Jason H. from Boca Raton, Florida
With the Falcons needing receiver help, why haven’t we elevated Chris Blair or Nick Nash?
Short answer: I don’t know why these two individuals, specifically, are not being elevated. I guess the main information I have there is that players like Dylan Drummond and Deven Thompkins have shown in practice and/or the film room that they are better equipped to do what the Falcons want at the receiver position.
The long answer, though, is that this isn’t the question we should be asking, in my opinion.
The better question isn’t why the Falcons haven’t elevated Blair and Nash; it’s why KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington cannot be relied upon. Washington was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game this Sunday. Hodge? A healthy scratch for the first time. What is going on there? These are two individuals who you’ve invested draft capital and free agency stock in over the last two years. Two individuals who are needed without Drake London in the lineup and as the Falcons still have not gotten solid production out of Darnell Mooney.
I asked head coach Raheem Morris this question Monday. And I think it could also speak to answering your question, as well.
“You gotta go out there and find out who can give you the best chance to win. (Sunday) we went with DT (Deven Thompkins). He went out there and made two really big catches for us,” Morris said. “When we were talking about speed and some of those different things, we had gotten that provided from Casey (Washington) that we were getting in the offseason, getting a little early on in the preseason. It hadn’t been as consistent. From a performance standpoint, (Thompkins) kind of out played (Washington) in practice. …
“Last week with KhaDarel Hodge, he didn’t do some things right so we had to make a change there to get a spark. We put Drummond up on the active roster and he was able to play for us the last two weeks. … Drummond has done a nice job for us in that role, finding a little bit of consistency, trying to go out there and make some plays on offense. It’s always going to be performance-based to see who can give you the best chance to win.”
Morris said it: The group of receivers the team has up on game day is the one that outperforms in practice. I’m sure there are scheme-related decisions to be made, too, plus what role you need certain guys to play. But ultimately, the Falcons do not feel that they are getting enough from Washington and Hodge. That may change next week, Morris said, but that’s how things stand right now.