Marvin Lewis: Belichick is too smart to go after Ochocinco

[goheels22002]

The team has people besides Tate to return kicks, if needed. If the man who's supposed to be your 2nd outside wide receiver can't get it done as a receiver, he can be Devin Hester on kicks and it's not going to help the QB complete a pass.

"If the man who's supposed to be your #2 receiver..." Interesting point and I don't entirely disagree.

But, let's recall that at the beginning of 2010-11, Wes Welker was the #2 wideout behind none other than the soon to self-immolate Randy Moss. Branch was brought back immediately making him and Welker the #1 and #2 WR options with Tate still in a situational role. Moss blasted and sulked his way out of town and out of Minnesota and out of Tennessee, leaving Tate, in his firts FULL season, holding the bag to some extent.

I believe we saw Brandon Tate as the #3 situational WR/special teams guy that he was with 1,487 all-purpose yards in 2010-11. Tate along with Julian Edelman were two pieces of the puzzle that made 14-2 possible. Next year, Tate will probably be asked to take the next step to be a legitimate #2 WR and serve as a deep threat. But I don't think anyone went into this past season expecting Tate to be the deep threat guy - that was Moss' job.

So let's say Tate does that and gives the Pats 65 catches for 850 yards in 2011-12 - Branch, Ochocinco or Gaffney numbers. Does that meet your criteria for "getting it done?"

For me that works if Welker gives the Pats 90-95 catches for a 1,000 yards with all the other guys in the passing game. In that case, Taylor price is next up in Tate's role and if he catches 25-30 passes for 450 yards, the passing game witll be fine with Gronk, Hernandez and the RBs as the final piece. Presuming Branch is gone, Brady still has 6-7 guys that can gash you and the defenses can't focus on shutting down one guy.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

There are only so many balls to go around but how many times did you look up and see Tate covered? Or Brady trying to hit him but not being able to because there was just no daylight. It happened a lot.

Brady tried to go deep to Tate in the playoff game and there was just no separation.

I dunno, I see a lot of Bethel/Jackson in this guy. He just doesn't seem to have enough between the ears to be a Brady favorite a la Troy/Patten/Branch/Givens/the two TEs.

Again, I hope I'm wrong.

It's hard to see everything on the TV view, but clearly he struggled at times and didn't have Brady's full confidence.

But he's still very young, still coming back from a serious injury, and it's way too early to pull the plug on the kid. He could very well be a bust, but a full season and 2 games is way too little to know is all I'm saying.

I'd rather have that potential growth than the fading diva like Ocho.

 

[TheComeback]

I hope you're right but Brady seems to click with receivers or he doesn't. Name one guy who started slowly in NE and who ultimately made it with Tom. Just one.

Maybe David Givens started slowly but I don't think so. Too lazy to look it up.

Aaron Hernandez and Gronk were rookies who he immediately hit it off with. Many catches. Deion Branch. Edelman to a lesser degree.

And many vets have come in and washed out because they couldn't run great routes. Hayes, Galloway, Gabriel. Chad Jackson was a rookie who could not get on the same page with Tom. Bethel, too.

Color me very pessimistic about Tate.

And please, color me that I am wrong and you are right.

There's some truth to the clicking with Brady thing. But how fast can you click with him if you're not ready to be an NFL receiver yet?

Tate definitely didn't live up to the hype that Kraft and everyone else bestowed upon him this summer. I think that was pretty stupid of Kraft, actually. Still, it sounds like he's a hard worker (unlike Chad Jackson), so if he can make improvements he deserves another shot. He has the talent to be our deep threat. It just seems like a matter of working on his fundamentals.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Chad Ochocinco takes a shot at Mike Brown | National Football Post

Continuing his verbal assault on the organization he'd like to leave, Cincinnati Bengals outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco went all the way to the top with his most recent shot.

He went after Bengals owner Mike Brown, who has drawn plenty of criticism over the years for having a small scouting staff, no indoor bubble despite the cold conditions in Cincinnati and low salaries for staffers.

“If you have a business is it right for the people that work for you to care more about success than the rightful owner itself?” Ochocinco wrote on his official Twitter account.

I'm not saying Ocho isn't right, because he is. But judging from Lewis's earlier comments, he's not bringing Ocho back anyways, so no need for Ocho to keep this up. I'm sure it's impressing all sorts of owners who are eager to line up and sign him.

