The technical term for Caldwell's condition is...

[BelichickFan]

Hmmm.... and have you looked to see how many "flat out drops" Caldwell had last season? Go check that out before you give me that "BS" bs.

I didn't say he sucked last year. I said he sh!t his pants in the biggest game because 2 clear drops in a game is unacceptable by NFL standards. He was OK, a #3 quality WR, last year. But his AFCC game was unacceptable for a team expecting to win the Super Bowl.

 

[Deus Irae]

I used logic. You are using an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Here is my logic:

1. Caldwell had an average regular season. Any merely competent NFL-caliber WR would have had similar production in his situation.

2. Gaffney signed mid-season; by the end of the season and in the playoffs, he looked like the better WR.

3. Caldwell had two huge drops in the AFFC. I know a loss is a multivariate situation and one single play does not account for it, but if he makes either catch there is probably a 90% chance NE wins.

4. NE signs the top WR free agent in Stallworth.

5. NE trades a 2nd & 7th for Welker.

6. NE signs Washington.

7. NE trades a 4th for Randy Moss.

8. BB says there is a place for Troy Brown on this team.

I add all that up and it tells me that BB is not happy with Caldwell and is planning for a future without him.

Edit:

P.S. And no, I'm not happy with Brady's performance in the last few big games. It's not good enough for me, and I can guarantee you it isn't good enough for Tom Brady. But to compare him to Reche is silly and you know it. Brady has already proven himself over and over in the clutch.

No offense, but your post means nothing to my point. Belechickfan made a foolish comment about dropped passes in "the biggest game of the year" while choosing to ignore both the big catch made in the earlier "biggest game of the year" against San Diego and Brady's poor performance. I don't think Caldwell is a #1 receiver in the NFL, and I'm not saying that an upgrade of the WR position wasn't something that was a good idea.

However, Belichickfan's argument was still a lousy one. Every playoff game is the "biggest game of the year" until the next one, after all. As I noted, Brady has gas-piped 2 of the last 3 "biggest game of the year" appearances. That's not a reason to ditch him for another quarterback, however. You evaluate players on the entire body of work, not just one play, series or game.

 

[shmessy]

61/760/4 ?

What were your expectations? As I said, any competent NFL WR thrust into the WR1 role for this team would have matched (if not bested) these numbers.

And I strongly disagree he was brought in as the WR3 or 4. I think he was clearly signed to be the #2 WR with the thinking Branch would remain our #1.

Sorry to harp on like this, but Caldwell is one of my current Pat pet peeves.

Any competent WR thrust into the #1 role WITHOUT a #2 on the other side???????? Gabriel??????? Chad Jackson???? Troy Brown?????? Jonathan Smith???????

OK, show me one other situation like that one. Just one.

 

[BelichickFan]

Any competent WR thrust into the #1 role WITHOUT a #2 on the other side???????? Gabriel??????? Chad Jackson???? Troy Brown?????? Jonathan Smith???????

I think Caldwell had a good season for what he is but still not close to what we need - hence the moves.

Regarding the comments about how many drops he had all year in this thread, that adds to my point about the AFCCG. Caldwell at least caught the ball OK last year - until the biggest game.

 

[Deus Irae]

I didn't say he sucked last year. I said he sh!t his pants in the biggest game because 2 clear drops in a game is unacceptable by NFL standards. He was OK, a #3 quality WR, last year. But his AFCC game was unacceptable for a team expecting to win the Super Bowl.

Scroll up to your own post:

A good WR has few flat out drops each year, meaning less than 10, maybe one every two games.

It wasn't my argument, it was yours.

 

[shmessy]

I think Caldwell had a good season for what he is but still not close to what we need - hence the moves.

Regarding the comments about how many drops he had all year in this thread, that adds to my point about the AFCCG. Caldwell at least caught the ball OK last year - until the biggest game.

I just checked NFL.com for the 2006 performance stats of Messrs. Stallworth, Branch, Moss, Washington and Caldwell.

Guess who had the best year?

There's a tendency among some to denigrate what this guy accomplished last year. Each of those other receivers were lining up acrooss from better teammate receivers.

Shall we hold Mr. Bruschi (of whom I AM a fan) to the same critical standards for 2006?

 

[DaBruinz]

I thought it was :

"diarrhea
di·ar·rhe·a
–noun Pathology. an intestinal disorder characterized by abnormal frequency and fluidity of fecal evacuations."

I'm sorry, I know he had a good season and a huge catch in the SD game. But I can't get over two insanely bad drops in the biggest game of the year. A few of you will yell at me but he sh!t his pants.

And Brady had how many bad passes in that game? I don't see you saying that Brady went in his pants. The least you could do is be consistent.

 

[DaBruinz]

I know but it is what it is and it was what it was.

