Fanball.com on Jackson and Branch

[PatsFanInVa]

I'll paraphrase... you can read the story (currently) at www.fanball.com. It's in the cycling snippets in the upper right portion of the screen...

Basically, they recap the fact that Branch is currently still holding out. What's interesting in what they say about Jackson, who, they say, hasn't capitalized on the opportunity this presents. They cite "reports out of beantown."

Everything I've read is that Chad is showing what he's got, thus far. They make it sound like he's been stinking up the joint. Keep in mind it's a fantasy site, so they would say that if he was anything short of an "impact" player, and he hasn't played a down.

Anybody else heard any negatives on Gator-Aid?

PFnV

 

[Remix 6]

um no and i would believe our reporters because they are there and arent afraid of say bad about our players

ex. Dillon, Warfield, Mills

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Brady admitted not throwing the ball to Jackson much in the first day or two of camp, and then Brady was inaccurate on the third day, perhaps due to the knee brace.

Watson caught maybe 100 passes, and Jackson clearly didn't. I would guess that this is what all the hype is based on.

 

[pats1]

Here's the quote if anyone was looking for it:

THE NEWS
With just over a month to go before the team reports to training camp, the Patriots are still without wide receiver Deion Branch. Branch is still holding out for a restructured contract, according to the Boston Herald. He is entering the final year of the five-year deal he signed as a rookie.

Our View
Branch's absence has given rookie Chad Jackson more reps during the offseason workouts. Unfortunately, reports out of the Beantown area suggest that Jackson hasn't exactly made the most of this opportunity. Fantasy owners shouldn't move Branch down in their rankings just yet, as there is still a chance he and Pats will reach an agreement of some kind before training camp opens next month.

 

[BelichickFan]

Yeah, Jackson blows, he hasn't caught a single regular season pass yet despite looking great in practice.

 

[BelichickFan]

Here's the quote if anyone was looking for it:

I'd love to know what reports they are because we haven't seen them. They could just be making stupid assumptions based on Brady looking to Watson so much but that is just good for Watson, not bad for Jackson.

 

[I'm Ron Borges?]

I just read this on Patriots.com. Sounds like the guy is looking like a real bust so far.


Chad Jackson – Watching this guy at mini-camp, all I kept asking myself was, “How in the heck did Jackson last until the second round?†I predict by season’s end, Chad Jackson jerseys will be flying out of the Patriots pro shop. Jackson sucked in every ball thrown his way. They weren’t all easy catches either. He made a lot of plays were he had to fully extend himself and come down with the ball, while at the same time keeping his feet in bounds. Jackson showed a real knack for running the baseline in the end zone and coming back to the ball when his quarterback was in trouble. That’s something you don’t see very often from a rookie. You try to not get overly excited about a player just from seeing him perform in mini-camp but that is difficult when it comes to Jackson because he was that impressive. Sure, he’s a rookie and he’ll probably struggle in some games and take his lumps while he’s learning the system but talent wise, the sky is the limit for this kid. Jackson has the physical ability to be a No. 1 receiver in the future and if he can develop quickly like I think he will, it won’t take the rest of the NFL long to realize they let the Patriots outsmart them once again buy nabbing a top-flight receiver with the 36th pick in the draft. After watching Jackson in mini-camp, if there were 35 better players than him in this draft, the NFL is about to get a huge talent boost over the next few years.

 

[Willie55]

"reports out of beantown" translates into some scrawny 16 year-old fantasy geek has an uncle that cleans up the practice field and happened to be walking through the area when Jackson did something wrong.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Actually I think they likely simply misinterpreted Brady's I have to find him more comment into where was he.

Thing is it's also likely Stone was running Branch's routes in mini camp and Jackson and Caldwell were running those they were projected to run in season. If he holds out in TC beyond the first week they will likely move everyone up the ladder, but probably didn't want to mess with the learning curve of two new players, one of them a rookie to boot, just to accommodate the fact that Deion was MIA in June.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Well, I guees this fantasy website is the minority because everyone else in "beantown" suggests that Jackson has been practicing well.

 

[patsox23]

The fanball thing comes out of nowhere. It is literally the ONLY negative thing I've read on Chad Jackson - so if it is supposed to be based on OTHER reports, I don't see it. From everything I've read, he's been lighting it up - granted it's just minicamps and stuff, but that's all we have to judge anything on, and he's been terrific, by all accounts.

 

[Remix 6]

a more reliable source would have said something..i never heard of fanball honestly..anywhere else, i hear hes done great..caught ball well..tough ones..looked like he was gliding on the field..so fast..never let ball get near him. a vaccum receiver

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Yeah, you guys pretty much match what I've been reading.

For whoever reposted the fanball article, I thought it was "good form" to paraphrase these things, in the interest of copyright propriety. Certainly wasn't trying to be oblique about it!

Thanks for the bandwagon boost - like I said, it matches everything seen written about the guy!