 

[goheels22002]

Chad Ochocinco takes a shot at Mike Brown | National Football Post


I'm not saying Ocho isn't right, because he is. But judging from Lewis's earlier comments, he's not bringing Ocho back anyways, so no need for Ocho to keep this up. I'm sure it's impressing all sorts of owners who are eager to line up and sign him.

The Bengals hold a $3.5 million option for 2011 on this knucklehead. Despite Ochocinco's buffoonery, that's pretty cheap for a 65 catch - 850-yard WR. He could possibly get that and more elsewhere, one could imagine.

I'd bet he's not going to get any offers from owners who have a brain however. I am sure Mr. Kraft will not be pleased to hear about this tweet by Ochocinco. He's headed for a place like Oakland or Washington.

 

[DarrylStingley]

Tate along with Julian Edelman were two pieces of the puzzle that made 14-2 possible.

I'm not a Tate guy and hope they upgrade the 3rd WR role. I hope Tate is traded or let go. So my bias is on the table.

But I don't think Tate made much of anything possible this year. He caught some passes, yes. But as a 3rd WR in a Tom Brady lead offense, if he was a better route runner and was open more, his production would have been substantially better and that would have opened things up more for everyone else in that offense.

My view is that they won 14 games in spite of having a guy whose best use was end arounds and who was a disappointment as a receiver.

I seriously hope I'm wrong about this guy.

 

[goheels22002]

I'm not a Tate guy and hope they upgrade the 3rd WR role. I hope Tate is traded or let go. So my bias is on the table.

But I don't think Tate made much of anything possible this year. He caught some passes, yes. But as a 3rd WR in a Tom Brady lead offense, if he was a better route runner and was open more, his production would have been substantially better and that would have opened things up more for everyone else in that offense.

My view is that they won 14 games in spite of having a guy whose best use was end arounds and who was a disappointment as a receiver.

I seriously hope I'm wrong about this guy.

I think you are. No way to prove anything until next season comes around which we all hope it does. Tate's value on special teams combined with his participation in his second Patriots training camp should make the Welker-Branch-Tate-Price group a solid WR corps with Gronk-Hernandez-Crump an excellent TE group. It would be great to bring in a stud WR, but I see the effort being put into Mankins, DL, OL and RB with this draft and free agents, in that order.

 

[DarrylStingley]

I think you are. No way to prove anything until next season comes around which we all hope it does. Tate's value on special teams combined with his participation in his second Patriots training camp should make the Welker-Branch-Tate-Price group a solid WR corps with Gronk-Hernandez-Crump an excellent TE group. It would be great to bring in a stud WR, but I see the effort being put into Mankins, DL, OL and RB with this draft and free agents, in that order.

I dunno, after the two run backs, I thought Tate was pretty pedestrian on KRs. How many times did he even get past the 30 after those two?

He seemed to suddenly lose his way after his hot start.

I agree that the bigger needs are help on both sides of the line and a pass rushing force. WR is there but it's certainly after those areas.

 

[patsboy44]

ocho is a joke honestly.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

The Bengals hold a $3.5 million option for 2011 on this knucklehead. Despite Ochocinco's buffoonery, that's pretty cheap for a 65 catch - 850-yard WR. He could possibly get that and more elsewhere, one could imagine.

I'd bet he's not going to get any offers from owners who have a brain however. I am sure Mr. Kraft will not be pleased to hear about this tweet by Ochocinco. He's headed for a place like Oakland or Washington.

I heard that as well but this article disputes the option:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/07/ochocincos-contract-has-no-option-for-2011/

A strange theory has been making its way through the media this week regarding the status of receiver Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati. Vague references have been made: (1) to an “option” on Ochocinco’s contract for 2011; (2) to the notion that the team has already exercised the “option”; and (3) to the idea that if they hadn’t they would have owed him $3.5 million.

For 2011, there is no decision that the Bengals have to make, no “option” to exercise. They simply hold Ochocinco’s rights via a contract that pays him a base salary of $6 million in the next football season, whenever the next football season may commence.

But yeah, Ocho should be careful. Mike Brown might decide not to cut him, and trade him to an awful place like Oakland. Or even worse, decide to keep him in Cincy.

 

[patsboy44]

I heard that as well but this article disputes the option:

Ochocinco’s contract has no “option” for 2011 | ProFootballTalk



But yeah, Ocho should be careful. Mike Brown might decide not to cut him, and trade him to an awful place like Oakland. Or even worse, decide to keep him in Cincy.

They should trade him to Oakland or Panthers and let him regret it.