Patriots not consistent with the WR situation

[patchick]

So I suspect that the answer is, somewhat along the lines that Mo said, that there were just not receivers out there that Belichick and Pioli felt were worth signing at their price - or probably many who they wouldn't sign no matter what the price.

Don't you think that's the likely scenario ?

While I agree with and am looking forward to more use of the TEs, do you really think that Belichick and Pioli would not go after WRs ALSO if they had somebody they felt would make the team stronger ? I REALLY doubt that. They certainly have enough cap room.

Don't neglect a third scenario...they did go after receivers but simply didn't land them. You don't always get what you want. Remember that they made significant offers to retain both Branch and Givens, made a big offer to Mason last year, and reportedly were part of the Stallworth talks...and that's just the ones we know about. It's hard to fault the team on any one of those players--Mason's wife wanted to be near her family, Givens' offer from Tennessee was outrageous, etc. But in the aggregate, you have trouble.

 

[shakadave]

MoLewisrocks had some very good observations.

Perhaps I can add something to think about.

I think it is puzzling to think that Belichick wouldn't add free agents if he could get players that he thinks fits his team and were the right price. He and Pioli have added MANY players, even ones that you might think they knew were long shots.

So I suspect that the answer is, somewhat along the lines that Mo said, that there were just not receivers out there that Belichick and Pioli felt were worth signing at their price - or probably many who they wouldn't sign no matter what the price.

Don't you think that's the likely scenario ?

While I agree with and am looking forward to more use of the TEs, do you really think that Belichick and Pioli would not go after WRs ALSO if they had somebody they felt would make the team stronger ? I REALLY doubt that. They certainly have enough cap room.

Just my perspective.

I agree. When you get right down to it, Derrick Mason is great. This year there was no Derrick Mason available.

 

[RAWKY]

I think BB has had his fill of prima donna WRs....first Glenn now Branch both very talented but both now appear to be head cases.

If one looks around the NFL many of the problem children are WRs, TO, Glenn, Moss, Jevon Walker, Asley Lilie (sp) among others.....

I think that is why we drafted so many Tight Ends.....we are going to feature them just as other teams feature WRs....

Think about it not only can they catch a ball but they can BLOCK, Play special teams and have no where near the Delusions of Grandeur that wide outs have.

In essence an effective tight end has a linemans mentality and a wide recievers effect on the game.

Its a win win situation.

Yes if highly succesfull they will cost more money down the road but they also bring a whole lot more to the party then a prissy WR that can only catch the ball .

 

[arrellbee]

Don't neglect a third scenario...they did go after receivers but simply didn't land them. You don't always get what you want. Remember that they made significant offers to retain both Branch and Givens, made a big offer to Mason last year, and reportedly were part of the Stallworth talks...and that's just the ones we know about. It's hard to fault the team on any one of those players--Mason's wife wanted to be near her family, Givens' offer from Tennessee was outrageous, etc. But in the aggregate, you have trouble.

YES. Good call. I have to wonder a little bit if the Pats could make an offer on a solid to really good receiver without the rumor mill and media being all over it.

 

[Ring 6]

Are you kidding me???????
The basis of this thread is the Patriots did nothing about the WR position???

Did they not?:
Sign Reche Caldwell as a FA.
Offer Deion Branch a 6mill a year extension when he still had a year left on his contract?
Trade up to draft Chad Jackson in the second round?
Resing Troy Brown?

Lets look back.

2002 coming back with Troy Brown and Patten
Draft Branch in round 2, draft Givens in round 7 AFTER passing on the pick while they tried to trade it.
Sign Donald Hayes.
Let #3 and #4 WRs (Chas Johnson and Boom Boom Coleman) walk.
Gee, sounds identical to this year?

2003
Draft Bethel Johnson in round 2.
Waive bye bye to Hayes.
Do nothing else.

2004
Stand pat

2005
Sign Tim Dwight as a 4th, maybe 5th option
Trade for Andre Davis as a 4th maybe fifth option.

2006
Conclude that Dwight and Davis were not the answer.
Trade for Caldwell
Resign Brown
Draft Jackson in the 2nd.

Actually the Pats have done more at the WR position this year than pretty much they ever have.

