It doesn’t look nearly as scary now if Wilson were to miss time. Badher and Duke are proven commodities. They might not be as good as Wilson but we won’t have to depend on guys that have never caught passes to be in the rotation. I still hope our young guys make an impact but we have other options.
I question that percentage. I would think with the Gator receiver's, it may be closer to 50/50. If last year was an indication, Mertz will do at least equivalent to 2023 in 2024, if not more. At this point, who knows what it will be. More than likely will depend on the OL--how well they run block vs pass block--and the WR's running good routes. Additionally, if the Gators have a lead vs playing from behind!
According to some sources I have read, Badger will make all the other receiver's better. The idea is that he is the most experienced WR on the Gator roster, and defenses will put their best cb on him and possibly double-team him. Thus, the rationale, other receiver's will be able to do more. Some are predicting defenses will target Badger, but won't be able to shut him down. Again, it's the experience factor. Personally, I will not be surprised if Wilson and Badger both reek havoc on defenses, and the other receiver's will be involved more. I believe this will be the idea of Badger coming in makes everyone else exponentially better! Incidentally, I think keeping defenses off-balance will make the Gator offense successful! I certainly hope the Gator offense is not predictable--run twice and pass once. Due to the opponents the Gators are playing, I am not expecting the Gators to dominate the line of scrimmage to run predominantly! What are your thoughts, Rick?
Badger can take short passes and turn them into big plays. Those WRs are valuable commodities and now we have 2. That will also help the OL as they won't have to pass block as long.
Defenses will actually be focused on Wilson, which is a freedom Badger has not experienced in awhile and should create some mismatches. When Badger creates some big numbers, then the defense may focus on Badger and then Willson and others will have the mismatches or the space they need.
Yes, and I hate the long, time-consuming, drives! Those eat-up the clock, but don't give enough cushion against opponents!