As we're all aware, this was the first week in which rookie John Beck really looked the part of a wide-eyed rookie. Of course, he wasn't helped by the fact that his offensive line simply didn't block and his receivers dropped at least 6 passes (from what I saw). But one thing I did notice when I went back and analyzed the targeting was the fact that he wasn't getting the ball to the receivers as much as we'd seen in his first 2 starts. This is something we all couldn't stand when Cleo Lemon was starting, so hopefully this isn't the beginning of a trend.
Here are the numbers. Against the Jets, John targeted the WRs just 54% of the time, which was down from 63% the week before. Now this could be the result of numerous factors, including play calling and New York's defensive strategy. But I just hope this doesn't become a trend. Even more worrisome was how the success rate of passes to wide receivers has dipped dramatically. He only completed 48% of his passes targeted at a wide receiver. This is down from 57% a week ago. That's the key stat that really needs to improve. A lack if production from the receiver spot is a great way to have an inefficient offense, which is exactly what the Dolphins have right now. Hopefully this can get turned around in Buffalo on Sunday.
Oh, and the star of the game from Sunday (if you can call any Dolphin that) was Lorenzo Booker, who was targeted the 3rd most and caught 6 of the 7 passes thrown his way. I bet we see a lot more from Lorenzo in the remaing games, as his role in the offense expands and he gets a chance to show what he can do.
Total Targets
Here's how the full season targeting breaks down through 12 games:
Marty Booker: 80 targets (21%)
Chris Chambers: 66 targets (17%)
Ronnie Brown: 46 targets (12%)
Ted Ginn: 40 targets (10%)
David Martin: 34 targets (9%)
Justin Peelle: 33 targets (9%)
Jesse Chatman: 33 targets (9%)
Derek Hagan: 31 targets (8%)
Lorenzo Booker: 7 targets (2%)
Patrick Cobbs: 5 targets (1%)
Reagan Mauia: 3 targets (1%)
Aaron Halterman: 3 targets (1%)
Greg Camarillo: 1 target (<1%)
Beck's Targets
And here's how John's targeting breaks down through his first 3 career starts:
Ted Ginn: 20 targets (24%)
Marty Booker: 17 targets (21%)
Jesse Chatman: 10 targets (12%)
David Martin: 9 targets (11%)
Derek Hagan: 8 targets (10%)
Lorenzo Booker: 7 targets (9%)
Justin Peelle: 6 targets (7%)
3 others: 5 targers (5%)
Receiver Success
And here are the updated catch percentages for those players with at least 10 receptions:
David Martin: 76%
Justin Peelle: 73%
Jesse Chatman: 70%
Derek Hagan: 52%
Marty Booker: 48%
Ted Ginn: 45%
Chambers SD Update
Last week, Chambers had just 2 catches for 50 yards. Here are his updated figures in San Diego:
Targeted: 22%
Catch percentage: 53%