Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save It all starts with the speed. Even to the initiated, the speed is surprising. Take Derek Carr last week.
In the second quarter of the New Orleans Saints' 44-19 win against the Dallas Cowboys, Carr took the snap and turned his back to the defense for a play-action fake. By the time Carr snapped his head around, Rashid Shaheed was already putting pressure on the Cowboys secondary. Under normal situations, Carr probably should not have thrown that ball.
When he saw the coverage, Carr noticed the two safeties deep, the way Shaheed was technically double-teamed based on the defense’s alignment and figured he’d have to go for Chris Olave running a deep crossing route. Still, Carr threw. Because the speed is different, and it changes what the normal circumstances are.
“I was like, holy crap, he’s out-running them ,” Carr said. Shaheed hauled it in behind everyone in the Cowboys defense for a 70-yard lightning strike that gave the Saints a 14-3 lead. The speed is what makes the throw possible, but it’s everything else that makes it so dangerous.
Since breaking into the NFL in 2022, Shaheed has quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s premier vertical threats. In that span, Only Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill has more receptions of 40 or more yards (17) than Shaheed (13). His 70-yard touchdown was his sixth score of 40-plus yards.
Again, only second to Hill. Opposing teams must account for his abili.