The Dropped Passes

[TruthSeeker]

Agree that my recollection has Edelman with about 3 drops on Sunday (and I could swear they were ALL IN THE 4 QTR). But that just points out how reliable he has been .... UP UNTIL THE TEAM WAS PLAYING MENTALLY TOASTED IN A POURING RAINSTORM WITH A TB WHO COULDNT THROW ANYTHING BUT DEAD DUCKS FLUTTERING SIDEWAYS THROUGH THE AIR.

The team desperately needs some SYNERGY from HEALTHY PLAYERS (gronk, amendola, SV [god knows when]) this year and probably needs another #1 or 2, or both draft pick used on the OL next year.

These are interesting comments, especially about drafting OL next draft. BUT, don't you think the Pats D, though much improved, still needs that stud DT or pass rusher ? Look at the Jets front 3 or 4, they are beasts and are big reasons the Jets have 3 wins at this point. Look at the Giants when they beat us twice in the SB, those D-Lines killed us. I'm still not sold that Chandler Jones is a great player or pass rusher.

 

[Observer]

Looks like the definition of high potential low performance.

 

[juny]

Analysis: Patriots' Rob Gronkowski will help, but he's not cure-all - ESPN Boston

their stats department has 13 drops for NE. apparently there are 2 teams with MORE drops than the pats

 

[SVN]

Hate to quote Marshall Faulk but this is what he has been saying about the pats since last few weeks."You are a wide RECEIVER....catch the ball".

 

[Oswlek]

Analysis: Patriots' Rob Gronkowski will help, but he's not cure-all - ESPN Boston

their stats department has 13 drops for NE. apparently there are 2 teams with MORE drops than the pats

I love articles like these. You are talking about a guy who is an excellent run blocker and an exceptional receiver.... who cares if he isn't a cure-all? Isn't a top 20 league talent who will impact both the running game and the passing game about as close as you are going to come?

 

[Sporin]

Wow, that list is REALLY interesting. Not only do rookies lead the league in drops (Tavon Austin was the top drafted receiver), there are some damned good receivers/players on that list. Eric Decker has 5 drops, yet I'd take him on the Pats any day of the week.

Also, Thompkins and Dobson have 10 drops combined, that averages out to 2 a game, not a great thing, but not horrible. The way people here are talking, I thought these guys have dropped at least 25 passes so far (combined).

I agree. I think it should be no surprise that rookie WR have the most drops. And what other team is starting TWO Rookie WR's (one of them undrafted). That's why the Pat's look so bad in these charts, because they are starting twice as many rookie's in skill positions as other teams (obviously that's not a data point, but you get what I mean).

If everyone was healthy, if Wes wasn't gone, if AHern wasn't a criminal — in a perfect world in other words — Dobson and Thompkins would get a few reps per game, gradually building as they gained skill and confidence. Maybe one of them starts to break out in the latter part of the season and seems more snaps. But mostly, they get a season to learn before becoming a big part of the Offense.

But it's not a perfect world. Players are hurt, gone or incarcerated and the team has to throw some untested guys out there and let them take their knocks all at once, on live TV.

 

[ahmed]

Numbers are very misleading. Way NFL counts dropped passes is extremely generous to the receiver. From what I gather, the ball needs to hit you in breadbasket an you must have caught it and then dropped. I don't think any ball that touches hand is counted.

 

[RayClay]

It comes with confidence. I bet having Gronk Amendola and Edelman back will help them.

 

[captain stone]

It also comes with talent, in which the Pats are sorely lacking.

 

[Harrisoned!]

Brady doesn't trust his receivers right now in key moments. Brady trusts Gronk in key moments. Ergo, this is a huge addition. The trust factor alone is going to make a huge difference, even if Gronk isn't exactly like he used to be.

Not to mention the fact that we are probably upgrading from the worst set of receiving TEs in the NFL to one of the best (even at less than 100%). So far this year, our TEs have 5 catches for 39 yards and 1 TD. That ranks dead last in the NFL and there are 48 TEs with at least that many catches and yards on their OWN.

Even more remarkably, Gronk had 7 games last year alone where he out-produced the season totals by our TEs.

Maybe he's not the 7 catch, 100 yard, 2 TE guy that some are hoping for, but if he gives us even 4 catches for 50 yards and 1 TE, that is a monumental improvement in production from our WRs. That's like swapping out Kenbrell Thompkins (averaging 3.6 catches and 54.6 yards) and putting in Victor Cruz (6.2 catches, 94.6 yards).

