Aaron Dobson Makes Good Impression on Day 2 of OTA's

[Ian]

Didn't see anyone talking about this, but it appears that Dobson is off to a good start after the media saw him make "the play of the day".

Aaron Dobson’s Nice Catch in Traffic Down Sideline Among Highlights of Patriots’ Second Day of OTAs | New England Patriots | NESN.com

Definitely excited to see more of this kid

 

[JoeSixPat]

Didn't see anyone talking about this, but it appears that Dobson is off to a good start after the media saw him make "the play of the day".

Aaron Dobson’s Nice Catch in Traffic Down Sideline Among Highlights of Patriots’ Second Day of OTAs | New England Patriots | NESN.com

Definitely excited to see more of this kid

Gotta wonder - is it just a coincidence that Lloyd and Welker are let go and they bring in new "sure hands" type players?

Not that Welker did badly given all the passes thrown his way - but the fact is, if Welker had caught just 2 more passes, he'd still be here.

 

[Ian]

Gotta wonder - is it just a coincidence that Lloyd and Welker are let go and they bring in new "sure hands" type players?

Not that Welker did badly given all the passes thrown his way - but the fact is, if Welker had caught just 2 more passes, he'd still be here.

I've been thinking about this. When you stop and think about it, Welker was really a short term solution for them anyway, albeit much less risky than so many made it out to be. I had little to no doubt about his ability to stay healthy, and he gave them a solid foundation to build around. I'm still a believer that they should have extended him, but in reality he probably would have only given them 2-3 decent seasons and considering their recent history in bringing in veteran retreads, they really needed to get younger.

That being said, his loss almost forced them to honestly make the push to make sure they started building a solid (and younger) nucleus at that position. So the other part of me wonders if they would have also gone this route if he was still here. Hopefully that whole debacle will eventually be a blessing in disguise - but we're months from finding out if that will ultimately be the case.

 

[supafly]

I've been thinking about this. When you stop and think about it, Welker was really a short term solution for them anyway, albeit much less risky than so many made it out to be. I had little to no doubt about his ability to stay healthy, and he gave them a solid foundation to build around. I'm still a believer that they should have extended him, but in reality he probably would have only given them 2-3 decent seasons and considering their recent history in bringing in veteran retreads, they really needed to get younger.

That being said, his loss almost forced them to honestly make the push to make sure they started building a solid (and younger) nucleus at that position. So the other part of me wonders if they would have also gone this route if he was still here. Hopefully that whole debacle will eventually be a blessing in disguise - but we're months from finding out if that will ultimately be the case.

The stats that you posted a few weeks ago clearly showed a huge weakness in any type of deeper passes, as I believe the average completion rate on any throws down the L, R, or middle that were of the deeper type was approximately 30% overall.

That was clearly our biggest weakness, at least on that side of the ball anyway. I am happy that it was addressed, and the addition of Boyce, Dobson, and possibly even Jones will improve upon this weakness for sure. Even Harrison has a chance to make an impression in this aspect.

I still believe that the short timing passes will be the bread and butter of this offense, but the addition of these players (all young and talented) should add another dimension for the opposing defense to worry about. Even if they can just draw some attention from the safeties from time to time, that would be a great added dimension for this offensive attack.

 

[Joker]

I saw Paul Warfield play his entire career...the ball hits both his hands he MAKES THE CATCH!

"For most of Warfield's tenure in Miami the Dolphins ran an offense which stressed running the ball. Warfield was considered a major threat on any given play. Even though he only caught 29 passes during the 1973 NFL season, 11 of those receptions were touchdowns."

Griese throws the ball...it hits Warfield in the hands...he makes the catch...PERFECT SEASON.

Throw Biletnikoff the ball in the playoffs or the Super Bowl...HE MAKES THE CATCH!

Dwight Clark, Michael Irvin, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice...THEY MAKE THE CATCH!!!

