about Chris Ogbonnaya, is that the Rams have some need to develop their young players, guys like Gibson, Burton and Amendola. If you subscribe to that theory, it becomes difficult to advocate for the Rams to add Crayton or any veteran receiver since the Rams already have similar players.
The Rams have a talented group of receivers. Their top three – Robinson, Avery and Amendola – have the potential to give the Rams an effective attack on three receiver sets. Add in to the mix Mardy Gilyard and the Rams have some real talent at the position that should grow and develop alongside Sam Bradford. Depth is a big concern because beyond top three receivers are lots of question marks, and it’s worth remembering that health has been a big concern among most of the Rams top receivers. That alone might convince some to add a veteran like Crayton, who would be a temporary fix at best. It’s something to think about.
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I'm for it
Personally, Gibson seemed like the Number 2 reciever last year with Robinson 1 and Avery slot, but that is obviously not the case. What Gibson brought to the table last year was exactly what Crayton would bring: reliability. Consistant hands and being dependable were his strengths, asking Robinson and Avery to become that type of reciever is not ideal.
I hate to say this but I will not be persuaded to thinking that Amendola belongs in the starting slot position (sorry VT). He is a great effort guy, but he doesn’t bring the danger factor that the WR position should bring. Donnie Avery is dangerous, Laurent Robinson is dangerous, Mardy G might or might not be, Amendola is not (during offensive snaps, but PR KR duty belongs to him until he messes up). I say you grab Crayton, make him #1 or #2, push Avery to the slot, and watch Bradford progress. Mardy backs up at #2, Amendola at slot, and you drop the rest (unless SJax backs up McRae or Kent). Bradford needs help now, before the BS(Bulger Syndrome) sets in.
Julio Jones for Rams 2011
Amendola not dangerous?
Kinda like saying Wes Welker isn’t dangerous just because he is a little white guy that operates out of the slot. Now, I don’t think I can really compare Amendola to Welker yet, but remember it took a few years and going to the Patriots to break out. I have high hopes for Amendola. Could you imagine how nice it would be to have your slot receiver have a 3 year average of 115 receptions, 1230 yards, and 5 TDs?
by Ramfan from Seattle on Aug 19, 2010 1:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Kind of like that one Kevin Curtis guy
Now where was he before he played in Philly…
Sam Bradford drops back, sees Laurent Robinson in the open, and he completes the pass for a gain of 28! Oh- Wait, looks like a holding penalty is going to call this one back...(Oh wait; Barron's gone, ignore that last sentence).
Hell
look at how Julian Adelman is doing at the position with Wes out. That is a more comparable skill set to Amendola, and I believe his toughness is perfect for the slot position. Amendola has no fear about getting ripped (could be a good or bad thing depending how you look at it.)
A very strong argument, I agree
I can’t refute that Wes Welker is dangerous, and Danny possesses similar attributes, but I don’t think Danny grabs the matchup change like Welker does, at least not at this point. I mean when Welker lines up in the slot and you got Joey Porter on him, Brady throws it to him, and I’m not sure Amendola has the potential to give Bradford that option yet. I do believe if Avery was in the slot, a LB would be a huge mismatch, not sure if Amendola is there yet.
As for the Crayton signing, I’d say he’s a better #2 than Avery and I can’t say that about any of our other recievers right now. For that reason alone, I’d say sign him and improve 2 spots immediately. I’m not saying you drop Amendola, he’s our answer on PR, and he’d be great in a Ricky Proehl mold, but I don’t think he’s a Kevin Curtis caliber guy. I think Crayton creates mismatches at WR2 and slot, while right now I don’t know if Bradford has any mismatches he can exploit outside of SJax.
Julio Jones for Rams 2011
I do understand what you are saying KZ
but keep in mind that he has only one year playing with less than par QB’s and a questionable system (Shurmer)
I’m not saying he is a hall-of-famer, but dumping him now after he has shown so much would not be smart football.
Sure Crayton is good, but i’m not convinced he’s that much better to pay a huge FA salary to , and/or trade plus picks (not sure how we would acquire).
The big point was in Van’s sentence, “…an interest in adding veteran depth at the position.”
Veteran depth? We need a game changer #1, not another #2 caliber, or slot receiver, and “veteran depth”.
Just my 2 cents.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
How is Crayton dangerous?
