Aaron Dobson

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I'm never quite sure what you ever write. I just find myself staring at your avatar and thinking how damn hot she is. Had to be said


I have hopes for Dobson still.

Who is that woman in the avatar? I am always distracted by it as well.

 

[Dingleberry]

Who is that woman in the avatar? I am always distracted by it as well.

Tom Curran's sidekick, I think.

 

[Canuck]

It's going to be hard for Dobson to crack the starting lineup. We have Gronk, Edelman, LaFell, Vereen, Amendola as receiving threats. In the wings waiting we have Dobson, Tyms, Wright, Boyce. Barring injury, you have approx 50-60 receptions a year for the 5th receiving target to be divided up between Amendola, Wright and Dobson. Unless Amendola is let go or takes a reduced role, it's going to be hard for Dobson to see much playing time.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It's going to be hard for Dobson to crack the starting lineup. We have Gronk, Edelman, LaFell, Vereen, Amendola as receiving threats. In the wings waiting we have Dobson, Tyms, Wright, Boyce. Barring injury, you have approx 50-60 receptions a year for the 5th receiving target to be divided up between Amendola, Wright and Dobson. Unless Amendola is let go or takes a reduced role, it's going to be hard for Dobson to see much playing time.

My sense is the problem is beyond depth and talent. I am skeptical that the Patriots want Dobson in the lineup, period. We've seen it happen with guys like Price and Tate, where the fans think a player is next in line, when in fact the player is deemed unworthy of sniffing the field in the Patriots complicated offense.

Typically, if the Patriots have a player who can contribute, they'll find a way to get them to contribute, perhaps in a particular package or situation. It sure seemed like they didn't want Dobson anywhere near the football last year.

Disclaimer: I may very well be wrong.

 

[patfanken]

===========================
ARE WE REALLY TO COUNT ON
Dobson, Tyms, Boyce, White, Gray, AND Gaffney

Don't you think that at least one or two of the above 6 players might be upgraded upon?

MG, I understand your concerns, and they are legitimate. At this point of the off season, we have no idea who will or will not be on that final roster in September, let alone who will be there in January.

Every year the Pats have had to count on lots of players we didn't expect in order to have the success we've seen. I don't doubt that some of the names you mentioned will be among those we end up viewing much differently than we do right now, and their will be others so off the radar right now, we can't even put them down. LaFell, Amendola, Stork, Wendell, Connolly, Hightower, Chung, and more could have easily been put in a list entitled "Are we really to count on:...." That's just the way it is.

Fortunately this year the list will be shorter than last year's, but there will still be players on it and hopefully most will come through, at least to some degree. Do I know for a fact Dobson, Tyms and Boyce, etc will end up being productive in their roles? Of course not. But I think that the combination of their general athletic skill sets, give hope that they will. Between them they have the combination of size, speed and quickness to the job that a lot of people want to fill with outside FA's and high draft picks. Quite frankly, given our cap situation and draft position, I don't see us having the opportunity to immediately improve on those skill sets.

I'm always looking to upgrade EVERY position, and Malcolm Butler is a prime example of never knowing where you will find it. If we know one thing about BB, one of those 53 roster spots is going to be taken by some UDFA no one could possibly predict.

 

[RayClay]

No you are wrong. I can call a post stupidity. Everyone does it. What I cant do is call the poster stupid.

You understand the difference right?

Oh no you are going to tell on me?

Of course you could just refrain and control yourself.

 

[RayClay]

You don't know what's up with Dobson. I'm so damn sick of rumors about videos that reporters haven't seen and whispers of unnamed sources, I'm going to assume that a very difficult injury (foot) set him back and we don't know beyond that.

so, he's taking on a very difficult training program and working hard? sounds good to me. He fills a role and has experience, so a new dobson, if true will be all to the good. I love Lafell, but he's not really a deep threat, more a Yac guy IMO. Tyms is a nice story, but Dobson playing to the potential he flashed cost nothing and could have a great impact.

Nobody here knows anything more than me, which is nothing, so why not hope he contributes to help the team?

 

[Froob]

Hmmmmm.....some young wideout.........maybe someone on a cheap rookie contract.......maybe someone who caught 37 passes for a 14.0 avg in his rookie year in 12 games before he got hurt and mismanaged by a since fired team doctor??????....This someone is finally healthy, knows the Patriots offensive system quite well by now and is putting his body through the full car wash at the Fischer Institute.

.....and you want to SEARCH for a young wideout?

I didnt say it couldn't be Dobson. Some young wide out as in Dobson, Boyce, Tyms, or someone else from who knows where.

 

[Canuck]

My sense is the problem is beyond depth and talent. I am skeptical that the Patriots want Dobson in the lineup, period. We've seen it happen with guys like Price and Tate, where the fans think a player is next in line, when in fact the player is deemed unworthy of sniffing the field in the Patriots complicated offense.

Typically, if the Patriots have a player who can contribute, they'll find a way to get them to contribute, perhaps in a particular package or situation. It sure seemed like they didn't want Dobson anywhere near the football last year.

Disclaimer: I may very well be wrong.

Last year I think his roster spot was more valuable then Dobson himself. They IR'd Dobson and activated Sealver Siliga. Because Dobson was IR'd and not released, I think the Patriots still think he has the talent to fight for a roster spot. Tyms eventually took over the situational wr role that Dobson probably would have played had he still been active. Still it's not a given that Dobson even makes the roster this year. There will probably be a few more receiving threats brought into training camp to compete for a roster spot that were not on our roster this year.

