McMicheal had almost 800 yards in this piece of **** offense. In a real one he could be shooting for 1000 especially considering his #'s were better when Feeley was passing.
I don't necessarily agree with this argument. Tight Ends are like a safety mechanism for struggling quarterbacks. Randy had some great production this year, I would argue, because of the monkey @ss offense he was operating in. When you have a young or a struggling quarterback, and an offense that is willing, they're going to throw to the tight end a lot because having a reliable TE is like a warm blanket for these guys. Just because Linehan is opening things up, that does not mean McMichael will have 1000 yards.
But KB21 is also right, in that Linehan's system does call for a lot of underneath stuff to the tight end, which is opened up by the receivers running so long and deep.
Also, this is a contract year for McMichael. It is the last year of his contract, and he has not shown any willingness to hold out or make a big fuss over a new contract with one year left to go. In fact, he's saying all the right things, but it is my belief that he is doing so in order to get himself a BIG payday when he hits the free agent market. He wants to market himself as a team guy (who won't bytch about his contract one year before it expires, even though he is clearly underpaid, unlike many) and a vocal leader. Now, this year, he's going to want to market himself as a producer too.
Randy McMichael IS the type of player that would have a career year coincidentally in his contract year. That, and Linehan's system using the TE so much in the underneath stuff, should mean that McMichael will have a career year this year.
And all the better. Because, when his contract expires, Saban will slap the franchise tag on McMichael, trade him to a team for a high draft pick, and use that help to help our team in more needed areas. If Linehan has shown anything it is that he can get his offense at high octane with mutton chops at the tight end position. We have other areas where we need premium (especially draft=young=cheap) talent. That offensive tackle class of 2006 is looking awefully good.