Link: Pats In Deep Freeze (Passing Game)

[JoeSixPat]

With Gabriel and Jackson we will have more of a deep threat than ever in the Belichick era.

Our only real deep threats have been Patten and Bethel. We certainly miss Branch's quickness, but he was never a pure deep threat.

2 of our 3 newcomers had faster 40 times not including Jackson who is probably as quick much faster and stronger.

It's Branch's fault we are in this predicament, so why not let the team and players get up to speed before we get all judgemental.

Gaffney, Caldwell and Branch were all judged by Gil Brandt pre draft. Who knows what would have happened had they landed on different teams.

Gaffney and Caldwell were rated 4 and 6 respectively.

Here's a hint true deep threats aren't ranked behind 14 other receivers.

Why not give the "expert" analysis a rest until these guys get a chance to shake the rust off.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2002/WR_ratings.html

4. Jabar Gaffney, Florida (6-1 1/8, 193, 4.49 on grass)
Did not work out at the combine other than the participating in the shuttle and cone drills. Ran two 40s (4.48 and 4.49) on grass at Pro Day. Had a 36½-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 10-inch long jump. High-school football player who caught the game winning pass in the 1997 State Championship Game as a wide receiver. Redshirted in 1999. Started eight games in 2000 and set NCAA Div. I-A freshman record for touchdowns as a wide receiver with 14. Also set NCAA record for yards gained by a freshman. Tremendous athlete with very good hands. Does a very good job adjusting to the ball. Has great body control, fluid and has outstanding ability to gain yards after the catch. Had some character problems and was kicked off the team after the 1999 season. Came back without a scholarship for the 2000 season. Does not have real big hands. Florida has had receivers picked in Round 1 who did not burn up the league — is he a product of the system? During the time I spent with him, three days at the Playboy All-America weekend, he was a model young man.

6. Reche Caldwell, Florida (5-11¾, 194, 4.39 on grass)
Worked out at the combine. Had a 41½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 10-inch long jump. Performed 10 strength lifts and ran two 40s (4.48 and 4.50) on wet grass. Was a high school quarterback who passed for 77 touchdowns in his career. Redshirted in 1998. Started two games in 1999 and 12 in 2000. Started and had a big year in 2001 (63 catches and 10 touchdowns). Very good athletic ability with top speed. Very good body control. Florida's offensive system is very good and tends to make wide receivers look a lot better than they end up being in the NFL. This player has good hands and the quickness needed for the position.

15. Deion Branch, Louisville (5-9 1/8, 191, 4.47 on turf)
Had a complete combine workout. Had a 36-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot, 9-inch long jump. Also ran the 40-yard dash twice for times of 4.45 and 4.49 seconds. Played at a junior college for two years. Returned kicks while playing receiver. Was redshirted in 1999 for academic reasons. Has soft, reliable hands that enable him to make the clutch catch. Not as tall as teams like even though he caught more than 140 passes for 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

First of all why are 2002 draft previews the least bit relevant - or does anyone actually think that Caldwell is better than Branch given that type of "proof" as to his skill?

The thought that pre-draft reviews have anything to do with proven performance, or the lack thereof - is just confusing to me. What's your point?That Caldwell thus far has been a bust and has underperformed and Branch overperformed into #1 WR?

If so, you sold me.

You're correct about Branch not being a typical deep threat - he wasn't. He ran great routes mid deep to deep - and did it well, getting horizontal separation.

So, not to cry over spilt milk, but I'd have to strongly disagree that Branch is less of a deep threat than a guy who has caught 12 passes and another who can't make it on the field (who often relies on speed yet has an ongoing hamstring problem).

Hope that CJ is a factor in the playoffs and next season, but don't put any expectation on him other than that - he's an injured rookie.


And while I am a big Patten fan - in his prime he had quite a few long ball receptions... I was sorry to see him go - I'm sorry, but Bethel was NEVER a deep threat. You actually have to get in games and make some catches to keep a defense honest.... kindof tough to do that from the bench, and I'd doubt that too many DC's spent a lot of time worrying about him, keeping a safety back "just in case" for the vast majority of his time here.