Anquan Boldin...2012 playoff in Foxboro...he goes up with TWO db's on him...he MAKES THE CATCH!

every day it's "Welker Welker Welker!!!!..who is going to replace his 100+ catches?????"....hey, he laid it out there for the Pats and took some monstrous hits but I SAW the ball hit his hands...both of them...in that Super bowl...I read all the spin afterward...look, the ball HIT HIM IN THE HANDS. The ball hit him in both hands in the first half of the Ravens playoff game...I was 20 yards away...it HIT HIM RIGHT IN THE HANDS!!!!...no spin...no excuses..I SAW what I SAW in person. Every single one of those WR's I just put up MAKES that catch. I saw him drop a pass in the 2nd half with no one near him inside the Raven 30...hit BOTH HANDS in stride. Championship caliber players MAKE that catch. Almost but not good enough makes THOSE DROPS. Can we PLEASE move on from Wes Welker?

 

[supafly]

I saw Paul Warfield play his entire career...the ball hits both his hands he MAKES THE CATCH!

"For most of Warfield's tenure in Miami the Dolphins ran an offense which stressed running the ball. Warfield was considered a major threat on any given play. Even though he only caught 29 passes during the 1973 NFL season, 11 of those receptions were touchdowns."

Griese throws the ball...it hits Warfield in the hands...he makes the catch...PERFECT SEASON.

Throw Biletnikoff the ball in the playoffs or the Super Bowl...HE MAKES THE CATCH!

Dwight Clark, Michael Irvin, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice...THEY MAKE THE CATCH!!!

Anquan Boldin...2012 playoff in Foxboro...he goes up with TWO db's on him...he MAKES THE CATCH!

every day it's "Welker Welker Welker!!!!..who is going to replace his 100+ catches?????"....hey, he laid it out there for the Pats and took some monstrous hits but I SAW the ball hit his hands...both of them...in that Super bowl...I read all the spin afterward...look, the ball HIT HIM IN THE HANDS. The ball hit him in both hands in the first half of the Ravens playoff game...I was 20 yards away...it HIT HIM RIGHT IN THE HANDS!!!!...no spin...no excuses..I SAW what I SAW in person. Every single one of those WR's I just put up MAKES that catch. I saw him drop a pass in the 2nd half with no one near him inside the Raven 30...hit BOTH HANDS in stride. Championship caliber players MAKE that catch. Almost but not good enough makes THOSE DROPS. Can we PLEASE move on from Wes Welker?

I fully agree with you, Joker.

What's even worse is that 2nd half drop in January in the AFCCG would have easily put us up either 16-7, or even as high as 20-7 if they'd have punched it in.

That kind of a lead late in the 3rd quarter may have very well been a "game changer," as cliche as that may sound. It certainly would have given the Pats a ton of momentum with only about 1/3 of the game remaining.

And the SB drop...I can't even think about that one. I honestly can't re-watch the game still. That catch would have easily sealed the deal for a 4th SB victory.

Look, the team and Belichick decided to move on. Anyone who disputes that is fooling themselves. They could have easily decided to throw in another 1 million dollars for a 2/11 deal which coupled with the first yr amount of 8.5m would have surely been enough to compete with DEN's 2/12 year (with a lower first yr amount).

So many here were throwing around the ridiculous "4/40" and "5/50" kind of figures with 25 million guaranteed, and the team decided to PASS on a 2/12 offer.....if that doesn't spell out a flat out decision to move on than nothing will. They. Didn't. Want. Him. Here. It's that simple. They brought in a player who is in the same mold yet younger, faster, with better range of hands above the waist who doesn't drop much of anything. It's time to move on as fans. Well said.

 

[Brady2Moss]

I saw Paul Warfield play his entire career...the ball hits both his hands he MAKES THE CATCH!

"For most of Warfield's tenure in Miami the Dolphins ran an offense which stressed running the ball. Warfield was considered a major threat on any given play. Even though he only caught 29 passes during the 1973 NFL season, 11 of those receptions were touchdowns."

Griese throws the ball...it hits Warfield in the hands...he makes the catch...PERFECT SEASON.

Throw Biletnikoff the ball in the playoffs or the Super Bowl...HE MAKES THE CATCH!

Dwight Clark, Michael Irvin, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice...THEY MAKE THE CATCH!!!

