Georgia Tech He’s hoping an improved passing attack awaits him in 2022, but for that to happen, they’ll need a top target to step up at the wide receiver position.
There has been consistent praise from the coaching staff for how much better Jeff Sims has been this season, but there have been questions about the wide receivers. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Chip Long said they have to ride with the hot hand for now.
“It’s kind of like the offensive line, we’re going with our hot hands, you know, if I get three guys on the edge that can give me 15 times and as long as they can, that’s what they’re going to do. I need Alpha to come out on that team. Nate McCall is probably the most consistent of them all.” . He’s going to play by committee there. As the game goes on, find out who has it. The hot hand. A lot of guys play. We need some guys to be consistent in this position, no doubt.
It’s important to have depth at any position, but sometimes it has to be a group of guys that the Yellow Jackets can rely on.
Perhaps the leading receiver returning from last year is Malachi Carter. Wide receivers coach Dale Alexander spoke about Carter during a recent media session and said that while he’s happy Carter has made plays in the past, he wants to make sure he brings a clean slate this year.
“” Malachi has made a lot of plays this summer, he understands our offense. He’s the leader in terms of contributions and stats, but again, having a clean slate means validation for me as well. I try not to pass judgment without having a chance to review. Anything he’s done before is great, but I ask him to do things every day. You see him catch the ball here in practice or in the stadium but I’m hard to please, so I always need more and I still have more weeks to refine them and you only get one shot. That’s when we play on Monday.
What about EJ Jenkins? No one doubts Jenkins’ physical ability, but to be an alpha in the wide receiver class, Jenkins has to be more than just a mismatch problem. Alexander Jenkins said he hopes to become a more complete receiver.
He is huge. As a coach, as a wide receivers coach, you love Giants because you can run into inconsistencies. I think with EJ’s size and basically the things he knows he needs to work on and we’re trying to detail those. He’s a guy who can win 1v1s on the border when it comes to mismatches and he’s the guy who has the goal with him first and tries to do something else or use him in multiple positions. It’s something we’re growing into. A special amount, making it a receiver that takes time and we’re trying, we’re running out of time, but we’re working on it.
I hope one of the young receivers will step up, but they have to confirm first. No matter how much Simms improves as a passer, this offense will have a ceiling if they can’t find consistent guys to line up outside.
This will be a place to watch as the season continues. Hopefully some guy can take the top spot and be the alpha in the wide receiver room.
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