WR Battle

Hopefully Gronk is healthy this year and our offense will be dominant, after two preseason games here are my thoughts:

Edelman - looks fantastic, very quick off the line, probably after Gronk he's Brady's first read. 100+ catches this year is expected

Now the battles:

• Amendola - great hands, but he looks slow, he's not creating much space for himself. Still the edge for WR2, but he looks like a possesion guy mainly in the middle of the field
• KT - looks better than he did last year. My guess is that he passes DA and is our outside guy in that Deion Brach role. He has no room for error with Dobson/Lafell on his heels
• Dobson - We haven't seen anything yet
• LaFell - I like what i see. Runs the post well, solid hands, big guy. lack of speed is an issue. He should be in for 3-4 WR sets, rotate in and depth in case of injuries.
• Tyms - the suspension hurts him.

wheres boyce? he is by far the soonest and biggest decision we will have to make...

ALP said:

wheres boyce? he is by far the soonest and biggest decision we will have to make...

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Boyce is probably on the bubble, depending on how many receivers will be on the 53 man roster.

The suspension helps Tyms. It all but guarantees he will make it 4 weeks into the season under contract to the NE Patriots. He's a freebie on the roster, not counting against the 53.

Dobson ideally will be #2 on the WR depth chart behind Edelman if he shows that he's kept up on his film work and playbook study.

If he can quickly get back in sync with Brady he should be set. Getting in sync with Brady quickly though isn't a skill that many WR seem to possess. I'd say that KT/DA are both ahead of him for at least a few games. Barring injuries, by October at the latest I see AD taking over opposite Edelman.

LaFell is the hardest to place. KT has more experience in the system and seems to be making plays everyday where LaFell only just recently started getting mentions, but the mentions hes been getting make him sound like he should be a starter.

We may very well see nobody claim a true lead and WRs will be rotated in and out of games on a play-by-play basis depending on the route combinations called.

I do agree that Boyce is probably on the way out and Tyms', as mentioned, is a freebie for 4 weeks with a decision to come after. I think that decision will be made based on injuries and who has shined and struggled. If one of the WRs are struggling they may "get injured" and end up stashed on IR for the season to sort it out at a later date with Tyms' taking his spot.

Right now I'd say:

1. Edelman
2/3. Amendola
3/4. KT
2/4. Dobson (all depends on where he picks up once he plays in pads)
5. LaFell

LaFell and KT are probably the closest to flip-flopping positions but I still like KT over him at this point, and despite not hearing a ton about Amendola, it appears its because he's doing everything he should be doing, which, for now, solidifies him just behind Edelman.

Usually when we discuss position "battles" this late, we are discussing roster spots. At WR, it seems that the roster spots are set. What is at issue is the health of Dobson and who will get the reps. Tyms is not relevant to the r3 many roster decisions for awhile. Personally, I don't see what he can do to get a roster spot unless someone goes on IR.

And then there is Boyce. It seems that he has lost the fight for a roster spot. KT and LaFell are simply ahead of him. Boyce could still make the roster as a kick returner. Over the last two years, Belichick has shown the willingness to use a roster spot for this role. I haven't a clue why this is the case.

Unless Dobson is injured, we are set at WR for a couple of years.

Every team has a kicker that kicks off into the end zone now, often out of the end zone. Those kicks run back are few and far between and the returns for big yards and TD's have dwindled to nearly nothing. Why would any coach want to designate one of 53 spots to the kick returner role? It seems to me that one has to be skilled enough to take a roster spot based on positional performance these days.

Joker said:

Every team has a kicker that kicks off into the end zone now, often out of the end zone. Those kicks run back are few and far between and the returns for big yards and TD's have dwindled to nearly nothing. Why would any coach want to designate one of 53 spots to the kick returner role? It seems to me that one has to be skilled enough to take a roster spot based on positional performance these days.

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I agree with you--unless he's really got exceptional talent on KOR's. In our case, I don't see any guy that is so great on KOR's that he'd warrant the use of tying up a roster spot just for that role.

In my opinion it isn't Boyce. Luckily for him, he's got another month into the season to show something, but I don't know if he'll be around much longer. He has been underwhelming in my opinion. Let us know what you think of Boyce if you end up going to the last practice tomorrow. Thanks, buddy.

KT/DA are definitely in a battle for 2nd receiver although I think DA is probably slightly ahead.
Lafell is probably behind KT for number 3, but I think he will be used more situationally as a redzone target rather than for open field situations.

Generally speaking, I think DA/KT/Dobson/Lafell are going to all have playing time depending on matchup and situation. If the team has small corners, you want Dobson/Lafell creating a mismatch, and conversely if you have larger dbs you want the quicker DA or the hard to jam KT.

If one receiver catches fire during the regular season, that will probably shift things around.

Watched that game last night (was out of town)...I think some folks are being too hard on Boyce, honestly. He had a bad drop on a throw that was just a bit behind him. He was turning, should have caught it, saved by the penalty.

His penalty was ticky-tack. He was blocking well downfield and put his hand on the defender just as the guy dove for the running back. Boyce barely touched him. Ticky-tack flag.

Boyce also had a couple of nice receptions. He's down on the depth chart, but I'd hate to see him cut. That said, you have to keep Tyms - his jump ball skills are off-the-charts. So I hope Boyce makes it as a KR/WR.

Edelman is without a doubt, the #1 WR that will be out there for 100% of the snaps. He's looked even better than last year, and should give #1/#2 CBs fits throughout the year.

Snaps wise, the #2 WR is KT until Dobson gets on the field. KT will be out there in 2 WR sets across Edelman while DA is out in 3 WR sets.