Anquan Boldin...2012 playoff in Foxboro...he goes up with TWO db's on him...he MAKES THE CATCH!

every day it's "Welker Welker Welker!!!!..who is going to replace his 100+ catches?????"....hey, he laid it out there for the Pats and took some monstrous hits but I SAW the ball hit his hands...both of them...in that Super bowl...I read all the spin afterward...look, the ball HIT HIM IN THE HANDS. The ball hit him in both hands in the first half of the Ravens playoff game...I was 20 yards away...it HIT HIM RIGHT IN THE HANDS!!!!...no spin...no excuses..I SAW what I SAW in person. Every single one of those WR's I just put up MAKES that catch. I saw him drop a pass in the 2nd half with no one near him inside the Raven 30...hit BOTH HANDS in stride. Championship caliber players MAKE that catch. Almost but not good enough makes THOSE DROPS. Can we PLEASE move on from Wes Welker?

We fight often but I agree with this 10000000% percent I cannot even say it enough.

All the BS that Brady made a bad throw.. sorry the guy was playing a f'd up shoulder that just got pancaked under Justin Tuck.

Ball hit you in BOTH hands, its the 4th quarter of the SUPER BOWL, catch the mother effing ball for the love of God.

And then we got to watch this whole year where he dropped so many freaking passes and then just drops another one in the AFCCG.

Only thing I can say about him is that he was on the field always which is a huge testament to him as a player.

BUT CATCH THE BALL IF IT HITS YOUR HANDS!

I'm going to go cry now..

 

[DarrylS]

I know it is a sacrilege, but agree with most of the above, dropped passes and stalled red zone offensive drives in playoff/championship games indicated a need to do something different...

Is this the answer?? Time will tell....

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I think I've stayed away from the Welker "issue" for many threads. Still, this is what Welker was (in my opinion).

He was a great slot receiver that made up for his physical limitations by being on the same page as Brady. Pound for pound, I'm not sure there was anyone tougher than Welker. He was smart and always good with situational awareness and was a 3rd down machine.

The only real issue was the physical limitation (short arms/height) that requires very accurate throws and height. His target area was much smaller than many receivers. The further down field the receiver was, the tougher those throws became. This is one area that many fans (outside NE) really don't understand about Brady's greatness (pin point accuracy).

 

[flasox27]

I saw Paul Warfield play his entire career...the ball hits both his hands he MAKES THE CATCH!

"For most of Warfield's tenure in Miami the Dolphins ran an offense which stressed running the ball. Warfield was considered a major threat on any given play. Even though he only caught 29 passes during the 1973 NFL season, 11 of those receptions were touchdowns."

Griese throws the ball...it hits Warfield in the hands...he makes the catch...PERFECT SEASON.

Throw Biletnikoff the ball in the playoffs or the Super Bowl...HE MAKES THE CATCH!

Dwight Clark, Michael Irvin, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice...THEY MAKE THE CATCH!!!Anquan Boldin...2012 playoff in Foxboro...he goes up with TWO db's on him...he MAKES THE CATCH!

every day it's "Welker Welker Welker!!!!..who is going to replace his 100+ catches?????"....hey, he laid it out there for the Pats and took some monstrous hits but I SAW the ball hit his hands...both of them...in that Super bowl...I read all the spin afterward...look, the ball HIT HIM IN THE HANDS. The ball hit him in both hands in the first half of the Ravens playoff game...I was 20 yards away...it HIT HIM RIGHT IN THE HANDS!!!!...no spin...no excuses..I SAW what I SAW in person. Every single one of those WR's I just put up MAKES that catch. I saw him drop a pass in the 2nd half with no one near him inside the Raven 30...hit BOTH HANDS in stride. Championship caliber players MAKE that catch. Almost but not good enough makes THOSE DROPS. Can we PLEASE move on from Wes Welker?

You can add my man Troy Brown to the list of the people who make the catches.

 

[Gwedd]

You can add my man Troy Brown to the list of the people who make the catches.

And after he makes the catch and New England scores, Troy comes back out and covers the slot receiver on defense.

Talk about old school and clutch.

 

[Ian]

The stats that you posted a few weeks ago clearly showed a huge weakness in any type of deeper passes, as I believe the average completion rate on any throws down the L, R, or middle that were of the deeper type was approximately 30% overall.

