Why Deion Branch over Julian Edelman ?

[satz]

Julian played outside and in 2 WR set aligned outside alot. On 3 Wr set he was the outside guy , Wes the Slot guy .

Any one have any idea why Branch is resigned to play the outside spot which julian has lined up on the other side of lloyd.

In 2 WR set will branch i think will take snaps from Julian as the outside guy.
in 3 WR set he might be Outside guy again with WES/Julian as the slot guy.

Julian is lossing his outside snap to branch.

satz

 

[Nehalem]

Who said it is Branch over Edelman?

With the Patriots likely to play more 3 WR sets it would seem to be a good idea to have more than 3 WRs who Brady is comfortable with.

 

[JJDChE]

Yeah, likely a depth issue. I expect Edelman to keep getting what he's been getting. I doubt Branch eats too much into his snaps. (which probably means BB will bench Edelman altogether).

 

[BradyManny]

It's not Branch over Julian. It's Julian is a slot receiver, and the team maybe wanted to see if he was more. I doubt that he is, since that is not his skillset.

This probably has more to do with the fact that we have no 2nd outside WR in the 3WR set. With Hernandez injured, we'll need to run a 3WR set much more often.

 

[Kontradiction]

Who said it is Branch over Edelman?

With the Patriots likely to play more 3 WR sets it would seem to be a good idea to have more than 3 WRs who Brady is comfortable with.

I would hope that it's Branch over Edelman. Branch is a much better WR as a whole, nevermind as a flanker. The 3 WR set should be Lloyd at split-end, Welker in the slot, and Branch at flanker. Edelman should come in as the other slot after that if we go four or five wide (assuming Gronk is in on both sets). That's where Edelman belongs on this team. As the second slot receiver opposite Welker.

 

[Kontradiction]

It's not Branch over Julian. It's Julian is a slot receiver, and the team maybe wanted to see if he was more. I doubt that he is, since that is not his skillset.

This probably has more to do with the fact that we have no 2nd outside WR in the 3WR set.

The team was lining Edelman up as an outside receiver. In that case, it would be Branch over Edelman. That's assumed. After that, it's Edelman vs. Welker, which Welker *SHOULD* win comfortably.

 

[BradyManny]

The team was lining Edelman up as an outside receiver. In that case, it would be Branch over Edelman.

Well, true. I just don't even think Edelman should be on the outside from the getgo, so that's where I'm coming from.

Before Hernandez went down, before Hooma proved completely ineffective, and before the line struggled in run blocking, the plan was to not use a 3WR set often, so the team probably thought Edelman was decent enough depth there.

Granted, a lot of people on this board would say I'm underestimating Edelman, but I just don't see the skillset or the production from him when not in the slot.

 

[Sicilian]

Part of the reason I think Edelman was receiving a few more snaps than Welker was using him in the 2 TE set was a way to keep Welker fresher throughout the year. He plays a tough position and is on the wrong side of 30, so they make use of Edelman in the formations where it makes sense. Hernandez going down meant leaving Edelman in there even when Welker would normally be on the field.

I think something similar will happen with Branch. While Edelman isn't the ideal guy to have on the outside, there are a few things he can do there (long crossing routes, quick screens, etc), so I expect they'll be giving him a healthy number of Branch's outside reps, as well as some of Welker's slot reps, in an effort to keep both of the older WR's fresh come the end of the year.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

How do we know that Deion isn't WR#4?

 

[Kontradiction]

How do we know that Deion isn't WR#4?

Because he's more suited and has a better history of playing flanker than Edelman has. Branch should be the WR3 behind Welker and Lloyd (unless Welker is benched for some unfathomable reason again this week).

 

[brdmaverick]

How do we know that Deion isn't WR#4?

You read my mind. I was thinking the same thing. I guess we'll find out on Sunday.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think that it's just guesswork on this right now, and even what we see for the next few weeks could just be part of a holding pattern set up to get the team through until Hernandez returns.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think that it's just guesswork on this right now, and even what we see for the next few weeks could just be part of a holding pattern set up to get the team through until Hernandez returns.