Amendola is the #3/slot WR.

Lafell is the #4/5 WR. He seems to be a 3 million dollar insurance policy in case of injuries. No problem with that, as we have lacked depth at WR for years.


Now, when Dobson returns, he should be the #2 WR. I hope however instead of pushing KT from #2 to #4 they relegate DA to #4. The most dynamic trio we can put out there IMO is Edelman, Dobson, KT.

The OP got the group of receivers correct, I think - Edelman, Amendola, Dobson, Thompkins, Lafell and Tyms. Shane Vereen will line up wide when the mismatch is there, and Develin is an excellent pass catcher. Put Gronkowski in there with three or four of these guys and defenses have their hands full.

I don't see this as an elite group. None of the Patriots wide receivers require that the opponent's best defensive back must devote all of his attention to controlling that one player. That's not terrible, but it also means that defenses can be as creative as they like as long as they account for everybody or outnumber the blockers and keep pressure on Brady.

The running game has to pose a multiple option threat, which looks to be the case with Develin, White, Vereen and Finch all capable of running or catching the ball.

The Patriots have many good weapons, but the only one that is truly elite is Gronkowski.

I think there is a very good chance that we keep Boyce while tyms is suspended, so Boyce has rest of preseason and 4 weeks of reg season to convince BB he should be kept

I don't think we can let him go yet because he's got that thing called speed, and speed kills

goheels22002 said:

The OP got the group of receivers correct, I think - Edelman, Amendola, Dobson, Thompkins, Lafell and Tyms. Shane Vereen will line up wide when the mismatch is there, and Develin is an excellent pass catcher. Put Gronkowski in there with three or four of these guys and defenses have their hands full.

I don't see this as an elite group. None of the Patriots wide receivers require that the opponent's best defensive back must devote all of his attention to controlling that one player. That's not terrible, but it also means that defenses can be as creative as they like as long as they account for everybody or outnumber the blockers and keep pressure on Brady.

The running game has to pose a multiple option threat, which looks to be case with Develin, White, Vereen and Finch all capable of running or catching the ball.

The Patriots have many good weapons, but the only one that is truly elite is Gronkowski.

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I think Dobson has a chance of joining that category this season though, and Edelman is really just below it me thinks

ALP said:

I think there is a very good chance that we keep Boyce while tyms is suspended, so Boyce has rest of preseason and 4 weeks of reg season to convince BB he should be kept

I don't think we can let him go yet because he's got that thing called speed, and speed kills

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I think you're 100% correct about this. I really want to like Boyce, but Tyms just has shown so much talent, able to fight past DBs all the time, and get deep. Has shown good hands, and great jumping ability. Let's not forget, he came in to camp late too, the Pats signed him after camp started.

Can we see Aaron Dobson play some before we anoint him as #2 ...Dobson is not a head of any WR on the roster right now except for Josh Boyce. Really had high hopes of Boyce but his improvement is very slow. That Back Shoulder catch by Thomkins was sick that play cannot be defended KT doesn't get alot of press around here like Dobson but I think he might be a better overall receiver when its all said and done. Lafell looks lke a excellent pick up Brady hasn't have this much Size at WR hard to beleive in his time here. I hope Dobson can get into some contact practices by say next week to see where he's at I still think his timing with Brady will take some time.

strngplyr said:

Dobson ideally will be #2 on the WR depth chart behind Edelman if he shows that he's kept up on his film work and playbook study.

If he can quickly get back in sync with Brady he should be set. Getting in sync with Brady quickly though isn't a skill that many WR seem to possess. I'd say that KT/DA are both ahead of him for at least a few games. Barring injuries, by October at the latest I see AD taking over opposite Edelman.

LaFell is the hardest to place. KT has more experience in the system and seems to be making plays everyday where LaFell only just recently started getting mentions, but the mentions hes been getting make him sound like he should be a starter.

We may very well see nobody claim a true lead and WRs will be rotated in and out of games on a play-by-play basis depending on the route combinations called.

I do agree that Boyce is probably on the way out and Tyms', as mentioned, is a freebie for 4 weeks with a decision to come after. I think that decision will be made based on injuries and who has shined and struggled. If one of the WRs are struggling they may "get injured" and end up stashed on IR for the season to sort it out at a later date with Tyms' taking his spot.

Right now I'd say:

1. Edelman
2/3. Amendola
3/4. KT
2/4. Dobson (all depends on where he picks up once he plays in pads)
5. LaFell

LaFell and KT are probably the closest to flip-flopping positions but I still like KT over him at this point, and despite not hearing a ton about Amendola, it appears its because he's doing everything he should be doing, which, for now, solidifies him just behind Edelman.

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How people forget that the old saying for a WR "Practice with Brady makes one perfect."

I am seeing Edelmen as the number 1 Wr with Amendola as his backup. KT, LaFell and Dobson will all rotate as the number 2 WR. Amendola will be the main slot receiver with LaFell backing him up. Dobson still has to "prove it" but I suspect he will.

Tyms will be on the roster for 4 games, the question is whether Boyce will be able to stick or not.

There is no reason to carry more than 5 WR's unless one is a special teamer. So, I don't think that Tyms has a chance.

With the weakness at TE, this team's personnel sets up nicely for 4 WR and open backfield sets. That could save an extra WR. Also, the Tyms suspension could put off the final decision for another 4-6 weeks.

Normal 5

Edelman
Amendola
Dobson
Lafell
Thompkins


Possible 6th

Boyce
Tyms

Likely SOL and P.S. bound at best, due to injury even if nothing else

Gallon


My guess is that most here, even those who don't usually agree on the time of day, would break it down pretty much like that.