That was clearly our biggest weakness, at least on that side of the ball anyway. I am happy that it was addressed, and the addition of Boyce, Dobson, and possibly even Jones will improve upon this weakness for sure. Even Harrison has a chance to make an impression in this aspect.

I still believe that the short timing passes will be the bread and butter of this offense, but the addition of these players (all young and talented) should add another dimension for the opposing defense to worry about. Even if they can just draw some attention from the safeties from time to time, that would be a great added dimension for this offensive attack.

Getting down the field is something they have to get better at. Everyone's talked about their inability to stretch the field and we more or less ignored that because during the regular season they've been so productive. Obviously during the playoffs when you're playing better defenses it's certainly become more of an issue.

I attribute that more to the fact they really needed more youth. The downfield success is one thing, but honestly the bigger issue is the fact that they've lacked speed on the perimeter. They used Branch quite a bit outside during his final years here but he slowed down and unfortunately the younger guys like Slater, etc. just weren't able to step in and help out. Then when injuries hit they didn't have any depth that could give them any production.

I like the direction they're headed in. Obviously there are more question marks than anything right now because we really won't know how it will work out until the games start being played. But if Dobson can evolve into an outside threat it's going to certainly change the look of this team offensively.

 

[Ivan]

I didn't really have Dobson on the radar before the draft because I was more focused on first round prospects but i actually like the pick better than those I had them going after in the first. He has all the attributes to be successful for them and although it is a clear homer pick I have him as the OROY. If he stays healthy I think he will put up approximately 65 Rec./950 Yds/12 Td's, and his presence and threat will really help open up the field for the rest of the receiving corps.

 

[mgteich]

Yes, we hope that Dobson is a red sone threat (as indicated by your TD numbers). Otherwise the numbers you gave are similar to Lloyd's, hardly OROY numbers.

I didn't really have Dobson on the radar before the draft because I was more focused on first round prospects but i actually like the pick better than those I had them going after in the first. He has all the attributes to be successful for them and although it is a clear homer pick I have him as the OROY. If he stays healthy I think he will put up approximately 65 Rec./950 Yds/12 Td's, and his presence and threat will really help open up the field for the rest of the receiving corps.

 

[Ivan]

Yes, we hope that Dobson is a red sone threat (as indicated by your TD numbers). Otherwise the numbers you gave are similar to Lloyd's, hardly OROY numbers.

In this class I think it very well may be, unless Tavon Austin goes off for 100 Rec. I don't expect Patterson or Hunter to put up huge rookie seasons and I think Woods is primarily a possession WR who will averaGE 10-11Yds per catch.

 

[Ivan]

Yes, we hope that Dobson is a red sone threat (as indicated by your TD numbers). Otherwise the numbers you gave are similar to Lloyd's, hardly OROY numbers.

The problem with Lloyd was that he could be left uncovered and still only gain a half a yard after the catch, Dobson will be a threat once he gets the ball and that will force teams to cover the whole field and respect his ability to burn them. Although Lloyd was a good possession WR he was literally the least dangerous WR i have ever watched.

 

[Jimke]

The problem with Lloyd was that he could be left uncovered and still only gain a half a yard after the catch, Dobson will be a threat once he gets the ball and that will force teams to cover the whole field and respect his ability to burn them. Although Lloyd was a good possession WR he was literally the least dangerous WR i have ever watched.

The main problem with Lloyd was that he would go to the ground after making the catch to avoid being hit. It is quite difficult to get extra yardage if you are laying on the ground.

 

[Big Bucks]

I know its a limited look at Dobson, but I can't get my head away from this youtube video. Damn I say, Damn.

Aaron Dobson vs West Virginia & UCF (2012) - YouTube

 

[TruthSeeker]

I know its a limited look at Dobson, but I can't get my head away from this youtube video. Damn I say, Damn.

Aaron Dobson vs West Virginia & UCF (2012) - YouTube

Damn in a good way, or bad way ? There are several drops in this video, but mostly positive. All I ask the football gods is that Dobson turns out as good as AJ Green and Julio Jones ;-)

 

[DocHoliday]

In the end it comes down to getting new reviewers when Brady is 38 or when Brady is 36. Best to do it now so when he inevitably loses some accuracy as he grows older he has talented receivers who are ready to pick up some slack and pluck the ball out of the air.