make marshal the slot receiver

[Brick Tamland]

marshall is more productive in the slot. he does a lot of damage with that quick slant that jay loves to rifle in the middle. why not make marshall a slot receiver, get rid of earl bennett and dress up marquess wilson and lined him up opposite to jeffery? you still have your 2 big wideouts on the outside, both jeffery and wilson are 6-3. but the difference is that wilson can fly (4.5 40, not that fast but is still a threat for a homerun ball especially for a tall guy) we need a burner on the outside to open up the middle for marshall and martellus. that line up actually looks deadly, jeffery 6-3 (strong hands) and wilson 6-3 (burner) on the outside, marshall 6-4 (physical) on the slot and martellus 6-6 (athletic) in the middle.

[Cliff Levingston]

No need to "make Marshall the slot receiver." Any receiver is more dangerous when he can move around the formation and not let the defense key in on him. Ideally next season, it's Marshall/Jeffery/Wilson (or someone else who can really run) that know all the receiver positions and thus can move all over the formation.

[bearadonisdna]

One thing ill give these bears is the benefit of the doubt on offense. We are currently ranked the number 11 offense, we are almost top ten! Been delaying this post but this could be one of the better bears offenses we have ever seen. We may even outproduce ron turners offense.

[Brick Tamland]

No need to "make Marshall the slot receiver." Any receiver is more dangerous when he can move around the formation and not let the defense key in on him. Ideally next season, it's Marshall/Jeffery/Wilson (or someone else who can really run) that know all the receiver positions and thus can move all over the formation.

cliff, i think its a must for the bears to make marshall the slot receiver. true, a receiver is more dangerous when a defense is not keyed on him so why not take advantage of it? if defense dont pay attention to marshall then make them pay for it. plus he is more productive in the middle than earl bennett. kromer knows how important a big psychical slot receiver is, he had marques colston for years. payton moved him in the slot and he was killing DBs and LBs because he was big and physical. also he helped opened up the middle for jimmy graham. graham got a lot of one on one because colston was working the slot. moving marshall in the slot will help martellus in the middle because he will see one on one because of marshal's presence and the outside guys will get single coverage just like the saints offense all because of one big physical slot receiver. all i know is i rather have marshall in the slot than earl bennett. trestman needs to ask kromer about how payton utilized colston in the slot. just like last nights game when marshall was in the slot, martellus got one on one and jeffery got single covered. that all happened because marhsall was working the middle.

[heir_jordan22]

1. Marshall should play all over.
2. Wilson isn't a "burner" - both Jeffery and Marshall are faster than him.
3. Marshall does pretty well on the outside.
4. Cutler's top three receivers are as follows:
Marshall
Jeffery
Forte
M. Bennett
All extremely productive. If E. Bennett could just catch what is thrown to him, which he usually does, this conversation doesn't even start.

We should ride with what we have and acquire a true burner next year and have Wilson as our 4th receiver. Earl would be obselete at that point until injuries.

[Brick Tamland]

1. Marshall should play all over.
2. Wilson isn't a "burner" - both Jeffery and Marshall are faster than him.
3. Marshall does pretty well on the outside.
4. Cutler's top three receivers are as follows:
Marshall
Jeffery
Forte
M. Bennett
All extremely productive. If E. Bennett could just catch what is thrown to him, which he usually does, this conversation doesn't even start.

We should ride with what we have and acquire a true burner next year and have Wilson as our 4th receiver. Earl would be obselete at that point until injuries.

1.) marshall should play all over but he is more productive in the slot. nobody can stop that quick slant jay loves fire down the middle and if it works, why not keep doing it. marshall does a lot of damage in the slot more than the outside. just look at his numbers, he is more productive in the middle than the outside because no DB can stop that quick slant.

2.) jeffery and marshall are not fast, they are both physical big receiver but they are not fast. in washington, wilson was primarily used as a go route receiver, meaning he got a lot of homerun balls. dude ran 4.5 40 and he is 6-3. how many guys out there can run 4.5 40 that are 6-3? not a lot of guy his size can run that fast. he might not be a prototypical burner but for his size, he can out muscle and beat any BDs out there. theres a reason why mike leach used him as a go route receiver.

3.) marshall does pretty well on the outside but he is more productive in the slot because no BD can stop that quick slant. its pretty hard for the defense to stop a big physical receiver in the slot. theres a reason why payton put colston in the slot.

4.) since when is having more targets a bad thing? i really dont see any negatives having more targets. having marshall and martellus in the middle opens up the outside guys. theres a reason why both martellus and jeffery got single coverage when marshall was in the slot. i dont see anything wrong with this.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

B-Marsh is a top 5 WR in the NFL. There is absolutely no reason to make him a "slot receiver".