So I'm not sure what you were trying to convince me of, but in terms of having a credible deep threat..., YES, I would take Branch and Patten over Gabriel and Chad Jackson.

Even though I love Chad, I'd put both of those guys in their prime on either side in a heartbeat. I can't imagine that DC's would be more affraid of Gabriel and Jackson than those two proven players. I'd be keeping my FS and SS back to double cover and make sure they don't shake a tackle and take it in for a TD.

The other guys - I'd just be happy if they were on the field to catch the ball at this point.

 

[RayClay]

First of all why are 2002 draft previews the least bit relevant - or does anyone actually think that Caldwell is better than Branch given that type of "proof" as to his skill?

The thought that pre-draft reviews have anything to do with proven performance, or the lack thereof - is just confusing to me. What's your point?That Caldwell thus far has been a bust and has underperformed and Branch overperformed into #1 WR?

If so, you sold me.

You're correct about Branch not being a typical deep threat - he wasn't. He ran great routes mid deep to deep - and did it well, getting horizontal separation.

So, not to cry over spilt milk, but I'd have to strongly disagree that Branch is less of a deep threat than a guy who has caught 12 passes and another who can't make it on the field (who often relies on speed yet has an ongoing hamstring problem).

Hope that CJ is a factor in the playoffs and next season, but don't put any expectation on him other than that - he's an injured rookie.


And while I am a big Patten fan - in his prime he had quite a few long ball receptions... I was sorry to see him go - I'm sorry, but Bethel was NEVER a deep threat. You actually have to get in games and make some catches to keep a defense honest.... kindof tough to do that from the bench, and I'd doubt that too many DC's spent a lot of time worrying about him, keeping a safety back "just in case" for the vast majority of his time here.

So I'm not sure what you were trying to convince me of, but in terms of having a credible deep threat..., YES, I would take Branch and Patten over Gabriel and Chad Jackson.

Even though I love Chad, I'd put both of those guys in their prime on either side in a heartbeat. I can't imagine that DC's would be more affraid of Gabriel and Jackson than those two proven players. I'd be keeping my FS and SS back to double cover and make sure they don't shake a tackle and take it in for a TD.

The other guys - I'd just be happy if they were on the field to catch the ball at this point.

My point is which of our 4 new receivers has had 4 years experience working with Brady?

Obviously none.

How can you say none are deep threats, none are as good as Branch etc.??

When you want to compare apples to apples let me know.

Until then, you don't have any idea how good these guys will be after working with Brady 2-4 years, so why pretend you do?

 

[Joker]

We have a defensive line

Stanley Morgan got us NOWHERE...neither did Tippett and Blackmon or any of our all pro corners

In my lifetime I've NEVER seen a Patriots team so deep on the DL...personally, THAT is all I've ever cared about...pressure ALWAYS leads to success

 

[captain stone]

Given the age, fragility and questionable depth of our defensive back 8, I am less concerned about our WRs ability to stretch the field, than I am about their ability to move the chains, score TDs - instead of FGs - in the red zone, and take time off the clock. The less time our defense spends on the field, the fresher their legs will be, and therefore the more consistent their pass rush should be.

The question - whose answer will determine the success or failure of our passing game, and therefore our offense, and therefore our defense, and therefore our season - is this: Will our WRs be physically and mentally capable of mastering enough of the playbook - one which is possibly more complex than any they have ever known - to give TB consistent, reliable targets in the intermediate areas in which he thrives? On Sunday in Buffalo, this question will begin to be answered.

 

[ChockBlkr]

I agree with Greenberg, all we have to do is lose Gabriel, Gafney and Caldwell and bring back Bethel, Dwight and Andre Davis. You know, the group that won all those Superbowls. Wait a minute, that group never won any...

 

[JoeSixPat]

I agree with Greenberg, all we have to do is lose Gabriel, Gafney and Caldwell and bring back Bethel, Dwight and Andre Davis. You know, the group that won all those Superbowls. Wait a minute, that group never won any...