Somehow, we've now concluded that drafting Jackson and signing Caldwell while subtracting 2 failed WRs and deciding not to overpay Givens is subtraction????????? Forget Bethel, he was traded becuase he was a failure.

We will enter this season with or without Branch, but with a FA acquisition in Caldwell who is the highest profile WR we have ever signed in FA, a 2nd round pick thought by many to be 1st round caliber, a returnoing Troy Brown and players we have developed.

Are we sitting here saying the Patriots blew it because Deion Branch wouldnt accept 6mill a year, and that we would feel better if we kept Dwight and Davis who did not measure up last year, just because it sounds better than keeping guys like Childress, Brown or Caldwell, plus Jackson who BB CHOSE to have here instead of those guys?

 

[arrellbee]

Are you kidding me???????
The basis of this thread is the Patriots did nothing about the WR position???

Did they not?:
Sign Reche Caldwell as a FA.
Offer Deion Branch a 6mill a year extension when he still had a year left on his contract?
Trade up to draft Chad Jackson in the second round?
Resing Troy Brown?

Lets look back.

2002 coming back with Troy Brown and Patten
Draft Branch in round 2, draft Givens in round 7 AFTER passing on the pick while they tried to trade it.
Sign Donald Hayes.
Let #3 and #4 WRs (Chas Johnson and Boom Boom Coleman) walk.
Gee, sounds identical to this year?

2003
Draft Bethel Johnson in round 2.
Waive bye bye to Hayes.
Do nothing else.

2004
Stand pat

2005
Sign Tim Dwight as a 4th, maybe 5th option
Trade for Andre Davis as a 4th maybe fifth option.

2006
Conclude that Dwight and Davis were not the answer.
Trade for Caldwell
Resign Brown
Draft Jackson in the 2nd.

Actually the Pats have done more at the WR position this year than pretty much they ever have.

Somehow, we've now concluded that drafting Jackson and signing Caldwell while subtracting 2 failed WRs and deciding not to overpay Givens is subtraction????????? Forget Bethel, he was traded becuase he was a failure.

We will enter this season with or without Branch, but with a FA acquisition in Caldwell who is the highest profile WR we have ever signed in FA, a 2nd round pick thought by many to be 1st round caliber, a returnoing Troy Brown and players we have developed.

Are we sitting here saying the Patriots blew it because Deion Branch wouldnt accept 6mill a year, and that we would feel better if we kept Dwight and Davis who did not measure up last year, just because it sounds better than keeping guys like Childress, Brown or Caldwell, plus Jackson who BB CHOSE to have here instead of those guys?

Good observations Andy. Thanks.

 

[rookBoston]

In 2001, the Patriots cut ties with Terry Glenn, forcing their "slot receiver" Troy Brown into a role as our #1 receiver.

As our #2 receiver, BB found a guy who had been loading coffee beans off a truck, names David Patten.

Charles Johnson, a Phili retread, and Fred Coleman, a no-name walkon, rounded out the wideout corp.

At TE, we had Rod Ruttledge, who was a good blocker but had hands of stone and a local boy Jermaine Wiggins, who was a complete surprise out of East Boston.

We had a red-shirt rookie QB, and a discarded staring RB retread in Antowain Smith and a fumble prone youngster Kevin Faulk, who had failed to lock down the starting RB position the year before.

At LT, we had a rookie, and our OC couldn't snap in the shotgun, and had to swap with the LG when we were in the shotgun.

What a bunch of scrubs.

In comparison, we have veterans at LT, OC, RG, first rounder at LG and a sophomore who started at LT last year playing RT this year.

Our QB may be the best in the NFL. We have three of the best RB in the league, by far the best TE unit. We have a 2nd rounder in Jackson, good veterans in Brown and Caldwell, and a promising young prospect in Childress.

I really don't see a lot of basis for concern. With or without Branch, on paper this is by far the best Offense that BB has ever fielded. I think the fans needs to leave this entire Branch thing alone... you're buying all the hype that the damn agent is trying to brew up. Belichick has the situation more than well in hand.

 

[patsox23]

In 2001, the Patriots cut ties with Terry Glenn, forcing their "slot receiver" Troy Brown into a role as our #1 receiver.

As our #2 receiver, BB found a guy who had been loading coffee beans off a truck, names David Patten.