Our receiving corps is the least of worries for this team. Could we use a speedster like Johnny Knox?....Sure, but Marshall, Jeffries, & M-Bennett have been money this season.

[CBS7]

Man. I miss Knox. Wish we still had him.

It is kind of odd, though. Before Thursday's game, only 5 players had a catch this year, lowest in the NFL. The average is 8. Couldn't hurt to get another target or two. Our best 4 WR set would probably be splitting Forte or Bennet out wide.

[Brick Tamland]

B-Marsh is a top 5 WR in the NFL. There is absolutely no reason to make him a "slot receiver".

Our receiving corps is the least of worries for this team. Could we use a speedster like Johnny Knox?....Sure, but Marshall, Jeffries, & M-Bennett have been money this season.

wes welker is a top 5 receiver and he plays in the slot. i dont see any negatives having marshall in the middle. having marshall playing slot helps jeffery get single coverage because the defense has to focus in the middle of the field. that also help martellus get single coverage. just ask jimmy graham how colston helped him out by having a big physical receiver playing the slot.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

B-Marsh is a top 5 WR in the NFL. There is absolutely no reason to make him a "slot receiver".

Our receiving corps is the least of worries for this team. Could we use a speedster like Johnny Knox?....Sure, but Marshall, Jeffries, & M-Bennett have been money this season.

wes welker is a top 5 receiver and he plays in the slot.

He's not.

-B-Marsh
-Julio Jones
-Megatron
-Fitzgerald
-Dez Walker
-Andre Johnson

Etc, etc, etc.......

i dont see any negatives having marshall in the middle. having marshall playing slot helps jeffery get single coverage because the defense has to focus in the middle of the field. that also help martellus get single coverage. just ask jimmy graham how colston helped him out by having a big physical receiver playing the slot.

We don't need Marshall in the slot for those guys to get single coverage. Those guys are getting tons of single coverage right now with Marshall playing on the outside.

[Brick Tamland]

B-Marsh is a top 5 WR in the NFL. There is absolutely no reason to make him a "slot receiver".

Our receiving corps is the least of worries for this team. Could we use a speedster like Johnny Knox?....Sure, but Marshall, Jeffries, & M-Bennett have been money this season.

wes welker is a top 5 receiver and he plays in the slot.

He's not.

-B-Marsh
-Julio Jones
-Megatron
-Fitzgerald
-Dez Walker
-Andre Johnson

Etc, etc, etc.......

i dont see any negatives having marshall in the middle. having marshall playing slot helps jeffery get single coverage because the defense has to focus in the middle of the field. that also help martellus get single coverage. just ask jimmy graham how colston helped him out by having a big physical receiver playing the slot.

We don't need Marshall in the slot for those guys to get single coverage. Those guys are getting tons of single coverage right now with Marshall playing on the outside.

marshall does majority of his damage in the middle of the field. trestman actually lines him up in the middle, he rarely lines up on the outside. i think trestman and kormer is copying the saints offense and i like it. its really hard for the defense to stop a big receiver in the middle of the field. jays loves to rifle the ball in the middle of the field and marshall just out muscle his guy, just like colston. i really dont get why having more option is a bad thing? wasnt this a big problem last year? jay's only option was marshall. having marhsall in the slot opens up the outside guys, more option.

as far as wes welker goes, he is a top 5 receiver. just ask manning and brady.

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

wes welker is a top 5 receiver and he plays in the slot.

He's not.

-B-Marsh
-Julio Jones
-Megatron
-Fitzgerald
-Dez Walker
-Andre Johnson

Etc, etc, etc.......

i dont see any negatives having marshall in the middle. having marshall playing slot helps jeffery get single coverage because the defense has to focus in the middle of the field. that also help martellus get single coverage. just ask jimmy graham how colston helped him out by having a big physical receiver playing the slot.

We don't need Marshall in the slot for those guys to get single coverage. Those guys are getting tons of single coverage right now with Marshall playing on the outside.

marshall does majority of his damage in the middle of the field. trestman actually lines him up in the middle, he rarely lines up on the outside. i think trestman and kormer is copying the saints offense and i like it. its really hard for the defense to stop a big receiver in the middle of the field. jays loves to rifle the ball in the middle of the field and marshall just out muscle his guy, just like colston. i really dont get why having more option is a bad thing? wasnt this a big problem last year? jay's only option was marshall. having marhsall in the slot opens up the outside guys, more option.

as far as wes welker goes, he is a top 5 receiver. just ask manning and brady.

Why are you trying to fix something that's not broken?....Cutler, Marshall, M Bennett, & Alshon are producing just fine. There is absolutely no reason to change it.

Regarding Welker, he's simply a slot receiver that's good at what he does. He's not a top 5 WR.

