WR depth

[Deus Irae]

Harry, Sanu, Meyers were all in their first year with the team so improvement is very possible.

BB will have to determine whether or not that trio will be improved enough by next year. None of them showed any real signs of that being the case, for one reason or another, but BB the talent evaluator will have the final say there.

We clearly need another with #2, or better, potential though.

This response piggy backs off of the last one, but that's because of the personnel situation:

They've got Edelman. That's it. They need 4 more Wrs. It's up to BB to decide whether any of Harry/Sanu/Meyers are WR1/WR2, WR3,WR4 or WR5. I don't think there's any chance that he'll end the N'Keal Harry experiment, because of where he was drafted, but the other two would seem to have much more tenuous holds on their positions.

 

[upstater1]

Yes, it is. We know this, because we watched the games.

The games I watched were of a Pats team without a WR with speed to draw double coverage downfield. You must have watched some other games. Without a #1 guy, your #2 then draws the top defenders' attention.

 

[Taco]

That wouldn't end anything. We would have 1 of 3 starting spots filled long term.

OBJ,Edelman,Harry,Sanu, White and a nice TE pickup. That would be plenty of depth.

 

[Hyped]

I am happy with:

- Edelman as the #1, but would be happier if he were the #2 killing the #2 corner.

- Snau as the #3 which is what he was in Atlanta most of the time.

- Harry/Meyers starting at #4/#5 and proving themselves over again.

Time to move on from Dorsett...he had three years here without major improvement. I would be OK if he was camp competition at a low salary.

We don't need a #1 specifically....we just need a perimeter WR that needs to be respected/covered by DB's on every snap.

We also badly need two TE's that are "respectable"....a devastating blocker and a move TE good for 40-45 rec and 600-650 yards.

 

[Boston Boxer]

I can't believe I have to make a post about this because at the beginning of this year, back in September we had some guys who could play WR and get open but they were undisciplined. AB sent the texts, Josh Gordon violated his agreement with the team and they had to get rid of him and we may have drafted the wrong guy when they picked Harry over Metcalf because look at what Metcalf is doing compared to Harry. Granted Harry was hurt for the first half of the season but he did not put up the production that we saw from DK. By the time the Titans game rolls around, we have a WR situation that is actually worse than it was in 2013 but it wasnt a lack of trying. Sanu was an absolute failure and I think they should have gone for Emmanuel Sanders who can still run and all we were stuck with was an injured Edelman who kept getting doubled on every snap. We could go for AJ Green but im not sure if BB would be willing to shell out that kind of money for him because he will have a high price tag. We could look to the draft again, there is a ton of talent like LSU's Justin Jefferson, Clemson's Tee Higgins, Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. BB doesn't normally go for big names in the draft but I think he will have to if Brady is going to come back at this stage of his career. The man can still play but he is going to be 43, he cant put the team on his back like he has in the past. BB will have to make a move in order for him to come back or else he will choose a team with more talent on offense.

Jefferson, Higgins, Jeudy, and Ruggs will all be gone well before BB makes his pick and I think OLine and TE are bigger needs. I am a firm believer that if you give TB one more second in the pocket (yup, just one more second) then our WRs will be open. OLine needs depth and if we actually have a half way decent option at TE, that opens up the WRs.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Think Meyers is that bad? He showed some potential. I think he looked like a decent fourth or five receiver, problem was we needed him to play well right now as a rookie.

i think he is an excellent WR for his experience. As stated, we needed him to be more than what he was ready for. He catches everything

 

[Boston Boxer]

I am happy with:

- Edelman as the #1, but would be happier if he were the #2 killing the #2 corner.

- Snau as the #3 which is what he was in Atlanta most of the time.

- Harry/Meyers starting at #4/#5 and proving themselves over again.

Time to move on from Dorsett...he had three years here without major improvement. I would be OK if he was camp competition at a low salary.

We don't need a #1 specifically....we just need a perimeter WR that needs to be respected/covered by DB's on every snap.

We also badly need two TE's that are "respectable"....a devastating blocker and a move TE good for 40-45 rec and 600-650 yards.

I think Harry could be your move TE. A little outside the box, but he fits the profile.

