NFL.Com: Cheap Veteran Receivers in 2011?

[Oswlek]

We all know the Patriots feed their media sycophants certain stories/information in an effort to gain favor with the fandom/public opinion. In return, certain people are given "special" access*

*Michael Holley.....

Ahhhh..

So the guys who have proven to be largely unreliable speak the truth and the guys who have shown that they know what they are talking about are mouthpieces for the organization?

Your case is getting weaker and weaker.

 

[FCB02062]

Ahhhh..

So the guys who have proven to be largely unreliable speak the truth and the guys who have shown that they know what they are talking about are mouthpieces for the organization?

Your case is getting weaker and weaker.

Didn't know I was making a "case" before the Supreme Court here...

Are you suggesting that some in the media, Reis, Holley, etc., are NOT mouthpieces who are fed certain information from the team????

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

He is already on the roster, named Taylor Price.

Funny...I must have missed all the great plays this rookie put out in 2010

Are you psychic or just hoping he can even come close to the production of Givens?

 

[Oswlek]

Funny...I must have missed all the great plays this rookie put out in 2010

Are you psychic or just hoping he can even come close to the production of Givens?

How much production did Givens have his rookie year?

Price is built just like a fast Givens and that was exactly how they used him in the Miami game at the end of 2010. Seems like that's the role they are grooming him for.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

How much production did Givens have his rookie year?

Price is built just like a fast Givens and that was exactly how they used him in the Miami game at the end of 2010. Seems like that's the role they are grooming him for.

Price's facial features resembles a little bit of Miles Austin from the Cowboys....here is hoping he can be as good.

 

[NHPatriot43]

With no off season I would say Randy would be the logical choice. I remember Joey Galloway and some other big name receiver coming in and not doing so well. Randy would be plug N play!

 

[JoeSixPat]

I don't disagree with much on here, but I still think the whole notion of a "deep threat" is generic quick fix that fans toss out there, that is rarely a major issue in reality. Sure, if all you have is a bunch of Gronks and Anquan Boldins out there, you might be in need of someone to threaten the deeper parts of the field.

But NE's defense has plenty of speed and compare favorably as a unit to the 2003-2005 squad. The problem is trust, not speed.

Take Tate, for instance. As the year went on, it was clear that Brandon was rarely one of first couple reads. About the only time he was the top read was a designed deep ball and many of those were preceeded by a predictible fake end-around motion. Until defenses feel threatened by his short and intermediate routes, his speed advantage is negated by the mental advantage the defenders have.

Deion Branch was neve a burner in the Bethel Johnson mold, but he made quite a few deep plays because teams had to worry about his entire game. THAT is what needs to happen with NE's corps. Edelman, Tate, Price and Hernandez all have speed advantages over their defenders, and when NE can go into a game with Welker/Branch not perpetually the first reads those advantages will manifest themselves in the form of big plays.

Yes - I think you've put your finger on why Tate isn't truly considered a deep threat, even though he does have deep threat skills and his stats suggest that - should Brady develop more confidence in him as an initial read, you could really see him help stretch a defense and open up opportunities for others.

As I've said before, the question of whether they can win without a deep threat WR has been answered as a yes.

And in some years we've seen Branch or Hernandez or even Welker stretch defenses - but not quite the same way as Moss did in his prime (though here, we agree, overuse and overdependence can be a signficant issue too)

So we'll see what happens - if Belichick can upgrade he will, and if he can't we'll just hope that Brady's ability to often hit on all other cylinders will make up for it.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I dunno. A cheap Randy deal might even be a liability at this point. Consider: BB made the "deal with the devil" and played a flashy style of football with Randy in 07, depended on him in 08 and 09 a fair amount, and then just punted on the Randy experiment in 10. Throwing long a lot led to worse percentages, and if you're BB, you far prefer knowing that you can get 10 yards 5 times to thinking you might get 50 yards, or you might stall the drive or turn the ball over (at least up to the Randy point.)

Trouble w/Randy is he's proven to be unwilling to play his role, if that role isn't "much beloved superstar wide receiver." He wanted a bigger payday than the Pats would go for, he let it distract him, and worse, he made it a distraction for everybody else.

So let's say in a hypothetical world that they give him a super-cheap contract, basically all incentives, and throw him into camp and make him compete. Let's say he works his butt off proclaiming publicly that whatever he makes is fine, the rest of his career, and that he wants to retire a Patriot. Let's say he gets and accepts at his advanced age magical coaching to get off jams on the LOS. Let's say he not only doesn't lose a step, but through obscure himalayan breathing techniques actually shaves a point off his 40 time.

So what? How do you establish that in a game, or several games, where you prefer a "Randy decoy" approach, he shuts the hell up and does his job? How do you satisfy yourself that this will happen, when exactly the opposite has happened in the so-recent past?

So, if not Randy...That does call into question whether we dip into this pool for the veteran deep threat. If it takes a guy a year to pick up the Pats' system, and some of these guys are in their late 30s...?

Well, Randy would be plug-n-play, but he might also be plug-n-play-the-victim. One of the "young old" guys might not be a bad call, but he would have to understand that he might have to some decoying or even watching fromt the bench. How do you get a 34-37 year-old guy to understand that, when he's a head-case wideout?

Ochocinco has a good relationship w/BB and respects him as a coach from all indications. He's also not the 1-trick pony Moss is, so that would be interesting to me. T.O. would just be scary, to me. Moss? Hey, I'm a koolaid drinker. BB thinks it's low risk, wellllllll okay. It just seems to me there's a big downside on the locker-room-cancer front, sort of the opposite of what one thinks after 10 stories in the press about how he wants to "come home."

Meh, it'll be interesting to see who's on the opening day roster around Halloween.

 

[IllegalContact]

I'd give santana moss a shot........similar to the other WR's, he keeps within what the pats try to do most......price and tate are good enough as deep threats.

 

[VOODOOZF]

"Steve Smith is the third best guy in this group, and he'd probably be higher if he had a QB. But he's also a headcase, except his headcaseness involves violence AND ego. I think he's overrated, but would still be an upgrade over Branch."


Steve Smith at this point is EASILY the best of these three options. True hs is a major headcase, but so are the other two. With Brady throwing to Steve Smith he has the talent to be a top 3 wr next season.

Steve Smith is hands down the best choice of the three.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Belichcik bring in a couple of end-of-career FA WRs, and they will compete with the present staff and sent packing as per usual. See Tory Holt, Jerry Galloway.

He wil NOT spend any high draft picks or big bucks on the position. Its not necessary and BB doesn't waste money.

 

[JoeSixPat]

I'd give santana moss a shot........similar to the other WR's, he keeps within what the pats try to do most......price and tate are good enough as deep threats.

I think S. Moss would take a very reasonable one year contract to play for a contender - maybe you throw some incentives his way to sweeten the deal.

He can probably demand more given last year's resurgence but at age 32 I'd think he wants a ring.

I do see some major potential in Tate - as has been mentioned it really comes down to whether he and Brady can get on the same page. Hopefully they're quietly working on timing behind the scenes as this is one area where the lack of OTAs and training camp can have an impact even on an established team like the Pats.