PFnV

 

[maverick4]

re

Chad Jackson – Watching this guy at mini-camp, all I kept asking myself was, “How in the heck did Jackson last until the second round?†I predict by season’s end, Chad Jackson jerseys will be flying out of the Patriots pro shop. Jackson sucked in every ball thrown his way. They weren’t all easy catches either. He made a lot of plays were he had to fully extend himself and come down with the ball, while at the same time keeping his feet in bounds. Jackson showed a real knack for running the baseline in the end zone and coming back to the ball when his quarterback was in trouble. That’s something you don’t see very often from a rookie. You try to not get overly excited about a player just from seeing him perform in mini-camp but that is difficult when it comes to Jackson because he was that impressive. Sure, he’s a rookie and he’ll probably struggle in some games and take his lumps while he’s learning the system but talent wise, the sky is the limit for this kid. Jackson has the physical ability to be a No. 1 receiver in the future and if he can develop quickly like I think he will, it won’t take the rest of the NFL long to realize they let the Patriots outsmart them once again buy nabbing a top-flight receiver with the 36th pick in the draft. After watching Jackson in mini-camp, if there were 35 better players than him in this draft, the NFL is about to get a huge talent boost over the next few years.

This description is getting me excited.

Jackson is a STEAL. I don't want to get too carried away here, but I will go out on a limb and predict a Rice-like career.

OK, forget that, I am definitely getting carried away! But it could happen.

.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

This description is getting me excited.

Jackson is a STEAL. I don't want to get too carried away here, but I will go out on a limb and predict a Rice-like career.

OK, forget that, I am definitely getting carried away! But it could happen.

.

What the heck, we've already got Joe Montana's second coming...

PFnV

 

[JoeSixPat]

This description is getting me excited.

Jackson is a STEAL. I don't want to get too carried away here, but I will go out on a limb and predict a Rice-like career.

OK, forget that, I am definitely getting carried away! But it could happen.

.

The fanball.com report strikes me as just lazy, sloppy reporting, with the reporter failing to even Google articles that clearly indicated Jackson was catching everything thrown his way.

Whether that translates into the real season when CBs and Ss are doing their best to kill him is another matter.

Maybe fanball is predicting Jackson isn't going to have good fantasy numbers simply because most rookies don't?

Regardless I was sold on this kid back when he was projected as a third round draft choice back in February... then as more and more so-called football experts began to see his film, he moved up and up the mock drafts... perhaps a bit too high in the end as it was clear to me that he would be available with at 21 - but I never expected him to be there in the 2nd round.

I'm still trying to downplay expectations for him as all but a tiny minority of rookie WRs play well throughout their entire first season.... but as one who endured a heckuva lot of flack for suggesting the Pats use a high draft pick on him, it will be great to be proven right.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Maybe fanball is predicting Jackson isn't going to have good fantasy numbers simply because most rookies don't?
...I'm still trying to downplay expectations for him as all but a tiny minority of rookie WRs play well throughout their entire first season.... but as one who endured a heckuva lot of flack for suggesting the Pats use a high draft pick on him, it will be great to be proven right.

Joe6P, I agree with your read on Jackson. I've been getting progressively higher on him since draft day (especially with the other possible "best receiver in the draft" getting stoopit and injured on alternating days.)

I would add that a fantasy site is trying to stir up buzz about the next Anquan Boldin or whoever. Jackson probably isn't a good call to make a major impact in that world, if nothing else because the Pats don't produce high numbers for a single wideout anyway. Usually the Pats' "#1" guy is your second or third receiver.

The beauty of replacing a David Givens is you're only replacing a David Givens (not a Randy Moss or a Terrell Owens.) Pats' receivers are asked to do a certain amount and play within themselves and within the system.... so Jackson can make them better without being a guy a fantasy site would drool over.

PFnV

 

[JoeSixPat]

Joe6P, I agree with your read on Jackson. I've been getting progressively higher on him since draft day (especially with the other possible "best receiver in the draft" getting stoopit and injured on alternating days.)

I would add that a fantasy site is trying to stir up buzz about the next Anquan Boldin or whoever. Jackson probably isn't a good call to make a major impact in that world, if nothing else because the Pats don't produce high numbers for a single wideout anyway. Usually the Pats' "#1" guy is your second or third receiver.

The beauty of replacing a David Givens is you're only replacing a David Givens (not a Randy Moss or a Terrell Owens.) Pats' receivers are asked to do a certain amount and play within themselves and within the system.... so Jackson can make them better without being a guy a fantasy site would drool over.

PFnV

If Jackson and Caldwell rotate at #2 and combine for Givens type numbers (which should be easy if all the pro-Caldwell guys are correct) everything works out fine.

The best thing for Jackson is that there should really be very little pressure on him to carry the full load this season.

That's a good thing - and we as fans should go out of our way not to put pressure on him... especially if he doesn't do much the first few months.