I thought I read Amendola...

RayClay said:

Not sure why you worry so much about individual stats compared to team performance, due to roles played well, especially since Amendola reworked his contract to stay.

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robertweathers said:

Hes not a WR. Hes a 270 lb TE which makes it a bit more of a challenge to adjust to balls, get into catch position, etc.

He hasn't dropped a pass all year.

His career drop percentage is low.

Not sure what you are basing your opinion on?

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AzorianPats said:

Amendola and Welker have better hands than Edelman. I love JE11, but if you look back at the last couple of years, he's never really caught the ball cleanly. He makes a lot of body catches, and even then juggles the ball at times. Also remember though, he was a QB at college.

Where Edelman sh!ts on both of them is his ability to juke and make people miss. That's where Edelman is really special. He's tough as nails too, maybe the best blocker out of the 3. He might be the most clutch.

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robertweathers said:

I don't understand what you are saying.

He reworked his contract because his performance and role did not jive with his salary and cap slot.

The question is about quantifying DA's importance to the team.

IMO if you want to quantify his importance and value, you need to include statistics and accomplishments as ways of doing so.

Are you suggesting a different method?

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TommyD4207 said:

I don't care what the "drop stats" say, he absolutely has.

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RayClay said:

I just quantified it. He fills a role and converts 3rd downs.

He could catch 100 balls a year, i'm sure of it. We'd just need to sit Edelman and throw a lot less to Gronkowksi.

I don't know why we'd want to do that, but it would justify his original contract, I guess.

To paraphrase, "We're not collecting talent, we're building a team."

Or "statistics are for losers" I guess. Kind of cold, but i think the guy who said it knows what he's doing.

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robertweathers said:

I agree with your assessment of his role on the team. As discussed last night hes the best overall WR3 in the league.

I can understand your view on DA catching 100 balls. It is entirely possible if he plays 1000 snaps.

The response I would have is that Dobson would catch 60 balls if he played 1000 snaps.

There are many reasons why both will never happen. Health, better players in front of them, role, ability, etc.

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RayClay said:

Dobson definitely could do that. Would we be better as a team? I don't think so. Do we have all roles covered to best suit Brady, even without a classic deep threat? I think so. With Lafell, I believe we have the best group of receivers who complement what Brady does better than any QB ever,

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RayClay said:

and i don't care who catches more than another.

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• Gronk is open if he's single-covered by almost anyone and he won't let the defense get an interception.
• Edelman is generally open on short or near sideline passes where his height is not a disadvantage.
• Ditto for Amendola, but he lacks Edelman's magical quickness. That's why he's not the #1 WR. He doesn't draw (and beat) the #1 CB. They're both willing blockers limited by their size. Once he's open though, he'll make the catch.
• LaFell's height and physicality makes him valuable blocking on screens, setting up pick plays (which is why he gets so many penalties), and winning contested deep passes.
• For YAC, each receiver acquires the yards differently, so again, it depends on the situation. Gronk drags people, sometimes 2 or 3. LaFell won't make the first guy miss, but he'll knock him down. Edelman avoids them.
• Lewis avoids tacklers, too, but in a way that defies the laws of nature. They talk about runners being effective in open space. Lewis is always in open space.

robertweathers said:

I think you might be stretching that a little. He'll wind us catching 45-50 balls which is great for a WR3- not a superstar.



With LaFell back, his snaps will go down substantially.

Hes a solid role player and very good special teamer. Nothing more.

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cscirpoli said:

I disagree with that. He tends to catch the very hard balls thrown his way (sexual jokes aside). He may be our 3rd receiving threat, but if JE were to go down, I guarantee DA could easily pick up the slack.

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convertedpatsfan said:

BTW, saw a few times in the thread how Dola hasn't lived up to expectations of 100 catches, 1,200-1,300 yards. Just as a reminder because we were a bit spoiled by Welker, those are actually pretty high benchmarks to expect of a slot receiver with injury issues from a mediocre team like the Rams, let alone any other WR.

Annually, only 5 or 6 guys break the 100-catch mark. In 2010 and 2011, it was only 2 guys. And there's rarely any consistency to it either. In 2009, 6 guys hit the century mark, and only 1 of them repeated in 2010. Welker was the next guy to hit that mark 2 years in a row from 2011 to 2012, Marshall did it two years in a row. As for the guys who are consistently around that mark, those are guys like Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, future HOFers. I don't think anyone in NE should have expected that out of the Dola signing.

As for the 1,300 yard mark, most years, only 10 guys pass that mark. Jules has never hit that mark, although he's on pace to do it this year. Welker only did it 3 times out of 6 years in New England. So I think expectations were a bit unrealistic to begin with.

And that contract...how many ****ing times did we see *****ing and moaning about the contract. In the later years, it escalated, but as an overall deal, it didn't even put Dola in the top 25 in annual salary for WRs. He wasn't worth what we paid, but it's not like it was a massive contract. We're spoiled in NE, where BB manages the cap so well and any fluctuation in performance vs. pay is dealt with. Pro Bowl HOF guards like Mankins have a bad year and are asked to redo their deal.

So Dola's deal wasn't exactly what he should have been paid, but $5.7M vs. $3.1M isn't as big a deal as Mike Wallace making $12M or Victor Cruz's $8.6M or Torrey Smith's $8M. Heck, Dwayne Bowe got $6.5M a year after playing like crap for KC. Percy Harvin is also making $6M a year to do nothing right now. Dola might have been overpaid a bit, but it wasn't significant, and certainly nowhere near the level of moaning that went on around here.

Catch a huge TD in an epic play-off comeback against the Ravens? Well yeah, but look at his contract. Clutch plays in the Super Bowl? Yeah, but contract...

He hasn't been what we thought he'd be, but he's been a pretty solid player. And when it was clear his role wasn't going to be what he or we had hoped, he didn't complain like Watkins, he didn't make a fuss. He found a way to contribute, he was a team player the whole way, and he found ways to help us win games.

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TommyD4207 said:

His hands are average, "for his size" or not.

Receivers aren't supposed to drop a pass or two a game. That's way more than anything that can be considered "excellent".

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