NE39

Why was this guy not on someone's roster?

I'm not trying to make it sound like Jabar Gaffney is a superstar by any means, but looking around the NFL he is more talented than people give him credit for. He has good size and while not a burner he has decent speed and quickness for his size. He is supposed to be a fairly polished route runner and isn't afraid to make catches in traffic.

Here is a kid who had a terrific college career, averaging 6 catches and over 100 yards receiving a game. He came out early and was a fairly high pick by the Texans. He hasn't lit the world on fire as a Pro, but 171 catches over 4 years is pretty good production for a guy who wasn't the main target on a team that struggled to pass the ball (they couldn't keep David Carr upright).

Yet, this guy was cut by Philadelphia in camp and didn't get a sniff from another team until the Pats decided to work him out and sign him? Something doesn't compute there.

Granted, lack of ST ability might be one strike against him and could be part of the answer, I'm not sure how he does in that area. However, this guy is more talented and a more accomplished WR than you would think might be on the street in October. If he had been injured I might understand, but he was healthy.

I'm wondering if a lack of maturity might be a problem. By all accounts, Gaffney appears to be putting in the work since the Pats signed him, with both Belichick and Brady mentioning he is fitting in well. However, when he was drafted there were questions about his character.

In December 1999 he was arrested for stealing some cash and a gold watch. Spurrier kicked him off the team and he lost his scholarship. After begging Spurrier for a second chance, he was allowed back on the team as a walk-on and responded by working his way back into good graces and having a big Freshman season.

There were other issues. After a catching a TD against Tennessee, Gaffney grabbed his crotch and performed a throat slashing gesture to celebrate and earned a game suspension. He was part of the Miami/Florida Bourbon Street brawl prior to the Sugar Bowl. He also got in trouble for roughing up a 15-year old kid that tried to steal his motor scooter.

So, what do we have with this kid? It wouldn't surprise me if he does pretty well in the passing game and is productive, because he has some ability. However, he doesn't strike me as the normal kind of guy on the Patriot's roster.

Did the Patriots get a decent player who is finally maturing as he gets older, or is he just another piece of crap waiting to be flushed?

T-ShirtDynasty

I'll go with CWFS. That would be Crap Waiting to be Flushed Syndrome. At least until he proves me wrong. But then, I'll just ignore that and pretend I was right all along.

Honestly, I dunno, but am curious to see him on the field.

Bertil

The guy in your sig fell into this category about the same time last year. Let's hope Gaffney takes his cue from Artrell and makes the most of it.

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Brownfan80

Just think of him as the 5th wideout and you'll probably feel better.

Is he better than Bethel or Childress in that role? I don't know, but I guess the Pats FO thinks so.

cstjohn17

I am confident that he will be allow them to run more 3 & 4 WR sets because he has experience in the slot. Using a formation of 2 TEs with 2 WRs without a serious deep threat is allowing teams to play close to the line which hurts the running game and compresses the space to complete throws. I don't think they are comfortable using a 2 WR set with Jackson. Using more 3s and 4s should get him on the field more, hopefully Jackson can take advantage of the situation and atatck the deep part of the field.

NE39

I disagree. I think he might take playing time away from Caldwell, because I think he is a more accomplished WR and a better compliment to Gabriel.

If he was brought in to be a 5th WR, he would have to be more of a ST contributor. He was brought in to help at WR, IMO.

However, I'm wondering why he was available. I'm wondering if he is a moron.

Brownfan80

Interesting observation about the ST role vs WR role... I'm doubtful that he's taking reps from Caldwell though as he has been the player that it's appeared (from watching on TV) that has gotten the most reps besides Brown.

It'll be interesting to see if it is a true rotation system or if some sort of actual depth chart comes out of the scrum. It'd be nice if some site tracked the number of reps for each player in a game. I'd love to see which WRs play how many reps after the Bills game.

Who knows if Gaffney will even be active for this game though... He hasn't been here for very long at all, and it took a while for Gabriel and Jackson to get worked in on limited experience.. Interesting weekend for WR watchers.

BradyManny

His stats are basically the same as David Givens. Take that for what it's worth, if anything.

Flying Fungi

have some background:

http://www.houstonprofootball.com/scout/scout55.html

dated material, but nonetheless...

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mgteich

No one knows now what the WR lineup will be for the playoffs, or how the wr reps will be distributed, or even the realtive importance of wr receptions compared to those by TE's and RB's.

What I do now is that we have passed on Porter and Moss (presuming these players were really available), as have 30 other teams.

We have seven receivers who potentially could be part of the playoff mix, five on the roster and two on the Practice Squad.

With regard to Gaffney, I expect him to be inactive for a couple of weeks at least. We have four healthy wide receivers. There is no reason for five to be on the active roster.

Gaffney could be fine pickup. More importantly, the trade for Gabriel and the signing of Gaffney show (as we all know) that pioli is doing all he can every day to improve the team. We could have gone with Caldwell, Brown, Jackson and Childress, with Kight as a possible 5th, to be activated if needed. Many here were satisfied with this group. Pioli thought differently and acquired Gabriel and Gaffney. Gaffney could be a starter by playoff time, or he could be long gone. Personally, I think his health is big question mark. He CAN play.