Julian Edelman visiting Giants

[Deus Irae]

If it is discovered that Gronk's forearm is still infected, then we can think about scratching his name
off the list of reasons why 2013 will be different than 2006.

2013 WR situation = similar
2013 TE situation = much different

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

i really hope we bring him back now given our WR issues..how much $$ can the guy really want?

 

[captain stone]

2013 WR situation = similar
2013 TE situation = much different

True, though if Gronk is removed from the equation, then what's the difference
btwn the 2006 TEs and the 2013 TEs?

 

[Rob0729]

True, though if Gronk is removed from the equation, then what's the difference
btwn the 2006 TEs and the 2013 TEs?

Again, worst case scenario as it stands today, Gronk misses week 1 one of the season. And that is the worst case scenario. How is he removed from the equation.

And again, please list how this is like 2006? I have said why it isn't. You have never said why it is.

You are always a sky is falling type of guy.

 

[captain stone]

This could be like 2006 because with one exception, our current lot of WRs is barely NFL caliber.
The one exception is a walking, talking traumatic injury waiting to happen.

And in case you haven't noticed, the sky has been falling for the last 8 years.

 

[Froob]

I don't see how this will be anything like 06 at all. Watson was suppose to be a beast that season and there was tons of hype after he destroyed the skins in the preseason but he never became the pro bowler he was pegged out to be. Caldwell, I thought wasn't a bad wide out but as a #1 yikes. Gabriel was decent but he fumbled vs the jets and sank deep in the BB doghouse until he got cut. Dillon slowed down big time and Maroney had his share of decent games but was a no show in the playoffs.
In contrast, this team has Ridley who's a very good running back and Vereen who is coming into his own. Gronk and Hernandez are way better than Watson and Graham(this guy was a beast blocker, got to give him props for that) even Amendola is much better than any wide out they had that year. I still think cutting LLoyd will come back to bite them if he isn't brought back(which I don't think he will). Still a lot of offseason to go.

 

[Rob0729]

This could be like 2006 because with one exception, our current lot of WRs is barely NFL caliber.
The one exception is a walking, talking traumatic injury waiting to happen.

And in case you haven't noticed, the sky has been falling for the last 8 years.

Yes, three AFC Conference appearances and two Super Bowl appearances in the last 8 years is clearly the sky is falling. You do realize only six teams in the last eight years have won titles. That means the sky is falling for 26 teams in this league. I hate the sense of entitlement of Pats' fans. The Super Bowl isn't the Patriots' birthright.

As for the Pats' receiving corp, let's see what it is in August. Amendola is certainly NFL quality when healthy. Jenkins has been a solid #2 or #3 guy for years. I expect Lloyd and/or Edelman back.

Besides, in 2001, the Pats didn't have NFL quality receivers either and they won a Super Bowl. In 2001, Brown was considered a special teams guy/back up and Patten was a mediocre journeyman.

Also, the Pats have Gronk and Hernandez which is a huge difference. And Gronk will be back. He has 22 weeks to heal and most of the doomsday scenarios floated out today say he will have six more weeks of antibiotics and 10 weeks of recovery time from surgery which is only 16 weeks. That would give him most of training camp and the preseason to heal. He would have to have another setback for him to miss the season.

 

[mgteich]

At the final cut in 2012, our WR's were Welker, Lloyd, Edelman and Slater. We quickly added Salas, and then cut him. When Edelman was injured, we added Branch, who couldn't get a job anywhere (and didn't produce much in an expanded role when there were injuries). We did not have a great downfield receiver. We had a great slot receiver, an OK other receiver, 2 oft injured TE's and a RB receiver on 3rd downs. And Brady had the one of the best passing offenses in the league. The offense will be fine, if the TE's and Amendola are healthy for the playoffs. The 4th option will have some effect, but not a huge one.

Jones or Sanders (if we acquire him) may very well produce what Lloyd did. Still I'd rather have Lloyd than not BECAUSE he knows the system.

I worry as much about our WR as anyone here. However, I know in my heart that it is our pass rush and secondary that must improve (and I expect that this will happen).

