I don't think you really want to assume that Troy Brown, a third down receiver making tough catches for short to mid-yardage, approaching the end of his career, really should "set the standard" for WRs on this team.
Salty did not provide a standard for "toughness," so I picked Troy Brown. If you can find a tougher receiver than "a third down receiver making tough catches," or Coles/Rod Smith/Wes Welker, be my guest. If he's on this team, that would be even better. Kelvin Kight threw some nice blocks on kickoff. Chad Jackson got hit at the eight once and army-crawled into the end zone. But I think Brown is tougher, physically and mentally. I think Caldwell's lack of drops and high 1st down % indicate he is also reliable. But salty says...
Not in the AFCCG, anyway. When the sh*t hit the fan in that game, Caldwell responded by dropping not one, but two touchdown passes. Real warrior we got there.
And he did get nailed by Kaesviharn, but that hit only made him even more timid. As a person, I can't blame him too much, but as a football player, he's got to shake it off.
David Givens was once thought of as a tough wide receiver. But not in Denver last year, anyway. When the sh*t hit the fan David Givens responded by dropping not one, but two crucial first down passes. Real warrior we had there.
Troy Brown was once thought of as a clutch wide receiver. But not in Indy this year, anyway. When the sh*t hit the fan and we needed to convert a 3rd and 2 Brown ran an in when he should have run an out, and then couldn't take the pass away from little Bob Sanders. Real warrior we got there. He should hang 'em up.
Tom Brady was once thought of as a gutsy, playoff-proof quarterback. Not in the last two playoffs, anyway. When the sh*t hit the fan in Denver and in Indy, Brady fumbled and threw interceptions at crucial points in the game. He developed (in the words of one infamous poster) Champ Bailey Syndrome. Someone needs to take his girlfriends away and make him concentrate on football. Real leader we got there.
This could go on. You can find this kind of nonsense for every football player that ever played the game, whether great or not. Jim Marshall once ran a fumble in for a safety! Some player he was. Caldwell's stats clearly indicate that for the balance of the year he was Mr. Reliable. He further had two good playoff games against New York and against San Diego. And despite those two heartbreaking drops against Indy he still managed to come in second in yards receiving and catches, and accounted for the third most yards from scrimmage.
Nor was Caldwell the only person to give a touchdown away. Maroney, if you recall, fumbled the ball at the two. He did nothing running the ball, and then he went out with injuries. Yet I'm optimistic that his second year in the offense will be a good one! He was too good over the course of the year to write off next season based on a small sample of misfortunes from one game.
I don't even know what to make of your ridiculous "shake it off" comment. If Caldwell drops a pass two years from now, will it still be due to the Kevin Kaesviharn effect?
Would you be interested in seeing statistics about kickers? I can show you how Mike Vanderjagt is/was the most accurate active kicker.
(...)
Unless you really believe that Vanderjagt is the best kicker "when it counts" I think we can all agree we need upgrades at WR.
Vanderjagt, unlike Caldwell, has a clear history of discipline and mental problems. He earned the name "liquored up idiot kicker" while successful, not while drinking alone at Dallas-area bars this December. Caldwell has never been anything other than a model citizen, and unlike Vanderjagt, has made as many key plays as not in his career.
What some of you don't seem to fully understand is that the season ends in failure for 31 out of the 32 teams in this league, and if you would widen your perspectives a little bit you'd see liquored up idiot fans in 30 cities trace all their woes to one or two memorable catastrophes like Caldwell dropping the hitch, Romo dropping the snap, McCree dropping the interception. As if that were all there were to the game! "When it counts!" In the first quarter can you imagine Tom Brady tossing a pick and then shrugging it off like "Well, its early. It doesn't really count yet"?
Romo botches a snap with an obvious slick kicking ball, then makes an excellent and very athletic play by picking the ball up and sprinting around the left end. Martin Gramatica is too busy being a soccer player to block Babinenaux flying past him for the tackle, but all the idiots remember is Romo missing a snap, not Terry Glenn throwing the ball backwards into his end zone from the five, or all the other important plays that happened in that game - some of which Romo looked very good on! - that even I can't remember because I wasn't shown highlights of it 50 times, like the whole game was contained like a micro-universe within it.
