McDaniels Speaks On Royal's Lack Of Use
Stands By "Throw It To The Open Man" Philosophy
Aside from a 10-catch, 90-yard game against New England, Eddie Royal hasn't surpassed three catches or 20 yards in any other game. Royal, who caught 91 balls as a rookie last year, is on pace for 48 catches and 362 yards. For some perspective, last year tight end Daniel Graham - who is primarily a blocking tight end - had 389 yards receiving."I sit up here and say the same thing every week - the ball goes to the guy that is open, or at least that's what we're trying to do," HC Josh McDaniels said. "It's not always their fault, sometimes coverage dictates we go somewhere else. Like the San Diego game, (Tony) Scheffler has 100-some yards receiving, and that's because of the way they played us. We're not worried about that, we'll continue to try to get everyone better and involved in the offense and put them in a position to make plays, but we're not going to beat our head in the wall to try to do it."McDaniels said Royal's big game against New England showed that effect - the Patriots' coverage made Royal the best read in the offense, and he got the ball often. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
FF Today's Take: While the "throw it to the guy that's open" sentiment is nice, what McDaniels isn't saying is that Royal is being used to clear out his side of the field - usually by going deep - so Kyle Orton can throw the ball underneath to his RBs as well as Brandon Marshall and Jabar Gaffney. Since even the coaching staff seems to doubt Orton's ability to throw deep, Royal is often an afterthought. Royal's down season is more a product of the team's lack of confidence in Orton's arm than the WRs ability.
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