Ivan

The Saints may well have to franchise Brees. I don't really know their cap situation and would guess they will do all they can to keep Colston but sometimes that's out of a team's control, especially when they have to franchise their best player.

Deus Irae

Brees/Nicks/Colston

3 top guys, 1 franchise tag

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Ron Sellers

Our wide receivers were not on the field going head to head against their wide receivers, so in my opinion the comparison doesn't really mean all that much - without mentioning you're focusing strictly on only one game.

Based on your assessment, the better conclusion would be that what the Patriots need to do is upgrade their pass rush and upgrade their pass coverage.

When you look at it as 'pass catchers' rather than just wide receivers so that you're comparing apples to apples (i.e., a 3WR/1TE offense to a 2WR/2TE offense), the picture being painted is not nearly as bleak as it is being portrayed to be.

The way the WR situation is portrayed on this forum one would never guess that this team finished 4th in points scored, or passed for over 5000 yards.

RIpats88

Except that our offense has been far from elite in the playoffs in a long tome and that's where its mattered..we went far using the dink and dunk offense without a traditional Wr. But in theend against good defenses when teams can get physical and take out those short field guys we have no one to draw the safeties to the sidelines or deep.....if bb didn't think it was an issue he wouldn't have thrown 6million$ at ocho

Deus Irae

You're being unfair in trying to lump the tight ends into a discussion about the wide receivers as if they are all of a kind.

__________________
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

Ron Sellers

When you get into the playoffs you are playing the best of the best; it's not reasonable to assume your team will continue to play at the same level and win as easily as they did against lesser teams. If you play an elite team that is primarily strong on defense, the normal expectation would be that you will probably score fewer points. If you play an elite team that is primarily strong on offense, the normal expectation would be that you will probably allow more points.

If it was as simple as you are saying then all the Pats had to do was send somebody with some speed like Slater or Underwood on a go route every down, just to draw coverage away from everyone else. Also don't forget that deep pass plays take much longer to develop; you're exposing Brady to more hits, more chance for strip sacks, lower chances of completions and higher chances of interceptions.

As for Ochocinco, I never understood the move other than he was supposed to replace Branch in the same role. Ochocinco at this point in his career is not a speed burning deep threat either, and that was apparent a year ago in Cincinnati.

I think many see the addition of a fast receiver as some sort of magic pill that will guarantee a championship, and I just don't see it that way. In my opinion upgrading the pass coverage and upgrading the pass rush is much more important to winning - especially, as you noted, in the playoffs.

robbomango

I was looking at offensive receiving production the other day between NO, GB and posted these stats sided by side to get a better picture of the depth compared to NE.

It's petty amazing what TB accomplished given little backfield receiving production and no intermediate to deep threat. NO and GB have the full receiving package in spades in comparison.

with the 2TE 2WR set ideally that 2nd WR would be the intermediate to deep player, To Rons point.

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DaBruinz

Revisionist history at it's best.

Tom Brady, Matt Light, Stephen Neal, Mike Vrabel, Antowain Smith, Corey Dillon, Mike Compton, Joe Andruzzi, Anthony Pleasant, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Charles Johnson, Deion Branch, David Givens, Richard Seymour, Greg Robinson-Randall, Jarvis Green, Dan Koppen, Rodney Harrison.

Tom Ashworth, Russ Hochstein, Larry Izzo, Damon Huard, Matt Chatham, Bobby Hamilton, Patrick Pass, Grey Reugemer, Lonnie Paxton, Bryan Cox, Marc Edwards, Heath Evans, Roman Phifer, JR Redmond, Otis Smith, Christian Fauria, Larry Centers, Fred Baxter, Don Davis, Daniel Graham.

The Parcells/Pete Carroll Contributions were:

Parcells:
Law, Bruschi, Milloy, Johnson, Bledsoe, Vinatieri

Carroll:
Tebucky Jones, Greg Spires, Kevin Faulk, Damien Woody


To say that the SBs were won with the team that Parcells/Carroll built is a bold-faced lie.

The Parcells and Carroll tenures provided some pieces, but the TEAM was assembled by Belichick. That's plain and clear to anyone.

Patsfan1102

Welker catch was much easier then the INT. It was easy money I make that catch 9 out of 10.

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DaBruinz

Marques Colston, WR for the New Orleans Saints at NFL.com

http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team...d-66201d1d7ea1

Clearly, you are wrong. Colston missed 2 games and parts of 2 more this year and missed 1 and parts of others the year before as well. Colston didn't miss any time in 2009. But that was the last time he played in all 16 games. And he's only had 2 seasons out of 6 where he's been healthy.

So, he has injury flags.