Greg Lewis - learning the Pats system

[jmt57]

Lewis among those new Pats learning by Mark Farinella from The Attleboro Sun Chronicle

For newcomers like wide receiver Greg Lewis, every opportunity to be on the field as a Patriot is a step in the right direction.

"I'm just trying to learn what I'm supposed to be doing," the former Philadelphia Eagle said during last week's OTA. "The opportunity will present itself after that. Right now, I'm focusing on the playbook and learning what I need to do, and then getting out and letting my athletic ability take over."

He took a brutally frank tack last week when asked what he might bring to the Patriots.

"As of right now, nothing," he said. "I don't know everything that I need to know. But once I get there, I think I'm a consistent guy ... I'll be where I'm supposed to be and do what I'm supposed to do, and hopefully that helps the team in some way."

It's interesting how some players at the WR position pick things up rather quickly (Randy Moss, Wes Welker) and others don't (Doug Gabriel, Chad Jackson.) I'll be curious to see how quickly Lewis and the other new players become acclimated to their new team.

 

[Calciumee]

Chad Johnson

Do you mean Jackson?

 

[jmt57]

Do you mean Jackson?

Thanks for catching that, that's what I get for talking on the phone & posting at the same time!

 

[BionicPatriot]

I never ehard Jackson or Gabriel ever say they needed to get used to the system. At least this guy realizes it in June. He's going to be fine, he's a veteran so it's normal for a new receiver to need to adapt. He'll probably have the basics down in September with a lot more to learn. It's his first year in this system so I'm not expecting anything above 500 yards.

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

Lewis entered the league as an undrafted FA in 2003. He didn't see much action until 2005, when he had career highs in REC and YDS, while starting all 16 games.

He began to garner attention when he caught a 30-yard TD pass from McNabb that brought the Eagles back into SB 39. His career playoff numbers are 9 / 180 / 20.0 / 1.

PROS:
- Has plenty of playoff experience
- is a deep threat
- he's a young 29 (little wear and tear)

CONS:
- was given a starting job at one of the WR spots in 2005, but failed to capitalize
- Has started only 4 games since the start of 2006 season
- Average size

Other Notes:
- In 2006, Lewis lost his job to newcomer Donte Stallworth (acq in trade) and Reggie Brown, a 2nd year player who was drafted 35th overall.
- In 2007, Lewis was buried in the roster behind FA Kevin Curtis, Brown, and Jason Avant, a 2006 4th round pick.
- In 2008, Lewis role continued to diminish as he was pushed down the depth chart when Hank Baskett (6'2" 220 lb), a big possession WR, got more playing time.

Questions:
- What happened to Lewis in 2005?
- Why did Philly feel the need to trade for Baskett and Stallworth, then later sign Curtis, and draft Brown and Avant?

Reason for Optimism:
Let's look at 2005. The Eagles epitomized the SB loser hex by falling to 6-10. McNabb played in only 9 games and journeyman Mike McMahon finished the last 7.

Lewis has had 2 stellar performances against NE:
- Super Bowl 39: 4 / 53 / 13.3 / 1
- 11/25/2007: 4 / 88 / 22.0 / 2

Lewis is a potential steal, IMO.

 

[Metaphors]

I think the key is building a comfort level with Brady. If he can get to the right place on the field on-time and not put the ball on the ground, Brady will take care of the rest in making him successful. CJack was bad at the former, Stallworth was bad at the latter and Gabriel was bad at both.

I'm not sure he will see much time with Brady in the preseason, so his value in the system will probably be slow to materialize. Hopefully his progress will be similar to Gaffney's in that he will shine as teams forget about him in an effort to shut everyone else down (think Gaffney in the '06 playoffs).

 

[BradyManny]

Lewis entered the league as an undrafted FA in 2003. He didn't see much action until 2005, when he had career highs in REC and YDS, while starting all 16 games.

He began to garner attention when he caught a 30-yard TD pass from McNabb that brought the Eagles back into SB 39. His career playoff numbers are 9 / 180 / 20.0 / 1.