Who on my list do you put him above as an all-around WR?

[Brick Tamland]

He's not.

-B-Marsh
-Julio Jones
-Megatron
-Fitzgerald
-Dez Walker
-Andre Johnson

Etc, etc, etc.......


We don't need Marshall in the slot for those guys to get single coverage. Those guys are getting tons of single coverage right now with Marshall playing on the outside.

marshall does majority of his damage in the middle of the field. trestman actually lines him up in the middle, he rarely lines up on the outside. i think trestman and kormer is copying the saints offense and i like it. its really hard for the defense to stop a big receiver in the middle of the field. jays loves to rifle the ball in the middle of the field and marshall just out muscle his guy, just like colston. i really dont get why having more option is a bad thing? wasnt this a big problem last year? jay's only option was marshall. having marhsall in the slot opens up the outside guys, more option.

as far as wes welker goes, he is a top 5 receiver. just ask manning and brady.

Why are you trying to fix something that's not broken?....Cutler, Marshall, M Bennett, & Alshon are producing just fine. There is absolutely no reason to change it.

Regarding Welker, he's simply a slot receiver that's good at whathe does. He's not a top 5 WR.

Who on my list do you put him above as an all-around WR?

ill probably put welker just shy top 5, like 6. i dont think fitz is any near top 5, maybe couple of years ago but not now, he is outside top 10 like 14-15.

my top 10
1.) calvin
2.) aj
3.) marshall
4.) julio
5.) dez
6.) welker
7.) andre johnson
8.) demaryius thomas
9.) roddy white
10.) marques colston

as you know, its really hard to produce in the slot. theres only 2(colston and welker) maybe 3 because marshall plays slot sometimes on my list.

welkers number:
2011: no.2 in yards, no.1 in reception
2012: no.8 in yards, tied marshall no.2 in reception
and so far this year, he leads the NFL is TDs.

for a guy that plays in the slot, those are pretty good numbers. i put him just shy of top 5. but you cant argue with those number not being close to top 5.

[CBS7]

Fitz hasn't had anyone to throw him the ball since Warner.. he's still definitely an elite WR

[heir_jordan22]

1. Marshall should play all over.
2. Wilson isn't a "burner" - both Jeffery and Marshall are faster than him.
3. Marshall does pretty well on the outside.
4. Cutler's top three receivers are as follows:
Marshall
Jeffery
Forte
M. Bennett
All extremely productive. If E. Bennett could just catch what is thrown to him, which he usually does, this conversation doesn't even start.

We should ride with what we have and acquire a true burner next year and have Wilson as our 4th receiver. Earl would be obselete at that point until injuries.

1.) marshall should play all over but he is more productive in the slot. nobody can stop that quick slant jay loves fire down the middle and if it works, why not keep doing it. marshall does a lot of damage in the slot more than the outside. just look at his numbers, he is more productive in the middle than the outside because no DB can stop that quick slant.

2.) jeffery and marshall are not fast, they are both physical big receiver but they are not fast. in washington, wilson was primarily used as a go route receiver, meaning he got a lot of homerun balls. dude ran 4.5 40 and he is 6-3. how many guys out there can run 4.5 40 that are 6-3? not a lot of guy his size can run that fast. he might not be a prototypical burner but for his size, he can out muscle and beat any BDs out there. theres a reason why mike leach used him as a go route receiver.

3.) marshall does pretty well on the outside but he is more productive in the slot because no BD can stop that quick slant. its pretty hard for the defense to stop a big physical receiver in the slot. theres a reason why payton put colston in the slot.

4.) since when is having more targets a bad thing? i really dont see any negatives having more targets. having marshall and martellus in the middle opens up the outside guys. theres a reason why both martellus and jeffery got single coverage when marshall was in the slot. i dont see anything wrong with this.

Jeffery and Marshall are definitely faster. Jeffery ran a 4.47 and has continued to get in better shape since college. Marshall ran a 4.51

[MalcolmXing]

1. Marshall should play all over.
2. Wilson isn't a "burner" - both Jeffery and Marshall are faster than him.
3. Marshall does pretty well on the outside.
4. Cutler's top three receivers are as follows:
Marshall
Jeffery
Forte
M. Bennett
All extremely productive. If E. Bennett could just catch what is thrown to him, which he usually does, this conversation doesn't even start.

We should ride with what we have and acquire a true burner next year and have Wilson as our 4th receiver. Earl would be obselete at that point until injuries.

1.) marshall should play all over but he is more productive in the slot. nobody can stop that quick slant jay loves fire down the middle and if it works, why not keep doing it. marshall does a lot of damage in the slot more than the outside. just look at his numbers, he is more productive in the middle than the outside because no DB can stop that quick slant.

