Player Signing Pats to sign Torry Holt

[PatsWickedPissah]

If [WR signed to extremely agreeable contract] is better than Sam Aiken; it was a good deal.

Honestly, show me someone who thinks Sam Aiken us better than Holt and I'll show you a troll.

Mrs Aiken was banned last year

 

[The Dynasty]

Julian Edelman

Edelman isnt ready to be a #2 WR in the league. He's only in his second year and has only played the WR position for 1 year in his entire football career. He made great strides last year, but isnt ready to take on a #2 WR role at this point in his career.

 

[Triumph]

This is a good move because NE needs to go back to spreading the ball around like the old days. Old Skhool.

If Holt gets 500 yds 5 tds and Patten gets 500 yds 5 tds it will all be good.

 

[JackBauer]

Edelman isnt ready to be a #2 WR in the league. He's only in his second year and has only played the WR position for 1 year in his entire football career. He made great strides last year, but isnt ready to take on a #2 WR role at this point in his career.

Semantics.

Moss and Holt on the outside, Edelman in the slot.

Enormous improvement over Moss and Aiken on the outside, with Edelman in the slot.

Regardless, we have no idea when Welker is returning, anyway.

 

[SyN65]

Edelman isnt ready to be a #2 WR in the league. He's only in his second year and has only played the WR position for 1 year in his entire football career. He made great strides last year, but isnt ready to take on a #2 WR role at this point in his career.

I disagree. He showed flashes of brilliance in the few times he's started. He's just as quick as Welker and has another gear in him that allows him to run faster. With another off season with Brady and his role in the offense clearly defined - I think he can make a huge impact. My biggest question is his durability.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Edelman isnt ready to be a #2 WR in the league. He's only in his second year and has only played the WR position for 1 year in his entire football career. He made great strides last year, but isnt ready to take on a #2 WR role at this point in his career.

Edelman will be the slot receiver if Welker isn't back. Forget the #1, #2, #3 crap it doesn't matter. Edelman will be a fine slot WR next year, not the ridiculous stud that Welker is but he'll do fine. What number you attach to him is silly and irrelevant.

 

[The Dynasty]

That's the thing, though. Our slot receiver has been our WR2 since Welker got here. Edelman will assume that role next season and Holt will serve as our WR3, taking the place of Sam Aiken. Receiver is still a need in the draft, but it's nowhere near as big of a need as it was.

Don't you still feel like the team needs another big name guy at the WR position?, right now they are a WR short. Edelman is a good young WR, but I dont think he is ready to take on a role as the teams #2 WR. Teams can devote all their attention on Moss, like what happened last year and make the other WRs beat tham and the Pats still dont have WRs that can make teams pay for that.

 

[Kontradiction]

Edelman will be the slot receiver if Welker isn't back. Forget the #1, #2, #3 crap it doesn't matter. Edelman will be a fine slot WR next year, not the ridiculous stud that Welker is but he'll do fine. What number you attach to him is silly and irrelevant.

I don't see how. The slot guy is, effectively, the #2 WR in this offense. It's been that way since 2007. Moss is the WR1, Edelman is the WR2, and Holt is the WR3, and this is all based on where Brady looks (Moss first, slot guy second, Holt third). 3WR sets are pretty much the base offense. I, personally, don't have a problem looking at this...

Holt-----Edelman Moss
Holt Edelman-----Moss

 

[Scooter_McGruder]

Seriously.

Watching Aiken as a starting WR brings me back to days when we had Tony Gaiter and Shockmain Davis out there stretching the field. Or perhaps a little Sir Mawn Wilson!?

:bricks:

Is Tony Simmons available?

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

I don't see how. The slot guy is, effectively, the #2 WR in this offense. It's been that way since 2007. Moss is the WR1, Edelman is the WR2, and Holt is the WR3. 3WR sets are pretty much the base offense. I, personally, don't have a problem looking at this...

Holt-----Edelman Moss
Holt Edelman-----Moss

The slot WR has been the #2 WR but it doesn't have to be that way. Edelman doesn't have to be the second best WR just because Welker was (although he was the best WR last year).

Anyway, I fully expect Moss-Welker-Holt when we line up for Week 1 in 2010.

 

[Sicilian]

Don't you still feel like the team needs another big name guy at the WR position?, right now they are a WR short. Edelman is a good young WR, but I dont think he is ready to take on a role as the teams #2 WR. Teams can devote all their attention on Moss, like what happened last year and make the other WRs beat tham and the Pats still dont have WRs that can make teams pay for that.

Names don't catch passes.

Moss - Holt - Edelman - Whoever wins between Tate/Patten/Stanback/Rookie

is comparable in quality to:

Branch - Givens - Patten (in his prime) - Brown.

