Reiss' take of FA WRs

[cstjohn17]

He lists this as the number 3 need. Very weak crop of FAs, no #1 WRs. I don't see the Pats bringing in any veterans, looks to be better value in the draft.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/02/no_3_need_wrs_1.html

MARKET ASSESSMENT: One of the thinnest areas in unrestricted free agency. Doesn't appear to be a pure No. 1 receiver in the mix.

PATS POSITION: The Patriots have every receiver but Troy Brown currently under contract for 2007, and Brown could still return. Adding a top target should be a priority, as the team needs a go-to option in key situations for Tom Brady, which was evident in the final two playoff games.

Names of note: Bennett, Stallworth, Curtis, Travis Taylor

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

He lists this as the number 3 need. Very weak crop of FAs, no #1 WRs. I don't see the Pats bringing in any veterans, looks to be better value in the draft.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2007/02/no_3_need_wrs_1.html

MARKET ASSESSMENT: One of the thinnest areas in unrestricted free agency. Doesn't appear to be a pure No. 1 receiver in the mix.

PATS POSITION: The Patriots have every receiver but Troy Brown currently under contract for 2007, and Brown could still return. Adding a top target should be a priority, as the team needs a go-to option in key situations for Tom Brady, which was evident in the final two playoff games.

Names of note: Bennett, Stallworth, Curtis, Travis Taylor

I'd say bring back Troy and go after an under the radar type of guy- Bobby Engram. Was injured last year, I think it was a thyroid condition. Seems to be under control. He's not a no.1 or even no.2, but he'd add overall depth and you could put him in the slot.

 

[Rob0729]

I still think the Pats go after Curtis. He seems to be the prototypical Patriots WR - small, quick, strong, smart, and a great route runner.

 

[Seymour93]

Dennis Northcutt makes sense. He's fast, has produced for an anemic Browns offense, can return kicks and punts, played for RAC, and he's cheap.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Dennis Northcutt makes sense. He's fast, has produced for an anemic Browns offense, can return kicks and punts, played for RAC, and he's cheap.

ONLY AS A SPECIAL TEAMER PLEASE!!!!

 

[JoeSixPat]

MARKET ASSESSMENT: One of the thinnest areas in unrestricted free agency. Doesn't appear to be a pure No. 1 receiver in the mix.

Luckilly we don't need a #1 WR - not in the sense that other teams consider players #1 WRs.

We need a deep threat to stretch the field and really only catch 30-40 passes averaging big yards.

Stallworth or Bennett would fit the bill nicely.

 

[cstjohn17]

Travis Taylor has been an ok receiver with a bunch of crappy QBs, plus he was as star, at where? You guessed it Florida!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/5039

 

[Seymour93]

ONLY AS A SPECIAL TEAMER PLEASE!!!!

Reche Caldwell has had his fair share of drops and he's our best WR ATM. Who's to say Northcutt can't do the same?

 

[spacecrime]

MARKET ASSESSMENT: One of the thinnest areas in unrestricted free agency. Doesn't appear to be a pure No. 1 receiver in the mix.

Just think of what Deion might command if he honored his contract and played the final year. Far and away the top WR in a year where almost every team has tons of cap to burn.

 

[stinkypete]

I'd say bring back Troy and go after an under the radar type of guy- Bobby Engram. Was injured last year, I think it was a thyroid condition. Seems to be under control. He's not a no.1 or even no.2, but he'd add overall depth and you could put him in the slot.

I wouldn't be surprised either if a guy like Engram or Northcutt get a look.

 

[mgteich]

Northcut would compete for reps like anyone else. Right now, he would replace Kight on the roster. He would be a fine addition.

 

[DaBruinz]

Reche Caldwell has had his fair share of drops and he's our best WR ATM. Who's to say Northcutt can't do the same?

Really? Prior to the play-offs Reche only had 1 drop on 102 targets. So, you consider that his fair share?

Come on, Watson had 6 drops and led the team.

Dennis Northcut had 6 drops on 45 targets.

 

[Seneschal2]

I still think the Pats go after Curtis. He seems to be the prototypical Patriots WR - small, quick, strong, smart, and a great route runner.

Word out of Detroit is, if the $$$ is right, Curtis may sign there to re-connect with Mike Martz. They need a deep threat, Curtis wants to put up serious numbers, and his familiarity with the Martz offense may allow him to do so. He's also good friends with Lions receiver Mike Furrey, who's recruiting him to sign there.

