Do We NEED Much Out Of A 6th Receiver?

[mgteich]

Obviously, Belichick will always look for potential upgrades to the team.

However, our set is almost always 2 WR's and 2 TE's. That is what we want! The RB can always be a 5th receiver. Woodhead or Faulk would be expected to be our #5 receiving option.
==============================

Yes, we need a viable option if Welker or Faulk is injured. Edelman did OK in that role last year. Slater could be used for a few reps a game if needed.
==============================
So, how important are the roles of Ochocinco and Price?

If I had my way, we wouldn't see either of them on the field much. After all, I would want us to run more, and five targets for Brady is plenty, although an occasional addition WR receiver target is fine (Edleman or Slater or Ochocinco or Price).
===============================
BOTTOM LINE
In some game plans, Ochocinco is indeed useful. He is also 2012 insurance.

 

[Dessalines]

Look, I've been quietly waiting for Ocho to get it and contribute. Yesterday he did and had nada again. He is still running incorrect routes. Brady and his team mates still have to tell him where to line up. Brady was yelling at him yesterday, ala Joey Galloway. His signing bonus is in his pocket and his contract is all guaranteed money and despite that, over six games he has nine receptions for 196 yards. That is not the production we expected. We didn't expect a thousand yard receiving season but 196 yards in six games? No, we didn't expect that either. Still waiting for this guy to show up larger than he has and I'm getting bit frustrated now.

 

[sbpatfan]

The sad thing is Ocho is worse than Brandon Tate.

 

[TheSolderKing]

The sad thing is Ocho is worse than Brandon Tate.

Debatable




Yes Ocho is slow in understanding the offense. BT could never run routues and yes he to struggled understanding the system. Tate could NOT grasp the system despite YEARS of being part of it. Ocho has been here less than 1/2 the season... I see a HUGE difference. The media nitwits like Felger do not even bring up the high praise in how hard Ocho BUSTS his ass in Practice. Casserio and O'Brie and BB
have ocho's back

 

[MetalBleachers]

Look, I've been quietly waiting for Ocho to get it and contribute. Yesterday he did and had nada again. He is still running incorrect routes. Brady and his team mates still have to tell him where to line up. Brady was yelling at him yesterday, ala Joey Galloway. His signing bonus is in his pocket and his contract is all guaranteed money and despite that, over six games he has nine receptions for 196 yards. That is not the production we expected. We didn't expect a thousand yard receiving season but 196 yards in six games? No, we didn't expect that either. Still waiting for this guy to show up larger than he has and I'm getting bit frustrated now.

Based on history, players either pick up this offense in a short time or never. Jabar Gaffney was picked up in October and was contributing by November. Joey Galloway was picked up in February and was gone by mid-season. No one has gotten more attention from Brady and others than Ochocinco, yet he still can't contribute beyond running specific routes called in the huddle.

Hey, I like the guy. I was happy to have him in Foxboro and I'd like to see him do well. But you can't tell me that Edelman, Woodhead, and two rookie tight ends can become factors within a few weeks while a veteran receiver ("Future HOF 20??") just needs more time.

Another note: with two weeks to prepare, 85 will make a dent in the Steelers' secondary. Don't be fooled by that blip on the radar.

 

[MetalBleachers]

Debatable




Yes Ocho is slow in understanding the offense. BT could never run routues and yes he to struggled understanding the system. Tate could NOT grasp the system despite YEARS of being part of it. Ocho has been here less than 1/2 the season... I see a HUGE difference. The media nitwits like Felger do not even bring up the high praise in how hard Ocho BUSTS his ass in Practice. Casserio and O'Brie and BB
have ocho's back

No arguing that BB and the coaches have Ocho's back (or that Felger is a nitwit ), but with all that help and *****-busting, shouldn't he be farther along? It has been months; it's not a new offense anymore. What were the rookie TEs doing at this point last year?

 

[MetalBleachers]

Obviously, Belichick will always look for potential upgrades to the team.

However, our set is almost always 2 WR's and 2 TE's. That is what we want! The RB can always be a 5th receiver. Woodhead or Faulk would be expected to be our #5 receiving option.
==============================

Yes, we need a viable option if Welker or Faulk is injured. Edelman did OK in that role last year. Slater could be used for a few reps a game if needed.
==============================
So, how important are the roles of Ochocinco and Price?

If I had my way, we wouldn't see either of them on the field much. After all, I would want us to run more, and five targets for Brady is plenty, although an occasional addition WR receiver target is fine (Edleman or Slater or Ochocinco or Price).
===============================
BOTTOM LINE
In some game plans, Ochocinco is indeed useful. He is also 2012 insurance.

Agreed, the Pats don't need a sixth pass-catching option, but they could use a third receiver beyond Welker and Branch. Someone open for 2 or 3 passes a game, a la Edelman in '09. Why sign Ocho at all? What can we expect from him at this point?

 

[RIpats88]

Ocho actually has 136yards, not 196....so its even less..

anyways...I think you just want more production out of that 3rd Wide receiver spot so you dont have to put so much pressure on guys like Hernandez, Branch etc. every play, 2 guys who tend to be injury prone ....

at this point, Julian Edelman and Taylor Price would probably be better options..at least they know the offense. and Price cant be any worse than ocho

 

[MassPats38]

Based on history, players either pick up this offense in a short time or never. Jabar Gaffney was picked up in October and was contributing by November. Joey Galloway was picked up in February and was gone by mid-season. No one has gotten more attention from Brady and others than Ochocinco, yet he still can't contribute beyond running specific routes called in the huddle.

