If you haven't been to training camp, you were able to get your first look at rookie wide receiver, Kayshon Boutte, Thursday night in the preseason opener. Boutte had flashed almost daily in the second week of training camp, showing good body control and nice, soft hands. In his first NFL game action, what did it look like? I'm here for you. Breaking down every snap.
First series
1st & 10 (+24) - Run.
2nd & 10 (+24) - go route. Never a threat
3rd & 4 (+18) - Sack (not in)
2nd series
1st & 10 (12) - Stalk block. Middle screen. Fine
2 & 7 (15) - Stalk block on Harris run.
3 & 8 (14) - vs cover 2. Topside corner is 8 yards off. Runs a dig/deep-in. Slips coming out of his break. Tyquan Thornton catches 27 yarder on opposite sideline.
1 & 10 ( 41) - Top side out of wide slot. Doesn’t do a good job with his rub/pick on slot corner. Still goes 9 yards to that receiver, Tre Nixon.
2 & 1 (50) - Run. Tight alignment. Gets beat by corner Derek Stingley, who helps stuff Harris after 2-yard run.
1 & 10 (+48) Gets man-to-man coverage topside. Gets a step on Stingley, who then falls about 20 yards into the route. He’s the last of Bailey Zappe’s reads so by the time this happens, Zappe is already running for his life. Pass incomplete to opposite side.
2 & 10 (+48) Not in on WR screen
3 & 10 (+48) Penalty (not on him).
3 & 15 (47) screen to Taylor. Boutte runs DB off.
3rd series
1st & 10 (17) - Run.
2 & 7 (20) - WR screen to Nixon, the slot on his side. Boutte is flagged for a hold of #30. The flag gets picked up. It shouldn’t have.
3 & 2 (25) - Trips left. He’s aligned tight right. Drives at the inside shoulder of Ka'dar Hollman. Bad job on swing pass to Pierre Strong. Needs to act as the screener/pick man to give Strong more space. Should be a correctable error.
4th series
1st & 10 (49) - Rare appearance in the slot. Quick throw to Thornton in right flat. Boutte was lined up on left side. Crosser where it looks like he’s trying to find a space between the CB and LB. Not going to win awards for the route.
2 & 6 (+46) - Slot again. Can’t pick off corner on run play. Moves to safety. Gets his head jammed back.
3 & 8 (+48) - Press coverage. Inside release. Bends his route at about 14 yards. Has a step on corner, Hollman, but there is a linebacker lurking underneath. Ball goes elsewhere. INC
5th series
1st & 10 (9) - Run
2nd & 9 (10) - vs tight coverage. Decent release but doesn’t fool Hollman. Quick interior route. Zappe gets ball out quick to opposite side.
3rd & 5 (14) - Man coverage. Up in his face. He and Malik Cunningham run their routes into each other as Boutte takes an inside release and Cunningham takes an outside release. Zappe wanted to go this direction. Instead, he is sacked. Those two wideouts get an assist.
6th series
1st & 10 (27) - Tight set. Give up run to end the half
7th series/2nd half
1st & 10 (31) - Wide slot right. He’s the outside receiver. Runs a dig. Zappe quick to the slot on that side, Nixon, for 9 yards. Right read by Zappe. Boutte was running into a pair of defenders.
2nd & 1 (40) - Tight alignment. Run opposite side but does nice job getting into his cornerback, Hollman. Can’t sustain block but it’s a 7 yard gain
1st & 10 (47) - Run.
2nd & 10 (47) - Stack left. Quick screen to him. There’s nothing really there, other than what he gets. 3 yards.
3rd & 6 (50) - Stacked right. This time he’s on the line of scrimmage (last play, he was the 2nd receiver and lined up off the line). Runs a clear out. Zappe scrambled.
4th & 1 (44) - Run. Opposite side.
8th series
1st & 10 (25) - Run
2nd & 5 (30) - Outside receiver with slot to his side. Runs another rounded off route. Let’s call it a dig but not really. No sharpness to his cuts. Trace McSorley was looking frontside on this play but came back to Boutte’s side, however choosing to throw underneath. Incomplete.
3rd & 5 (30) - Single receiver on bottom side of formation with man in his face. Another clearcut route. McSorley sacked. Defensive holding called
1st & 10 (35) - Run. Decent job getting to the safety but then doesn’t sustain block.
2nd & 10 (35) - Bottom side receiver opposite trips. Motion to his side. Zone to his side. Decent shimmy vs the linebacker, who had to kick out with the motion (CB followed the motion). Doesn’t break hard enough to the sidelines but McSorley still puts it on him for a 4 yard gain.
3rd & 6 (39) - Lone receiver right side. Up against man. Runs a comeback that doesn’t lose the corner, Darius Phillips. McSorley flushed to that side and ends up running. Had an opportunity to bail his QB out. Didn’t.
BOTTOM LINE
Not great, Bob. Play speed didn't impress. Route running didn't impress. Not a disaster by any stretch, but the momentum Boutte had built during the week prior in training camp didn't continue on game night. Back to work this week, with a couple practices, the trip to Green Bay and the first of two sets of joint practices. Boutte needs to learn from the tape.