This is stupid and it seems like once again, people just don't get it. Yes, the man got 900 yards last year, so what? He didn't come in and provide for us like what we thought he would and should have. Numbers in production to does equal clutch and winning games. Thank you David Givens for those tough catches without the great numbers! We didn't ask Brandon Lloyd to come in and be Randy Moss, but we did ask him to come in and be a presence that would at least threaten the other side of the field opposite of Wes Welker and down deep and he didn't do so. He never gave any effort after the catch UNLESS it was open field in front of him, made more effort on easier passes to catch then he had to and never gave teams a reason to respect us deep. So opposing defenses clogged the middle of the field and beat us because of it. And he never really looked like he completely picked the system up. People want to criticize Bill for the FA and draft? How many rings has he won? How many super-bowl appearances has he been to? What was his record when Tom went down in 2008? How many Conference Championship games have he won and appeared in? How many star receivers helped us win those Championships? (Moss and Welker were stars but we didn't win it all). Remember, when we brought in David Patten from Cleveland back in 2000 I believe, not having the same attributes, accolades and bragging rights that Brandon Lloyd had coming in, but has done more and worked better with Tom and our system then Lloyd certainly has. So how would we know what Donald Jones or Michael Jenkins could bring? Or what about Bill drafting David Givens and Deion Branch in 2002 and him being criticized for not drafting Ashlie Lelie and Donte Stallworth and Javon Walker.. popular picks that year, but then David and Deion contribute immediately, helping the team win two super-bowls the following year and year after that. They were a perfect fit for the offensive system, philosophy and Tom. So why bring back Brandon Lloyd? And what is the deal with not giving these kids a chance?
- Aaron Dobson - 6'3, over 200lbs can run crisp routes, good technique, has very good speed for his size, great reach, work ethic, athletic ability, and hands of gold. Not only that but he played in a complex college offensive system and is a smart player that can pick up the offensive system in NE. And he is from Marshall! lol hasn't failed us yet .. Moss, Troy Brown. He gives us more and offers more then Lloyd and I believe the kids wants it more, wants to play in the NFL at a high level. Those are the dangerous ones, the young, talented and hungry.
- Josh Boyce - Has nice size, speed, quickness, elusiveness, tough to bring down also good with the routes, solid hands and played in a complex collegiate offense as well. He is also versatile, running short, intermediate routes or deep. We can line him up any where on the field. When is the last time we've had that?
And you still have slot ace Danny Amendola who is just such a great football player all around when he is healthy. He made Sam Bradford look soo good at times last season which is why teams were bidding for him once he became a FA. And did I forget we still have Aaron Hernandez? Another elite receiving talent whether it be WR or TE...
So instead of opposing defenses lining up to stop Wes in the slot, and shut down Hernandez because Brandon Lloyd was none existent and didn't provide much of a threat, they now have to worry about a younger faster and more explosive Danny Amendola who can not only line up in slot but beat them deep, Aaron Dobson who's a young, big athletic kid who can run down field and use his size to also dig underneath and intermediate routes and jack of trades Josh Boyce who they don't know what he is going to do because he can do it all. We are younger, faster, stronger, more athletic at the position now and deeper then last year with a wider variety of flavors and threats.. more for defenses to defend. And we have coach Brian Daboll back to add additional tutoring from McDaniels, Brady, and Bellicheck.