Wow - who suggested that? Replace a decent 5th round draft choice trade, possession guy who was passed up by every team in the NFL for 5 weeks and a guy who has never broken the Mendoza line for WRs by grabbing more than 30 catches in a season for three backups from past year squads?

If we want to compare our current starting WRs to guys who were, at best, 4th, 5th, 6th WRs then I should HOPE we'd compare favorably.

Let's just hope no other NFL team reads any of these articles or watches any game tape of our games and doesn't decide that their DBs need not worry about our deep threat.

Guys - I'm not making this up... football is a very different game when you play against a defense that is worried about covering 50 yards and in rather than 30 yards and in.

If you're concerned about simply "moving the chains" try to understand how that might affect your ability to do so.

 

[shmessy]

* IMO, if you look at the new WR's they really haven't done anything as yet in their careers to make anyone think the Patriots will have a high flying pass offense.

Waaaaaaiiiiiiiittttt a second:

Last 4 years:

Branch: rec-213, TD-14
Givens: rec-158, TD-12
B.Johnson: rec-30, TD-4

Gaffney: rec-171, TD-7
Caldwell: rec-76 TD-7
Gabriel (3 years): rec-71, TD-5

Totals:

Previous 3: rec-401 TD-30
Current 3: rec-318 TD-19
Current 3 w/ Gabriel projected at average year4: rec-342 TD-21

Add in Chad Jackson replacing Tim Dwight and I like this crop better than last year's - - statistically close, slightly younger, much cheaper and signed longer term.

Add in the fact that our running game and tight end situation is far better than ever, and you have an offense that should be BETTER than last year's by playoff time - - the ONLY time that counts.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Waaaaaaiiiiiiiittttt a second:

Last 4 years:

Branch: rec-213, TD-14
Givens: rec-158, TD-12
B.Johnson: rec-30, TD-4

Gaffney: rec-171, TD-7
Caldwell: rec-76 TD-7
Gabriel (3 years): rec-71, TD-5

Totals:

Previous 3: rec-401 TD-30
Current 3: rec-318 TD-19
Current 3 w/ Gabriel projected at average year4: rec-342 TD-21

Add in Chad Jackson replacing Tim Dwight and I like this crop better than last year's - - statistically close, slightly younger, much cheaper and signed longer term.

Add in the fact that our running game and tight end situation is far better than ever, and you have an offense that should be BETTER than last year's by playoff time - - the ONLY time that counts.

Statistics sure can tell different stories, depending on how you use them (90% of all people know that)

Of course, having a deep threat is my main concern about the WRs - not whether or not they'll be able to pad their stats with short passes this season - I expect they will - and will have to.

But overall, I'd just remind people that this year's WR corps wasn't exactly part of a master plan - its making the very best of a bad situation.

For example - last year's #3 WR is this year's #1. Forget about career statistics of everyone else- are you telling me that's an upgrade? Then rank anyone else you want behind Troy - but the bottom line is they are behind last year's #3 WR on the depth chart.

Looking backwards, not that it helps, its not hard to see how all this came to be, so its kindof hard to really fault the Front Office - only had they been able to predict the future could you really fault them.

1. No one faults the FO for letting Givens go at that price.
2. They were approaching this season expecting to have Branch as their #1 WR and a legitimate deep threat - and really didn't see the situation working out like it did.
3. They were planning on taking a rookie WR at some point in first three rounds of the draft - and probably expected a reasonable contribution from him, but did not expect to put a lot of pressure on the rook either
4. They took a no lose chance signing Caldwell, hoped he would finally realize his potential but probably expected the same 28 passes.
5. Given their lack of activity on the free agent market they likely would have signed a veteran at the end of training camp regardless - so a guy like Gabriel probably was in their plans from the start.
6. Gaffney wouldn't be here at all if not for the need of an additional body (just as Gaffney wasn't picked up by the 31 other NFL teams who all passed on him for 6 weeks) - so he's definately not part of a master plan


So the big hit really is the loss of Branch, and to a lesser degree, Jackson's hamstring.