I think Belichick told us exactly how he felt about the WR we had last year with what he's done this offseason.

Yes, that is the TYPICAL assumption. Of course, it couldn't just be that the SUPPLY of good WRs outweighed the demand and so it was natural for the Pats to stock up. Couldn't be that.

 

[BelichickFan]

And Brady had how many bad passes in that game? I don't see you saying that Brady went in his pants. The least you could do is be consistent.

Dropped catches do not equal bad passes.

 

[DaBruinz]

I agree, the SD catch was great and clutch.

So Caldwell makes 1 out of 3 Playoff-Fate-Hanging-in-the-Balance catches. Maybe that's good enough for you, but it's not for me, and probably not for BB either.

Sorry, but only 2 of the Catches were Play-off Fate Haning in the Balance situations. You are forgetting that on the very next play in the AFCCG, Gaffney caught a TD pass. And, you can't be 100% positive that Caldwell would have gotten into the end zone on the 2nd drop because there was a corner running at full speed over to cover Caldwell.

So, at worst, Caldwell was 1-2.

OH, and btw, Caldwell was all but assured by BB of his spot on the team after they signed Stallworth and traded for Moss. It came out right after the draft.

 

[shmessy]

And Brady had how many bad passes in that game? I don't see you saying that Brady went in his pants. The least you could do is be consistent.

Oh, but Dabruinz, no one would ever say that. Or say that Bruschi played way below expectations. (IIRC, the D did give up 38 points in Indy playoff game)

No, it's easier to focus on running down someone who is not an untouchable.

If Bruschi performed last year anywhere near commensurate with Caldwell's relative performance, Bob Kraft would be putting up that tent at his mansion next month for the 4th ring party.

 

[BelichickFan]

You are forgetting that on the very next play in the AFCCG, Gaffney caught a TD pass.

What Gaffney did on the next play doesn't change what Caldwell did.

Look, I like Caldwell. But he's a JAG. He has a role on the team just, hopefully, not a starting role. And he sh!t his pants against Indy.

 

[BelichickFan]

Oh, but Dabruinz, no one would ever say that. Or say that Bruschi played way below expectations. (IIRC, the D did give up 38 points in Indy playoff game)

No, it's easier to focus on running down someone who is not an untouchable.

If Bruschi performed last year anywhere near commensurate with Caldwell's relative performance, Bob Kraft would be putting up that tent at his mansion next month for the 4th ring party.

Has anyone recently suggested that Bruschi is what he used to be ? Nope. You're changing the subject, it's irrelevant. Bruschi isn't slowing down, he's slowed down - we know that. He's still a useful player though.

 

[tombonneau]

Any competent WR thrust into the #1 role WITHOUT a #2 on the other side???????? Gabriel??????? Chad Jackson???? Troy Brown?????? Jonathan Smith???????

OK, show me one other situation like that one. Just one.

Ok, how about Jax rookie Matt Jones who did more with less catches in 14 games:

Matt Jones           | 14 |    41   643  15.7   4 |

Or Drew Bennett, I think everyone there expected Givens to be #1. Oh, this was with Vince Young throwing to him:

| Drew Bennett          46   737  16.0   3 |

Antonio Bryant, with Alex Smith throwing to him and the immortal Arnaz Battle opposite (again in 14 games):

| Antonio Bryant       | 14 |  40   733  18.3   3 |

And finally, let's look at the Eagles, and Reggie Brown:

| Reggie Brown         | 16 |     46   816  17.7   8 |

Just for reference, here is Caldwell:

| Reche Caldwell       | 16 |   61   760  12.5   4 |

All of those guys are average NFL WRs. Jones might be special, but was average last year. Bennett you could argue is above average, but only barely.

And look at what they did, none on high powered offenses, none with a superstar drawing attention from them in the passing game.

I mean, just compare their YPC to Caldwell's. It's embarrassing. He's a full 3+ yards behind Jones & Bennett, who have the lowest YPC of those listed.

Now that I look at the stats, I actually recant my statement -- none of these guys would have put up the same numbers as Caldwell -- THEY WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER.

And they did better than Caldwell last year without a HOF QB throwing to them.

 

[DaBruinz]

I'm so tired of this Brady BS comparison.

Do yourself a favor, go and look at stats of dropped passes per year for WR then compare it to incomplete or intercepted passes by QB. The argument is BS.

A good WR has few flat out drops each year, meaning less than 10, maybe one every two games.

Then think about these names :

Moss. Stallwaorth. Welker. Washington.

Put 2 and 2 together to see how Belichick feels about it.

Well, maybe before you put up a scenario to defend your position, you should check the facts you are going to reference.

