- Joined
- Jan 26, 2010
- Messages
- 12,280
- Reaction score
- 4,666
I am getting a Dobson jersey..i have faith!
... Enough faith to change your user name?
Registered Members experience this forum ad and noise-free.
CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.I am getting a Dobson jersey..i have faith!
Absolutely..
There are any number of options at the position who may be able to play certain roles, so I imagine we'll have a much better read on that in the next 8 weeks. At this point all we can do is speculate.
The only reason I really brought Llyod up is due to his exceptional knowledge of the scheme run here, along with his experience. That, coupled with the fact that he'd definitely be coming on the cheap, leads me to believe that he'd be a fine addition to the WR corps in a lesser role.
I am glad that we're not keeping him as the WR2 myself, and that the team is attempting to upgrade the youth, speed, and ability to do certain things that he just isn't very good at anymore. Whether Belichick ends up feeling that he may be a possibility is anyone's guess, but I've had to think that bridge is burned and that ship has sailed at this point myself.
He's obviously a bust since he didn't excel in his first mini-camp, ran a wrong route or two. And to think, we used to wait til training camp before declaring rookies as bust.
... Enough faith to change your user name?
no...brady to moss was a given it would be magical
I like Dobson just fine but he does have some flaws in his game. First, he's a finesse receiver. He's a big guy who often tries to play the way a smaller guy like would. He’ll try cutbacks or reversals of field that he has no business attempting – especially considering down and distance situations. He doesn't use his bigger body to get physical with smaller DBs. Dobson tries to finesse defenders off the line of scrimmage when pressed although he’s built to get physical with a CB. Most of all, Dobson has to do a better job of using his body as a shield between the defender and the football. Fortunately, he's a smarter WR and he has remarkably soft hands. His low drop percentage must have really caught BB's eye. If the Pats can coach up his flaws, Dobson can earn a starting spot and contribute. Going into the draft, I was actually higher on Mark Harrison and Josh Boyce but both were injured for mini camp. Time will tell.
If that is the case then Dobson would have been a better fit in Pittsburgh (think of Roethlisberger rolling out trying to buy time), or with a quarterback like Michael Vick scrambling while the defense doesn't know if he will pass or run.
If Dobson is going to succeed with the Patriots the freelancing outlined above won't cut it; the Pats' offense is all based on the QB and the receiver both reading the defense the same way, and the receiver running a specific route according to that read. Mid route changes will result in at minimum incomplete passes, and at worse interceptions.
You're an excellent forum member. One of the most educated football minds I've ever had the pleasure of reading the posts of.
As someone who is looking to expand their knowledge this type of information is much appreciated.
If that is the case then Dobson would have been a better fit in Pittsburgh (think of Roethlisberger rolling out trying to buy time), or with a quarterback like Michael Vick scrambling while the defense doesn't know if he will pass or run.
If Dobson is going to succeed with the Patriots the freelancing outlined above won't cut it; the Pats' offense is all based on the QB and the receiver both reading the defense the same way, and the receiver running a specific route according to that read. Mid route changes will result in at minimum incomplete passes, and at worse interceptions.
As Lloyd's ability to get down field has diminished with age his refusal to take a hit, or run after the catch is really a deal breaker.
It's a shame because he'd actually be a decent Z or Y receiver because he runs tight routes and has reliable hands.
Well, I'm going to lay it out on the line in a positive fashion, .......... He is not just a deep guy, but an intermediate and between the hash marks type of receiver as well. Like I said before, he didn't drop any passes his senior year which is rare for any college receiver and performed well even in snow. ............... I'm a fan of this kid and expect not only for him to succeed but become a franchise receiver.. THIS season, yeah I'm going to get criticized but he will have a big year and immediate impact this season.
The bolded part is exactly why I had hoped that they'd have been able to reach an agreement on a cheaper deal for a lessened role.
In my opinion, Llyod's positive traits such as his knowledge of the scheme, rapport with Brady, reliable hands, and his tight route running were all great attributes that could have helped to take over the "Branch" role of the past two years. On top of that, I think we'd have gotten something closer to the 2011 version of Branch (51 catches) vs the 2012 version (16 catches).
Unfortunately, they couldn't agree on terms and I'd have to guess that Brandon may have found it in his better interests to gamble on himself as a WR2 or WR3 for one of the other 31 teams; especially after a decently productive season last year.
How much Llyod's supposed "bad attitude" or character concerns may come into play here are anyone's guess and only Belichick probably really knows the full truth, but after the offseason we've had my assumption is that if any of it were true--Llyod's ship in NE has long sailed at this point.
If that is the case then Dobson would have been a better fit in Pittsburgh (think of Roethlisberger rolling out trying to buy time), or with a quarterback like Michael Vick scrambling while the defense doesn't know if he will pass or run.
If Dobson is going to succeed with the Patriots the freelancing outlined above won't cut it; the Pats' offense is all based on the QB and the receiver both reading the defense the same way, and the receiver running a specific route according to that read. Mid route changes will result in at minimum incomplete passes, and at worse interceptions.
Please STOP REPEATING this MULTITUDINOUSLY DEBUNKED MYTH. Even in THIS SAME THREAD - IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DISPROVED!!!
