Adam Gase is not going to limit Jamison Crowder to just the slot.
Gase, speaking to the media Tuesday at the NFL Owners Meetings, was asked about how he plans to use some of his new offensive weapons, including Crowder. While Crowder has stayed in the slot throughout his young career, the Jets head coach feels it’s time to switch it up a bit.
“I think he has something unique as far as he has an explosiveness after the catch that you don’t see a ton of,” Gase told reporters. “A lot of the slot players historically have been not guys who are threats down the field. He’s actually a threat down the field, but at the same time he can catch it and create, which is going to be interesting for us because we’ve never had a guy who can really juice it up like he can.”
Gase went on to bring up Wes Welker, a receiver who played both in the slot and on the outside during his career. Gase added that he sees Crowder having anywhere from 70 to 90 catches next season.
The 25-year-old wideout does have outstanding speed, so playing him on the outside is not such a bad idea. Crowder can get down the field in a hurry and break away from his defenders quickly. On top of that, he’s proven to have great hands.
Not only would deep balls help Crowder, but they could also benefit Robby Anderson. Anderson was the only deep threat the Jets had last season and secondaries zeroed in on him. With both wide receivers being used as deep threats, it opens up the field more and forces a couple of extra defenders to pay attention. That could open things up underneath as well.