 

[RayClay]

It's going to be hard for Dobson to crack the starting lineup. We have Gronk, Edelman, LaFell, Vereen, Amendola as receiving threats. In the wings waiting we have Dobson, Tyms, Wright, Boyce. Barring injury, you have approx 50-60 receptions a year for the 5th receiving target to be divided up between Amendola, Wright and Dobson. Unless Amendola is let go or takes a reduced role, it's going to be hard for Dobson to see much playing time.

You are very optimistic about a lot of receivers that have done little.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

You are very optimistic about a lot of receivers that have done little.

I think it is because WRs are prototypical "athletes" that we understand in American sports (speed, jumping, catching) that people tend to overrate them by failing to realize the sheer volume of players who have the athleticism to play the position. People have so much trouble coming to terms with a WR going bust because the talent seems so tangible compared to other positions.

 

[RayClay]

They're spectacular, but not necessarily the successful ones.

 

[mgteich]

I'm always looking to upgrade EVERY position, and Malcolm Butler is a prime example of never knowing where you will find it. If we know one thing about BB, one of those 53 roster spots is going to be taken by some UDFA no one could possibly predict.

Yes, there will be bottom of the roster players that help us, like our #6 UDFA CB. My caution is about expecting that kind of performance at a particular position before the season starts. CB is a good example. In 2014, Belichick didn't cut Arrington or Dennard and count on Butler or Ryan or a draft choice to step up. I think that Belichick tries to fill all the positions with qualified players and have the bottom of the roster filled with developmental players. Then, when the opportunities come, maybe one of those players can step up, or maybe they're not ready.

So, this year, I don't think that we should have Vereen or Amendola leave without replacement. And I don't think that we should cut Dennard until late in Training Camp. And I don't think that we should have Connolly leave without a veteran replacement.

So, yes, we basically agree, as is almost always the case. It might not be a disaster if Amendola doesn't come back without replacement, and there is an in-season injury. However, I think that it would be poor planning.

 

[kennyb]

I'm encouraged that he's trying.

He had a decent rookie season but he broke his foot.

 

[The_Riddler]

This is great news to hear that AD is pissed off about what has happened and he is doing something about it. We need him, we've seen what he can do when healthy.

 

[kennyb]

Just hope rushing him back didn't screw up his foot long term.

Some call him Dropson but I think that's harsh.

 

[shmessy]

I did not miss the first 4 years of Edelman's career. Edelman was almost never a healthy scratch; he was our backup slot receiver/ #5 receiver and starting punt returner. When Welker did miss playing time, Edelman was immediately put in the lineup.

I said nothing about not wanting to give Dobson a chance. I just pointed out that once previous players (I listed a bunch of them) had sunken to this level on the depth chart/perceived coach's doghouse, none of that group ever really got out of it. I'm not talking about players that developed slowly- I'm talking about players who were flat out demoted, passed by more hungry players, and/or never able to get back from an injury. There are numerous examples of guys like Dobson who were drafted highly, got off to a fairly quick start their rookie year, and then failed to progress.

I am often wrong (I certainly was on Edelman), but last year I was flamed because throughout the season, I reiterated my educated guess that Dobson's benching was due to his play and not his injury, and that the coaches had essentially decided he shouldn't be in the lineup, even if LaFell were to get injured. I believe I was correct about that.

Objectively, the odds are stacked against Dobson to be a valued contributor to the Patriots. I hope he overcomes those odds. Like everyone else, I was excited when we drafted him, but I also realize that the chances are greater of a second round receiver busting than making it. I'm freely willing to accept that Dobson just won't make it; there are heaps and heaps of once-promising draft picks that busted all across the NFL at all positions.

Your continued claims that Dobson's problems were not due to any injury is fascinating - - not.

If you continue to state that Dobson was a "healthy scratch"and that " I was flamed because throughout the season, I reiterated my educated guess that Dobson's benching was due to his play and not his injury" then you are as wrong now as you were then, because his problems were 100% due to the mismanagement of the foot injury. It was the last straw for the organization with Dr Gill. This year, his foot is healthy and he is putting in the early grind work in Arizona right now.

If he doesn't make it this year, it would be because of his ability or lack thereof. But your continued insistence on closing the door on a WR who had the best rookie season of the BB era and then got a foot injury that was mismanaged by the team physician is odd. Some people just love the free agent name game.

 

[shmessy]

You don't seem to get it, Shmess. Don't you understand. To the WR Mafia, every available WR will ALWAYS be better than the guys we have on our own team, regardless.

The WR Mafia would like you to forget that Dobson is the most productive rookie WR in the BB era. They would hope you would ignore that his rookie year was better than guys like DThomas, AJefferies, and a dozen other successful NFL WR's I could name. None of this fits into their delusional world where all football problems can be solved simply by adding a WR that doesn't currently play for the Pats.

The fact that the Pats just won a superbowl with 3 WR's who at one time or another been summarily dismissed by these arbiters of football knowledge; shouldn't be a factor in their minds. To them continuity has no place in improving the product. Their fascination with a player like Harvin only highlights their blindness to true team building. Big names and reputations are the bright shiny objects they so fruitlessly seek.

Ice Ice Brady..........

 

[kennyb]

He's more schlimazel than schlamiel. That's what I think. They made him play on a broken foot.

 

[Archeryaddict12]

He's more schlamazel than schlamiel. That's what I think. They made him play on a broken foot.

And given it required surgery after not healing properly and missing most of TC, he was in a bad situation