Gronk is psyched to play alongside Bennett...

Deus Irae said:

Quick exercise, just for a discussion topic:

Take every Patriots receiver currently on the roster and add Anquan Boldin to the mix.
Completely ignore finances.
Include TEs and 3RDBs on the list of 'receivers'.

Now, rank them in order, first in terms of overall ability, and then in terms of how you'd view their ability to fit into, and impact, the offense.

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Oh man tough question, Deus. I think Gronk impacts the offense even if he's not catching passes. My list...

1. Gronk
2. Edelman
3. Lewis
4. Bennett
5. Boldin
6. Amendola
7. Hogan

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Is Bennett better than AH?

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He's a better all-around TE than that psycho.

As I recall Develin he can be like Moses for the run (and he can catch&run etc.). Well, I love him.
I also think there will be so many different O packages we will need slow-mo to track them.
So I dont think 2TE exclude FB. On the contrary it adds to the fun.
They might go easy on Edelman early and Hogan can even be N1 WR for some game. We havent seen him here of course but I see it as a possibility.
I also expect 3 WR sets at times.
They really have plenty of opportunities to disguise plays, change O approaches and distribute the load.

EDIT: Plus better prevent and overcome injuries.

Get hyped

Deus Irae said:

Quick exercise, just for a discussion topic:

Take every Patriots receiver currently on the roster and add Anquan Boldin to the mix.
Completely ignore finances.
Include TEs and 3RDBs on the list of 'receivers'.

Now, rank them in order, first in terms of overall ability, and then in terms of how you'd view their ability to fit into, and impact, the offense.

Click to expand...

Why even bother to add Boldin? (I mean to this list unless it actually happens not against it just don't see the need for this exercise)

I say
1 Gronk
2 Jules
3 Bennett
4 Lewis
5 Amendola
6 Hogan
7 Washington
8 White
9 Mitchell

I think that's enough and I really expect the ball to be spread pretty evenly among the top 4. Unless Bennett frees Grok up to be singled more than we are used to because if that happens Gronk will get a lot of balls thrown his way.

EatSleepWinRepeat said:

Get hyped

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Mojo says stay hyped

Ivan said:

The reason I think it's more difficult is because they won't need an extra tackle for a Jumbo package, they will be able to run right over defense's, and there will be no drop off in receiving options.

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I don't think they use the jumbo package a lot. 30-50 times a year maybe...

Ivan said:

And if teams want to try and clog the middle either TE can go in motion or go outside and create mismatches.

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So moving Gronk and Bennett to WR or going in motion solves the problem completely? I dunna know about that.

Ivan said:

As far as production goes I disagree completely, I think Bennett will get a ton of touches and expect him to be over 70 receptions, if Edelman isn't ready out of the gate I won't be surpluses if Bennett end up second in receptions. If he is ready I still expect Bennett to be top three in receptions, yards, and TDs.

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If JE isn't ready all bets are off. I would assume the slack is picked up by DA, Hogan, Bennett and Gronk. In that case Bennett will certainly see the ball more. If Bennett sees 100 targets and JE and Gronk are playing 16 games that means he is the #3 target. So be it an I'm fine w/ it.

Ivan said:

That's just my take, I wanted Bennett well before free agency began and was really happy they dealt for him. Imo people will be clamoring for them to extend him before we reach the halfway point of the season. I could be wrong about him but I think this will be the best offense in football this year and will lead the league in points, and that's without a number one RB.

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I love Bennett. The thing that I hope the fans realize that even if he only catches 40-45 balls, he is 10x the player Chandler, Hooman or another TE2 du jour because of his blocking and the attention he gets. Hes going to open up a lot of spaces for people in this offense.

signbabybrady said:

Why even bother to add Boldin? (I mean to this list unless it actually happens not against it just don't see the need for this exercise)

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Because he's an interesting option still available, that's all.

signbabybrady said:

I say
1 Gronk
2 Jules
3 Bennett
4 Lewis
5 Amendola
6 Hogan
7 Washington
8 White
9 Mitchell

I think that's enough and I really expect the ball to be spread pretty evenly among the top 4. Unless Bennett frees Grok up to be singled more than we are used to because if that happens Gronk will get a lot of balls thrown his way.

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I think we could see the team limit the snap counts of Gronk/Edelman/Lewis, which makes the question more interesting to me, because they'll need others to step up if that happens.

PatsFan2 said:

Seriously rob a FB over a another WR?? I beg to differ the FB position seemed to have been phased out by the Patriots Offense in favor of the Double TE formation.

