Will Pierre Garcon Be on the Inside Looking Out When "Gonzo" Returns?

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Anthony Gonzalez should be ready to return to the Colts starting lineup in the next week or two. The problem for the Colts is what to do with him when he comes back.

Do they leave Garcon on the outside as the No. 2, and put Anthony in the slot, sharing time with Austin Collie, or should “Gonzo” get his old job back, and Garcon be his backup?

Garcon has done an admirable job replacing Anthony. He has scored two touchdowns so far, and put up 240 yards. If he were to remain the starter, then he is on pace to put up five touchdowns and 640 yards for the season.

In comparison, last year as a backup, “Gonzo” put up 664 yards and four touchdowns. Since we’re comparing apples to oranges here, let’s throw the stats out the window, and look at this a different way.

How has Garcon progressed as a receiver while replacing Gonzalez? To answer this question, I went back and watched some game film on him.

When evaluating a wide receiver there are four things that I look four: 1) Release 2) Glide 3) Sprint 4) Burst 5) Blocking ability

I used these five criteria to come up with the answer to the question of whether or not “Gonzo” should return as the No. 2 when he is healthy.

Release

Garcon needs work in this area. He is inconsistent in his release. He tends to stutter step too much with his back foot, or do odd things like hop of the line.

Now don’t misunderstand me, all receivers tend to stutter a little when they release; it’s the degree to which they do it that is important.

If you watch Reggie Wayne, he does a slight stutter step with his back leg, but it’s minor, and is used to put a slight fake on the defender. However, at no point does it slow down he’s release off the line.

On the other hand Garcon's is noticeable and it slows him down a bit.

Other times Garcon will spend too much time trying to fake the player with a move, instead of just getting off the line, and into his pattern.

On the plus side, when Pierre does it right he looks like he has been playing the position for years.

His release is smooth, and if there is a defender in front of him he angles his back foot slightly away from the defender; he uses the arm closest to the defender to rip away, or in other words knock the defender’s arm away from him, and go right into his route without any loss of speed. It all looks very effortless and natural.

So yes, he does need work in this area, but that will come with time. In a sense he really is a rookie, and these are rookie mistakes he is making.

Advantage: Gonzo

Glide

There are two fundamental rules that a receiver needs to know about the glide portion of his route:

1)      If the defender is in front, or to the side opposite of where the receiver is going to make his cut, then the receiver should either run straight at the defender, or move slightly further to the inside, and then head straight up the field before making his break.

The reason the receiver does this is he wants the defender to believe that he is running straight up the field on a go route, and try to move the defensive back farther away from where he intends to make his cut.

2)      If the defender is to the inside of where the receiver wants to go, then again he is going to move his route ever so slightly to the outside, again trying to get the defensive back to move off his spot believing the receiver is running straight up the field.

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