Chansi Stuckey studied hard to find the correct route to success as a receiver

NY Jets' Chansi Stuckey studied hard to find the correct route to success as a receiver
By Manish Mehta/The Star-Ledger
September 24, 2009, 7:55PM


When class was in session, Terance Mathis hid the footballs, staring at every hip, head, shoulder and elbow movement of his prized pupil on the empty high school field in Duluth, Ga.

For two months this offseason, the former Pro Bowl wide receiver dissected the kid?s patterns, exposed flaws and offered wisdom.

The education of Chansi Stuckey came with a heavy dose of gridiron science.

Mathis corrected Stuckey?s technical glitches to help him diversify his route-running portfolio and emerge as the Jets? No. 2 receiver this season.

?I don?t think I?d be where I?m at without his help,? Stuckey said. ?I don?t really think I?ve tapped into all my potential. I?m still learning. I?m just really happy where I?m going.?

It didn?t take long for Mathis to set Stuckey on the right path. When the Jets parted ways with Laveranues Coles in February, Stuckey realized his chance to become more than simply a third-down receiver.

?He came to the gym excited,? said Mathis, a former Jet who became a star with the Atlanta Falcons, from his Elite 1 Performance headquarters in Georgia. ?He knew he had to take his training to a different level. He knew he could be a starter right then and there.?

So, the teacher spent countless hours deconstructing Stuckey?s route-running. Mathis quickly discovered Stuckey was running all of his patterns with short strides. His head and shoulders were too high. His exaggerated arm swings were tipping off his routes too.

Stuckey?s long arm extension became an obvious tell for defensive backs, who could spot stops or changes of direction much easier. The subtle flaws were barriers, Mathis said.

If Stuckey was going to win the team?s No. 2 wide receiver competition in training camp, Mathis knew his student needed to lengthen his strides whenever he lined up wide.

Stuckey?s short stride length served him well in the slot because of the nature of the routes. Shorter strides made it easier for him to gather and re-direct himself to get to the desired spot on the field after getting bumped off course. Longer strides in the slot made no sense.

Playing outside the numbers, however, called for the opposite approach. Stuckey?s short strides didn?t threaten defensive backs. He needed to lengthen his strides to put pressure on cornerbacks by forcing them to back pedal and open their hips faster in response to any sudden change of direction.

?He ran routes on the outside like he ran routes on the inside,? Mathis said. ?When he went outside the numbers, we changed everything about the way he ran routes.?

In many ways, Stuckey was learning a new position.

In the slot, he relied on his short-area quickness, running option routes in tight quarters by beating defenders man-to-man across the formation on shallow crosses or finding a soft spot in a zone.

On the outside, he needed to be technically sound on things like garden-variety curl routes. In training camp, wide receivers coach Henry Elllard worked with Stuckey to trust his skills to get the proper depth on his routes.

?He stepped out of his comfort zone,? Ellard said. ?It was a new environment for him. So he just needed to build confidence.?

Stuckey responded by beating out Brad Smith and David Clowney for the No. 2 WR spot opposite Jerricho Cotchery, picking up nuances of playing wide every day.

?Catching the ball is easy,? Stuckey said. ?It?s all about understanding where you need to be and how you?re going to get there.?

At Clemson, Stuckey was a quick study transitioning from backup quarterback to receiver as a sophomore. He earned back-to-back All-ACC honors at a position he had never played before. When pro scouts questioned Stuckey?s measurables ? 6-0, 196 pounds without blazing speed ? his coaches laughed.

?Everybody would say that he?s not very big or he doesn?t have sprinter speed,? said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, who coaxed Stuckey into the position switch. ?I would always tell them that this kid has dominated every opponent he?s faced. He was money.?

After slipping to the seventh round of the 2007 draft, Stuckey landed on injured reserve with a foot injury as a rookie. He had 32 catches for 359 yards and three TDs in the slot last season.

Stuckey dismissed whispers throughout training camp and preseason that the Jets were in the market for a premier receiver to bolster their anonymous pass-catching corps.

?They probably bring in guys every year that they think are going to beat him out,? Swinney said with a laugh. ?At the end of the day, he?s the guy emerging.?

Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has targeted Stuckey a team-high 15 times in the slot and out wide through the first two games. The third-year pro, who caught Sanchez?s first career TD pass in the season opener, has 8 catches for 101 yards.

Every practice, Stuckey adheres to Mathis? core rule: Make the first three steps of every route from any position on the field appear the same to grab the upper hand on defenders.

So, he?s eliminated the choppy movements that might tip off a Slant route or the exaggerated strides that might indicate a Go route.

Even though Cotchery insists Stuckey ?is open all the time,? the third-year pro is still fighting the perception he?s only a slot receiver.

?You never want to be labeled as one-dimensional,? Mathis said. ?When he?s outside, he?s going to catch 6-8 balls for 100 yards and two touchdowns. And people are going to say, ?Wow! He can play out there!? When there needs to be a play made on third down, he?s going to be able to move inside and be just as productive. That?s what?s going to happen.?