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Hold on.

By no means am I suggesting that Develin plays 1000 snaps a year but there is a reason you play him a little bit during a game. A) play action B) makes the offense a little less predictable and occupies a LBSS/DE in coverage which helps the TE

Check out the article below...

Patriots are Missing James Develin...in the Passing Game?

Teams have been effective in the past in designing defenses to stop our top 2 receiving threats like Moss/Welker or Gronk/Edelman. With Bennett out there, it's going to be a nightmare for defenses to cover all the threats. If we get a legit outside threat at WR, it's going to be tough to keep this team from scoring. It really hurt us when LaFell suffered through a bad year in 2015.

Deus Irae said:

Because he's an interesting option still available, that's all.

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Agreed just don't think it's needed for your point.

Deus Irae said:

I think we could see the team limit the snap counts of Gronk/Edelman/Lewis, which makes the question more interesting to me, because they'll need others to step up if that happens.

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Has BB ever limited snaps for a healthy player in his prime? (Pointless week 17 games aside.) I ask because I honestly don't know. Doesn't seem like his M.O. to me though.

robertweathers said:

Clog the middle of the field and let the CB's man-up on the WRs. Simple. We've seen it before.

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Are they in base or nickel here? In nickel you run it down their throat. In base, you swing Gronk out wide (taking two defenders with him) and then pass to one of the short quick guys. Or play-action.

signbabybrady said:

Agreed just don't think it's needed for your point.


Has BB ever limited snaps for a healthy player in his prime? (Pointless week 17 games aside.) I ask because I honestly don't know. Doesn't seem like his M.O. to me though.

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Depends on how you define prime, I guess. I remember that he used to use Jarvis Green to give the big 3 some rest, for example.

Deus Irae said:

Depends on how you define prime, I guess. I remember that he used to use Jarvis Green to give the big 3 some rest, for example.

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I think that's a pretty good example. Things will definitely be interesting this year for personnel combos.

SlowGettingUp said:

Are they in base or nickel here? In nickel you run it down their throat.

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Thats a whole other discussion. I'd like to see them run a little bit more vs sub-defenses. They need more balance and less predictability.

SlowGettingUp said:

In base, you swing Gronk out wide (taking two defenders with him) and then pass to one of the short quick guys. Or play-action.

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Actually when Gronk was split out wide they typically had man to man and he converted an OK amount.

robertweathers said:

Thats a whole other discussion.

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But it's the key discussion to have when thinking about these 2 TE sets. The Pats have to demonstrate that whichever choice (base vs nickel) they actually made was wrong. Got to be a pick-your-poison situation for their defense.

I really want a first-down big back that is also a threat in the passing game. That would truly make them unstoppable with this 2 TE set, particularly given Brady is likely the best play-action QB ever.

SlowGettingUp said:

But it's the key discussion to have when thinking about these 2 TE sets. The Pats have to demonstrate that whichever choice (base vs nickel) they actually made was wrong. Got to be a pick-your-poison situation for their defense.

I really want a first-down big back that is also a threat in the passing game. That would truly make them unstoppable with this 2 TE set, particularly given Brady is likely the best play-action QB ever.

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I agree, its a huge discussion because JMD puts the game in TB12's hands (which is by no means a bad choice) as opposed to, "Tom, play-action, no audible" or, "Tom, run the f-ing ball, no audible". or depending on the read, audible into play action.

With that said, in order for play action to be successful, you need a running game that defenses respect. Due to the line, injuries and playcalling the play-action game last year was almost non-existent.

robertweathers said:

Hold on.

By no means am I suggesting that Develin plays 1000 snaps a year but there is a reason you play him a little bit during a game. A) play action B) makes the offense a little less predictable and occupies a LBSS/DE in coverage which helps the TE

Check out the article below...

Patriots are Missing James Develin...in the Passing Game?

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James Develin catches everything his way. Great dependable fullback!

Wheelman said:

James Develin catches everything his way. Great dependable fullback!

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Yep but its his motion out of the backfield and staying in there as a symbol of a run coming that keeps the defense committed to the run.

What really separeted AH to everyone is that he, like Edelman for instance, knew how to properly adjust his routes, which is super important to the Pats' receivers. I can't predict how well Bennet will do this, but i'm very confident, he seems to have great ball instincts

As a receiver, Hernandez is better than Bennet, but he doesn't come close to as good as a blocker (And he was a decent blocker, off the line)