The question was asked nearly every week and even the coaches appeared puzzled, searching for answers themselves. Pierre Garcon was not getting as many chances as he had the previous season, and the coaches would vow to get him more.
But it didn’t always work out. Now, in the offseason, Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said they hope they can get more than 68 catches out of him next season. He also knows that other factors -- players in particular -- helped cut Garcon’s catches by 45 from the previous season.
DeSean Jackson no doubt cut into Garcon’s numbers. In 2013, the Redskins had no other starter with more than 45 receptions. They had three this season, with Jackson catching 56 and Jordan Reed grabbing 50. But Garcon is someone who can help, and though 113 catches for him is not healthy for this offense, he can do better than 68.
Last year was not ideal with three quarterbacks starting at least three games.
"I think we can get his numbers back up a little bit," Gruden said. "We missed him. With three quarterbacks playing, there was never any ideal situation, and that hurt all the receivers. Moving forward we get some stability at the quarterback position, you’ll see all the numbers go up for all the receivers hopefully. A lot of people would rather just hand it off, but I think, we need to spread it out and be diverse in what we do and get these guys these touches. These guys work extremely hard. For us not to give them opportunities to make plays down the field is silly."
They can figure out ways to get Garcon the ball to help the offense, especially on third downs. That is where his biggest drop in production occurred.
Last season, he was targeted just 15 times and caught five passes on third down. That’s the same number as in 2012 when he played in only nine games and was not healthy for most of them. In 2014, he was targeted 51 times on third down and caught 32, with 24 resulting in a first down.
The issue didn’t just stem from having more third-and-10-plus situations (only two more in 2014 than in '13). Rather, it was how he was used. In 2013, he caught 22 of 30 passes thrown his way on third-and-7 or less and converted 14 into first downs. Last season, he was thrown to only nine times in such situations with four catches and one first down. The Redskins often used Reed, throwing short to him and hoping he could run for a first down. It rarely worked.
Reed received more chances on third down -- as a good pass-catching tight end, that’s no surprise. But it was the air distance that was telling: In 2013, the average yards traveled on third-down throws to him was 7.59 yards. Consequently, of his 14 third-down receptions, 13 resulted in first downs. But, last season, the average air distance was 2.85 yards and he converted just eight of 18 grabs into first downs. Though Reed runs well, Garcon is better after the catch at making defenders miss on short throws -- it’s why he does well on screens. If I want a player to gain a couple yards after the catch, I’ll take my chances with Garcon.
In situations where it was third-and-seven or less, Garcon has averaged 4.74 yards after the catch and 1.32 yards after contact in his Redskins career. Reed, meanwhile, is at 3.74 and 0.89, respectively.
Andre Roberts also had more opportunities than Garcon on third downs. But he at least turned 15 of his 17 receptions into first downs (he was targeted 32 times). And 14 of those first downs occurred on third downs needing seven yards or less.
Ideally, Garcon will be in the 70-80 catch range. If the Redskins are successful this season, it will be their run game that powers them. They are not a team that should drop back more than 30 times a game. However, they do have two good starting receivers and a third who is capable of 40 receptions, plus Reed who deserves his share of targets, too.
The passing game isn’t about just adding to Garcon’s numbers. But he is someone who can help. Even in the screen game, his numbers went from 15 targets behind the line of scrimmage in 2013 to seven a year ago. In ’13, he averaged 10.14 yards after the catch on such plays (but it dropped to 5.83 last season). The Redskins know they need to get him the ball a little more -- just like they know Jackson could and should get more catches, too. It's all about winning and making plays. Garcon helped them do both a couple years ago. He can do it again this season.
