Will the Pats stand pat at wide receiver?

[Triumph]

Brady and Hoyer do the same job too. The gap in how well they do it is similar to Welker and Edleman too.

We are talking about roster spots.

Do you want to cut Bradys backup to keep more WRs?

 

[Richard Camembert]

This is going to sound like I'm shilling for Rice, because I've been suggesting the team go after him, but I mean it as a serious question:

While Tate and Price are only 23 years old, Rice is only 24. That being the case, why would we really care if he hindered the growth of Tate/Price?

Well, cap space. If Price or Tate can do 75% of what Rice can do while on their rookie contract versus, say, Rice for a (for illustration only) friendly 4 years at 5 mil per... we win hard. Especially with the lower salary cap, guys on their rookie contracts are gold if they can play even a little, so IMO they have to be developed almost at any cost. Versus signing Rice probably means one of the two cheap guys is gone.

Not saying I wouldn't sign Rice under any circumstances, just that the two and three years left, respectively, on their rookie contracts add a lot of value to Tate and Price and make me think the Pats will not sign someone to replace them.

 

[Ring 6]

We are talking about roster spots.

Do you want to cut Bradys backup to keep more WRs?

No, I was responding to the silliness that Edelman and Welker play the same postion, so they are the same guy.

 

[VJCPatriot]

If you want a scheme fit, Ocho is your guy. Great footwork, veteran moves, tremendous understanding of coverages. Then again, he can at times get locked down coming off the line and played the z last year when they had a prototypical x in Owens. He's not necessarily a liability against the jam, and does a good job with his hand fighting. He's also deceptively strong when he wants to be.

Like anything else it's a tradeoff. If the call was mine to make I would go make a deal for Ocho.

How about trading Tate for Ocho? Tate still has some upside and the Bengals at the very least are getting back a dynamic kick returner.

In free agency the best guys like Rice and Jackson are gonna be getting big bucks. I'd like to get one of those guys but the Pats are probably less likely to open the pocketbooks for another premier WR.

I'd like to see us go after a guy like Ray Edwards or Tamba Hali to bolster the defense then get a relative bargain type deal for a vet WR to challenge for a roster spot.

 

[EJ Blitz]

I'd like Ocho to come here just to have him bring some personality to this team.

 

[Deus Irae]

Well, cap space. If Price or Tate can do 75% of what Rice can do while on their rookie contract versus, say, Rice for a (for illustration only) friendly 4 years at 5 mil per... we win hard. Especially with the lower salary cap, guys on their rookie contracts are gold if they can play even a little, so IMO they have to be developed almost at any cost. Versus signing Rice probably means one of the two cheap guys is gone.

Not saying I wouldn't sign Rice under any circumstances, just that the two and three years left, respectively, on their rookie contracts add a lot of value to Tate and Price and make me think the Pats will not sign someone to replace them.

I could understand the hindering argument if you were talking about bringing in a Steve Smith from Carolina, or Chad Johnson from the Bungles. Those are older players who'll be gone in a year or two and who might have stopped the Tate/Price development. In the case of a young player like Rice, though, you're not just renting the player for a season. As for the cap space argument, it does the team no good to save cap space by starting Tate/Price if they suck.

I guess I just don't see the reasoning behind avoiding a 24 year old WR who's already pretty well developed, unless you have an issue with his skills/health moving forward.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

I don't get the Sidney Rice love on this site. He has only had one 1,000 yard season and unlike Moss, he isn't the jump ball type WR. At best he is a better version of Tate.
Also, I don't trust his judgement. This dude was told by the Vikings during the 2010 off season to get surgery on his hip. What did he do? He "consulted" his genius agent Drew R and his own doctor (not the team doctor) and decided to rehab his injury. Few months later, the rehab failed and he was forced to undergo hip surgery resulting in Rice being on the PuP and barely playing for the Vikings.

I'll pass on a guy who prefers to listen to the advice of his agent than his own team.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't get the Sidney Rice love on this site. He has only had one 1,000 yard season and unlike Moss, he isn't the jump ball type WR. At best he is a better version of Tate.

He's a year older than Tate, lost one season to injury, and has an 83 catch/1300 yard season already, in his only healthy season with a decent QB throwing to him. Unless you're expecting some equivalent to 83/1300 out of Tate this season, or you think Rice was a one year wonder, I don't really see your issue here. Unless the team is extremely confident that Tate will make a huge improvement, he's not going to be the answer at WR and should be improved upon, whether it's with Rice, Johnson, or someone else.

Also, I don't trust his judgement. This dude was told by the Vikings during the 2010 off season to get surgery on his hip. What did he do? He "consulted" his genius agent Drew R and his own doctor (not the team doctor) and decided to rehab his injury. Few months later, the rehab failed and he was forced to undergo hip surgery resulting in Rice being on the PuP and barely playing for the Vikings.

I'll pass on a guy who prefers to listen to the advice of his agent than his own team.

So they should have cut Brady, then?

 

[andrewgarrr]

How good is Sidney Rice anyways? He had one good year...

I'm asking because I don't watch a lot of NFC games

 

[DaBruinz]

Under Belichick, No player has been cut during the same year in which their contract was re-negotiated.

I don't see Branch going anywhere.

I said it earlier in year. I see Price stepping up and taking the #2 WR position and forcing Branch down to 4 or 5. Branch will still be a major player on 3rd downs because of the chemistry he has with Brady.

In Price and Tate, the Pats have a pair of guys around 6' who can run the intermediate routes the way that Branch and Givens used to. Add them to Welker, Gronk, Hernandez, and whomever it is out of the backfield, and this corps could be just as deadly as Moss/Welker/Gaffney/Stallworth.

