What am I missing on the whole Caldwell thing?

[JoeSixPat]

The issue with me is he's our top WR and he sh!t his pants in the big game.

Right - I can live with the drops... they do happen and while there's no telling what drop #2 would have meant, he probably wasn't going to make it into the endzone.

But the bottom line is Reche should not have been counted upon as our #1 WR... he deserves credit for filling in as best he could, in a situation that no one on the coaching staff predicted in the offseason - but for NEXT season, if they leave Caldwell as the #1 WR we've got some serious issues.

 

[DaBruinz]

Anyone who wants Caldwell cut should reexamine their understanding of the game.

Very true. Its too bad they think that they know everything and refuse to listen to reason and logic.

Caldwell is a Solid #2 WR who performed well without a legitimate threat opposite him for most of the season. Gaffney stepped up towards the end, but I don't think he is enough of a threat to keep teams from double teaming one of them.

 

[FilPats]

No way Reche gets cut. He is a solid No.2/3 WR. Anyway, the good about this negative comments on Reche is that it motivates him to work even harder. He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder next season. Go reche. Go Pats.:rocker:

 

[cubedoggy]

No way Reche gets cut. He is a solid No.2/3 WR. Anyway, the good about this negative comments on Reche is that it motivates him to work even harder. He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder next season. Go reche. Go Pats.:rocker:

I think Gaffney-Jackson-Caldwell 1-2-3 next year isn't too bad, myself.

 

[jaychamp]

Marvin Harrison had a wide open drop too, they should cut him. If I was the Colts, I wouldn't even play him in the SB, he could drop another one and cost them the game.

I have to agree with everyone though, Reche just can't play in the big game. I mean he did have a great game at SD receiving, and recovered THE fumble, but that was only against the team that let him go and the #1 team in the league, and at their house. That definitely was not a big game.

He's not a tough player either like the Pats want. That hit he took and came back from in Cinci was pretty weak. I can't believe he even missed one play. My grandmother would have shook that off.

In case you're wondering, everything above is sarcasm

 

[Kontradiction]

The reality is that he's still really a number three receiver who benefitted from Brady's skills. We need a burner (possibly Calvin Johnson?) either through the draft or through trade. We're going to have about $30 million in salary cap space to play around with this year (assuming Kraft really gives a **** anymore). That said, I do have faith in Pioli and I think we'll be fielding a better team next year. Or at least I hope. I like my team winning Super Bowls. :rocker:

 

[MDPATSFAN]

The team doesn't make the playoff without Caldwell last season. Especially with highly touted CJ riding the pine all season.

The play that killed them was the Hobbs non-interception pass interference call. If he turns around, take 7 points off the board. The ball hit him right in the numbers!

Lot's of blame to go around on this comedy of errors.

 

[FloridaPatsFan]

Very true. Its too bad they think that they know everything and refuse to listen to reason and logic.

Caldwell is a Solid #2 WR who performed well without a legitimate threat opposite him for most of the season. Gaffney stepped up towards the end, but I don't think he is enough of a threat to keep teams from double teaming one of them.

I'm in agreement.....I think Reche is a good #2 for this team, and the way Gaffney played with pressure, I would absolutely love the guy to be our #3.

I think they both fit well in our type of game. Gaffney reminds me a little of Givens. They're both tough, hard-nosed players.

Perhaps we should remember that Reche was never in the position of being a primary reciever on a team before and I thought he stepped up well in the 2nd half of the season. I think Brady likes him on the field too.

 

[lander]

The issue with me is he's our top WR and he sh!t his pants in the big game.

You could make a case that he cost the Chargers a playoff berth in 2005 with his 4th quarter fumble in Philadelphia. He definitely cost us the game.

He makes some great plays but very few Charger fans were sorry to see Ricochet go.

 

[wdkantro2]

Maybe if Brady had taken less than an hour to see him on the second one, Reche wouldn't have had to take his eye off the ball to see if the safety was near him yet.

Maybe if McDaniels called more than 5 running plays in the second half and utilized his talent better, the game wouldn't have come down to that. Maybe if Dean Pees and the defense decided to stay the course and use the same game plan in the second half as they did in the first, we wouldn't be talking about it.

 

[The_Dragon]

You could make a case that he cost the Chargers a playoff berth in 2005 with his 4th quarter fumble in Philadelphia. He definitely cost us the game.

He makes some great plays but very few Charger fans were sorry to see Ricochet go.

I wouldn't really be bothered with what Chargers fans/players have to say on Caldwell. I'd judge Caldwell solely on his performance with the Pats. He stepped up this year and exceeded the expectations of most Pats fans it's fair to say. By the start of next season he will have had another off-season with Brady, the benefit of having other settled receivers around him (Gaffney, Jackson, Brown etc), and the experience of a post-season run behind him. I'd expect him to get even better. His numbers might not improve dramatically given the Pats system but he will perform better.


As a reference I'd cite the example of Mike Vrabel - he was never hugely valued in Pittsburgh and yet look what he did with the Pats.

 

[PromisedLand]

The issue with me is he's our top WR and he sh!t his pants in the big game.

Wasn't the San Diego game big? Wasn't the Jets game big? Sure, he dropped a couple of easy passes, but it wasn't characteristic of the way he has played this year. Also, there is no reason to believe it was a case of choking under the pressure, because we have played other big games in which he has done well. I think he just had a bad day.

Having said that, I agree he should not be our top WR. We need to find someone better than him this offseason - or pray that Chad Jackson takes a big step forward by next season. A WR corps of <new #1> - Caldwell/Jackson #2 - Gafney/Jackson #3 (depending on how much Chad improves) would be a major step forward for the offense.

 

[dhamz]

You could make a case that he cost the Chargers a playoff berth in 2005 with his 4th quarter fumble in Philadelphia.

That comment is ludicrous. That Philadelphia game was week 7 (which by the way is exactly how many rushing yards the king of class had in that game). A team that loses 3 of its last 4 games can under no circimstances blame missing the playoffs on week 7.

 

[ajmitch81]

If you go to NFLDRAFTCOUNTDOWN.COM and check out their rankings from 2002 in the archives -- Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell are their number five and seven ranked Wide Receivers, respectively.

Conversely, Deion Branch and David Givens are rated twenty two and thirty.

So I ask -- maybe it's the system, and if Branch can look as good as he did as well as Givens, maybe Gaffney and Caldwell could be just as good... They're not exactly old.