NFL Receivers Show off a Setback Skill: Blocking


NFL wide receivers job descriptions are simple: They’re in most titles.

They normally distance themselves from the (wider) congestion of their more clumsy teammates and opponents and pick up the ball preferably in the finish zone.

Their hands are crucial to the second function; this is one reason why many don’t want to risk their gloves by blocking their defenders to assist in the running game.

Tennessee Titans receiver AJ Brown thinks otherwise.

In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Brown captured just three of his nine goals, four of which he dropped. As his production plummeted, teammates shone, outpacing Derrick Henry and receiver Julio Jones, whom the Titans traded last season, for a total of 365 yards off the attack. Henry rushed for three touchdowns.

In one of them, a 60-yard sprint to the sideline in the fourth quarter, Brown lined up near the offensive team on the offensive line and safety pushed Jamal Adams out of Henry’s way. Was Adams going to take on Henry? another hard arm breast unknown, but Brown’s block certainly paved the way for the score. The Titans then won 33-30 in overtime. Even in one of the worst statistics games, Brown was still an asset.

“I try to be proud of that and not let my guys take cheap shots,” Brown said in a January phone call.

In this age of the NFL, where a lot of offense is required even to be competitive, and quarterbacks routinely throw 300 yards per game, receiver blocking may seem like a bygone skill, a relic of a more brutal time. But current players and coaches say the opposite is true: As offenses have evolved in multi-option games, skillful blocking from the receiving position has actually become more vital.

How the Titans earned the AFC’s top seeds in the playoffs despite finishing the regular season 24th in the pass – partly due to their raiding strategy, the whole lineup selling rushing.

“This is something you have to demand,” said buyers coach Rob Moore. “They understand that if you want to be a Titan, that’s what you have to do. It’s a prerequisite for going out on the field.”

Wide receiver, a skill position, has traditionally been occupied by players with big personalities who constantly demand the ball and the spotlight. Even for soft-spoken players like the Cowboys’ Amari Cooper who cunningly wanted more targets, a polite request could generate days of full-blown content on the local radio.

The NFL has evolved in recent years to encourage more aerial strategy. Rule changes to pass blocking penalties complicate defenders’ abilities in coverage. Bedside books have changed to use the width of the field with five eligible receivers, which is the maximum number allowed.

But despite this transformation, Phil McGeoghan, a senior wide receiver coach who has worked for the Chargers, Dolphins and Bills and was hired by the University of Colorado this week, said blocking is a skill on display among the position’s elite. He said he needed to keep going because players are better than ever at running blocks despite the perception that the NFL is a “passing-first league.”

“They’ve done a really good job with these star players in establishing a culture and a standard within the receiving community,” said McGeoghan. “They’re all tough, they’re not selfish, and they block you.”

Passing-heavy teams still rush for the ball to maintain balance, but some teams build their philosophy with a rush-first approach. It helps teams control possession time, wear down defenses, and set up deceptive play-action transitions.

Their strategy cannot work without convincing blocks from receivers who are technically sound, able to form interruption lanes and act as escorts on the field if the back run is free. This is evident in Brown, especially with his 6-foot-1,226-pound frame. Despite missing four games, he still leads Tennessee for yards (869), receptions (63), goals (105) and goals (5).

“It’s a ‘desired’ thing,” Brown said. “I think that’s one of those things where you have to be versatile and not want your men captured.”

McGeoghan said an effective blocking receiver gives crimes more schematic luxuries. In movements throughout the formation, they can build momentum and serve as lead inhibitors for running back. In transition options and balloon stop screens, it normally leads to greater success for environment-based games when the player uproots a potential predator in one-on-one scenarios.

In last season’s “Hard Knocks,” McGeoghan became an instant internet disgrace when he scolded abusive speech after seeing one of the Chargers’ buyers block below average. She chuckles now, looking back at him, but then the harsh words conveyed a message she hoped they’d understand.

“You can’t get along with a guy who can’t work at the running game,” McGeoghan said. “It doesn’t have to be a killer, but it has to work within the system and do its job.”

Possibly one of the best welcoming duos in the league, the Los Angeles Rams also have the toughest blocking system for the position group. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods have established themselves as aspiring blockers for years, which is one reason why Coach Sean McVay thinks the two have been chosen as team captains.

Against the Cardinals in the wild card round, Kupp finished with 61 yards, the lowest total of five receptions this season. Instead, the Rams used Arizona’s weak running defense and made 38 offenses for 140 yards.

On a scoring drive in the first quarter, he capped Budda Baker with a blitz and freed Cam Akers for a 15-yard win. Kupp has led the league in every welcome category this season, but his block shows that he still influences the game, even without double-digit catches.

When Woods tore his anterior cruciate ligament at Week 10, some questioned whether the Rams would have struggled as a blocker without him. They continued to roll, in part due to the addition of Odell Beckham Jr., but McVay acknowledged at the time that it would be difficult to adjust to Woods’ loss.

“It’s very unique what these guys are capable of and all the different ways they contribute to offense, not just when they touch the ball,” McVay said.

The rookies were also impressed.

The Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase made a solid block against the Lions in Week 6 to escort runner Joe Mixon to the finish zone for a 40-yard score. Mixon deferred the credit to the receiver, saying, “It’s his touchdown,” as he ran down the sideline with Chase.

The importance and impact of receivers blocking may not show up in the stats, but coaches, players, and peers take note. It’s a skill that takes effort and turns large audiences into quarterbacks for their peers.

“You really get what you want,” said Moore, the Titans’ buyers’ coach. “If it’s important in your room, important to basic duties in terms of what you can do on offense, then it’s something these guys are good at. But if it’s something you don’t demand, you don’t want it.”



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