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In the Starting Line-up
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,535
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Think About NE's Offense
Dante Stallworth: A WR who's almost gone over 1,000 just two seasons ago, is a good route runner, very good at stretching the field, and has decent/good size (6'0" 196lbs). His yardage totals are better than Deion's, as are his TD totals. His speed is elite, and he's run sub 4.2 - 40's. He's also supposed to be good at learning new playbooks. One thing that makes him so dangerous is how smoothly he runs. He is able to make DB's think he isn't going full speed, and in an instant he's blowing by them and twenty yards down field. Hopefully those hammy problems will not dog him in NE. With those hammy problems he hasn't missed anymore time than Deion Branch, which may surprise some of you.
Randy Moss: Gone over 1,000 yards multiple times, and has always been a dangerous redzone threat with outstanding leaping ability. Outstanding size (6'4" 210lbs), very good at stretching the field, actually catches the ball when he goes deep and rarely ever gets beat when going for a jump ball. Good on sideline throws, slants, quick hitters, and he's also good at suckering DB's. He can make you think he's going slow, and will go slow, then he blows by you with his deceptive speed. His TD totals are right up there with the best to ever play the game. Runs a 4.29 - 40.
Wes Welker: Slot WR who doesn't have elite top end speed, but he's very elusive, a good route runner, has very good hands, and is hard to cover. NE had to double team him last year because one DB couldn't cover him. within 10-20 yards he is one of the hardest WR's to cover in the NFL. Also a good return man so he adds to the offense by giving them good field position. A lot of his receptions are first downs.
Chad Jackson: Young WR with promise who's coming off injury. He has good speed, size (6'1" 215lbs), hands, route running ability, and he's also good working out of the slot. If he comes back from the injury at full speed he'll be dagnerous, especially with all the talent around him. He's also good as a returner. I really hope he lives up to my expectations, because coming out last year I thought he was the best WR in the entire draft.
Kelley Washington: Big strong receiver (6'3" 216lbs) with loads of talent and ability. He's quick, has good change of direction, body control, agility, and upper body strength, good hands, long arms, good vertical threat, uses his body well to shield defenders, good jumping ability, redzone target, good second gear, good route runner with burst. He has all the above, but he needs to be more consistant, concentrate, and play up to his potential. He sat behind two very good WR's in Cincy and had some injuries, so we don't really know how good he could be. He has all the potential in the world, he just needs to cash in on it.
Reche Caldwell: Can be a good possession receiver. Whatever you want to say about his dropped pass, Caldwell was proving to be a pretty decent WR over the second half of the season and during most of the playoffs.
Jabar Gaffney: didn't come on until late, but he was very good in the playoffs. I liked Gaffney when he came to NE, but I didn't expect him to put those kind of numbers up in the playoffs. Just knowing that he turns it up in January is good enough reason to keep him around.
Troy Brown: NE should have this aging WR who is still effective. He's not your number one receiver anymore, but Troy can certainly still make the tough catch, and keep your drive going. It's also nice to have his leadership in the WR corp.
Ben Watson: TE who has flashed the ability to be a very good pass catcher, but he's also been inconsistant. Watson had 49 catches in '06, and averaged 13.1 yards per catch, which are pretty good numbers for a TE. Part of the problem last year was that Watson was the number one receiver, and attracted double teams. This year Watson will have an overall better group of receivers surrounding him, so he likely will be going one-on-one against LB's.
Dave Thomas: Very good prospect at TE. When NE drafted him I liked it because I think he could develop into a very good pass catching TE. Now that he's coming off injuy we'll have to see how long it takes for him to heal, but if he can get back to full strength he'll be effective. While he's not the same type of physical specimen, Thomas does seem to be more consistant than Watson. If Thomas was on a number of teams in the NFL he'd be starting, and I actually think he could challenge Watson for the starting job within the next year.
Kyle Brady: Old, but still a very good blocking TE. He'll be good for the running game.
Tom Brady: One of the leagues best QB's, and he's done it with average talent surrounding him. Last year Brady went over 3,500 yards passing with Watson, Caldwell, Gaffney, Gabrial, and Brown as his receivers. You're arent going to find many QB's with better intangibles/leadership than Brady.
Laurence Maroney: RB with great vision, balance, toughness, an awsome second gear, and a good straight arm. Maroney had some very good games early in the season, but his effectiveness dropped after he racked up a few injuries. Really, at the end of the year the entire running game should have been more effective, so it wasn't just Maroney. Maroney went up against a lot of 8 men fronts, and defenses designed to stop NE's running game, which had been top 5 in the league for over half the season. This year NE has added WR's to the corp who will stretch the field, and demand double coverage, so teams will not be able to just focus on stoppin Maroney. If NE could just develop his pass catching ability....
Sammy Morris: Good backup RB who actually went for 120+ yards against NE last season. He has good size (6'0" 220lbs), and he can at times be a powerful runner. Morris has versatility, being able to line up at FB, RB, and as a slot WR. good special teamer, good pad level, good vision and burst through the hole, breaks arm tackles, god ball skills, will find the holes in zone coverage, reliable receiver who is good at catching on the run, willing blocker, runs hard between the tackles, not very elusive in the open field, and can lack the speed needed to turn the corner. Morris averaged 4.3 ypc. last season, and cought 21 passes. He'll be a good addition to the roster.
Kevin Faulk: Aging but still effective as a 3rd down back. Very good receiving skills, makes the diving catch, and always gives maximum effort.
Justise Hairston is an interesting prospect with good size(6'2" 222lbs), and we'll see how effective he is.
The o-line is mostly young and developing, and I think they'll be coming into their own this season. At times the line was dominant in '06, but in other games the line wasn't so hot. If they can stay healthy this seasoon the O-Line should be very good.
If they can keep this offense at least somewhat healthy it should be sick.
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Last edited by sebman2112; 04-30-2007 at 10:08 AM..
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