But the Branch loss really had a profound domino effect - if he's here that takes so much pressure off of everyone else - and there really is was just no way to compensate for that at that point in the offseason

I still feel that some inventive play calling to create a deep threat when technically you currently have none (i.e. Utilize Watson and Thomas deep) could pay big dividends, but going into the season I was very concerned about using Watson that way because its asking a lot of a 250lb guy, and Watson is such a valuable cog as a true pass catching TE.

I felt at the time they were making a mistake by not being more agressive on getting another veteran receiver in - resigning Tim Dwight - maybe going after Joe Jurevicius or someone else - especially with the thought they weren't going to meet Given's salary demands - and of course that decision hurts all the more now, but there's no use crying over spilt milk.

 

[patfanken]

Statistics sure can tell different stories, depending on how you use them (90% of all people know that)

Of course, having a deep threat is my main concern about the WRs - not whether or not they'll be able to pad their stats with short passes this season - I expect they will - and will have to.

But overall, I'd just remind people that this year's WR corps wasn't exactly part of a master plan - its making the very best of a bad situation.

For example - last year's #3 WR is this year's #1. Forget about career statistics of everyone else- are you telling me that's an upgrade? Then rank anyone else you want behind Troy - but the bottom line is they are behind last year's #3 WR on the depth chart.

Looking backwards, not that it helps, its not hard to see how all this came to be, so its kindof hard to really fault the Front Office - only had they been able to predict the future could you really fault them.

1. No one faults the FO for letting Givens go at that price.
2. They were approaching this season expecting to have Branch as their #1 WR and a legitimate deep threat - and really didn't see the situation working out like it did.
3. They were planning on taking a rookie WR at some point in first three rounds of the draft - and probably expected a reasonable contribution from him, but did not expect to put a lot of pressure on the rook either
4. They took a no lose chance signing Caldwell, hoped he would finally realize his potential but probably expected the same 28 passes.
5. Given their lack of activity on the free agent market they likely would have signed a veteran at the end of training camp regardless - so a guy like Gabriel probably was in their plans from the start.
6. Gaffney wouldn't be here at all if not for the need of an additional body (just as Gaffney wasn't picked up by the 31 other NFL teams who all passed on him for 6 weeks) - so he's definately not part of a master plan


So the big hit really is the loss of Branch, and to a lesser degree, Jackson's hamstring.

But the Branch loss really had a profound domino effect - if he's here that takes so much pressure off of everyone else - and there really is was just no way to compensate for that at that point in the offseason

I still feel that some inventive play calling to create a deep threat when technically you currently have none (i.e. Utilize Watson and Thomas deep) could pay big dividends, but going into the season I was very concerned about using Watson that way because its asking a lot of a 250lb guy, and Watson is such a valuable cog as a true pass catching TE.

I felt at the time they were making a mistake by not being more agressive on getting another veteran receiver in - resigning Tim Dwight - maybe going after Joe Jurevicius or someone else - especially with the thought they weren't going to meet Given's salary demands - and of course that decision hurts all the more now, but there's no use crying over spilt milk.

Outsanding post, Joe, the only thing I would disagree with, somewhat, is your assessment of adding Gaffney. Gaffney has had excellent production over the years with a very bad team in Houston. In my mind he brings all the skills David Givens gave to us. He is about the same size and speed, and has PROVEN hands.

You could be right about him, but I think over the next few weeks, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[RayClay]

Exactly, see my post above.

It would be nice to place your bets after the horse race is won.

I wonder if all our amateur "scouts" knew Branch would be a great second round pick when the "experts" said the Pats overreached for a 4th-5th round prospect.

All you ROFL over there. Raise your hand if you thought Givens would make it when he was dropping everything in sight his rookie year and barely made the cut the next.

For all the message board geniuses that have a book on every 4th and 5th receiver in the league be aware of this.

The team that picked Branch and Givens is still intact.

Evaluations by experts after 3-4 years in college still have some relevance.

