Mike Groh’s Tuesday press conference was highlighted by questions about the Eagle receivers, who haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire in DeSean Jackson’s absence.

As a precursor, or a refresher of sorts, here’s what the Birds are doing in the pass catching game through six weeks of play:

Not amazing. You’ve got your tight end leading the pack with 366 yards (just 61 per game), then it’s a slot receiver, rookie running back, veteran possession guy, and injured speed burner. Mack Hollins and JJ Arcega-Whiteside have been non-factors, while Dallas Goedert’s numbers feel disappointing as well.

Groh was first asked a series of questions about JJAW, which went like this:

What’s kind of prevented WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from making more of an impact and getting on the field?(Reuben Frank)

MIKE GROH: We are excited about J.J. I think if you look at the circumstances, J.J. has been primarily playing our X receiver position, and with DeSean being out, DeSean being our Z, but also Alshon missing time, he has had to maintain his focus there. We’ve been cross training him at a couple different spots.

We have a lot of confidence in Mack and what Mack’s been able to do. I think you’ll continue to see both those guys in the mix.

Q. WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is learning those other positions, right? So, at what point would you feel comfortable playing him at one of them in a game?(Dave Zangaro)

MIKE GROH: We were cross training him at actually two different spots, but not necessarily that one and he’s been trying to catch up on that. I want to help you guys understand this. When Alshon is out and misses time, he’s the next guy in the game at that position. So in practice, he ends up having to practice primarily there.

When Alshon is here, that gives him the flexibility to be able to bounce around a little bit more as opposed to just everything being in the classroom. So learning a new position and getting no reps at it is tough as a rookie player.

Q. How much time would J.J. need to learn a new position before you guys would put him out there in a game? (Dave Zangaro)

MIKE GROH: We’ve put him in the game. He’s been in the game, but at his primary position, and like I said, we cross-trained him at a couple different spots. I don’t know what the time is. I can’t give you a time limit on it.

146 snaps this season for Arcega-Whiteside, but just 7 targets. That means he’s only being thrown to once per every 21 times that he hits the field (including called run plays). I understand the positional nuance and the cross-training idea, but bottom line is that the guy is a 2nd round draft pick and I’m looking at DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, and Diontae Johnson, who were selected after him, finding a role on their respective teams and already being productive.

As for Hollins, he’s had a few half-assed effort plays this season in both the blocking and receiving game. Groh was asked about him by Les Bowen:

Q. What’s going to make WR Mack Hollins a more productive part of your offense? What has to happen there? (Les Bowen)

MIKE GROH: I think Mack is executing what his job has been assigned. The ball just hasn’t found him. He had a couple targets the other day. One was an off schedule, really more of a throwaway.

And then there at the end of the half, had the go ball there in the corner of the end zone, which I’m sure Mack would stand up and say, ‘I would like to make that play.’ It’s a 50/50 ball. It’s a contested play. We know that those kinds of plays are made and that they change games. So, we haven’t lost any confidence in Mack, and we know that when the ball gets to him he’ll make a play.

I’m not so sure about that. When’s the last time Mack Hollins made a play for this team? I think I’d rather have Greg Ward on the squad, honestly. Hollins has played 61.8% of the offensive snaps this year (261 of 422) and has 10 receptions for 125 yards on 19 targets.

Another thing that came up was something we broke down in the Monday morning column, and that’s the idea of Alshon Jeffery running bubble and quick screens that are thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. I don’t have access to his full route tree on a per-game basis, but you saw the 4-5 lateral targets he had Sunday. We can split hairs over whether Carson Wentz is giving him enough downfield targets in general, but these schemes and game plans seem to be limiting those opportunities in general.

Via Domo:

Q. It seems like you’ve been using WR Alshon Jeffery more on short stuff like screens and quick hitters, a role that kind of WR Nelson Agholor seemed to do a lot of in the past. Anything behind that? Why are you using Alshon so much? (Paul Domowitch)

MIKE GROH: We like both those guys on them. Alshon is certainly a big body, big target, and hard to tackle once he gets going. And then Nelly, I think he had an eight or nine-yard catch on a receiver screen the other day, so we like both those guys on those plays. We just have to mix it up and keep balance there.

Yeah true, but when’s the last time Alshon got “going?” He’s not a fast player. He’s a 50/50 ball, contested catch-making possession receiver who gives you an intermediate vertical threat. That’s his strength and he’s done it very well during his time in Philly.

But he’s not your best YAC option. Last season, Alshon averaged 4.7 yards after the catch while Agholor averaged 6. This year, Jeffery is averaging 4.3 YAC. Even during the Super Bowl season this number was low, down to 3.9, which was worse than Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, Jack Doyle, and a bunch of bigger tight ends, who theoretically should be less mobile than a 6’3″, 215 pound possession receiver. Those guys get YAC off tackle-breaking, which Alshon is capable of doing, but certainly not at the level of a 6’4″, 240 pound tight end.

Agholor, for what it’s worth, had a 5.3 YAC number during the Super Bowl year, and you see his ability to catch and run on plays like this:

Feels like we’re experiencing what we went through last year, doesn’t it? Deep threat receiver goes down within the first two weeks, Eagles try to get by with Agholor trying to replicate that role, which isn’t his strength. Jeffery isn’t getting the targets or play calls he needs. Players are dropping passes and not coming down with 50/50 balls that other receivers on other teams are making.

They need DeSean Jackson badly, or at least a new approach to game planning.