Aaron Dobson

[FourierSeries]

Among rookie receivers:

Receptions: tied for 3rd
Yards: 3rd
Yards per game: 4th
TDs: tied for 2nd

 

[ahmed]

Rookie WRs usually have a hard time their first year and with our O it's even harder. To see him perform so well and improve week over week is amazing. The most important part is that Brady is really starting to trust him in key moments (third downs and EZ). Once he has Brady's complete trust, I think we will start to see a lot of play action passes to him deep. Today is just the beginning.

 

[Harrisoned!]

Last five weeks:

20 catches, 336 yards, 3 TDs, 56% catch rate

Pretty darn good. If he can average 4 catches, 60 yards every week and a TD every other week, it will be a pretty crucial addition to the offense.

 

[strngplyr]

Loved Dobson today. The kid has very legitimate potential to be a true playmaker in the NFL for a long time. He IS the outside WR we've been missing since Moss left, even if he's not there yet. He's the most physically talented WR we've had around here since Moss left, that is for sure.

The only thing I didn't like, he should have had 6 receptions, the last one i'm counting being a missed first down if i recall correctly. He jumped for a ball that went under him. Had he not jumped it would have been around his chest or groin area and most likely a completion.

It was really weird to see but, once he stops doing the really small things like not jumping on perfectly thrown balls, he'll be putting up 70-100 yards a game.

Really pleased with him, and while I was pissed off about KT being inactive initially, only having 1 rookie WR on offense is probably for the best. Amendola, Edelman, Gronk, etc. are all going to be where they're supposed to be.

Dobson and KT will, as you expect, run wrong routes at times. They're rookies. Limit the number of them on the field as often as possible.

KT has a ton of physical talent and seems to be smart and humble. He'll get his chances again, but Dobson is this teams future #1 and needs all the reps he can get. He'll do good things with them.

 

[blevins]

Receivers from Marshall University have done well in New England. First Troy Brown, then Randy Moss, and now Aaron Dobson seems to be contributing. I've watched all 3 in college and with the Pats. Dobson's weakness is a tendency to drop an easy pass nearly every game - But he will also make a catch that will make you go WOW on occasion.

 

[Texxx]

HOMERISM all over this thread. Dobson has been atrocious this season. On any other team that didn't desperately need receivers he would have been cut. This is literally comical after all of the dropped balls and missed routes he has had all season.

 

[supafly]

HOMERISM all over this thread. Dobson has been atrocious this season. On any other team that didn't desperately need receivers he would have been cut. This is literally comical after all of the dropped balls and missed routes he has had all season.

I think you're being a bit too harsh, but with that said I do agree that there's a ton of homerism regarding Dobson.

The truth is that he's extremely raw. He seems to have very good upside once he relaxes (and possibly hits the JUGGS machine), but his route running etc seem to be improving, and when Belichick mentions you as improving very quickly it's always a good sign.

I do agree with you that he just drops the ball way too damn much. He even double caught a ball today again too, along with a couple of key drops. Hopefully that improves, but I highly doubt he's the reincarnation of Randy Moss, as some seem to think.

Any way you slice it, he is providing another capable young receiver here, and is adding speed to boot. The system is complex, so the best thing about it is that he seems to be getting the system pretty well so far.

 

[Joker]

I think you're being a bit too harsh,

a bit, huh?....here...take a few minutes to actually SEE who you are dealing with..

New England Patriots Forums - PatsFans.com Patriots Fan Messageboard

 

[Kdo5]

HOMERISM all over this thread. Dobson has been atrocious this season. On any other team that didn't desperately need receivers he would have been cut. This is literally comical after all of the dropped balls and missed routes he has had all season.

He is a ROOKIE, and the best rookie receiver we've had in a decade. His production and improvement speaks for itself. He's got a promising future in NE and I am thrilled to have him.

I look forward to seeing how the people who have trashed Dobson this season will be singing a different tune by the end of the season.

 

[supafly]

He is a ROOKIE, and the best rookie receiver we've had in a decade. His production and improvement speaks for itself. He's got a promising future in NE and I am thrilled to have him.

I look forward to seeing how the people who have trashed Dobson this season will be singing a different tune by the end of the season.

I certainly hope there aren't posters here "trashing" him, because that would be completely unfair.

There are many great traits that Dobson brings as a receiver here, but there is also a raw aspect to him that coincides with him being a first year rookie.

I think the best thing is that he seems to be picking up the system, and improving in his route running. If he can stop making drops/double catching etc, things will be terrific. He certainly has a tremendous upside, great speed, and gives us a big play threat that we've been lacking lately.

The truth lies in the middle--he needs to improve on some key areas such as dropping too many balls, but for a first year receiver in our system there are many good positives too.

