They were sitting on the underneath routes and the running game. My main point is that teams can't do that if you have a Desean Jackson type on the field that can turn one bad read into getting two yards behind the DB for a quick touchdown. Jackson basically runs three routes but he has been in the NFL for 11 seasons with 53 TDs.
My point is the "take the top off the defense" type of WRs. Amari Cooper is that type of threat and both Gallup and Cobb are guys that are not, but can still get deep. Last year Hurns clearly was not and the other guys like Deonte Thompson and Brice Butler could - but they were one dimensional players that defenses didn't have to account for. Beasley could't get deep with a rental car and a week to do it.
My point is that you could see 4 WR sets where you have 2 - 4 guys with that kind of deep speed. Amari lined up with Tavon Austin and a third guy like Reggie Davis or Jon'Vea Johnson and its a safety's nightmare.
I agree about Jackson.
I don't agree about Thompson and Butler. You've got to account for guys that fast and that big. They can run by you, and have decent enough talent that you can't just give up the short stuff on them either.
You can and should send Beasley deep, but you have to hit him early after his break upfield. He'll probably give you separation on that break, but the CB will close and have the size advantage on him. You get a window of opportunity, but it's not that large.
Interesting point about putting 2-4 guys with speed. That's what you do when you look at the other team's defense, and note that they just don't have enough players with speed in their secondary to cover that many WRs with speed. Maybe with Moore we'll actually try to exploit personnel advantages like that more often. That's the kind of thing we just have done forever.
But you don't have to go numbers. Just two WRs with speed make a problem for a single high safety. He has to pick which side to give help to, because unless he's a real star, he can't cover both sidelines. That's why I'd tilt toward more speed than Gallup opposite Cooper. Every team will shade that safety over to Cooper. That leaves our #2 with an opportunity to beat them deep. Our #2 should be a good fit for that.