 

[Hyped]

I think Harry could be your move TE. A little outside the box, but he fits the profile.

Yeah, he SHOULD be a good RZ target even if he ends up being a flop (I think...OK...HOPE...that we'll see a much improved Harry in August though). But a move TE needs to block some, no? Harry was really bad at that this year.....

 

[Deus Irae]

The games I watched were of a Pats team without a WR with speed to draw double coverage downfield. You must have watched some other games. Without a #1 guy, your #2 then draws the top defenders' attention.

Why would you make this post, when you know it's nonsense? I was, and have been, the person probably leading the charge on this site about needing a top guy who can threaten middle-deep. I was, and have been, talking about the decision to cut Brown leading to teams being able to just put a safety above Dorsett and eliminate him as a deep threat, while still being able to clamp down on the rest of the poor receiving corps.

None of that makes your claim

The WR group is not as bad as we think

valid. The WR corps still sucks, because it goes beyond having a middle-deep weapon.

1. Harry was garbage
2. Meyers was garbage
3. Sanu was garbage

Now, we can hope that they all return, and improve significantly. That's fine. But that potential future doesn't change the factual present.

 

[Joey007]

The WR situation became a dumpster fire, largely of the team's own making. That's obvious to anyone who's not being willfully blind.

Oh how I miss the inevitable rebuttal to this kind of post from Mr. Willfully Blind.

 

[DaBruinz]

Regardless of his point, I think it’s fair to say that Dorsett is long gone. He’s had 3 years to step up and never did.

I think you're correct..

 

[DaBruinz]

If Brady isn't re-signed, you're not going to find one WR or TE that will want to come here to play with Stidham. Not one. There are more consequences than saving cap space by creating a huge leadership void.

Team got turned away by several WRs and TEs this season and that was with Brady being here.

The only TE that turned away the Pats was Jared Cook. And that's because he didn't want to play second fiddle to Gronk.

The WRs were asses who thought they'd only get 1year to play with Brady. Humphries wanted to have a steady QB situation. Yeah, he sure got that.. Beasely didn't want to sit behind Edelman.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yes, it is. We know this, because we watched the games.

Oh STFU DEUS. You don't know what you are talking about. Per Usual.

 

[Bcc66duece]

The WR group is not as bad as we think, except for the fact that the lack of a #1 guy means the rest of them can't fulfill their roles. Jules gets doubled and Harry/Sanu get disrespected. We need one stud to stretch the field, open up the middle for Edelman, and allow Meyers, Sanu and Harry to beat their guys 1-on-1.

I do agree that the Dorsett experiment is over.

The Patriots need a #1 receiver, a good pass catching tight end, and a blocking tight end.

I think we already have our #2, #3, #4, #5 WR. They're on the roster already. Add a stud WR and 2 TEs.

We didn't have 1 reciever that ranked in the top 110 of reciever s in separation, that list only goes to 143 players so to be honest that is awful. This team didn't have a legit #2 wr this year much less a #1.

 

[DaBruinz]

We didn't have 1 reciever that ranked in the top 110 of reciever s in separation, that list only goes to 143 players so to be honest that is awful. This team didn't have a legit #2 wr this year much less a #1.

Sanu was Top 10 is separation until he came and suffered the high ankle sprain. Had he not been injured, it's a whole different story.

Also, seperation stats only focus on the players catching the pass. There were plenty of times that Brady ignored open receivers to try and force the ball to Julian. This was pointed out time and again after every game by Matt Chatham.

 

[Patsgofor4]

The WR corps still sucks, because it goes beyond having a middle-deep weapon.

1. Harry was garbage
2. Meyers was garbage
3. Sanu was garbage

And Brady was garbage more frequently than many posters here will ever admit. He wasn’t THE problem with the offense but he most certainly shares part of the blame.

We know that Harry’s game has never been based upon separation, yet he was perhaps the most dominant WR in the country in 2017 and 2018. The loss of preseason experience and in-season practice time put him too far behind and there simply wasn’t enough time once he returned for him to be the #2 that they needed. He made multiple plays, however, which gave me optimism that his size and physicality will make him a handful for DBs at the NFL level as well.