 

[Seymour93]

Really? Prior to the play-offs Reche only had 1 drop on 102 targets. So, you consider that his fair share?

Prior to the playoffs???? Excuse me, but aren't the playoffs the most important games of all? We've never seen Northcutt in that situation. It would help if he had a decent QB that threw him the ball. Also one of the reasons why the Chargers were down on Caldwell was his drops or fumbles in big time situations.

 

[salty]

Drew Bennett please. :rocker:

The guy had 80 catches for 1,247 yards and 11 TDs back in 2004. Then the next year he missed a few games due to injury, but still finished with 58/738/4. Then last year he had 46/737/3. The QB situation in Tennessee has been terrible the last two years. Granted, Vince Young looked good last season, but as a downfield passer, he still has a long way to go.

So that tells me that in the right system, with a good quarterback, Drew Bennett could really excel. Another bonus is that the guy has averaged 14.8 yards per catch during his career, so he would provide the deep threat the Patriots sorely lack. Also, he's 6'5", 206 lbs. It'd be nice for Brady to have a big target out there for once.

Unless the guy is going to break the bank (which is certainly possible, given the weakness of the market at WR), I would really like the Patriots to take a good look at him.

 

[captain stone]

Curtis, Stallworth (if available), and Bennett are the obvious choices, but will probably be too rich for the FO's blood.

I thought that Justin Gage would have made a bigger impact by now. Perhaps he could be a post-draft veteran minimum + signing, if he's still unemployed.

Bradford and Engram (if healthy) are solid, if unspectacular, pros.

Travis Taylor: Do we really need another U of Florida WR?
(p.s.: Did Spurrier just not teach blocking at all to any of his WRs, ever?)

Bobby Wade: Never.

Kelley Washington: He was the guy I wanted to take with the #50 pick of the 2003 draft. He would never grasp this offense, however.

DJ Hackett: The FO should have insisted on him, plus Seattle's #1, for Meion. Maybe next year, when he's a UFA. Same for Welker.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Drew Bennett please. :rocker:

The guy had 80 catches for 1,247 yards and 11 TDs back in 2004. Then the next year he missed a few games due to injury, but still finished with 58/738/4. Then last year he had 46/737/3. The QB situation in Tennessee has been terrible the last two years. Granted, Vince Young looked good last season, but as a downfield passer, he still has a long way to go.

So that tells me that in the right system, with a good quarterback, Drew Bennett could really excel. Another bonus is that the guy has averaged 14.8 yards per catch during his career, so he would provide the deep threat the Patriots sorely lack. Also, he's 6'5", 206 lbs. It'd be nice for Brady to have a big target out there for once.

Unless the guy is going to break the bank (which is certainly possible, given the weakness of the market at WR), I would really like the Patriots to take a good look at him.

Yes - for all the reasons you stated above...

there might be a bidding war for him - but the Patriots have been known to offer good money on the players they want (Colvin, Mason) in the past - and the fact that he had a bit of a down year might lessen the price.

Again, we don't need him to catch 80 passes - just half that many while providing a deep threat. Bennett's yards per catch average are a little lower than many deep threats but that's because he's used all over the field - not soley as a deep threat.

 

[DaBruinz]

Prior to the playoffs???? Excuse me, but aren't the playoffs the most important games of all? We've never seen Northcutt in that situation. It would help if he had a decent QB that threw him the ball. Also one of the reasons why the Chargers were down on Caldwell was his drops or fumbles in big time situations.

In the play-offs, Caldwell had 2 drops. Only one of the 2 drops affected the Pats negatively. So what. How many times was he targeted? 30-40 times? No one is claiming that Caldwell should is a #1 and no one is talking that Northcutt should be either.

However, if Northcutt, during the regular season, has 6 drops in 45 targets, what makes you think it will get BETTER during the play-offs?

 

[DaBruinz]

I think Bennett would be a great addition. He's still a #2 type receiver, but with Gaffney, Caldwell and Jackson, they'd be a very solid group of receivers.

 

[salty]

I think Bennett would be a great addition. He's still a #2 type receiver, but with Gaffney, Caldwell and Jackson, they'd be a very solid group of receivers.

Agreed. As we all know, the Patriots system does not require a true #1 receiver, but it'd be nice to have a guy that opposing defenses had to pay attention to.