Gaffney was picked up for game 7 and had the following receptions for the remaining games in the regular season: 1, 0, 3, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 3, and 1, for a grand total of 142 yards (Ochocinco has 9 receptions for 136 yards in 6 games). Gaffney showed up in the playoffs with 8 and 10 receptions in the first two rounds, and 3 in the AFC championship game. He therefore pretty much matched his entire regular season production in one game against the Chargers. It took him 9 games to 'get' the system that year, and that was when Brady was throwing to Reche Caldwell and an aging Troy Brown, not the cast the Pats have now.

 

[Deus Irae]

Based on history, players either pick up this offense in a short time or never. Jabar Gaffney was picked up in October and was contributing by November. Joey Galloway was picked up in February and was gone by mid-season. No one has gotten more attention from Brady and others than Ochocinco, yet he still can't contribute beyond running specific routes called in the huddle.

Hey, I like the guy. I was happy to have him in Foxboro and I'd like to see him do well. But you can't tell me that Edelman, Woodhead, and two rookie tight ends can become factors within a few weeks while a veteran receiver ("Future HOF 20??") just needs more time.

Another note: with two weeks to prepare, 85 will make a dent in the Steelers' secondary. Don't be fooled by that blip on the radar.

Your memory of Gaffney is flawed. Gaffney did essentially nothing until the playoffs. In 10 regular season games, he only had 2 games where he even had multiple receptions, and he had a total of 11 catches for 142 yards. Johnson may be struggling, but he's well ahead of Gaffney's pace, with 9 catches for 136 in 6 games.

 

[RayClay]

Obviously, Belichick will always look for potential upgrades to the team.

However, our set is almost always 2 WR's and 2 TE's. That is what we want! The RB can always be a 5th receiver. Woodhead or Faulk would be expected to be our #5 receiving option.
==============================

Yes, we need a viable option if Welker or Faulk is injured. Edelman did OK in that role last year. Slater could be used for a few reps a game if needed.
==============================
So, how important are the roles of Ochocinco and Price?

If I had my way, we wouldn't see either of them on the field much. After all, I would want us to run more, and five targets for Brady is plenty, although an occasional addition WR receiver target is fine (Edleman or Slater or Ochocinco or Price).
===============================
BOTTOM LINE
In some game plans, Ochocinco is indeed useful. He is also 2012 insurance.

No one in the history of football has ever needed much out of a sixth receiver, except for message board posters, of course.

If you have three injuries, that guy on the bench might, or might not develop a rapport with the QB, but so might Joe Waiverwire.

It's a myth that it's important, fine if you've got a special teams guy that can step in.

When probably the best QB at spreading it around develops a comfort level with numerous wideouts, TEs and RBs, and you're not one of them, you need to make a role for yourself. Team wise, it doesn't matter, there's only one football.

Funny thing is, I think Ocho is trying and it's making him tentative. Not like Doug Gabriel after Branch left us in the lurch, who just ran to get open and brady threw it to him a couple games until they could ditch him.

Some get it, some don't, c'est la vie.

 

[Seacoast Fan]

So now Ocho is the SIXTH receiving option? Wow, talk about lowering the bar.
When you frame the question like that, then the answer is obviously "no." But as pointed out above, that goes for every team in NFL history.
If Ocho was a rookie, making the minimum, I would have no problem with him. He's not. I dont care what anyone with the team says, this is not what they expected out of him and not why they are paying him 5 million.

 

[RIpats88]

well, theres two points you can look at here....sure Ocho is the 5th or 6th option(because even woodhead might get more looks passing from brady) and usually you dont need more from that option...so, hes not going to get many looks...

but, Like belichick said on WEEI...if you play well you'll get more snaps and you have to make the most of your opportunities or someone else will get them..the fact that Ocho is the 6th receiver is evidence that the guy still doesnt get this offense and doesnt warrant more looks/snaps...when we went heavy 3WR, he was still splitting #3 WR snaps with Edelman and Slater..

hes not really giving us anything better than tate gave us last year for a fraction of the price....which is fine right now because we are 5-1...but the guy just looks lost out there......and probably isnt giving us what Belichick envisioned him giving....but then again, maybe no one envisioned that Branch would look even better this year and is on his way to a 900+yard season

im sure Taylor Price could give us 2 catches for 26yards a game if you throw him out there for 20snaps...for a fraction of the price...and if Ocho doesnt start making the most of his opportunities, Taylor Price and Julian Edelman will be waiting in the wings to take snaps from him and if anything, at least theyll know where to line up and what routes to run

 

[Uncle Rico]

I guess another way to ask the question, then, is do we need to trade two draft picks and pay $5M+ for a #6 receiver? I think you make those commitments expecting a little more in return.

 

[RIpats88]

I guess another way to ask the question, then, is do we need to trade two draft picks and pay $5M+ for a #6 receiver? I think you make those commitments expecting a little more in return.

exactly....dont you think Taylor Price could go out there for 20snaps, grab 26yards or so then go back to the bench, all for a fraction of the price Ochocinco is making?

bill and the coaching staff will definitely evaluate their Receivers during this bye week, and I have a feeling that Taylor Price may start to get chances to show if he can offer more than Ochocinco(right now edelman shares #3WR snaps with ocho)

 

[JFK]

Compare Gaffney before he joined the Patriots to Ocho before he joined the Pats. We didn't expect much from Gaffney. We expect more from Ocho and he isn't living up to expectation. The bigger the expectations the bigger the chances you get.

If you bring Megatron and Devon Bess in, would you expect them to start producing at the same time and with the same results? Ocho might turn out to be fine but he is taking too long. I'm sure he didn't come to the Patriots to have 100+ yards after six games. He must be disappointed in himself.