49ers Vs. Cardinals: Battling Quite The Wide Receiver Trio

by David Fucillo on Dec 10, 2011 8:01 AM PST in Preview

People are quick to dog Arizona Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb, but in tomorrow's matchup he will have a very solid mix of weapons at his disposal. The 49ers defense will be looking to shut down running back Beanie Wells and will have their eyes on all-pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. However, it is easy to overlook Early Doucet and Andre Roberts.

While it is easy to focus on Fitzgerald, Doucet and Roberts have quietly put together very impressive seasons. From a pure numbers standpoint, Arizona has had the most productive wide receiver trio in the NFC West. The 49ers offense is not based around a high flying passing game, and they have dealt with the loss of Josh Morgan, but even still, Fitzgerald, Doucet and Roberts are quite solid.

In the first game between these two teams, that group compiled 142 yards and a Fitzgerald touchdown. They will not have Kolb throwing to them and that is an upgrade over Skelton. The 49ers have a slightly banged up secondary, but everybody is expected to play tomorrow. Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown and Chris Culliver will have their hands full dealing with this trio.

All we really want is a win out of this game and the remaining games, but testing different units is always a plus. There has been plenty of discussion about how the offense needs to open things up and see what they can do. It will also be helpful to find new tests for other units as well. The secondary has been solid enough in helping secure victories, but with some potentially high-flying offenses to face in the playoffs, every challenge helps.

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This just reaffirmed that Kolb sucks :)

People are quick to dog Arizona Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb, but in tomorrow’s matchup he will have a very solid mix of weapons at his disposal. From a pure numbers standpoint, Arizona has had the most productive wide receiver trio in the NFC West.

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by afrikabamboodle on Dec 10, 2011 9:33 AM PST reply actions

LOL

I’m not worried about their WRs, because Kolb can’t throw. I’m worried about their defense, which has gotten a lot better.

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by doubleteapot on Dec 10, 2011 9:44 AM PST reply actions

I understand the desire to make this game seem like a better matchup than it is,

but this is just not true:

While it is easy to focus on Fitzgerald, Doucet and Roberts have quietly put together very impressive seasons.

Larry Fitzgerald, as the only truly viable receiving candidate on that team, has had 108 targets this season. That’s third in the league behind Welker and Calvin Johnson. His catch rate is only 51%. The other two have equally bad catch rates, at 60 and 52%. They have a fumble each, and all rank fairly low in their respective positions among #1, #2 and #3 WRs. Doucet and Roberts are replacement level receivers, and the only reason they’ve had a “productive season” is that the Cardinals are constantly playing from behind or engaged in close games. Now I recognize that a lot of their troubles are due to the terrible QB situation, but this is not a great season for anyone in Arizona, particularly the wideouts.

by Rhombus on Dec 10, 2011 10:26 AM PST reply actions