 

[Sticky Caulk]

HOMERISM all over this thread. Dobson has been atrocious this season. On any other team that didn't desperately need receivers he would have been cut. This is literally comical after all of the dropped balls and missed routes he has had all season.

Absolutely brilliant post.

I think St. Louis should drop Tavon Austin too. He's more gifted than Dobson, yet he also looks a hell of a lot worse in his first year.

 

[manxman2601]

Keep in mind that Dobson did not play in week 1 of the season due to a hamstring injury.

Last 4 games:

Receptions: 18 receptions
Targeted: 31 times
Catch Ratio: 58%
Receiving Yards: 287
Yards per Average: 15.94
Touchdowns: 3

Projected over full 16 game season:

Receptions: 72
Targets: 124
Catch Ratio: 58%
Receiving Yards: 1148
Yards per Average: 15.94
Touchdowns: 12

I recall being hammered when I made this comparison during training camp but honestly he is not that far off AJ Greens pace as a rookie A.J. Green Stats - Cincinnati Bengals - ESPN

You're forgetting that Green had a rookie QB throwing him the ball that year whilst Dobson has the GOAT. Dobson is no Green and I doubt he'll ever come that close. He body catches far too much and struggles when having to catch with his hands, particularly when covered. Having said that, I've been impressed with his improved abilities to get open and the clear deep threat he poses.

 

[strngplyr]

You're forgetting that Green had a rookie QB throwing him the ball that year whilst Dobson has the GOAT. Dobson is no Green and I doubt he'll ever come that close. He body catches far too much and struggles when having to catch with his hands, particularly when covered. Having said that, I've been impressed with his improved abilities to get open and the clear deep threat he poses.

Huh? I might be wrong but everytime Dobson uses his hands he makes the catch, it's 90% of the attempted body catches that hit the dirt.

 

[manxman2601]

Huh? I might be wrong but everytime Dobson uses his hands he makes the catch, it's 90% of the attempted body catches that hit the dirt.

That might be because most of the catches he attempts are body catches. There were two plays last night that summed up Dobson last night for me. One was a quick slant that I think he should have caught but because he was closely defended, the pass was quick and out in front so he couldn't body catch it. He missed it. The other was a back shoulder throw that was defended pretty well. But my impression was that Dobson gave the defender an edge because he was allowing the ball into his own body rather than extending his hands for it.

It was an instinctive impression on my part but I see Dobson allowing the ball into his body far too much. I'm fine with being wrong on this and I'm very pleased with his development, but like I said it's an impression I've got of him.

 

[SEA_Pat]

For me the thing that stood out was the long TD...I was just trying to remember the last time we saw a WR running that free and the DBs not being able to catch up to him. If it had been Lloyd, first of all I never actually saw him with two steps on a defender, ever, the entire time he played here. Second, even if he had been in that position, he'd have found a way to fall down after the catch.

I think Dobby the FL is developing just fine for a rookie, he's doing just what we need, giving a downfield threat that will open up the underneath stuff for Amendola, Gronk, Vereen and Edelperson.

 

[Uncle Rico]

For me the thing that stood out was the long TD...I was just trying to remember the last time we saw a WR running that free and the DBs not being able to catch up to him. ...

Reminded me of the long TD to Branch in the snow, just before the half in Chicago a few years back.

 

[Bella*chick]

He. is. a. rookie.

Good grief, some of you. It's funny how you will read plenty of posts talking about "growing pains" and how he could be painful to watch while he is being tossed into the fire here but wait and be patient. And then no one actually follows through on the patience part. He is a rookie in one of the toughest NFL systems to master. He's doing just fine and Brady seems to like him. Yesterday our offense actually looked like our real offense again and he was a valuable contributing member. But some people still have nothing but criticism to offer. Give me a break.

 

[102 Pat]

He. is. a. rookie.

Good grief, some of you. It's funny how you will read plenty of posts talking about "growing pains" and how he could be painful to watch while he is being tossed into the fire here but wait and be patient. And then no one actually follows through on the patience part. He is a rookie in one of the toughest NFL systems to master. He's doing just fine and Brady seems to like him. Yesterday our offense actually looked like our real offense again and he was a valuable contributing member. But some people still have nothing but criticism to offer. Give me a break.

Don't forget, it's the day after a win, many on this board can't enjoy it and always find stuff to nitpick about.

 

[JMC00]

HOMERISM all over this thread. Dobson has been atrocious this season. On any other team that didn't desperately need receivers he would have been cut. This is literally comical after all of the dropped balls and missed routes he has had all season.

 

[Observer]

If he can just become ~ Victor Cruz for us, we'll be in business.