The acquisition of Graham was confusing for me from day one. I knew what we did to Miller when he came to Seattle, we utilized the man like a blocking TE. This is okay, since he was a very good blocker, but on the other hand we completely marginalized his receiving capabilities. In Oakland he was considered one of the better pass catching TEs. He was very good at chipping would-be pass rushers, and finding his way into the hole in the zone. Miller was a great outlet receiver, yet he remained unused in this capacity in Seattle. This baffled me as a fan, because I remembered what he was able to do in Oakland.
I understand that Britt, Breno, and Carpenter needed help over at RT, however -- chipping the pass rusher and going out as an outlet receiver especially against the blitz can be just as, if not more effective than just staying in to block. We're seeing the same story repeat with Jimmy Graham. I'm seeing him on the bench during key third downs, most of the time he is lining up off tackle, and he is being asked to do a lot of blocking -- a skillset that he was never known for. In New Orleans he was actually split out wide more than he was put off tackle. He was a hybrid wide receiver of sorts. I understand Pete Carroll and Bevell saying that they won't change their scheme for one player, but on the other hand does that mean that you're going to commit to pounding a square peg into a round hole?
Jimmy Graham is easily our most talented receiver, and most physically imposing. We are not taking advantage of this mans amazing skillset. Our third down, and red zone percentage is among the worst in the NFL right now. This should not be happening with a receiver such as Jimmy Graham available to us. A receiver who can create separation just by virtue of his large body, a receiver that has an insane catch radius, and the ability to make very difficult catches seem easy.