 

[Ivan]

This could be like 2006 because with one exception, our current lot of WRs is barely NFL caliber.
The one exception is a walking, talking traumatic injury waiting to happen.

And in case you haven't noticed, the sky has been falling for the last 8 years.

I've noticed, WORST TEAM EVER! I don't understand how Belichick keeps his job when he is clearly destroying the franchise.

 

[Froob]

I've noticed, WORST TEAM EVER! I don't understand how Belichick keeps his job when he is clearly destroying the franchise.

I'm having a hard time telling weather you're serious. 2006 team should have been sb champs but Bill Carollo and company had other plans in mind.

 

[Rob0729]

I'm having a hard time telling weather you're serious. 2006 team should have been sb champs but Bill Carollo and company had other plans in mind.

Yeah, that is the thing that people miss is that even with that mediocre receiving corp, the Pats were a minute about away from winning the AFC Championship Game and probably would have won the Super Bowl since the Bears were a flawed team. And I would argue that the inability to cover Dallas Clark was a bigger reason the Pats lost that game than the receiver issue.

The current 2013 WR corp doesn't look like one of the best in the NFL by any stretch of the imagination, but I would say it is better than what the Pats had in 2006 (with a #3 WR being the primary WR). It is arguably better than what the Pats had when they went into the 2001 season (Glenn was suspended and Brown was the only guy going into the season who people thought was any good with Patten becoming a surprise solid #2 WR over the season, but they had zero depth).

 

[TruthSeeker]

I can understand saying that we haven't lost Edelman yet... but we've certainly "lost" Lloyd. He was on the team, would not restructure down to their level and was immediately cut. You yourself just made comment a couple of wks ago that it's rather rare to see Belichick bring someone back again.

Actually, the Patriots made it clear that they wanted Lloyd at a better price. I don't see how this translates to "we've certainly log Lloyd".

And the Patriots organization (and BB) is known for making decisions on a business basis, not a personal level. Hence BB resigns Branch despite the 2005 fiasco and resigns Ty Law despite the personal insults and lies that were publicly aired.

I have no idea if Lloyd will sign with the Patriots, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least were it to happen.

 

[supafly]

Actually, the Patriots made it clear that they wanted Lloyd at a better price. I don't see how this translates to "we've certainly lost Lloyd".

Well, for starters he's not on the damn team, so I'm not sure what clue you'd need? We're so optimistic now around here that we're going to start counting players who have been cut as being on the roster? Edelman's situation is different. He is a FA who has yet to be signed. I can understand those who want to count him as a member of the team. Llyod's situation is much different.

As you said, there is always a possibility that no other team will show any interest at anything close to the 3 million he was due to make, but I don't see why anyone should be overly confident either? It's not like this happens all the time around here.

Saying "you wouldn't be surprised if he came back" is one thing. I can totally see that opinion. Saying that "I'm expecting BOTH Llyod and Edelman to return" is something entirely different...and that is what I was addressing.

And the Patriots organization (and BB) is known for making decisions on a business basis, not a personal level. Hence BB resigns Branch despite the 2005 fiasco and resigns Ty Law despite the personal insults and lies that were publicly aired.

I have no idea if Lloyd will sign with the Patriots, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least were it to happen.

The bottom line is that they didn't want him for a very reasonable salary. I'm not sure how much lower they could go without any of the other 31 teams being interested in a proven vet receiver who had 75 catches and almost 1000 yds last year snagging passes from Tom Brady?

The expansion of the TC 'roster' to 90 players makes a guy who may have been previously team-less like Llyod that much more likely to find a spot somewhere as a WR3 or even WR4.

Your example of Branch (4-5 seasons later for cheap) is really the only thing we have to go on, and even that was due to being brought in mid-season after Moss was released. All of Law, Wilfork, Seymour etc all had public contractual issues but were re-signed based on their talent and importance, so they shouldn't be included in this discussion. Those were contractual problems. I'm not seeing a guy like Brandon Llyod in that same category. He was outright cut. I don't think that Belichick would have risked losing him to another team if he wasn't prepared to move on.

I'd see it as a 75% chance that we've moved on. You may see it differently, and I can understand that.