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42. Tight end Alge Crumpler:It’ll be fascinating to see how the 6-foot-2 Crumpler — who is apparently “down” to 275 pounds — works with the rookie tight ends. My guess is that he’ll serve as the primary blocking tight end, at least early on. Crumpler is also supposed to be a high character guy, and it will also be interesting to see how his leadership skills play out in the locker room.
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I've only seen Hernandez play in college, but I'm confident this TE group will be the best in the BB era.
At least one preseason publication ranked them as the best TE trio in the AFC already.
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Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez continued to be shuffled around the field. On one play in 11-on-11 drills, he was lined up at fullback, and delivered a nice block that sprung Laurence Maroney for a big gain. On the following play, he was lined up just outside the slot and caught a pass in the flat that ended up going for a big gain.
40. Tight end Aaron Hernandez:The Florida product was moved around like a chess piece through spring practices — he spent almost as much time split out as he did lined up alongside a tackle. He had some usual rookie stumbles, but he spent a sizable chunk of time with first offense, and based on how he looked this spring, the 6-foot-1, 245-pounder could get the bulks of the reps with the first team offense this summer. As long as he (and for his part, Rob Gronkowski) can show he can get separation, it just might signal the return of the tight end as a regular part of the New England passing game. (That is, as long as he remembers what Christian Fauria told me about how to survive as a tight end in the New England offense: “The more plays you make, the more touches you’re going to see,” Fauria said. “The more plays you make, the more consistent you are, the more they will get you the ball. Are you a guy they can count on? They’ll figure it out quickly, and if you aren’t, they’ll get rid of you.”)
39. Tight end Rob Gronkowski:While Hernandez appeared to be more of a pass-catcher and Alge Crumpler was clearly imported for his blocking services, Gronkowski looks to be more of a hybrid, someone who can do a little of both. (That’s why I have him as the highest-rated tight end in camp.) At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, he’s a surprisingly big body — I believe fans will be shocked to see just how big he is when he sidles up to the rope line for autographs during training camp — and if he does flash good hands (like he did this spring) and put a spate of collegiate injuries behind him, he will contribute to the Patriots’ offense.
It seems that Aaron Hernandez was a major steal in the 4th round. I've heard a lot of good things about him, perhaps even more than I've heard of Gronkowski. Gronk is definitely the more versatile player with more potential as a blocker and pass receiver while Hernandez is primarily known for his skills as a receiver. I really think we have something here with our TE's.
Bruschi in his chat on ESPN last week said this about Hernandez:
Quote:
I'm hearing Aaron Hernandez is going to be special. He's a receiver in a TEs body. Let's see if Billy O'Brien uses him properly.
The bit about O'Brien jumped out at me; I posted a follow up but it was unanswered (I'm sure they get a ton of questions). So I'm curious what folks here make of this? Didn't exactly sound like a vote of confidence for O'Brien; but it also may be tempering expectations because of the way the Pats have used TEs (ie Watson) isn recent years.
Bruschi in his chat on ESPN last week said this about Hernandez:
The bit about O'Brien jumped out at me; I posted a follow up but it was unanswered (I'm sure they get a ton of questions). So I'm curious what folks here make of this? Didn't exactly sound like a vote of confidence for O'Brien; but it also may be tempering expectations because of the way the Pats have used TEs (ie Watson) isn recent years.
Sounds like a swipe. Bruschi's got to learn to say what is on his mind.
Maybe not. I don't see how many ways you can use a guy who lets 180 lb cornerbacks wrestle the ball from him in the end zone. Watson was incredibly soft, though talented.
The rookie tight end thinks he’s starting to have a good on-field connection and chemisty with Brady.
”I just come out here every day and try to get open,” Hernandez said. ”He’s such a great quarterback. If I’m open, he’ll find me.”
What has he learned from Brady?
”He just teaches me, along with the receivers like (Randy) Moss and T-Holt, teaches me little moves on routes, how to change stuff up,” said Hernandez, ”and it’s helped me a lot so far.”
Hernandez believes he’s been aided by having played in Florida’s system, which has similar concepts.
”It’s similar because it’s a spread offense,” he said. ”We have a lot of stuff that’s similar to Florida, but a lot of the stuff is also different, a lot of the language to it. If you study it, it all comes easy.”
Re: Tight Ends
Linear Mode
