WRs in lieu of TEs?

[NG Pats Fan]

Once you lose your elite hybrid TE to retirement I don't see any other way than reinventing some of the offense because the main way you were able to keep opponents guessing what's a run and what is a pass and then exploit whatever they committed to is gone now.

I think we will be looking at a lot more spread looks. Personally I think the couple of TE seam routes that we have been seeing the preseason are a red herring to keep the early opponents off balance and prepare for something that will not be on the menu.

At the same time most of the WRs have the necessary physique to block somewhat competently against nickel (or dime) so you can still kinda achieve some balance between run/pass while staying somewhat unpredictable.

All this talk about WRs blocking. I have a direct quote from belichick and later caserio starting “a wide receivers only job is to get open and catch the ball”

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

why not?

Part of it is jest. The other part is he is a rookie who didn't play last week. Will he play this week? Does he have a lingering leg injury?

 

[Ivan]

so BB has finally found some tall WRs that he likes. At same time, he has lost all his experienced/trusted TEs.

Harry =6'4"
Thomas =6'3"
Gordon =6'3"

I was just wondering if he wouldn't see the opportunity to play some of these WRs as if they were tes. In the pats offense, all the players have to learn all the routes anyway. So the WRs have to know the te routes. The only question is, if you did that, how much would the blocking suffer or would you tip your hand of run vs pass if they are standing in the te spot rather than an Izzo/Lacosse.

Could bb even go so far as to release more TEs and keep more WRs as a result of having these tall guys and such wr depth?.

I think the WR’s will absorb many of the routes and options Gronk gave them. I don’t think it’s coincidence that he went big at WR after losing the best big receiving option in the game

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Maybe he grew since the combine!
Patriots.com roster page says 6'4"

"N'Keal Harry
8 WR 6-4 225 21 R Arizona State"

New England Patriots

Yea I've seen different heights tbh but always went w 6'2+ just from watching him & comparing him to other players on the field.

 

[cstjohn17]

Definitely the biggest set of WRs the Patriots have ever had, if anything McDaniels is a chameleon, should be interesting to see what he dials up. In addition to losing a premier receiving TE they lose two above average blocking TEs (Gronk and Allen).

I expect:

• heavy run orientation
• the TEs to be limited to short dump offs against a zone and 1:1 coverage for the entire season
• play action using slants / come backs
• WR screens
• back shoulder fades

 

[patchick]

Yea I've seen different heights tbh but always went w 6'2+ just from watching him & comparing him to other players on the field.

Yep. That's the official measurement, and here he is at the Arizona pro day with 6'2" quarterback Manny Wilkins.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Harry measured in at 6027, so 1/8 inch away from 6'3. His college listed him at 6'4, so many of the media guides have copied that number.

*NKeal Harry, Arizona State, WR, 2019 Draft Scout, DraftScout.com/NFL Draft Scout

 

[PatsFan2]

6'3 WR's Brady now have his Fetch go get it! Also he can now rival Jump Ball Joe.

 

[Ring 6]

6'3 WR's Brady now have his Fetch go get it! Also he can now rival Jump Ball Joe.

Why would you want that? I’ve never understood the concept of wanting to throw passes that are a 50:50 battle with a db. Let’s keep throwing to the open guy.

 

[TomPatriot]

Why would you want that? I’ve never understood the concept of wanting to throw passes that are a 50:50 battle with a db. Let’s keep throwing to the open guy.

Tall, athletic WRs can get higher than the DB, creating a mismatch. It is also an imprecise deviation from the other branches of the route tree, so there's an element of surprise. DB needs to think about another possibility. So it's not really a 50-50 battle. More like 70-30. See Randy Moss and, to a lesser extent, Josh Gordon, among others.

If we're talking about smaller WRs, then you're right. Jump balls aren't usually their game.

 

[Ring 6]

Tall, athletic WRs can get higher than the DB, creating a mismatch. It is also an imprecise deviation from the other branches of the route tree, so there's an element of surprise. DB needs to think about another possibility. So it's not really a 50-50 battle. More like 70-30. See Randy Moss and, to a lesser extent, Josh Gordon, among others.

If we're talking about smaller WRs, then you're right. Jump balls aren't usually their game.

I assume you are talking about deeper throws and there is no way it’s greater than 50/50 being complete. It’s far less.
In any event given your 70/30 advantage, I still want my QB throwing to an open receiver not a covered one with a 30% chance at a potential int.
I think coaches agree because despite the popularity of this concept I rarely see QBs throwing the ball up for grabs to a coveted receiver hoping he can outjump the Sb a s come down with it.
If you are talking about end zone fades, those are not 50/50 because they are thrown based upon leverage not an equal chance hoping to outjump.

 

[TomPatriot]

I assume you are talking about deeper throws and there is no way it’s greater than 50/50 being complete. It’s far less.
In any event given your 70/30 advantage, I still want my QB throwing to an open receiver not a covered one with a 30% chance at a potential int.
I think coaches agree because despite the popularity of this concept I rarely see QBs throwing the ball up for grabs to a coveted receiver hoping he can outjump the Sb a s come down with it.
If you are talking about end zone fades, those are not 50/50 because they are thrown based upon leverage not an equal chance hoping to outjump.

I mean all throws where the ball is catchable. WRs much bigger/taller than DBs have a very good chance of making the catch. No one in the NFL really disputes that. It's a prime reason why guys like Moss and Johnson got paid; they could make those plays.

Your QB can't throw to an open receiver on every play. Even the Pats take shots down field at least 1-2 times per game to keep the defense honest. This is especially true when they have had guys like Moss or Gordon or Gronk: tall players who can go up and get the ball.

Obviously, this is not a high percentage play, like a check down is. It's not meant to be. But it's a nice play to have in your arsenal.

 

[scott99]

I agree, Harry is 6’3” at most. BUT, even 6’2” is a good size for a receiver (Meyers is 6’2”). So 4 receivers at 6’2” +.