Why is Hamilton so hesitant to pass to Stala? He has wonderful hands, is tall and pretty fast. He knows how to find the open spots yet he gets the ball one or two times per game. Perhaps someone who is able to go to the games can enlighten me, because I really like Stala and I think he should be a huge part of the pass game.
Several possibilities.
Not 100% healed or not yet in game shape following return form his surgery
Top notch receiver draws extra attention from opposing Ds
Contributes by running clearing patterns for other receivers
Ausitn/Condell/Burris prefer other receivers
Is another year older and has lost a step.
How about the obvious - Maybe he's not open? quick decision by the QB.
I think items 2 and 3 are the most likely. When Fantuz returns and is part of the mix, item 2 may become less of a factor.
as far as attention is concerned, but item 3 may become a little more. I’ve found Stala to be a very dependable go-to guy and as long as the ball is near him, he usually makes the reception.
I don't think Stala had a catch in the last game did he?, I can't remember from the top of my head. For mikem: that is why I asked, I only see what they show on tv so whether or not he is covered I don't know but those who attend the games would be able to tell me.
1 reception for 25 yards:
http://ticats.ca/statistics/statsGame/id/106492 games played.....3 catches.....58 yards.....19.3 yard avg......25 yds....longest reception.
The great thing about Stala is that no matter how many catches he has, he always seems to have a decent average per catch. A 19.3 average is very respectable.
Honestly ... I was disappointed in his performance last week. Yes, he had 1 catch for 25 yards, but he was also offside which negated a long reception to/by Ellingson early in the game.
I'll be upfront & transparent, I'm not much of a "Stala" guy which should not come as a surprise to many around here.
When people ask "Why aren't they throwing to Stala" my answer usually invokes Occam's Razor ... the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be selected. In other words, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.
With that said ... I think the reason why Stala isn't getting thrown to more often is because he's not open. Why he's not open or getting open, I'll let you decide. But before you do, remember Occam's Razor!
15.6 in 2012
13.1 in 2011
11.9 in 2010
11.2 in 2009
He didn’t have a enough catches in 2008 to make the stats page.
19.3 is an outlier … an anomaly … Dave is a 12 to 13 yards per reception guy … and he has to have receivers better than him around him to draw coverage for his average to go up. 2009 … all by himself. '10 & '11 he had AB3. 2012 he had CW & Fantuz.
The better the receivers around him, the better he is … I think there’s some sayings about that … coat-tails???
Stala is valuable for many reasons – experience, sure hands, route running, leadership…all factors that can’t be underestimated with a young team.
I don’t know if they keep official stats in terms of 2nd down conversions, but it’s my recollection that I have heard his name a lot in this regard over the last couple of seasons…
The better the receivers around him, the better he is ... I think there's some sayings about that ... coat-tails???Well....that can be said about every player -- every position -- its a team game. The better the pass rush, the better the coverage...the better the blocking...the better the running...and passing...the better the QB...etc...etc....
When talking about the various top receivers Dave has played with, you can’t dismiss that he’s the one constant…he makes them better too!