40 times are not the be all and end all but they do show how fast somebody can run. If we can argue for pages on draft day about a tenth of a point difference, maybe they represent one facet of the talent level of an unknown quantity.

Unlike some others here, I haven't personally scouted every receiver in the NFL.

If I had, I still wouldn't have the expertise to evaluate talent compared tothe pundits or even the worst NFL personnel department.

I certainly don't think I could evaluate NFL talent better than BB and Pioli.

They're the same team that picked Branch and Givens.

Apparently they were geniuses then, but they're idiots now.

If that isn't 20-20 hindsight, I don't know what is.

ROFL.

 

[patfanken]

It would be nice to place your bets after the horse race is won.

I wonder if all our amateur "scouts" knew Branch would be a great second round pick when the "experts" said the Pats overreached for a 4th-5th round prospect.

All you ROFL over there. Raise your hand if you thought Givens would make it when he was dropping everything in sight his rookie year and barely made the cut the next.

For all the message board geniuses that have a book on every 4th and 5th receiver in the league be aware of this.

The team that picked Branch and Givens is still intact.

Evaluations by experts after 3-4 years in college still have some relevance.

40 times are not the be all and end all but they do show how fast somebody can run. If we can argue for pages on draft day about a tenth of a point difference, maybe they represent one facet of the talent level of an unknown quantity.

Unlike some others here, I haven't personally scouted every receiver in the NFL.

If I had, I still wouldn't have the expertise to evaluate talent compared tothe pundits or even the worst NFL personnel department.

I certainly don't think I could evaluate NFL talent better than BB and Pioli.

They're the same team that picked Branch and Givens.

Apparently they were geniuses then, but they're idiots now.

If that isn't 20-20 hindsight, I don't know what is.

ROFL.

In the same vain, Ray. If my addled memory doesn't let me down, I remember back in the day, a certain 49er rookie WR was getting hammered in the SF press early in his inaugual season for having less than reliable hands. That WR, of course, turned out to be Jerry Rice. So calling Jackson a bust, as many in then media have been doing, is a bit premature. Don'tcha
think????

 

[RayClay]

In the same vain, Ray. If my addled memory doesn't let me down, I remember back in the day, a certain 49er rookie WR was getting hammered in the SF press early in his inaugual season for having less than reliable hands. That WR, of course, turned out to be Jerry Rice. So calling Jackson a bust, as many in then media have been doing, is a bit premature. Don'tcha
think????

Golly Ken, you think maybe we should give these guys a few games to work the kinks out?

 

[JoeSixPat]

Outsanding post, Joe, the only thing I would disagree with, somewhat, is your assessment of adding Gaffney. Gaffney has had excellent production over the years with a very bad team in Houston. In my mind he brings all the skills David Givens gave to us. He is about the same size and speed, and has PROVEN hands.

You could be right about him, but I think over the next few weeks, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm as perplexed as anyone as to why Gaffney was snubbed by every other team - his stats say teams should have been fighting over him - they weren't though.

But if he works out as a posession reciever he might fill a void that would be created if the team needs to use Watson deep. DC's would HAVE to respect Watson and BB knows it - he just doesn't want to give up Watson's production as a TE as the volume of catches will drop going long.

DC's know that Watson can run routes and has good hands - and then might bowl over a CB - so they'd tend to keep a SS or FS back just in case.

Guys who have great 40 times but can't run routes or catch the ball? They are a dime a dozen and no DC is going to bother keeping a safety watching the likes of Bethel Johnson, Tony Simmons or any number of guys who had great 40 times coming out of college.

DC's understand that being fast doesn't make you a deep threat.

 

[PatsSteve1]

Originally Posted by PatsSteve1
* IMO, if you look at the new WR's they really haven't done anything as yet in their careers to make anyone think the Patriots will have a high flying pass offense.


Add in the fact that our running game and tight end situation is far better than ever, and you have an offense that should be BETTER than last year's by playoff time - - the ONLY time that counts.[/QUOTE]


**** What does "really haven't done anything yet" mean to you? I know what it means to me. I mostly comment about what I've seen up to the present time. Niether I or you can predict the future although I have said in several posts I expect the passing O to get better and it really doesn't have to improve that much to be OK. 10 more completions and Brady would be at 60% now and it likely would have led to more points and the pass O would be looking better.