And that's not including an eventual Welker return.

WR depth can now be improved if the opportunity presents itself, but we have the flexibility to fill other, much more pressing holes.

 

[lamafist]

But the signing of Holt doesn't solve the problem at WR. The team still needs to add another guy to play the role as #2 WR until Welker returns. How do you feel with, Moss, Holt, Edelman, Tate/Aiken/Patten as your WRs to start the season? Defenses can still put all their attention on Moss and I feel like the Patriots still dont have another WR that can beat defenses on their own.

But Welker was never a "#2 WR," at least not in any sense that translates to what they actually do on the field.

When you call Welker a #2 WR, you can only be speaking simply in terms of yards and receptions, or perhaps some vague sense of his overall value. This doesn't mean anything in terms of what he actually brings to the offense. Welker might have lead the team in receptions, but he still plays the role most often associated with a "#3 WR," that of lining up in the slot, replacing a FB or 2nd TE.

The Pats' weakness in the passing game last year was that we never had a real #2 receiver all season. That's the type of role we're looking for Holt to play -- someone who can play true wideout opposite Moss. That's what this teams biggest need at WR was this offseason, and that's why we made this move.

This has nothing to do with replacing what Welker brought to the table, which will have to be done by Edelman, Tate, tight ends, or receiving backs.

 

[JackBauer]

Is Tony Simmons available?

I was going to cite Simmons, but I figured the repetition between Tony Gaiter and Tony Simmons was too much

 

[The Dynasty]

Edelman will be the slot receiver if Welker isn't back. Forget the #1, #2, #3 crap it doesn't matter. Edelman will be a fine slot WR next year, not the ridiculous stud that Welker is but he'll do fine. What number you attach to him is silly and irrelevant.

Alright...Moss, Edelman, Holt. That isnt a great group of WR's. There are plenty of teams in the league that have better WR'ing corps than we do right now. With the guys we have now defenses can focus on Moss and I dont think Edelman or Holt can make defenses pay. We are still solid WR short.

 

[Kontradiction]

The slot WR has been the #2 WR but it doesn't have to be that way. Edelman doesn't have to be the second best WR just because Welker was (although he was the best WR last year).

Anyway, I fully expect Moss-Welker-Holt when we line up for Week 1 in 2010.

Check my edit. I assigned them numbers based on Brady's checkdown system and the way it's been for a few years now. He'll go to Moss first, Edelman second, then Holt third (and whomever else is in the particular personnel package on the field during that time).

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Alright...Moss, Edelman, Holt. That isnt a great group of WR's. There are plenty of teams in the league that have better WR'ing corps than we do right now. With the guys we have now defenses can focus on Moss and I dont think Edelman or Holt can make defenses pay. We are still solid WR short.

Holt is an upgrade over Aiken. Moss returns. Welker returns with Edelman as his backup. Maybe we need Welker's backup Week 1, may we don't. It's all irrelevant, Holt is an upgrade over Aiken and Tate will attempt to beat him out. The fact that we upgraded from Aiken doesn't change the slot situation at all.

 

[SS37]

It's a nice signing. Don't base how much gas he has left in the tank if you study his last year of play, remember who was throwing him the ball..

 

[Rob0729]

Edelman isnt ready to be a #2 WR in the league. He's only in his second year and has only played the WR position for 1 year in his entire football career. He made great strides last year, but isnt ready to take on a #2 WR role at this point in his career.

He played pretty well filling the #2 role when Welker was out. I think he can do it. He is no Welker, but he can be more than adequet at the position. I think his lack of experience isn't as big of a deal as you make it. The Pats won 11 games with a QB who hadn't started at that position since high school. Some players are able to pick up the position better than others. It comes down to intelligence and skills. That is why as a first year WR he picked up the system faster and far better than a decade plus veteran like Galloway.

 

[The Dynasty]

I disagree. He showed flashes of brilliance in the few times he's started. He's just as quick as Welker and has another gear in him that allows him to run faster. With another off season with Brady and his role in the offense clearly defined - I think he can make a huge impact. My biggest question is his durability.

He showed flashes of being a good player, not "brilliance". There were also times that he looked lost out there and was lining up in the wrong positions, running the wrong routes, etc. You cannot count on Edelman to replace the production Welker.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Check my edit. I assigned them numbers based on Brady's checkdown system and the way it's been for a few years now. He'll go to Moss first, Edelman second, then Holt third (and whomever else is in the particular personnel package on the field during that time).

I believe it will be :

"He'll go to Moss first, Welker second, then Holt third". If Edelman happens to be in for Welker, so be it. Signing Holt makes that particular option stronger.