Many posters here weeped for weeks after they released Gordon, but the reality is that his most impressive plays with the Pats were either contested catches (Bears game last year, first Jets game this year) or short passes with broken tackles because of his size and strength (opener this year, for example). That is Harry’s game as well. Some here simply don’t like Harry and will take every opportunity to bash him. I get it, but at least give him a legitimate chance to prove you right (or hopefully wrong) because injuries deprived him of that this year.

As for Meyers, I am still high on him. Yes, he ran the wrong routes sometime (ie. did rookie things) and needs to clean up the drops but the guy got separation off the line more often than he is being given credit for here. Playing for a quarterback who too often acted like a petulant child or one of the characters from ‘Prozac Nation’ on the sidelines didn’t help his development. Most of the time he was likely running routes with an excessively tight sphincter. scared to make another mistake (ie. be a rookie) because he then probably wouldn’t see the ball the rest of the game, no matter how open he was. The “throw it to the open guy” mantra that the Pats and Brady have been known for is really “throw it to the open veteran teammate”.

 

[Toofy]

Why have we not developed a single WR after edelman. Amendola to a certain extent was already established. Rather than blaming the receivers we need to think if it's a combination of poor drafts , lack of practice sessions with Brady in off season, fear of failure playing with the GOAT, too much complicated offensive scheme.

We had a generational freak talent in gronk and he and edman made sure others looked good. With him gone, we are back to reality. The chances of hitting another home rum with a player like gronk is remote considering our history.

We just need to find one young fast intelligent receiver like Amani Cooper and hope edelman is back to his old self. I like the potential of Harry and Meyers. Do not give up on them. I am still surprised that they did not go with Meyers much in post season.

Dorsett is a bust like Sony. Should have been a 4th rounder who got taken in first round. Needs skill players around him to contribute . Just take him off.

At this point I feel we might be better off with a rebuild rather than having tom sulking about lack of options.

 

[primetime]

The problem with Harry is that he confirmed the worst fears of his detractors in the draft process. He can't run and he can't separate. A scout told McGinn he thought of him as a 50-60 catch guy (others said he'd be a #1) and he looks like a guy, at this point, whose ceiling is Mohamed Sanu (Falcons version). That can change, witness the year two leap of guys like Chark or Mike Williams, but nothing he did suggests he's overcome issues with separation and speed that characterized his play coming into the draft. He's probably not going to magically get faster, so he's going to have to evolve a set of moves to make up for it - he'll have to go the way of someone like Stevie Johnson, who was slow but got huge separation because he was such a technical route runner.

The good news with Harry is that he'll be a contributor because he runs jet sweeps well, and that can lift an offense (see 2018 Patterson). But, much like Sony Michel looking like a dime a dozen NFL runner, that's not exactly what you're looking for in a 1st round receiver.

 

[TomPatriot]

Jefferson, Higgins, Jeudy, and Ruggs will all be gone well before BB makes his pick and I think OLine and TE are bigger needs. I am a firm believer that if you give TB one more second in the pocket (yup, just one more second) then our WRs will be open. OLine needs depth and if we actually have a half way decent option at TE, that opens up the WRs.

They drafted two OLs last year. They were essentially redshirted. I wouldn’t count those guys out.

 

[TomPatriot]

The problem with Harry is that he confirmed the worst fears of his detractors in the draft process. He can't run and he can't separate. A scout told McGinn he thought of him as a 50-60 catch guy (others said he'd be a #1) and he looks like a guy, at this point, whose ceiling is Mohamed Sanu (Falcons version). That can change, witness the year two leap of guys like Chark or Mike Williams, but nothing he did suggests he's overcome issues with separation and speed that characterized his play coming into the draft. He's probably not going to magically get faster, so he's going to have to evolve a set of moves to make up for it - he'll have to go the way of someone like Stevie Johnson, who was slow but got huge separation because he was such a technical route runner.

The good news with Harry is that he'll be a contributor because he runs jet sweeps well, and that can lift an offense (see 2018 Patterson). But, much like Sony Michel looking like a dime a dozen NFL runner, that's not exactly what you're looking for in a 1st round receiver.

He had zero good coaching in his rookie year. I’d give him another year before we define him as a JAG.