He had 2 drops in the VERY FIRST video URL which was posted in the DRAFT DAY THREAD and that video was within the SAME POST (by the SAME GUY who) started promulgating that myth.
I dont know what his actual drop % is; but judging by his 2 drops on 9 targets in that one game video I saw; it seems like he has average ACTUAL catch %s. But since stats for a college player are very likely to be NOT as RELIABLE as NFL stats (target #s are subjective anyway); you can point to any summary you want saying he has a 90+% rate and I wont believe it.
Show me a site where someone ACTUALLY WATCHED VIDEO AND COUNTED (which I think will come out more like the 70% I saw in the one game) and I will accept the argument that he has above avg hands - but PERFECT - PUUHHHHH-LEAASE Just Stop that.
If that is the case then Dobson would have been a better fit in Pittsburgh (think of Roethlisberger rolling out trying to buy time), or with a quarterback like Michael Vick scrambling while the defense doesn't know if he will pass or run.
If Dobson is going to succeed with the Patriots the freelancing outlined above won't cut it; the Pats' offense is all based on the QB and the receiver both reading the defense the same way, and the receiver running a specific route according to that read. Mid route changes will result in at minimum incomplete passes, and at worse interceptions.
I think Chevs is saying the cutbacks and reversals are with the ball in his hands. That Dobson will have one defender to beat for a first down and instead of running over the guy with his 25lb weight advantage, he tries to jitterbug his way around him.
Dave Breaks Down Film: Aaron Dobson - Target RundownOne way to evaluate the effectiveness of receivers is to look at "targets." A wide receiver may have 4 catches for 55 yards, but that's a very different performance if the quarterback looked the receiver's way 10 times or 4. Targets are still under-reported for college players - neither ESPN.com nor sports-reference.com lists them - but through combing the play-by-play data we can often find them.
I'm really interested in the Patriots' selection of Aaron Dobson, the wide receiver out of Marshall, in the second round in June's draft. Dobson's numbers - 57 catches for 679 yards, 3 touchdowns - are pedestrian for a receiver drafted so highly. If we factor in targets, do Dobson's numbers look more impressive?
Game Targets Catches Yards Comp% Y/A
WVU 7 4 72 0.57 10.29
WCU 11 9 81 0.82 7.36
OHIO 17 11 94 0.65 5.53
RICE 7 5 66 0.71 9.43
PUR 11 3 42 0.27 3.82
TUL 13 10 128 0.77 9.85
USM 9 5 63 0.56 7.00
UCF 10 5 68 0.50 6.80
MEM 1 1 4 1.00 4.00
ECU 5 4 61 0.80 12.20
TOTAL 91 57 679 0.63 7.46
Ultimately, targets don't really change the picture that much. Dobson is an efficient, productive college player, but there's nothing here that screams "second-round pick." The 63% completion percentage when throwing Dobson's way was actually below Marshall's 70% average as a team, and his 7.46 yards per target is just a hair over the Thundering Herd's 7.22 as a whole.
Dobson's lack of statistical progress from his sophomore (44 catches for 689 yards and 5 TDs) to his senior year often gets blamed on quarterback Rakeem Cato's inability to complete deep passes and on a spread offense that opened things for slot man Tommy Shuler more than Dobson. Is that accurate? It's hard to tell. There's only one cut-up from Dobson's 2012 season, a YouTube clip covering the West Virginia and Central Florida games:
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZB7QRqAphso?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You can see the elements that work against Dobson in these highlights. At about 0:58, you can see Dobson badly burn the defending corner for what would have been a long gainer, but Cato overthrows him. At 2:48, Cato throws a jump-ball that Dobson makes a great catch on, but the throw carries him out of bounds. Marshall constantly deploys three or four wide receivers, so Dobson rarely gets to run posts or other long routes. He's often running curls or quick outs, such as in the first play on the tape. Of course, the Patriots are known for spreading the field and throwing a lot of quick routes, so I'm not sure the New England system will be more favorable. While Dobson has a reputation for great hands, he does drop a couple balls against UCF (at 2:15 and 3:18). He rarely gets much yardage after the catch, though he does break a tackle for a big gain at 4:07.
I was hoping to blown away by Dobson after looking at the target data and the film, but I'm not. I do think the superficial numbers undersell his performance a bit due to the time missed with injury. His overall skill set - savvy route-running while allows him to get open despite average speed and quickness, tremendous body-control for spectacular catches but occasional drops, limited run after catch ability - remind me of Brandon Lloyd, the man he might replace in New England. At 6'3", he's got considerably more size than Lloyd (6'0"), but profiles along the same lines. Anyone expecting the second coming of fellow Marshall alum Randy Moss is almost certain to be disappointed.
I think the team decided they didn't want Lloyd at any price for any role. I also think rapport with Brady was actually a problem, they were clearly off all season, save for one terrific half against SF. His hands are overrated, great at unbelievable catches, average at the normal ones. He was also the worst YAC receiver I've ever seen, bar none.
I view Lloyd's absence as an overall positive for the offense and I'm thrilled to see him go.
I don't think that they "didn't want him at any price, for any role" or they wouldn't have offered him a lesser deal to stay.