[img_r]http://media.jsonline.com/images/ap-browns-packers-football%284%29.jpg[/img_r]In the West Coast offense, the slot receiver position is exalted, reserved only for wide receivers with the finest route-running ability, keenest hand-eye coordination and unquestioned courage.
Since Mike Holmgren brought the offense to the Green Bay Packers in 1992, the list of receivers who have claimed the territory can be counted on one hand:
Sterling Sharpe. Robert Brooks. Antonio Freeman. Donald Driver.
The position still has the 35-year-old Driver's influence all over it in 2010, but the exclusivity he once enjoyed no longer exists. Gradually, and with almost no fanfare, the spot is being opened up for others.
The Packers' top four receivers - Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson - all possess skills coach Mike McCarthy would like to use as quarterback Aaron Rodgers becomes an accomplished practitioner of the West Coast offense. Throw in Jermichael Finley, a wide receiver in tight end's clothing, and the options are multiplied.
"It's not like one guy has one position anymore," Driver said. "They're starting to spread us around, give us all opportunity to get open. I've always played the slot. You've only got so many routes out of the slot, so guys (opponents) are like, 'OK, Driver's in the slot, this is what they're running.'
"Now they're saying, 'Drive, we want you to stay outside and catch balls out there and then move you to the slot and we'll switch you with Greg.' Then Jermichael goes wide, and I take his spot. There are a lot of options."
In a three-receiver formation, the slot is the inside position on the two-receiver side. The reason it is such a valuable spot is that it's usually a flanker position, which means the receiver gets to line up off the line of scrimmage and avoid bump coverage. He also can be put in motion and moved to any part of the field.
Unlike an outside receiver, the slot has the entire field with which to work; he isn't confined by the boundary. He can see blitzes as they're happening and run to the open spot, sometimes with no one around him.
It also is a dangerous position. Coaches like to have big, physical receivers like Sharpe and Freeman there because it often requires running up the middle of the field where the safeties are likely to converge as the ball is thrown.
Driver has done a remarkable job in the slot, but the time has come to spread things around.
"The ability to put guys in some different spots without making it a whole, new offense might give you an advantage," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said. "They (the defense) might have a check (audible) where if '80' is in the slot we're going to play this, if it's '88' we're going to play that.
"The hope is that you can catch them in the right situation based on how you line up."
Perhaps the most eager individual to play the slot is Finley, who estimated that of the times he lined up as a receiver last year, only 25% of the time it was in the slot. If a defense is expecting Driver in the slot and out comes the 6-foot-5, 247-pound Finley, it has to decide how it wants to cover him.
The easiest thing would be to put the cornerbacks on Driver and Jennings and a safety on Finley. That's a match-up the Packers would take any day of the week.
"You're not out there with those quick corners," Finley said. "That's what I want. That's where you get the balls at, the slot. A-Rod loves that."
The maturity of the 208-pound Jones and 217-pound Nelson has a lot to do with the expansion of slot personnel. In practice and the first exhibition game, Nelson, in particular, has shown an ability to play big while in the slot.
His long arms allow him to reach passes others can't, and his downfield speed makes the safeties respect him. Jones has a big, powerful body and strong hands, which he can use in close quarters.
Nelson showed in the intrasquad scrimmage two weeks ago that he can split the safeties, catch the ball in traffic and take a hit. During the exhibition opener, he received a number of snaps in the slot with Driver on the outside.
"Jordy has nice size for attacking the middle for a wide receiver," Philbin said. "He's a big target, and he runs really good routes. I think the quarterback has confidence he'll be in the right spot, so he can throw the ball with a little anticipation.
"We're pleased with both those guys. We like their development."
Driver has not taken the diversification personally. The one disadvantage he has faced is that when the Packers come out in a three-receiver set, everyone knows where he'll be. That makes it easier to double cover him.
If he's suddenly outside and Jennings is the inside guy, Driver might not get the same attention. Or Jennings could wind up being the guy with the one-on-one.
"We want to get out of that stationary position," Jennings said. "It's like once we break the huddle, they know I'm going left, Donald's going right. . . . So, we want to be able to just go. There definitely will be a lot more flexibility.
"We can definitely force their hand. But if you're coming out with the same formations and guys in the same positions, you're kind of limited."
How much McCarthy spreads the personnel around will depend on match-ups, the performance of the other receivers and the comfort of Rodgers. The only thing that is certain is that Driver will be doing some job sharing this season.