I think most agree, even as we hope Troy comes back, that we can do better than Troy at WR and better than Caldwell at WR as well.
Although Troy did have a few seasons where, because of a lack of other WR options, served in the role of a #1 WR - he was still a third down WR playing the role of #1 WR.
He was never truly a #1 WR, nor was he ever offered or paid #1 WR money.
So just because someone catches a lot of passes in a season, that doesn't make them a #1 WR.
Sure does if the defense considers you to be. And by the end of the season defenses were rolling Caldwell's way, leaving Gaffney single-covered by the likes of Hank Poteat on the opposite side. And the Patriots exploited that all day long, whereas say Dallas, against Seattle, was not consistently able to crack the tough nut posed by the indefatigable (I am being sarcastic) Pete Hunter in cushion coverage on either Terrell Owens or Terry Glenn. Hey, just cause you pay receivers #1 money, and people call them a #1, doesn't make them perform like a #1.
I agree with that entirely. The Patriots need to add a legitimate #1 or #2 guy next year, and it'll have to come through free agency or a trade, The free agent WRs I like are:
1. Drew Bennett: Averages 14.6 yards per catch (deep threat), is 6'5", probably would have better #s if he hadn't been stuck in Tennesse's offense
2. Kevin Curtis: Great route runner, smart player, extremely reliable.
3. Donté Stallworth: Definite deep threat, but concerns regarding consistency and injuries. Also, will probably be the most expensive.
Potential sleeper: Justin Gage: Has not produced much in 4 seasons for the Bears (best year: 31 catches for less than 500 yds). However, he is 6'4", so if Belioli think he has any potential, he could be worth a shot.
After that there is not much that meets the eye. Patrick Crayton (Dallas) or DJ Hackett (Seattle) would be nice, but they are restricted free agents likely to receive high tenders (so the Pats would have to give up picks to get them).
1. Drew Bennett is not a deep threat. He does not have the quickness to get into his deep routes in the amount of time we (or most other teams) allot for passing plays to develop. He can gather momentum just fine, but I'd wager his 20 yard splits are behind that of Caldwell and Gaffney, not to mention Jackson. Go to a Titans board. Ask them if Bennett can stretch the field. They'll say something like, no but Kevin Curtis can.
2. Curtis is a very fine player, but interestingly enough not better than a wizened Issac Bruce. Someone else will probably overpay him. Rumors have him going to Detroit cause he loves Mike Martz, and while this doesn't make sense because Detroit already has Roy Williams and Mike Furrey locked into contracts, it does make sense because Mike Martz and Matt Millen can not say no to a good wide receiver. As everybody's favorite free agent sleeper he'll make out like a bandit.
3. Fine. Keep harping on Stallworth. He's different, but not better than Caldwell. Might not even be as good as Gaffney for us. And like you said he'll make far far more money than either of those two, and he cost the Eagles Mark Simoneau and a 4th besides. They had to make due with Dhani Jones and a rookie at the outside slots this year. I like the deal we got on Reche and Jabar.
So where is this imaginary "legitimate #1 or #2 guy" that (quoting JoeSix) "can do better" than Caldwell? You identified the top three FA receivers, and I'd say Kevin Curtis alone might, MIGHT end up being a superior signing, and he was a backup last year. With so few good WRs out there I'm sure every other NFL scouting department knows this as well. I'd put the chances of us signing him at 10%. Not impossible, but improbable. Even if we pony up the dough, some of these guys will have reasons to go elsewhere, just like Mason had. And this team bats about .500 on their WR acquistions anyways. A bird in the hand...
Then you have Justin Gage, who is not a clear #1 or #2 because its not clear whether or not he'll be a receiver in this league in the future. And that's the kind of guy we'll be signing. Some guy that will make each and everybody go "who? how does this help us?" in march, and then goes out and has a "very nice statistical season" but who just doesn't have "it," unless of course we win the Super Bowl. Then we assume everyone's got a little bit of the magic.
Pushing this debate aside, can we all agree that the pats should sign/trade for another veteran receiver to add to the mix. And this vet be a legit #1 or #2..
I say lets get a vet receiver (we have the money).. Lets just figure out who it is..
You guys let me know when you do.