He doesn’t bring anything to the field that we haven’t already seen from some guys we are looking to cut.
In other words, we know exactly what Crayton is capable of and it isn’t very high end.
Our young guns might not be any better, but they might be much better once developed.
I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.
I'd say
Crayton has crisper routes, better hands, and much needed veteran experience to our stable of WR, which could be critical to the WR’s and Bradford’s development. I see our WR corps as the only group lacking a veteran, and Crayton could be the guy for them.
Julio Jones for Rams 2011
whats with this misconception that gibson was reliable and consistent
he played in 10 games (1st doesn’t count so 9) and got 348 yards…. that’s 38.7 YPG, which is pretty awful for a “consistent player”
he also only had over 50 yards THRICE and his first big game was technically his first game so you can’t use the argument for poor playing time….
by stlcardsfan4 on Aug 19, 2010 10:36 PM CDT up reply actions
kind of think we have
4 patrick crayton’s already
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, find it and kill it.
yeah we don't need any more small possession receivers...
we need a #1 guy
"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."
by Brandon Birkhead on Aug 19, 2010 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Great effort guys can develop into reliable chain movers
The order of how I like some of these guys’ potential is the opposite of where they were drafted.
Amendola (undrafted) is only entering his 2nd year. He’s not due to reach his potential until after this season is over. It wouldn’t be smart to sidetrack that at this point, he’s looking good. He had a very nice rookie year in terms of number of receptions. With better QB play, which assumes the line protects him, Amendola should continue to get better.
Gibson (6th round) showed strong play at times last year, but it was only his first year too.
Burton (4th round) hasn’t really shown anything that Crayton can’t do just as well, he’s just younger. To me, if he doesn’t really show something this year, he’ll find himself on the verge of being out of consideration for a roster spot on any team.
My current feeling is...
Let the “kids” duke it out. Most of them appear to have talent so it is just a matter of getting the reps.
We must also remember we have some potential in getting some TE production.
+1
good receivers still take some time to develop, and all of our guys have another year of experience under their belt. Bringing in vets at this point merely stifles their growth. This is the year they have to show they can start getting open and giving our QB what he needs.
THIS year's the year. I hope....
Whats the point
He is a 6’0 31 year old receiver that is not physical or a burner. I don’t see that he brings much to the table. Our receivers are pretty good when they get open. The problem is they are not great at getting open. We need a tall physical receiver – 6’4 220 lbs that can out muscle the defender for the ball if there is not much separation. Martz had a great plan for getting receivers open. Run precise routes and make a cut at the last second to specific location on the field. And have one receiver in motion to prevent the jam at the line of scrimmage. I have not seen much of that from our offense – but it could be because our receivers are too young or they had no faith in our past QB’s. Bradford would be great in a Martz offense.
i hope we can get jonathan baldwin.
there will be 4 extremely talented receivers in next years draft and a.j. green, julio jones and michael floyd are the top 3. my favorite is baldwin and with him being the 4th best, he may fall to the second… is 6’5 225 pounds with a 20 yard per reception average what you’re looking for? that with robert quinn in the first round :) quinn+long=quarterback’s nightmare.
I got the magic in me.
REMEMBER!!!!!!!!
Wes welker jumped around just like Danny is now everything seems to be falling in place for Danny to have a Wes Welker kinda jump
Wes Welker Timeline
04-Drafted by Chargers Cut then signed with Dolphins
05-Slot guy to a terrible MIA offense also had PR/KR duties
06-Lighted it up in Training camp to keep his spot Got alot of Catches from “JOEY HARRINGTON” (Sound Familiar?)
07-09 the WES WELKER PRO BOWLER ERA
Thats all i have to say Danny has shown me alot an i wasnt on his team to start now i see we can use him
Back on Topic of Patrick Crayton he doesnt have as sure hands as everyone thinks asa PR/KR ok but as a WR i dont think he does us any good at all…lets keep the guys we have becuase they all have shown flashes if they just stay healthy (He would be a cancer like alex barron) {all he does is play games he really doesnt produce like he should}
I say if the Rams brainstrust feels the WR they have in camp now are good then let the young guys play. If you think your one WR away from contention then go pick up the vet otherwise let the kids play. There is not a better learning environment than on the field on game day! If they want a veteran presence bring one in as a special coach or something.
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