Odd reaction to what I wrote,
@mgteich . Maybe I wasn't precise enough in my comments. I wasn't really saying anything about the Patriots offense compared to other teams or what any players could or could not achieve in another offense.
Offensive schemes, as you know, are dynamic. They depend upon the skills of players, injuries, years of experience of key players, especially QBs, Offensive Coordinator, etc.
The Patriots' offense under McDaniels, is I believe, more complex than other teams, and more difficult for receivers than other places. It's critical to remember that McDaniels took over as OC when Brady was a veteran. The offense under Charlie Weis was simpler in the early Brady years as Brady learned to read defenses in real time.
I think OL is tougher than most under McDaniels who was fortunate to have the best OL coach at his side in Scarnecchia. Running back is, for me, the least complicated of the position groups because players were brought in for their specific roles.
Receivers had (past tense) the toughest job to react to the defense on the same page with Brady. Some guys could do it, many more players could not. (Ochocinco says hello.) Sure, the Pats offense was much harder than the Joe Flacco Ravens years which relied on Jump Ball Joe's arm more than his ability to read a defense and adjust at the line of scrimmage.
This coming season, we're likely to see a less complicated offense as Stidham or whomever learns the offense along with a newly assembled receiving corps.
As to your point about how players do after they depart the Patriots, I have no comment, other than I think they benefit from playing under Bill Belichick. How they do is entirely dependent on their skill set and where they land. I root for a lot of ex-Patriots in their new digs. I was thrilled for guys who played in big games post-Foxboro - Jimmy G in SF, Jermaine Wiggins in Carolina, Patrick Pass in Houston, Deion Branch in Seattle, Wes Welker in Denver, etc.
