FanPost

Brandon Lloyd......The Man, The Myth, The X-Factor

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Fooch's Note: Brandon Lloyd has been an intriguing storyline through camp thus far. I've been meaning to get this FanPost to the front page.

Brandon Lloyd will be this year's X- Factor, and here is why......... I know many of you believe B. Lloyd has a slim chance to make this squad, but there are a few things I would like you to consider:

A) Skill Set: while not extremely fast B. Lloyd has made his mark catching passes in the back 2/3's of the defense. Outside of Vernon Davis this is a skill set the 49ers offense has lacked for quite some time. Bruce Ellington brings this skill set as well, but B. Lloyd is proven where Ellington is not, and if you watched Ellington's college tape he wasn't overly utilized deep. If you have watched B. Lloyd play over the last few year you will noticed he creates great separation, using route running and acceleration. Make no bones about it B. Lloyd is the best deep threat on this roster.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he can count on Lloyd to create separation - even when it looks like he won't - and be where he's supposed to be on time. "He has pretty easy body language to read," Kaepernick said. "And for the most part, he's open by a step or two. So that makes it a lot easier. This is a sentiment that has been stated by the likes of Tom Brady and Kyle Orton as well. B. Lloyd has good jumping ability, body control, and great hands....Making him an excellent red zone target. When you add all these talents together that leads to B. Lloyd being able to address the two biggest flaws on the offense, as well as being the most unpredictable receiver and toughest to cover receiver on the 49ers roster.

B) Space: Another point of interest the vertical stretching of the field also opens up the field horizontally creating SPACE. It's no coincidence Crabtree had his best year playing opposite of Randy moss, the ability to keep those safeties off the line of scrimmage will provide catch and run opportunities for a players like Crabtree and S. Johnson. I've also heard many people moan about the use of screens and swing passes on this offense, well fundamentally those things are hard to do when you up against 8-9 in the box all the time. If you look at the teams that utilize the screen pass the best, they have one thing in common they through it deep early and often. Space is at a premium and a luxury we have been without for the past two years. B. Lloyd ability to play deep provides that space.

C) Big play capability / Volume: if you have watched the 49ers offense over the past 3 years, you will have noticed that this offense plays congested with most plays happening within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage. The addition of S. Johnson while awesome in its own right won't relieve this congestion. These results in the offense having to put together multiple play / long scoring drives, and the reality here is the more plays it takes to score the more opportunities the defense has to stop you (or hold you to a field goal). That is the fundamental bases of defenses playing with a bend don't break mentality.

One thing we know about B. Lloyd is that he is a big play waiting to happen. B. Lloyd more so than any other 49ers receiver on this roster doesn't require a multitude of opportunities to make his presence felt. For the majority of his snaps he will operate as a decoy with the sole goal of creating space (See B.), but because of where he is known to make his plays (See A.) the opportunities he is given are all potential game changers. In many of our loses we were one or two big plays away from the W. B. Lloyd brings big play capability every time he touches the field, even more so now that he will be looked at as the #3 or 4 receiver by most defenses and covered by lower quality defenders.

I firmly believe Brandon Lloyd will make this roster and make a huge impact on this offense. This does not mean I expect huge stat lines from him, but even as a decoy his presence will be felt. I see him and S. Johnson operating as 3A and 3B. Stevie will be utilized as the first receiver off the bench and probably accrue the higher snap count, but B. Lloyd will be utilized more in 3 receiver sets. I know many of us here at Niners Nation want nothing to do with B. Lloyd. I believe this is due to what I call the dead beat dad syndrome, he has hurt us in the past and we don't want to open up our hearts and give him the chance to hurt us again. I too was one of those little kids in my 49ers jersey waiting for B. Lloyd to become our next great receiver, but he never showed up. I get it, but I sit here now a grown up realizing what he has to offer is just what we need. If B. Lloyd ends up not making the roster I will take solace in knowing the receivers that remain earned their spot and were not simply keep due to draft location or caption figure, so either way it's a win win.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.