Seahawks Coach Reveals Reasons For Huge Jaxon Smith-Njigba Workload
· Yahoo Sports
Much has been made of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's start to the season for the Seattle Seahawks and some critics are even a little worried.
With JSN totaling 405 yards and 6 TDs from 27 receptions, he is head and shoulders above the next-best for the Seahawks, which is Cooper Kupp (101 yards from eight receptions).
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That's a big production discrepancy, and it can't continue, as No. 11 will eventually be stopped one game, forcing other weapons to step up.
Whether that be Rashid Shaheed, Kupp, AJ Barner, or Tory Horton, those players have to get involved now so that if the time does come when a defense takes Smith-Njigba away, it won't be a shock to the system.
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But as offensive coordinator Brian Fleury points out, the reason for Smith-Njigba's heavy workload isn't anything to do with the offense at all.
"There there's a lot of plays in the plan that are designed to go to other people in certain situations," Fleury said. "Obviously we lean towards Jacks because of what he brings to the table, but the defense is really responsible for where the ball goes in all honesty.
"If they take away the first part of the progression then it goes to two or three, and we've got really talented players in all those situations. It just hasn't found its way all the way back to the back side of the progression yet very often."
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So, in a nutshell, the reason JSN is getting so many targets and receptions is that often he is first in the progression...and he gets open.
It is up to the defense to stop him, and through three weeks, three different defenses haven't been able to do it, and we are seeing the stat line from JSN as a result.
Now, with the Los Angeles Chargers up next, I would imagine coordinator Chris O'Leary will be trying to figure out a way to stop Jaxon from destroying them on Sunday.
Granted, that isn't an easy thing to do, but if they can curtail him in some aspects, the Chargers might have a chance.
But right now, JSN appears as unstoppable as ever, and it's because of the defenses he's faced that he's been allowed to tear them apart.