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Originally Posted by Mattyk72
I don't think it's a secret, Coles is playing hurt. He's got a bad toe and his finger can't be 100% just yet either. So what, I'd still rather have him in the lineup than not. He's still notched two 100 yard games so far, he has 4 catches of 20 yards or more and 1 over 40.
He's on pace for 96 catches and 1164 yards. Why should be bench him?
How about Gardner? Well he's on pace for 80 catches and 1252 yards. So far he has 5 catches of 20 yards or more and 3 over 40 yards.
They do need to be more consistent, but overall they haven't been terrible by any stretch. They should only improve as they settle in to the offense. It's hard to justify benching either of these guys right now. Especially when all we have is relatively unproven guys behind them.
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Good points, Matty. But this post may serve as a great example of how stats and numbers by themselves don't tell the whole story. Coles had 82 catches -- the most by any Redskin receiver since 1989 -- and over 1100 yards last year, but what did it contribute to?
Answer: A 5-11 record and a passing attack that nobody was scared of.
A great passing game, in the mold of the Rams or Vikings, is sometimes measured in ways other than raw numbers. Do the wideouts stretch the defenses away from the line of scrimmage? Do they draw linebackers and safeties into the secondary in anticipation of a big play? Do they divert attention away from the running backs open up the ground game? Can they be counted on to pick up big chunks of yardage in a bind, when the game is on the line and time is running out?
Right now, our receivers are doing absolutely none of the above. What their current numbers project, are quite obviously not enough to get us out of our present, losing situation.