Caldwell had 1 drop on 102 targets last year during the regular season and 2 in post season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/5934/receiving_splits.html

Stallworth had 5 drops on 78 targets last year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/5899/receiving_splits.html

Moss had 8 drops on 97 targets last year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/4262/receiving_splits.html

Welker had 4 drops on 100 targets last year.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/7027/receiving_splits.html

Washington had 0 drops on 12 targets last year.

I find it very funny you attempt to use WASHINGTON as an example of someone who is a "GOOD" WR when the guy has never been more than a #3 or #4 WR. You do realize that the most Washington has been a target in any one season is 49 times. And that was in 2004.

 

[BelichickFan]

Well, maybe before you put up a scenario to defend your position, you should check the facts you are going to reference.

Sigh. Again.

I already said, the fact that Caldwell didn't have many regular season drops shows that he choked in the Indy game. That's all. He did.

I find it very funny you attempt to use WASHINGTON as an example of someone who is a "GOOD" WR when the guy has never been more than a #3 or #4 WR.

Show me where I said that. I used him as an example of WR that Belichick brought in this offseason, I made no claim on how good he is - although playing behind the WR he did is no crime.

 

[Seymour93]

You are forgetting that on the very next play in the AFCCG, Gaffney caught a TD pass.

And that right there is why Gaffney makes it over Caldwell. Caldwell had two huge drops while Gaffney made one of the catches of the season the very next play. Look at postseason production:

Gaffney - 21 catches, 244 yards, 2 TD's
Stallworth - 16 catches, 176 yards, 1 TD

With the offseason additions, Caldwell is on the outside looking in.

 

[tombonneau]

Sigh. Again.

I already said, the fact that Caldwell didn't have many regular season drops shows that he choked in the Indy game. That's all. He did.


Show me where I said that. I used him as an example of WR that Belichick brought in this offseason, I made no claim on how good he is - although playing behind the WR he did is no crime.

Exactly. Caldwell's regular season drop % (less than 1%) is further condemnation of his playoff performance since he doubled his drops in 16 games in one.

NE players are held to higher standards than guys who play for Houston or Cleveland or Buffalo. There is a good chance you are going to be in a position where one play makes or breaks your team going to the SB.

So what you do in the clutch is even more important on this team than on other teams. And in fact, I would argue that when it comes to marginal role players, BB would rather have a guy who is a B- in the regular season and an A in the clutch than a guy who is an A in the regular season but a B- in the clutch.

 

[DaBruinz]

Tombonneau -
Why not compare Caldwell's YPC with that of Branch's YPC in the same offense? That would be a much fairer comparison.

Deion Branch - 78 receptions on 125 targets for 998 yards (12.8 YPC) and 5 tds

Reche Caldwell - 61 receptions on 102 targets for 760 yards (12.5 YPC) and 4 td

Reche was running the SAME ROUTES that Branch was running and got a 3rd of a yard less.

All your other numbers are superfluous and have no bearing on the argument. And your conclusion is wrong also. You can't guarantee that they would have done better because they were in different offenses.

Ok, how about Jax rookie Matt Jones who did more with less catches in 14 games:

Matt Jones           | 14 |    41   643  15.7   4 |

Or Drew Bennett, I think everyone there expected Givens to be #1. Oh, this was with Vince Young throwing to him:

| Drew Bennett          46   737  16.0   3 |

Antonio Bryant, with Alex Smith throwing to him and the immortal Arnaz Battle opposite (again in 14 games):

| Antonio Bryant       | 14 |  40   733  18.3   3 |

And finally, let's look at the Eagles, and Reggie Brown:

| Reggie Brown         | 16 |     46   816  17.7   8 |

Just for reference, here is Caldwell:

| Reche Caldwell       | 16 |   61   760  12.5   4 |

All of those guys are average NFL WRs. Jones might be special, but was average last year. Bennett you could argue is above average, but only barely.

And look at what they did, none on high powered offenses, none with a superstar drawing attention from them in the passing game.

I mean, just compare their YPC to Caldwell's. It's embarrassing. He's a full 3+ yards behind Jones & Bennett, who have the lowest YPC of those listed.

Now that I look at the stats, I actually recant my statement -- none of these guys would have put up the same numbers as Caldwell -- THEY WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER.

And they did better than Caldwell last year without a HOF QB throwing to them.

 

[DaBruinz]

What Gaffney did on the next play doesn't change what Caldwell did.

Look, I like Caldwell. But he's a JAG. He has a role on the team just, hopefully, not a starting role. And he sh!t his pants against Indy.

No, it doesn't change that Caldwell dropped the ball. But it changes the PERSPECTIVE that it needs to be viewed in. And, whether Caldwell got it or Gaffney got it on the next play, the likelihood of it changing the game is negligible.

If you are going to say that Caldwell sh!t his pants, you have to also apply it to Brady because in the span of 2 games Brady threw 4 ints. That is fully one third the number of interceptions he threw over the 1st 17 games.