Charles Johnson, a Phili retread, and Fred Coleman, a no-name walkon, rounded out the wideout corp.

At TE, we had Rod Ruttledge, who was a good blocker but had hands of stone and a local boy Jermaine Wiggins, who was a complete surprise out of East Boston.

We had a red-shirt rookie QB, and a discarded staring RB retread in Antowain Smith and a fumble prone youngster Kevin Faulk, who had failed to lock down the starting RB position the year before.

At LT, we had a rookie, and our OC couldn't snap in the shotgun, and had to swap with the LG when we were in the shotgun.

What a bunch of scrubs.

In comparison, we have veterans at LT, OC, RG, first rounder at LG and a sophomore who started at LT last year playing RT this year.

Our QB may be the best in the NFL. We have three of the best RB in the league, by far the best TE unit. We have a 2nd rounder in Jackson, good veterans in Brown and Caldwell, and a promising young prospect in Childress.

I really don't see a lot of basis for concern. With or without Branch, on paper this is by far the best Offense that BB has ever fielded. I think the fans needs to leave this entire Branch thing alone... you're buying all the hype that the damn agent is trying to brew up. Belichick has the situation more than well in hand.

Good points. While I do believe Branch is a key member of the team and a big loss, I think this is definitely the best offense we will have fielded during the BB era - as you say, with or without Branch.

 

[SamBam39]

In 2001, the Patriots cut ties with Terry Glenn, forcing their "slot receiver" Troy Brown into a role as our #1 receiver.

As our #2 receiver, BB found a guy who had been loading coffee beans off a truck, names David Patten.

Charles Johnson, a Phili retread, and Fred Coleman, a no-name walkon, rounded out the wideout corp.

At TE, we had Rod Ruttledge, who was a good blocker but had hands of stone and a local boy Jermaine Wiggins, who was a complete surprise out of East Boston.

We had a red-shirt rookie QB, and a discarded staring RB retread in Antowain Smith and a fumble prone youngster Kevin Faulk, who had failed to lock down the starting RB position the year before.

At LT, we had a rookie, and our OC couldn't snap in the shotgun, and had to swap with the LG when we were in the shotgun.

What a bunch of scrubs.

In comparison, we have veterans at LT, OC, RG, first rounder at LG and a sophomore who started at LT last year playing RT this year.

Our QB may be the best in the NFL. We have three of the best RB in the league, by far the best TE unit. We have a 2nd rounder in Jackson, good veterans in Brown and Caldwell, and a promising young prospect in Childress.

I really don't see a lot of basis for concern. With or without Branch, on paper this is by far the best Offense that BB has ever fielded. I think the fans needs to leave this entire Branch thing alone... you're buying all the hype that the damn agent is trying to brew up. Belichick has the situation more than well in hand.

well, that felt reassuring to read.
will you write us some more reassuring stuff before we go to sleep,
so we can sleep well? all kidding aside, framing things the way you just did, you really do paint a picture that reminds us of how far we've come, and how successful BB has been with less than this. It just feels like last year Branch and Givens were our #1 and #2, but now both will be gone. None of this would feel half as bad if Chad Jackson had played well this pre-season. I have faith things will get resolved and we'll be fine, but right at this very second, I confess to being frustrated and concerned. I am just so shocked that a guy I thought so highly of before this, deion branch, would go to such lengths to have his way, make more money, and screw his entire team over in the process. I'll be real interested in seeing how this plays out and what the final resolution will be, regardless of my knowledge that Kraft/Pioli/Belichick will resolve the sitution in the end.
it's been a tiresome period, and on the eve of the season, just like Milloy, it's taking away alot of the optimism and excitment. It's like having your parents have a loud, drunken argument with a lot of screaming 2 days before Christmas - sure you know the argument will end, and sure you'll still open presents on that day, but right now, your spirit and enthusiasm is being doused by what's going on. Just a shame.

 

[Brownfan80]

back in early spring a reporter was asking belichick about his offensive personnel (speciffically 4 TEs) and coach went on to rave about the lions 3 TE sets of the mid seventies and how effective they were. point being - the focus offensively this year will be BIG bodies- watson, graham, evans, dillon, thomas, mills.watch for only 4 wides to make the final cut

I think you've got the right idea. Think about what that ONE big body just did to our defense last on Thursday. (Jacobs)