 

[Gumby]

These are interesting comments, especially about drafting OL next draft. BUT, don't you think the Pats D, though much improved, still needs that stud DT or pass rusher ? Look at the Jets front 3 or 4, they are beasts and are big reasons the Jets have 3 wins at this point. Look at the Giants when they beat us twice in the SB, those D-Lines killed us. I'm still not sold that Chandler Jones is a great player or pass rusher.

I strongly believe in the old adage that the game is won in the trenches; so I dont disagree w/ using 1s and 2s on either L (DL or OL);

but I just think the patriots team has gotten so used to Dante's ability to turn hamburger into filet mignon; that it is assumed he can do it forever. At some point you have to give him some RAW-PHYSICAL talent to work with. We have two former #1s and a 2 on OL and the rest are 5/6/ or RFAs when came in league.

After dbl-checking roster, I agree w/ you DL is not much better - only two #1s one of which is Wilfork on IR, and one 3rd rndr. So DL help would be ok too. But as to your point about SBs -- we lost an OL to injury in both of those SBs in opening qtr - which was part of reason they could get so much pressure. And the fact that we are likely to face such good DLs in playoffs doesn't make you want to have a really good OL to counter??? I would just prioritize OL over DL 60-40; and see what is available.

 

[RayClay]

It also comes with talent, in which the Pats are sorely lacking.

Jerry Rice had notable drops his rookie season. Pretty good talent.

 

[Deus Irae]

Analysis: Patriots' Rob Gronkowski will help, but he's not cure-all - ESPN Boston

their stats department has 13 drops for NE. apparently there are 2 teams with MORE drops than the pats

I've seen sites that listed the Patriots with 7 against the Jets and 5 against the Falcons, just as examples. That's 12 right there.

It's why we really can't look to any of these as definitive.

 

[PlainOldEd]

Could be part off the reason he went undrafted. The only clean catches he comes close to making are highlight reel types (ok slight exaggeration)

He has to start catching the ball with his hands, the ball gets through to his body far too often.

 

[crawhammer]

What do you expect when you clear out your entire receiving corps and replace it with a bunch of bumbling rookies. And to boot the remaining balance of your skill position players are injury prone. Seriously, what complete moron would do that?... Oh wait, I forgot... IN BILL WE TRUST

 

[tombonneau]

If we could only combine Thompkins/Dobson's route-running with Ochocinco's hands we'd actually have an NFL WR.

 

[RayClay]

The best receivers fall in love with the Juggs machine. There's no secret, those guys need to get comfortable, get in synch with Brady and catch footballs every waking hour.

 

[Wotan_the_Wanderer]

It comes with confidence. I bet having Gronk Amendola and Vereen back will help them.

Fixed that for you. How quickly we seem to have forgotten the importance of the screen pass within the Pats' system. How many screens or dump-offs to the RB have we seen this year? Three?

 

[Ivan]

I don't worry about Gronk, Amendola, or Vereen in this regard, I think all are really solid, but Dobson and Edelman are going to really have to step it up and make the plays that matter, they are going to be counted upon. I expect more drops from Thompkins, I think he has really good athletic ability but consistency is going to be an issue for him. right now Boyce is on the outside looking in but it would be great to see him start to earn some real playing time and targets.

 

[Ivan]

I strongly believe in the old adage that the game is won in the trenches; so I dont disagree w/ using 1s and 2s on either L (DL or OL);

but I just think the patriots team has gotten so used to Dante's ability to turn hamburger into filet mignon; that it is assumed he can do it forever. At some point you have to give him some RAW-PHYSICAL talent to work with. We have two former #1s and a 2 on OL and the rest are 5/6/ or RFAs when came in league.

After dbl-checking roster, I agree w/ you DL is not much better - only two #1s one of which is Wilfork on IR, and one 3rd rndr. So DL help would be ok too. But as to your point about SBs -- we lost an OL to injury in both of those SBs in opening qtr - which was part of reason they could get so much pressure. And the fact that we are likely to face such good DLs in playoffs doesn't make you want to have a really good OL to counter??? I would just prioritize OL over DL 60-40; and see what is available.

It always comes down to how the draft falls and the talent at the positions as it comes available. Interior DL is the top priority imo, but great ones are hard to get when you always pick at the end of the rounds. Ultimately you have to take the guys you believe will become great players at a position of need instead of taking the position of need over the great player available. Solder is a great example, because LT was not the need that season but getting a franchise LT at that point in the draft was a much better move than taking a need and waiting until getting a franchise LT was a need and they weren't there to get.

I still think Cannon could be a really good OG and would love to see him get the opportunity, whereas their interior DL is getting older, and they need a stud DT, and getting one in free agency is almost impossible, whereas addressing interior OL in free agency is a much more doable proposition. So i would rather see them go the route of addressing the OL in free ageency and the DL in the draft, as long as the talent in this class warrants it.