 

[RayClay]

Originally Posted by PatsSteve1
* IMO, if you look at the new WR's they really haven't done anything as yet in their careers to make anyone think the Patriots will have a high flying pass offense.


Add in the fact that our running game and tight end situation is far better than ever, and you have an offense that should be BETTER than last year's by playoff time - - the ONLY time that counts.


**** What does "really haven't done anything yet" mean to you? I know what it means to me. I mostly comment about what I've seen up to the present time. Niether I or you can predict the future although I have said in several posts I expect the passing O to get better and it really doesn't have to improve that much to be OK. 10 more completions and Brady would be at 60% now and it likely would have led to more points and the pass O would be looking better.

PatsSteve1, nobody knows which of our receivers will excel, if any.

We do know Branch and Givens aren't coming back, so why talk about it?

Both Branch and Givens had a fantastic opportunity to play right away with a great quarterback. They didn't have to beat anyone out because we didn't have a bunch of high priced wide receivers. To their credit, they rose to the challenge.

Contrast that with Doug Gabriel. He had to fight for receptions behind Moss and Porter. Last year they combined for 136 catches.

Gabriel still managed 37. I imagine he could have caught at least as many as Givens if he had a starting position handed to him.

We don't know, but I think it's what personnel people look for when they look for a guy who's ready to break out.

Not everyone has the same opportunities. I think 4 years out of school is a little early to close the books on these guys.

 

[PatsSteve1]

We do know Branch and Givens aren't coming back, so why talk about it?

* I didn't bring either one up, so why talk about them? - I wasn't talking
about what may happen in the future. so why talk say I was? I WAS talking
about the present. Today. We all hope that these guys do well in the future. I haven't heard anyone yet say they hope they don't do well.

 

[RayClay]

We do know Branch and Givens aren't coming back, so why talk about it?

* I didn't bring either one up, so why talk about them? - I wasn't talking
about what may happen in the future. so why talk say I was? I WAS talking
about the present. Today. We all hope that these guys do well in the future. I haven't heard anyone yet say they hope they don't do well.

Sorry, other posters seem to want to compare untested receivers to the ones who started almost every game for four years.

Obviously, the Patriots hope the receivers acquired will do greater when presented with a greater opportunity, (better quarterback and team and more playing time).

There's no guarantee this will happen, that's why you have a scouting department, to evaluate potential.

Again it's quite obvious no one knows for sure with young receivers, ask the Lions for example. The difference between these receivers and "proven" ones is manageable contracts and keeping all our draft picks.

 

[PatsSteve1]

Obviously, the Patriots hope the receivers acquired will do greater when presented with a greater opportunity, (better quarterback and team and more playing time).

* I know you mean better QB play, not better QB, right? Are you trying to get killed? -

There's no guarantee this will happen, that's why you have a scouting department, to evaluate potential.

* What fun is that? - People can post whatever they want. I know many post things along the line of, "if BBioli thinks there good that's good enough for me" kinda stuff. I'm not saying that's you it's just an example. IMO, I like to talk about what I see and think based on what I see and think. I'm no GM or scout. I wasn't even a Boy Scout. I do find it interesting to talk about football in an objective way. I try not to be too positive or negative.
What I originally was at least trying to say I can kind of say another way.
The last 5 or 6 years if the Patriots were in a tie game and there were 3 seconds left and Vinitieri trotted on the field to try a 40 yard FG, I felt the game was over. IF da Ghost does that, today, I wouldn't feel as confident.
Ghost may end up being the greatest PK in the 2300 year history of football for all I know. But, today, or tomorrow, I won't feel as confident. That's how I feel about the Patriots passing game at this time.
In the last few years if the Patriots were down by 7 with a couple of minutes to go at thier own 20, I was confident they'd march down the field and tie it up. Today, I can't say that I feel that way. They may get there and I hope they do and it may be that how they do that will look different in that the routes/plays will be different. IMO, it doesn't make sense that different players will run the same routes as well as the previous players. They probably run other routes better than the previous ones. I hope so.
I don't think the passing game of the last few years was just Branch and Givens. A lot of things made it up. Even Bethel made a few big plays in his Patriots career. A lot of things make up the passing game today. It isn't just the WR's. It's Brady, the OL, ALL the recievers(WR's, TE's RB's) and how they run thier routes and if they drop the pass or not, etc. They don't really have to play that much better to get me there and to feel confident they can make plays when they really have to. I just don't feel that way today and won't tomorrow unless they do it a few times. Like they used to.

