Chad Jackson in his second year as a Patriot

[MoLewisrocks]

:rocker:

Also, for those who are interested:

http://patriots.bostonherald.com/otherNFL/view.bg?articleid=180405

The interview with Jackson's high school coach.

Oh, I wouldn't be so :rocker: about that endorsement. Without even getting into the circumstances of his HS coach trying to sell a reality show. We only have this kid for 4 years, and one has already gone by the boards. Will the light bulb go on next season or will it take all season to even locate the switch? And the fact that the hammie is chronic and not just a misfortunate TC injury is even more troubling.

The NFL is littered with the skeletons of highly talented HS and College players who knocked evaluators socks off on talent at those levels. Tom had to battle one such player for the right to lead his Wolverines as I recall. A player so talented he pocketed millions of dollars from owners of two divergent sports only to fail miserably at both on the professional level.

What concerns me even more is Brady always has his teamates backs, talking them up even as they struggle. Mum is the word on CJ - it's almost as if Tom doesn't see him.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I have a feeling BB will bring a couple of additional WR's to camp this year to insure he has a viable corps of truly functional options to choose from when the bell rings on the 2007 season. And while he is willing to patiently develop players acquired at a certain level, he is also on record saying that there is no gimme red shirt year in the pros. Roster spots are just too valuable.

PS - he didn't hang around for his senior year - he declared and was drafted as a junior.

PPS - we need to move the chains is why people want to bring in a slot receiver - what Brady really missed this season was a consistently reliable go to guy when the chips were down. Sometimes Brown stepped in to fill that role, and other times Caldwell did, but nobody was able to do it consistently.

 

[patsox23]

I voted for "Will be an O.K receiver with about 600-800 Yards-Nothing Special" but in what universe does 800 yards equate with "ok receiver," especially in this system? I think most of us would be thrilled with a sophomore jump of 600-800 yards receiving.

 

[BradyManny]

Oh, I wouldn't be so :rocker: about that endorsement.

The :rocker: was in reference to BrownFan's post, not the interview.

As for Tom being mum, yeah, that's not a great sign. Tom was mum about Bethel and was privately telling his father that a ball to Bethel that was picked was his [Tom's] own mistake for throwing it towards Bethel in the first place.

But Brady always speaks in general anyway, you ask him about one receiver, he says "yeah, he's doing good, they're all doing good, I like all my receivers", yaddie yadda.

Meanwhile, Belichick has praised CJ, so that is good news.

 

[JackBauer]

Jackson was also mobbed by his teammates after one of his two long punt returns, which, to me, indicates that he's at least somewhat popular amongst his teammates. Surely there must be a reason for this, and I doubt they would be so ostentatious in their support if he was slacking off all the time or having serious maturity issues. I think he's just the type of player who takes a long time to develop. His coaches have said this, and nearly every pre-draft scouting report noted that it might take a couple years for Jackson to get acclimated to the NFL (due to his age, amongst other things).

Not only that but there was an article during the season in which Testaverde talked about how difficult it is for a rookie WR to contribute after missing TC.

 

[BradyManny]

Jackson was also mobbed by his teammates after one of his two long punt returns, which, to me, indicates that he's at least somewhat popular amongst his teammates. Surely there must be a reason for this, and I doubt they would be so ostentatious in their support if he was slacking off all the time or having serious maturity issues. I think he's just the type of player who takes a long time to develop. His coaches have said this, and nearly every pre-draft scouting report noted that it might take a couple years for Jackson to get acclimated to the NFL (due to his age, amongst other things).

Not only that but there was an article during the season in which Testaverde talked about how difficult it is for a rookie WR to contribute after missing TC.

Good points, and great screenname, by the way.

I took the reaction of his teammates to his long punt return as a positive sign. He's obviously well-liked, Pires has also said this, that he is a popular kid in the locker room.

Plus, if you've ever read his SportsNation Chat he had on ESPN before the draft last year, you'll also realize the kid has a pretty good sense of humor and wit. Now, I'm not suggesting that means he's going to be a good player or anything, but that is an entertaining read.

 

[patsox23]

I think we all suffer from "Deion Branch" syndrome. VERY few WRs come in as rookies and "get it" the way Deion did. Givens was awful his rookie year. The jump he made in year 2 was similarly semi-unusual. I think the fact that those two developed in relatively short order - especially compared to most NFL rookie receivers - has skewed a lot of people's views on what CJ "should have" been able to do this year. Add in his having missed ALL of T.C. and it became even less likely that he'd make any impact.

 

[mgteich]

Last I heard, Jackson didn't play RB and Addai didn't have two injuries. In any case, our rookie RB did fine thank you.

Not expecting much....his involvement with the offense actually dwindled over the course of a 19 game season. Obviously there is a problem....

After watching Addai become an intregral part of the Colts offense, the "Rookie excuse" doesn't cut it.

 

[mgteich]

I voted the same way, and agree with your comments, and with similar comments made by others. 800 yards in our system (50 yards a game, plus potentially some punt returns) would be awesome indeed, hardly "ok".

The open question is whether he will reach this production rate by midseason.

I voted for "Will be an O.K receiver with about 600-800 Yards-Nothing Special" but in what universe does 800 yards equate with "ok receiver," especially in this system? I think most of us would be thrilled with a sophomore jump of 600-800 yards receiving.

 

[aabtec]

I am hopeful but who knows..Assume the worst and hope for the best.

 

[MDPATSFAN]

I think we all suffer from "Deion Branch" syndrome. VERY few WRs come in as rookies and "get it" the way Deion did. Givens was awful his rookie year. The jump he made in year 2 was similarly semi-unusual. I think the fact that those two developed in relatively short order - especially compared to most NFL rookie receivers - has skewed a lot of people's views on what CJ "should have" been able to do this year. Add in his having missed ALL of T.C. and it became even less likely that he'd make any impact.

I have Randy Vataha syndrome...51 catches for 871 yards and 9 TDs during his rookie season. Drafted in the 17th round by the LA Rams, subsequently cut and picked up by the Pats nine days before the season opener! That's value!