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Jackson was "expected" to step up and take the #3 spot and make Gaffney the #4. Gaffney is proven and, although he wouldn't play much, could occupy the #4 spot. Jackson is unproven and wouldn't play much as the #4 WR, and has yet to make any impact on special teams. In the meantime, you have an elite ST player like Aiken and a returning ST player and adequate pass catcher in Washington who could fill the #4 WR role (injury replacement, 5 WR set here and there), but can also have a big special teams presence.
What does Jackson not stepping into the #3 spot have to do with anything. Aiken is a horrible WR. Washington hasn't been even a decent WR since 2005. Jackson still has the potential to be decent which is more than I can say about the other two.
Also, if Aiken was an elite special teamer, why didn't the Bills try to make every effort to retain him. It isn't like the Pats gave him a boffo deal. He is a good ST, but I don't know about elite.
I'm not really considering Slater's DB or WR presence in this move, so Bam is irrelevant to me. I think he has awesome potential as a spark plug returner and a lightning-quick gunner, and he can carve himself a nice role on this team as that. But if Hobbs proves himself over the long run to be a better returner, then Slater is expendable, I suppose.
I agree that Slater has potential, but that is all he has right now. He is the epitome of a practice squad guy to me. A lot of unrealized potential, not a lot of production in the preseason.
The fact that Hobbs was returning kicks early in last game doesn't speak well for Slater's chances of making the final 53 man roster. If he had a strong shot of making the team as a special teamer, Belichick would have been having him returning kicks instead of Hobbs.
Someone who has 72 career catches for 893 yards is a "pure special teamer?" I'm not saying Washington is the second coming of Jerry Rice, but the only reason Washington played as much on special teams as he did last year was because of Moss coming in after Washington's signing. If Moss didn't come, then we would have seen Welker, Stallworth, Gaffney, and Washington as the team's top 4 WRs.
You have Aiken and Slater on the roster as WRs. That is two pure special teamers. When did I say anything about Washington? Washington has only 19 receptions for 216 yards and 2 TDs over the last three years. Jackson has 13 catches for 151 yards and 3 TDs over the last two seasons. So Jackson has actually been more productive.
I don't see that happening in the 8 days (holy crap!) that remain before final cuts. I could even see him going in the first cutdown, a la Poteat or Spann a past years.
Last time I checked, every single one of our ILBs played like crap the last game. We have no idea what has happened over the last week in practice. Many times ILBs intially struggle in this system because they have trouble picking up the gap assignments. If that is the case with Hobson, that is something that is correctable and can happen overnight. Not saying that is the case with him though, but if it is he could do a 180 tonight.
Woods and Crable would be in long before Hobson would. Hobson would only come in if both of those guys went down, and that is supported by everything that has gone in camp and the preseason so far.
Again, I said Hobson wouldn't start, but if Woods or Crable become the starter to replace Vrabel or Thomas someone has to replace Woods or Crable's spot as a back up/rotational guy.
And keep in mind that if Hobson was a half-decent OLB in the 3-4, either the Jets would have kept him or he would have been signed long before he was by the Pats in mid-April.
Gaffney was not resigned by the Texans and picked up by the Eagles and then cut before the preseason started. Gaffney remained on the street until October when the Pats signed him. Does that mean that Gaffney won't make the Pats?
The Jets wanted to overhaul their defense. They replaced several starters this past offseason and spent a lot of money and draft picks to get new players. When you go 4-12, you usually don't retain players in free agency.
I don't know if Hobson will turn it around and make the team, but this is a weak argument that the Pats have disproven over and over again. The Pats have made gold out of other's peoples garbage like Bobby Hamilton, Roman Phifer, David Patten, Joe Andruzzi, etc. All those were players that were players no one wanted and the Pats made them productive players. Not saying Hobson will follow the trend, but using the argument that the Jets didn't want to resign him and he sat on free agency a bit doesn't really fly.
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