There's no doubt that this will be a patchwork offense until November. I expect more 3WR sets at first, then more 2TE sets once Winslow gets completely comfortable with the nuances of the offense (should take a couple of weeks, estimated).

 

[signbabybrady]

You guys are missing the obvious.we were 2 TE last week but we will be more 3 wide until Ahern is back so we needed Branch back in order to still be able to sit Wes. Edelman slides to the slot and Branch fills Edelmans role this way we don't need to see Wes.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

There's no doubt that this will be a patchwork offense until November. I expect more 3WR sets at first, then more 2TE sets once Winslow gets completely comfortable with the nuances of the offense (should take a couple of weeks, estimated).

Yah as to patchwork. But BB's theme has always been situational match ups, so i would caution folks into not reading whatever combos the Pats use vs the Ravens as cast in stone. The defense has been re-engineered to be able to do all kinds of different things with versitile players swapping assignments and I think that the offense's goal is to be similar.

 

[Kontradiction]

You guys are missing the obvious.we were 2 TE last week but we will be more 3 wide until Ahern is back so we needed Branch back in order to still be able to sit Wes. Edelman slides to the slot and Branch fills Edelmans role this way we don't need to see Wes.

Wes shouldn't be seated unless he needs a breather for a few plays or is injured. Otherwise, he should always be in the game. He's the best possession receiver in the NFL and the best receiver we have on the team.

 

[Kontradiction]

Yah as to patchwork. But BB's theme has always been situational match ups, so i would caution folks into not reading whatever combos the Pats use vs the Ravens as cast in stone. The defense has been re-engineered to be able to do all kinds of different things with versitile players swapping assignments and I think that the offense's goal is to be similar.

I agree with this wholeheartedly, but Winslow is brand new and it make take some time to get accustomed to the offense and the option routes that he'd be responsible for on any given play. With that in mind, we're more apt to throw more 3WR sets out there to lessen the amount that Winslow is responsible for right away. If he's confused on even one route, it could turn into a game-turning INT.

 

[Deus Irae]

There's no doubt that this will be a patchwork offense until November. I expect more 3WR sets at first, then more 2TE sets once Winslow gets completely comfortable with the nuances of the offense (should take a couple of weeks, estimated).

Here's the thing, IMO

In week one, Edelman had one catch as the WR2 under the new system. In week 2, even with Hernandez going down early and Welker not getting targeted until the 2 minute warning at the end of the first half, Edelman only managed to ring up 5 catches for 50 yards. For all the sunshine McD was trying to blow about Edelman, he's been a failure through 2 games. Now, it's only been 2 games, and maybe Edelman really is all that the team is claiming, but we're certainly not seeing it on the field. On top of that, for all the "Edelman is great after the catch" claims, Edelman's averaging less than 10 ypc for his career to date. So, it's not being patchwork that's the issue to me, because I expect Winslow to be an adequate replacement for Hernandez in 3 of the 5 "use" positions/functions (tight receiving/tight blocking/slot receiving). The issue to me is whether they use this time of being patchwork to pull back on the Edelman experiment.

 

[signbabybrady]

Wes shouldn't be seated unless he needs a breather for a few plays or is injured. Otherwise, he should always be in the game. He's the best possession receiver in the NFL and the best receiver we have on the team.

Really? Care to elaborate?

 

[Ring 6]

Wes shouldn't be seated unless he needs a breather for a few plays or is injured. Otherwise, he should always be in the game. He's the best possession receiver in the NFL and the best receiver we have on the team.

More than a breather for a few plays IMO, but more like a limited amount of snaps to cut down on the wear and tear.
He played 90% of the snaps last year, which was much higher than any other season.
The best use of Welker is to have him out there for around 75%-80% of the snaps so that he stays healthy and as close to 100% all year long.
He will wear down faster at this age than he did 3 years ago.