2.) jeffery and marshall are not fast, they are both physical big receiver but they are not fast. in washington, wilson was primarily used as a go route receiver, meaning he got a lot of homerun balls. dude ran 4.5 40 and he is 6-3. how many guys out there can run 4.5 40 that are 6-3? not a lot of guy his size can run that fast. he might not be a prototypical burner but for his size, he can out muscle and beat any BDs out there. theres a reason why mike leach used him as a go route receiver.

3.) marshall does pretty well on the outside but he is more productive in the slot because no BD can stop that quick slant. its pretty hard for the defense to stop a big physical receiver in the slot. theres a reason why payton put colston in the slot.

4.) since when is having more targets a bad thing? i really dont see any negatives having more targets. having marshall and martellus in the middle opens up the outside guys. theres a reason why both martellus and jeffery got single coverage when marshall was in the slot. i dont see anything wrong with this.

Why has Wilson not gotten any time then? If he effectively is a runner..why hasn't he played? With Jay's arm..a speedster would greatly help him.

[RedBulls23]

Welker isn't a top 5 receiver. I agree with Biggie. Though I don't know if andre johnson is top 5 anymore. I would say Aj Green could be up there.

[Cliff Levingston]

cliff, i think its a must for the bears to make marshall the slot receiver. true, a receiver is more dangerous when a defense is not keyed on him so why not take advantage of it?

That's the idea. You make a defense pay for keying in on your best receiver by moving him around the formation. If the defense doesn't know where he's going to line up from play to play, he and the entire offense as a result are harder to defend. If you confine him to the middle (or the outside) then it's easier to shade coverages toward him.

if defense dont pay attention to marshall then make them pay for it. plus he is more productive in the middle than earl bennett.

all i know is i rather have marshall in the slot than earl bennett.

For one, defenses will always have to pay attention to Marshall no matter where he lines up. And why wouldn't you want Marshall over Bennett in the slot? The problem is that someone has to play on the outside so you're basically just switching issues from one area of the field to another if you think Earl isn't all that good.

trestman needs to ask kromer about how payton utilized colston in the slot. just like last nights game when marshall was in the slot, martellus got one on one and jeffery got single covered. that all happened because marhsall was working the middle.

No, Alshon has been getting single covered because defenses decide to take Marshall away with bracket coverage no matter where he lines up and force Alshon to beat them. So far, he has, pretty badly, which is awesome for the rest of the offense.

Trestman doesn't need to ask Kromer about how to call an offense or design plays. The guy is one of the brightest offensive minds there is.

[ChicagoStrong]

Marshall and the other receivers are producing just fine.

Putting Marshall in the slot is just changing something just to change it.

[Brick Tamland]

1. Marshall should play all over.
2. Wilson isn't a "burner" - both Jeffery and Marshall are faster than him.
3. Marshall does pretty well on the outside.
4. Cutler's top three receivers are as follows:
Marshall
Jeffery
Forte
M. Bennett
All extremely productive. If E. Bennett could just catch what is thrown to him, which he usually does, this conversation doesn't even start.

We should ride with what we have and acquire a true burner next year and have Wilson as our 4th receiver. Earl would be obselete at that point until injuries.

1.) marshall should play all over but he is more productive in the slot. nobody can stop that quick slant jay loves fire down the middle and if it works, why not keep doing it. marshall does a lot of damage in the slot more than the outside. just look at his numbers, he is more productive in the middle than the outside because no DB can stop that quick slant.

2.) jeffery and marshall are not fast, they are both physical big receiver but they are not fast. in washington, wilson was primarily used as a go route receiver, meaning he got a lot of homerun balls. dude ran 4.5 40 and he is 6-3. how many guys out there can run 4.5 40 that are 6-3? not a lot of guy his size can run that fast. he might not be a prototypical burner but for his size, he can out muscle and beat any BDs out there. theres a reason why mike leach used him as a go route receiver.

3.) marshall does pretty well on the outside but he is more productive in the slot because no BD can stop that quick slant. its pretty hard for the defense to stop a big physical receiver in the slot. theres a reason why payton put colston in the slot.

4.) since when is having more targets a bad thing? i really dont see any negatives having more targets. having marshall and martellus in the middle opens up the outside guys. theres a reason why both martellus and jeffery got single coverage when marshall was in the slot. i dont see anything wrong with this.

Why has Wilson not gotten any time then? If he effectively is a runner..why hasn't he played? With Jay's arm..a speedster would greatly help him.

theres no room for him and plus he cant play special team because we have hester and weems, bears are not gonna used him as a gunner on special team. he was a pretty good returner at washinton. thats the reason why he cant get any time. they need to cut or trade earl bennett because he is burning $3 million on the bears payroll.