 

[RayClay]

Obviously, the Patriots hope the receivers acquired will do greater when presented with a greater opportunity, (better quarterback and team and more playing time).

* I know you mean better QB play, not better QB, right? Are you trying to get killed? -

There's no guarantee this will happen, that's why you have a scouting department, to evaluate potential.

* What fun is that? - People can post whatever they want. I know many post things along the line of, "if BBioli thinks there good that's good enough for me" kinda stuff. I'm not saying that's you it's just an example. IMO, I like to talk about what I see and think based on what I see and think. I'm no GM or scout. I wasn't even a Boy Scout. I do find it interesting to talk about football in an objective way. I try not to be too positive or negative.
What I originally was at least trying to say I can kind of say another way.
The last 5 or 6 years if the Patriots were in a tie game and there were 3 seconds left and Vinitieri trotted on the field to try a 40 yard FG, I felt the game was over. IF da Ghost does that, today, I wouldn't feel as confident.
Ghost may end up being the greatest PK in the 2300 year history of football for all I know. But, today, or tomorrow, I won't feel as confident. That's how I feel about the Patriots passing game at this time.
In the last few years if the Patriots were down by 7 with a couple of minutes to go at thier own 20, I was confident they'd march down the field and tie it up. Today, I can't say that I feel that way. They may get there and I hope they do and it may be that how they do that will look different in that the routes/plays will be different. IMO, it doesn't make sense that different players will run the same routes as well as the previous players. They probably run other routes better than the previous ones. I hope so.
I don't think the passing game of the last few years was just Branch and Givens. A lot of things made it up. Even Bethel made a few big plays in his Patriots career. A lot of things make up the passing game today. It isn't just the WR's. It's Brady, the OL, ALL the recievers(WR's, TE's RB's) and how they run thier routes and if they drop the pass or not, etc. They don't really have to play that much better to get me there and to feel confident they can make plays when they really have to. I just don't feel that way today and won't tomorrow unless they do it a few times. Like they used to.

Great post. We are definitely in a period of transition. To continue having success, in my opinion, we need to risk letting players go before we get stuck with a bunch of long term contracts worth more than the players deliver.

That means putting up with some rookie mistakes and a general lack of rhythm in the offense, (this year).

The alternative is having a team that all grows old together and eventually clogs the cap so we need to have a fire sale and collapse before we can rebuild.

I'm trying to not think about the linebackers or secondary myself. Although I think Seau, Hawkins, Bruschi and Rodney will give us a very good unit this year, I don't see where their replacements are coming from.

But they're in a different stage of transition and the current young talent at those positions is sparse compared to the WRs IMO.

Even McGinest is sorely missed, with no one of his abilities to replace him, though our OL experience is still good. Players of his physical talent just don't come along often so we'll have to replace his raw talent with teamwork.

It's nice when a transition is comprised of a newly healthy star like Dillon and a great looking rookie like Maroney essentially replacing an underachiever like Antowain Smith.

I personally think we have a wealth of offensive weapons and I wouldn't be surprised to see one of our four new WRs fall by the wayside.

I still think they're all NFL caliber receivers and we have been able to turn marginal receivers into stars before, that is our M.O.

I personally think we have more offensive talent than ever in the BB era, but that's just a feeling, not a crystal ball.

BTW Vinatieri missed three field goals in his second game. There just isn't any way to be a veteran without being a rookie first.