Idle thoughts - The "I told you we need VJax" edition

rochrist said:

He looks really good to me. Running sharp routes, quick out of his breaks, catching the ball with hands and very strong after the catch. I'm not sure what else there is he's supposed to do.

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All we really need to know is that it appears Brady has confidence in him.

This should end the debate about why BB didn't get Emanuel Sanders (and now we're seeing why LaFell's numbers were indeed better than Sanders

Tunescribe said:

Ken, you're rather adamant that LaFell is not an elite WR. It seems to me he could be on his way to becoming one. His style looks a lot like another WR on the field today, Alshon Jeffrey.

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He was playing against a rookie corner carrying an injury, and then a backup corner who replaced Fuller so let's pump the brakes. If Lafell performs consistently against better competition then we can talk.

@patfanken, great write up as always.

Regarding the defense, I was a little disappointed at first to see them giving up the yards and points in the second half, but I noticed in the fourth quarter that they were essentially playing a soft zone for at least a few plays. I'd be curious to go back and see how the defensive game plan changed after the Pats went up 45-7.

Gronk/Wright/Lafell

27 targets, 27 catches!

Great write up, as we have come to expect...

The mediots will be upset about something though, what is there to complain about??... Amendola did not contribute enough?? What is wrong with Edelman?? Why did they leave Brady in so long?? Did they run up the score?? Where was the pass rush?? Wait until they face a real team...

Maybe they will call "Steve from Fall River" for more ideas...

Stay tuned, or better still change the channel... they will find something to whyne and bytch about...

Bring on Sunday at 4:25 PM...

patfanken said:

.. if [the mediots] are going to whine, they are going to have to be pretty creative about it.

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Mediots sold the Brady-in-decline story. They don't need to understand they were wrong; they'll take credit for being gadflies forcing Brady to respond to the criticism with improved play....

I have to admit, I was not excited when they picked up Lafell. I thought they were overpaying for a mediocre wr that wasn't even wanted by his current team.

Lafell has performed better than I expected. However this Bears defense is also pretty Terri le, so we should not overreact. I am pretty sure I could have caught four for 55 yards against them on Sunday.

kudzif said:

He was playing against a rookie corner carrying an injury, and then a backup corner who replaced Fuller so let's pump the brakes. If Lafell performs consistently against better competition then we can talk.

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He wasn't playing against single coverage the whole game. Besides, he's shown signs of getting in sync with Brady prior to yesterday. He's got the tools and the speed, and is versatile -- can stretch the perimeter and isn't afraid to go across the middle. I'm on his bandwagon, pump the brakes if you want.

LaFell had a great, for his size, 6.81 three cone at the combine so it's not a huge surprise that he's doing well, I just had no idea if he would "get" the Patriots offense as so many fail in that aspect.

BelichickFan said:

LaFell had a great, for his size, 6.81 three cone at the combine so it's not a huge surprise that he's doing well, I just had no idea if he would "get" the Patriots offense as so many fail in that aspect.

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Not to de-rail this thread, but the whole "WRs can't grasp our offense" is a bunch of balogna. How many of the WRs that failed here went on to have success in other team's offenses?

VrabelJr said:

Not to de-rail this thread, but the whole "WRs can't grasp our offense" is a bunch of balogna. How many of the WRs that failed here went on to have success in other team's offenses?

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I don't think it is. I know Galloway and Chad Johnson were older and coming to the end but they looked completely confused. There's a slew of young guys who haven't gone on to do anything elsewhere but when a young WR is 2 or so years removed from whatever college success he had it puts him behind. Between Chad Jackson, Taylor Price, Brandon Tate, Josh Boyce (who I still have hope for) I suspect some of them would have had more success if they're figured out the mental part of the offense.

BelichickFan said:

LaFell had a great, for his size, 6.81 three cone at the combine so it's not a huge surprise that he's doing well, I just had no idea if he would "get" the Patriots offense as so many fail in that aspect.

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People around here forget the old Maxim "It takes three years to develop a WR".

The ones doing well have. more than three years of experience

VrabelJr said:

Not to de-rail this thread, but the whole "WRs can't grasp our offense" is a bunch of balogna. How many of the WRs that failed here went on to have success in other team's offenses?

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It's actually pretty well documented. The question isn't whether it is hard to grasp, it is whether that is the best way to go. The results speak for themselves, of course, but how much of that is Tom? And I think we'd all like to see a youngster come in and immediately pay dividends like we see across the league.

Interestingly, TEs seem to have an easier time, despite the fact that they have similar route resp0nsibilities and far more complex blocking responsibilities. Not sure if that means anything, but I find it fascinating.

VrabelJr said:

Not to de-rail this thread, but the whole "WRs can't grasp our offense" is a bunch of balogna. How many of the WRs that failed here went on to have success in other team's offenses?

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Consistently fail on WRs through the draft, I don't think every single one of them are that bad of players.

Is it only my impression, or is the beloved no-huddle-offence back?



And btw: Here is a picture from fans in Germany, watching together Patriots in a Pub.

BelichickFan said:

I don't think it is. I know Galloway and Chad Johnson were older and coming to the end but they looked completely confused. There's a slew of young guys who haven't gone on to do anything elsewhere but when a young WR is 2 or so years removed from whatever college success he had it puts him behind. Between Chad Jackson, Taylor Price, Brandon Tate, Josh Boyce (who I still have hope for) I suspect some of them would have had more success if they're figured out the mental part of the offense.

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Why did these receivers have no success in supposedly simpler offenses at other teams.Honestly its simple , and there is no need to overanalyze things: our draft selections were bad , and as far as free agent wrs we try to bargain shop.The problem with bargain shopping is when a wr is cheap there is a reason and it is usually because they suck; it is a low probability play.

kudzif said:

Why did these receivers have no success in supposedly simpler offenses at other teams.Honestly its simple , and there is no need to overanalyze things: our draft selections were bad , and as far as free agent wrs we try to bargain shop.The problem with bargain shopping is when a wr is cheap there is a reason and it is usually because they suck; it is a low probability play.

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True. But that doesn't change the fact that NE's offense is very complex. This has been confirmed even by smart, capable receivers like Tory Holt.