PROS:
- Has plenty of playoff experience
- is a deep threat
- he's a young 29 (little wear and tear)

CONS:
- was given a starting job at one of the WR spots in 2005, but failed to capitalize
- Has started only 4 games since the start of 2006 season
- Average size

Other Notes:
- In 2006, Lewis lost his job to newcomer Donte Stallworth (acq in trade) and Reggie Brown, a 2nd year player who was drafted 35th overall.
- In 2007, Lewis was buried in the roster behind FA Kevin Curtis, Brown, and Jason Avant, a 2006 4th round pick.
- In 2008, Lewis role continued to diminish as he was pushed down the depth chart when Hank Baskett (6'2" 220 lb), a big possession WR, got more playing time.

Questions:
- What happened to Lewis in 2005?
- Why did Philly feel the need to trade for Baskett and Stallworth, then later sign Curtis, and draft Brown and Avant?

Reason for Optimism:
Let's look at 2005. The Eagles epitomized the SB loser hex by falling to 6-10. McNabb played in only 9 games and journeyman Mike McMahon finished the last 7.

Lewis has had 2 stellar performances against NE:
- Super Bowl 39: 4 / 53 / 13.3 / 1
- 11/25/2007: 4 / 88 / 22.0 / 2

Lewis is a potential steal, IMO.

Nice post, very good breakdown.

 

[tombonneau]

Lewis entered the league as an undrafted FA in 2003. He didn't see much action until 2005, when he had career highs in REC and YDS, while starting all 16 games.

He began to garner attention when he caught a 30-yard TD pass from McNabb that brought the Eagles back into SB 39. His career playoff numbers are 9 / 180 / 20.0 / 1.

PROS:
- Has plenty of playoff experience
- is a deep threat
- he's a young 29 (little wear and tear)

CONS:
- was given a starting job at one of the WR spots in 2005, but failed to capitalize
- Has started only 4 games since the start of 2006 season
- Average size

Other Notes:
- In 2006, Lewis lost his job to newcomer Donte Stallworth (acq in trade) and Reggie Brown, a 2nd year player who was drafted 35th overall.
- In 2007, Lewis was buried in the roster behind FA Kevin Curtis, Brown, and Jason Avant, a 2006 4th round pick.
- In 2008, Lewis role continued to diminish as he was pushed down the depth chart when Hank Baskett (6'2" 220 lb), a big possession WR, got more playing time.

Questions:
- What happened to Lewis in 2005?
- Why did Philly feel the need to trade for Baskett and Stallworth, then later sign Curtis, and draft Brown and Avant?

Reason for Optimism:
Let's look at 2005. The Eagles epitomized the SB loser hex by falling to 6-10. McNabb played in only 9 games and journeyman Mike McMahon finished the last 7.

Lewis has had 2 stellar performances against NE:
- Super Bowl 39: 4 / 53 / 13.3 / 1
- 11/25/2007: 4 / 88 / 22.0 / 2

Lewis is a potential steal, IMO.

Nice writeup. But I'd also note that this is the same Eagles offense and front office that had no use for Jabar Gaffney. So it could be a system thing. One man's trash and all that ...

 

[makoute]

Nice writeup. But I'd also note that this is the same Eagles offense and front office that had no use for Jabar Gaffney. So it could be a system thing. One man's trash and all that ...

More than one team had no use for Gaffney, even on the Pats he didn't start right away.

 

[tombonneau]

More than one team had no use for Gaffney, even on the Pats he didn't start right away.

I wouldn't equate "not starting right away" with "cutting." The former you are still part of the team and contributing; the latter you obviously aren't. Also, pretty sure he was never cut by the Texans, but left via FA.

 

[DaBruinz]

Back in March, I relayed a conversation that I had with a former Patriots WR who was on the 2004 SB team. He mentioned how Brady spends so much time working with the WRs on how he wants the routes run. And that is one of the things that the WRs have to get used to. That is why Gabriel and Jackson had such troubles. They couldn't make that adjustment and earn Brady's trust. Others are able to make that adjustments. It was something that the globe did a article on regarding Caldwell. How Brady took the time to show him EXACTLY how he wanted the route run.

I like that Lewis admits that he's still learning. Its a positive sign in my eyes.

