rookBoston
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 2,060
- Reaction score
- 1,326
Everyone is talking about Secondary and Wideout for the Pats in the upcoming draft. But I really believe BB is interested in adding a top rated TE to the team.
To start, remember BB has a history of taking TE early in the draft. Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Gronk. A talented TE that can block and catch is a rare animal, and worth spending a premium draft pick on. This draft is not all that strong, but it does have two pretty historic TE prospects in Eifert, Ertz, either of which should be around in the late-20s.
Even with Gronk and Hernandez on the roster, under long term deals, BB has been trying to bring a top tier TE onto the roster as a third option for over a year. Dallas Clark was courted last season. Visanthe Siancoe. Kellen Winslow. These are not JAG options. Plus he tapped Ballard and re-signed Hoomanawanui. He's clearly willing to spend money at the position.
I've always wondered why he's made such an effort to add more talent at TE, when he's got better talent at the position now than he ever has in the last decade. Contrary to popular opinion, I dont think injury risk is enough of an explanation-- the guys he's looking at are high upside prospects.
I think the real reason is something that BB always talks about, which is about creating mismatches.
BB is thinker, a strategist and an innovator. He's made the 2 TE offense into the latest trendy formation that the rest of the league is trying to emulate, and trying to learn to defend. And teams are starting to bring the quick LB/SSs onto their rosters to adjust for multiple athletic TEs that can get downfield... enough to match up with the roster we had in 2012.
But what if you add another TE into your base attack? Who can match up with that? Go into a dime defense, and we'll run the ball down your throat. Play your 250# LBs and we'll pass over the top of them. The key to innovation is to stay one step ahead of your competition. Do we really want to add the traditional outside receiver, when every team has already game planned for Julio Jones, Larry Fitzgerald and Percy Harvin? Instead of drafting a receiver that we hope can beat an elite CB, why not force the elite CB to cover someone that is a physical mismatch. As a defensive coordinator, how do you handle 250 lbs of Zach Ertz running at your shutdown corner for 20 snaps/game? That guy is going to get beat up.
Bottom line, I love the power run&pass concept, and I think BB is trying to assemble a roster than can play it. Imagine Ridley or Bolden in the backfield with Gronkowski, Hernandez and a 3rd TE in line, plus Amendola on the outside. Is this a traditional 3 TE power running formation (crowd the box), or is this a passing formation (add another DB)? However you decide to defend it, you will get beat. We run at the dime, and pass at the base. All about creating mismatches.
This is my long way of saying, in the first round I think BB is going to target
1) Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame, or
2) Zach Ertz, TE Stanford
Outstanding measurables. Productive players against top competition. And likely to be there in the late 20s.
And somehow if they're both gone, maybe the kid from San Diego in the 2nd... but I'm not sold on him. This is the pendulum swinging the other way from the 5-wide offense that we ran under Charlie. The competition retooled their depth charts to solve for that. Now, with their rosters stocked up on nickel and dime corners, the Pats are going to come at them with something bigger and stronger.
The media will say drafting another TE early means BB is concerned about the health of his young star TEs. But no, this is 100% about tactics and value. Creating an offense that no NFL team is structured to defend... except maybe Seattle.
(Not to mention, this is the perfect offense for Brady: making the calls at the line based on the players on D... and his deep ball is really not his strong suit)
To start, remember BB has a history of taking TE early in the draft. Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Gronk. A talented TE that can block and catch is a rare animal, and worth spending a premium draft pick on. This draft is not all that strong, but it does have two pretty historic TE prospects in Eifert, Ertz, either of which should be around in the late-20s.
Even with Gronk and Hernandez on the roster, under long term deals, BB has been trying to bring a top tier TE onto the roster as a third option for over a year. Dallas Clark was courted last season. Visanthe Siancoe. Kellen Winslow. These are not JAG options. Plus he tapped Ballard and re-signed Hoomanawanui. He's clearly willing to spend money at the position.
I've always wondered why he's made such an effort to add more talent at TE, when he's got better talent at the position now than he ever has in the last decade. Contrary to popular opinion, I dont think injury risk is enough of an explanation-- the guys he's looking at are high upside prospects.
I think the real reason is something that BB always talks about, which is about creating mismatches.
BB is thinker, a strategist and an innovator. He's made the 2 TE offense into the latest trendy formation that the rest of the league is trying to emulate, and trying to learn to defend. And teams are starting to bring the quick LB/SSs onto their rosters to adjust for multiple athletic TEs that can get downfield... enough to match up with the roster we had in 2012.
But what if you add another TE into your base attack? Who can match up with that? Go into a dime defense, and we'll run the ball down your throat. Play your 250# LBs and we'll pass over the top of them. The key to innovation is to stay one step ahead of your competition. Do we really want to add the traditional outside receiver, when every team has already game planned for Julio Jones, Larry Fitzgerald and Percy Harvin? Instead of drafting a receiver that we hope can beat an elite CB, why not force the elite CB to cover someone that is a physical mismatch. As a defensive coordinator, how do you handle 250 lbs of Zach Ertz running at your shutdown corner for 20 snaps/game? That guy is going to get beat up.
Bottom line, I love the power run&pass concept, and I think BB is trying to assemble a roster than can play it. Imagine Ridley or Bolden in the backfield with Gronkowski, Hernandez and a 3rd TE in line, plus Amendola on the outside. Is this a traditional 3 TE power running formation (crowd the box), or is this a passing formation (add another DB)? However you decide to defend it, you will get beat. We run at the dime, and pass at the base. All about creating mismatches.
This is my long way of saying, in the first round I think BB is going to target
1) Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame, or
2) Zach Ertz, TE Stanford
Outstanding measurables. Productive players against top competition. And likely to be there in the late 20s.
And somehow if they're both gone, maybe the kid from San Diego in the 2nd... but I'm not sold on him. This is the pendulum swinging the other way from the 5-wide offense that we ran under Charlie. The competition retooled their depth charts to solve for that. Now, with their rosters stocked up on nickel and dime corners, the Pats are going to come at them with something bigger and stronger.
The media will say drafting another TE early means BB is concerned about the health of his young star TEs. But no, this is 100% about tactics and value. Creating an offense that no NFL team is structured to defend... except maybe Seattle.
(Not to mention, this is the perfect offense for Brady: making the calls at the line based on the players on D... and his deep ball is really not his strong suit)
