Most of our passing issues start with our pass blocking... but we are never getting receivers in space. People talk about separation like it's done with foot speed or quick cuts. It's mostly done by cover mistakes. We can't seem to move any coverages out of position. I'm sure you've seen how many times our opponents have someone in space. That is not a WR with exceptional wheels or with uncanny separation skills. We lose coverage. I have watched some of those play designs and I can see why we lose coverage. They were set up by prior plays and manipulation of the coverage. We never create coverage mistakes. On about half of our pass plays, we assist coverage. Go watch our routes. Our routes help defenders platoon our WRs. It's pathetic. Our best (and just about only) successful pass plays are WRs out leaping for the pass. That's pretty pathetic. With our route tree, it makes way more since to punish coverage by using the RB out of the backfield or the TE as a primary target. We'd at least help some athlete to a small space to catch the ball and run.
And even though our OL look sluggish... they are not incapable of giving our QB the time to sling intermediate throws. Jennings has to be able to take risks. And that has to include more than sideline routes (in case he over throws). It won't be soon enough that we stop throwing screens to the flats. Those throws make me sick. We deserve getting pick 6s on our ___.
In fact, we should run the Riles screen... and have Jennings (or Davis) look that way and then fire to a slot receiver/TE coming from the other side. Riles pulls 4 guys off coverage just about every time we run that screen. It almost always fails to pick up yardage. So why do our coaches insist on running it? If Jennings has the time to look to the sideline and toss a 15 yard pass into the flats... he can certainly look upfield and make a 10 to 15 yard pass.