 

[DaBruinz]

I wouldn't equate "not starting right away" with "cutting." The former you are still part of the team and contributing; the latter you obviously aren't. Also, pretty sure he was never cut by the Texans, but left via FA.

That is correct. Gaffney left the Texans via Free Agency. Just like Caldwell did with the Chargers.

 

[spacecrime]

It's interesting how some players at the WR position pick things up rather quickly (Randy Moss, Wes Welker) and others don't (Doug Gabriel, Chad Jackson.) I'll be curious to see how quickly Lewis and the other new players become acclimated to their new team.

You're right.

Donald Hayes was another WR who couldn't pick up the system. Meion Branch picked it up immediately.

 

[RayClay]

Back in March, I relayed a conversation that I had with a former Patriots WR who was on the 2004 SB team. He mentioned how Brady spends so much time working with the WRs on how he wants the routes run. And that is one of the things that the WRs have to get used to. That is why Gabriel and Jackson had such troubles. They couldn't make that adjustment and earn Brady's trust. Others are able to make that adjustments. It was something that the globe did a article on regarding Caldwell. How Brady took the time to show him EXACTLY how he wanted the route run.

I like that Lewis admits that he's still learning. Its a positive sign in my eyes.

It is a good sign. I remember Gabriel was saying, "no problem". Next thing you know he was gone.

I remember when he had a decent game, watching him and thinking something was wrong. He made a few catches because Brady was waiting for him to make some move, then throwing. You could tell he wasn't happy, and you never see Brady focusing on one guy and waiting. Brady didn't have much choice, but Gabriel was mysteriously gone soon after.

You need to be where you're supposed to be when he checks, not just "get open".

 

[NumenorBlader]

I never ehard Jackson or Gabriel ever say they needed to get used to the system. At least this guy realizes it in June. He's going to be fine, he's a veteran so it's normal for a new receiver to need to adapt. He'll probably have the basics down in September with a lot more to learn. It's his first year in this system so I'm not expecting anything above 500 yards.

I don't think he'll get 500 yards cos its his first year in the system - he might not get it because we have two top veteran deep threats and the NFL's best slot WR. It's a hard bunch to break into, and Brady can only throw it to 1 guy on a play

I don't have many expectations about Lewis. With Welker here we already have some comfort, so I just hope that he does the job that is required of him on the field. Runs routes, splits defences, catches balls and run blocks. I can't really ask for anything more than that until we actually see him in uniform in TC/Preseason.

Blader.

 

[PatsChowder]

I like Lewis in the same way I liked Gaffney when he came aboard. He's a veteran who has shown potential with glimpses of a breakout. Coming to New England he will be relied upon less and have much more field to work with since the other targets cannot be ignored.

I liked Gaffney more up front, but I think Lewis will fit the same mold just as well.

 

[Dragda]

I think he's one of the players that can have an impact. If he can find that soft spot in the zone, he'll do just fine. From what I remember of him, he seems like the type of receiver that can fit our system well.

 

[Smith21]

I don't think he'll get 500 yards cos its his first year in the system - he might not get it because we have two top veteran deep threats and the NFL's best slot WR. It's a hard bunch to break into, and Brady can only throw it to 1 guy on a play

I don't have many expectations about Lewis. With Welker here we already have some comfort, so I just hope that he does the job that is required of him on the field. Runs routes, splits defences, catches balls and run blocks. I can't really ask for anything more than that until we actually see him in uniform in TC/Preseason.

Blader.

Greg Lewis will be lobbying for playing time especially with joey galloway being 37 he should be able to compete for that spot across from moss.. of coarse thats when there's 3 receivers on the field... he's a better option than chad jackson! imo i see him getting a little more than 500 yards..

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

I think Lewis will have a great year. Brady likes to distribute the ball to everyone!! He could have 500+ yards this season with a couple touchdowns. BB got Lewis for a reason. We had trouble stopping Lewis when he was on the Eagles so now we have him!! Just like Welker!!

 

[Patjew]

I'm predicting a solid, Gaffney-like year out of Lewis.

The two games I watched him play he was great!