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Looking at the units on both sides of the ball, and defining "upside" as:
1. everyone has a good year (as defined by their past)
2. no significant injuries, and speedy recovery from last year's
3. the young players (2nd and 3rd years) have a reasonable jump in performance from last year
4. high potential rookies make a contribution
Then our WR and DB could be as good as we've ever had.
Discuss.
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You can't top the WR corp from 2007. Besides having loads of talent, they really came out and took everyone by surprise.
The way I look at this team is the same as last year without the bad apples. If you subtract the 4th quarter meltdowns from last year you will have the team this year.
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The way I look at this team is the same as last year without the bad apples. If you subtract the 4th quarter meltdowns from last year you will have the team this year.
I think you're being a little conservative.
- We had a big rookie class last year, they should be better this year as they aren't rookies any more.
- Although Gronk is a rookie, the combination of Crump and Gronk has to be better than the Watson/Baker pairing, especially blocking.
- Holt has to be an upgrade over Aiken. And in the unlikely event Holt is done, we have good options like Tate, Edelman (when Welker returns) and Price, one of which, again, has to be better than Aiken.
- Although you can't count on rookies we look like we have an exceptional class and with 4 of those picks in the first two rounds we just have more chances at a good contributor than most teams do.
The fly in the ointment, of course, is when and how well Welker returns.
- We had a big rookie class last year, they should be better this year as they aren't rookies any more.
- Although Gronk is a rookie, the combination of Crump and Gronk has to be better than the Watson/Baker pairing, especially blocking.
- Holt has to be an upgrade over Aiken. And in the unlikely event Holt is done, we have good options like Tate, Edelman (when Welker returns) and Price, one of which, again, has to be better than Aiken.
- Although you can't count on rookies we look like we have an exceptional class and with 4 of those picks in the first two rounds we just have more chances at a good contributor than most teams do.
The fly in the ointment, of course, is when and how well Welker returns.
Don't forget Hernandez. I believe he'll make an impact in the receiving game quicker than Price or Tate.
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Rex Ryan yesterday called Patriots quarterback Tom Brady "a smart guy" for praising the Jets and saying the AFC East won't be a walkover for New England this season.
"We have only one goal and that's to win the Super Bowl," Ryan told 1050 ESPN Radio. "And that's what we plan on doing this year."
Don't forget Hernandez. I believe he'll make an impact in the receiving game quicker than Price or Tate.
He could well - and I truly think he'd be an upgrade over Aiken as a WR if it came to that. More likely, though, Holt will do fine and Hernandez will be a lesser role player IMO. I expect Crump and Gronk to be a brutal (in a good way) combination in some matchups - READ : WEEK 2 VS. The Jets.
All of a sudden it looks like we're back to tons of interesting options. Last year our #3 WR couldn't play and all our TE were mediocre. Now we have a real #3 WR, three young developmental ones (Edelman, Price, Tate), two classic TE and one move TE who could easily be a Dallas Clark type.
I know, cut out the exuberance over all these new unproven guys; but these are actual, real talents unlike the likes of Aiken and Baker. Tate is the interesting guy, everyone with the Pats who is asked mentions how much they like him.
I'm expecting to see Hernandez a good amount Week 1 vs. the Bengals, btw, then for the offense to morph to two huge blocking TE Week 2; the best way to stop the Jets pass rush will be to put Crump and Gronk in there to gash the defense vs. the run and also provide extra OL when pass blocking.
Looking at the upsides
Linear Mode