Will Price and Tate have to step up? Yes. But, I believe they will.. As others have mentioned, they showed flashes in limited opportunities.

That being said, if another team in the NFC came knocking for Edelman, I wouldn't hesitate to consider the deal.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

He's a year older than Tate, lost one season to injury, and has an 83 catch/1300 yard season already, in his only healthy season with a decent QB throwing to him. Unless you're expecting some equivalent to 83/1300 out of Tate this season, or you think Rice was a one year wonder, I don't really see your issue here. Unless the team is extremely confident that Tate will make a huge improvement, he's not going to be the answer at WR and should be improved upon, whether it's with Rice, Johnson, or someone else.



So they should have cut Brady, then?

I remember how Brady's knees got infected again.

I rather have each of the 1st three-four WR get 500-900 yards. That way, it's hard for teams to shut down one WR a la WR's during Charlie Weiss's tenure. Also bring a FA WR during his short off season is a recipe for disaster. They will have one month to learn and understand the playbook.

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't see the Pats going after any big time WR's in FA this year. I wouldn't mind taking a chance on someone like Mike Sims-Walker, but I think a more realistic option would be bringing back Donte Stallworth. He knows the system, is cheap and should fit well in the locker room. My ideal scenerio would be to sign a vet WR as well as UDFA Terrence Tolliver, then have the Saints tank the season and put us in a position to draft Alshon Jeffery next year.

I am fairly certain that Donte Stallworth is not an option. And I say that because of how he was surpassed by Gaffney by the end of that one season and wasn't hardly used in the Play-offs.

 

[Triumph]

No, I was responding to the silliness that Edelman and Welker play the same postion, so they are the same guy.

You really are foolish if you believe that Edelman would not play the slot in Welkers absence.

There is redundancy at that position and NE needs a burner on the outside.

Furthermore, BB traded the Pats #1 RB (Maroney) and let an unproven player in BJGE take his place. Its basically the same scenario, both BJGE and Edelman had good 1st seasons and poor 2nd seasons.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

I am fairly certain that Donte Stallworth is not an option. And I say that because of how he was surpassed by Gaffney by the end of that one season and wasn't hardly used in the Play-offs.

Question-Wasn't that because of teams employing tons of cover 2 and taking away Moss and Stallworth? and leaving Gaffney and Welker open?
Just wondering. thx

 

[Deus Irae]

I remember how Brady's knees got infected again.

I rather have each of the 1st three-four WR get 500-900 yards. That way, it's hard for teams to shut down one WR a la WR's during Charlie Weiss's tenure. Also bring a FA WR during his short off season is a recipe for disaster. They will have one month to learn and understand the playbook.

The Jets had no problems shutting down those receivers in the playoffs after the first couple of drives.

The short season argument is just a cop out. You're not signing a young receiver like Rice for one season. Using the "short offseason" argument kills free agents and rookies at every position.

Should the Patriots just cut all their draft picks now, to save time?

 

[DaBruinz]

You really are foolish if you believe that Edelman would not play the slot in Welkers absence.

There is redundancy at that position and NE needs a burner on the outside.

Furthermore, BB traded the Pats #1 RB (Maroney) and let an unproven player in BJGE take his place. Its basically the same scenario, both BJGE and Edelman had good 1st seasons and poor 2nd seasons.

You really need to read better. What Andy wrote was equivalent to an IF/THEN statement. IF Welker and Edelman play the same position, then they are the same player.

We all know that they aren't. And that was Andy's point. Welker has better GAME quickness than Edelman. Edelman has better game speed.

Why is it that NE NEEDS a "burner" on the outside. And what says that Price can't do that???

BTW, Edelman didn't have a "poor" second season if you put any merit into what Tom Brady says. Edelman was a victim of circumstance in that there just weren't enough touches to go around.

 

[DaBruinz]

Question-Wasn't that because of teams employing tons of cover 2 and taking away Moss and Stallworth? and leaving Gaffney and Welker open?
Just wondering. thx

No. It wasn't. Stallworth wasn't on the field. It was Moss, Welker, Gaffney. Gaffney running intermediate routes and getting the snaps that Stallworth had gotten.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

The Jets had no problems shutting down those receivers in the playoffs after the first couple of drives.

The short season argument is just a cop out. You're not signing a young receiver like Rice for one season. Using the "short offseason" argument kills free agents and rookies at every position.

Should the Patriots just cut all their draft picks now, to save time?

The Jets loss was more to do with the lack of execution and the lack of pass protection by the O line. The need for a deep route running WR is crap. Where was that starting WR from 01-06?? This offense is built to stretch the field horizontally not vertically.

 

[Marqui]

The need for a deep route running WR is crap.

That's taboo on this board.

 

[DaBruinz]

The Jets had no problems shutting down those receivers in the playoffs after the first couple of drives.

The short season argument is just a cop out. You're not signing a young receiver like Rice for one season. Using the "short offseason" argument kills free agents and rookies at every position.

Should the Patriots just cut all their draft picks now, to save time?

The question I have about Rice is this: Can he diagnose defenses the way the Pats require of their WRs?? If he can, then he may be a good option.

As for the Jets "shutting down those receivers after the first couple of drives", Hernandez wasn't on the field so that automatically changed the dynamic. You also forgot that Gronkowski didn't play very well that game. A more consistent running game with more consistent use will help that by forcing the Jets to play even up or possibly bring an 8th man in the box, freeing up stuff up the seam or on post routes.