Will Agholor "get in" and improve?
Will Parker "get it" in his first year?
Will Thornton "get it" as a rookie?
Will Smith "get it" in his 2nd year?
I have no clue. But, we do have Bourne, Myers, and Henry coming back (and White).
I'm not sure that anyone will be THE NUMBER ONE wide receiver, or even whether such a concept is useful for a patriot offense. I would just like of the 4 above to be productive this season.
Use your words. Is this about tight end?
- I love our depth at OL, RB, TE, WR, and QB....
- OL-wise...I love our starting 5 including Strange...and think the two late draft picks along with the CFL guy, Cajuste, Herron, and etc...we might have 2-3 guys on the practice squad that are ready to step in on Sundays for when Wynn/Brown probably miss a game or two. And Strange may be our Andrews replacement eventually.
- RB-wise...we have a FULL RB room...I like the new kid from South Dakota state....Pierre Strong...he provides competition for JJ Taylor and may be our 3rd down back when White is probably PUP'd to start the season. And the other kid...Walker...probably will play ST's and be RB#2 a year from now when Damien Harris almost likely leaves in free agency (just don't see the Pats ponying up especially if Rham develops even more).
- TE-wise...I am happy with Henry being Jones' binkie....and think they will find ways to use Jonnu Smith more next season. And I still have not written off Asiasi and Keene (hybrid FB potential) myself. Good to have depth there...and I think Asiasi can step in a play if Smith misses a game or two. Asiasi has to be better than he was in 2020....
- QB-wise...good to give Stiddy some competition...and also make Hoyer earn his spot on the roster. Doesn't hurt to develop a 4th rounder into something....and I think we'll trade Stiddy if we can find a taker...a 7th rounder in 2024 would be fine by me.
- WR-wise...like someone alluded to above...we don't have an elite top end #1 WR...but we have a good collection of #2 WR's, IMO. The kid from Baylor excites me...but we'll have to see how that goes...and please for my sake...don't give the kid jersey #17.... I expect Agholor to see more balls this year...Bourne to be Bourne...Meyers to take a step back, IMO (less targeted), and I think we'll try our best to move Harry....I'd trade Harry and Stiddy for a 2024 7th just to be done with it.
So, playoffs is 'bout like being in the top 1/3 of the league but with so many on the bubble, if you're at the bottom of the grouping, well, call it top 1/2 of the league.
That "next step," making a deeper run, is where we want to be. And in our little world, that means vaulting out of "can anybody beat the Bills" territory, back to "That didn't take long... Buffalo WHO?" territory.
And I think that next step might could happen, though it probably won't.
Right now we show up as respectable not scary in most ways. So my viewpoint is a little like a guy knowing that he has to roll a 6 on at least 3 different dice.
- The OL is a top 1/2 of the league unit, not an elite one. I would love to be proven wrong, but I think this is an easy call. They are okay if you put them in one position each and leave them there and they don't get bitten by the injury bug. Strange should be helpful for Mac's blind side. That's the 6 you're hoping you roll on the O line. With everything else in place it gives you a shot at raising eyebrows, but I don't think this time next year people are talking about "how can our O-line be like NE's."
- WRs... some guys here are pessimistic, and I think that the "conventional wisdom" is moreso, on Thornton . I'm weirdly optimistic, probably because I'm a homer. Not THAT Homer, just
A homer. I think Devante Parker is a nice get on his own but paired with a
little more protection and a
little more speed and a
little more production from speed (looking at you, Agholar,)... positive narrative says It's a solid top 1/3 of the league unit with upside at, dare I utter the word, elite (that's assuming
instant great production out of Thornton, something like twice the production out of Agholar, and of course, the Parker bump.) The end of N'Keal Harry era beckons.
Let's calm down and call it a better-than-average unit. Downside: Mac's really just what we saw year 1, Strange really isn't great, just a solid nfl lineman, etc. They're still good.
Okay what if not. I think with a little more throwing time, Mac has a little more time to see intermediate to long throws develop, and our speed helps us (both in the persons of Thornton and Agholar.) Agholar, additionally, is on the second year of a two year deal -- time to get that reel together/bargaining position for next year. Thornton, I dunno what to say. Be a quick study? Maybe give him some go routes, other easy concepts you don't need to be a rocket scientist to run, put him across from Agholar, and watch the criticism of Mac's sub-par arm pile up when he ONLY throws for 4500 yard.
I think we improve in the long game, targets are available
enough in the short game, and we take a solid step forward. Not the Greatest Show on Turf, but I'm watching and hoping for a unit that
does scare other teams.
-TEs... well we've all seen better (thanks
@venecol) but Henry showed up last year. I'm on Team Decent Development for Jonnu. He cost too much to be in Witness Protection. But if Mac is reading faster & getting better protection, he's getting a couple more ticks to make decisions, etc., two-TE sets become possible. I think last year that double dip resulted in the "Hey if we buy both, one will hit" result. Smith actually performed like a middle of the pack TE but you need a good one and a great one when you're paying both TEs the same, close-to-top-of-market price point. The weird cap year spending was smart, but only measured against doing the same thing in a normal year... guys still need to hit
- QB... So you're a QB with a 5 WR set, and you're throwing to Devante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholar, Fastest Man On Earth, and let's say Jakobi Meyers
Put that together with beating out a pro-bowl second year stud, and Bailey Zappe is going to be one happy guy. Ok, kidding there. But I think he'll put pain-in-the-ass, good pressure on Mac Jones, in case all those upgrade aren't enough. AND, yes, more time to throw. Everything, I mean everything, is being done for him to go from "promising" to "Josh Who?" I knew that we want it in one year, but if it takes a couple that is okay.
Barring an injury plague, this lineup will make it fair to expect to see a "with Mac Jones under center you're never out of a game" level out of him, if he's got it in him. It's fair to ask the question whether he's that kind of QB. It's also fair that the answer might be, he won't lose the game for you, hope that's enough.
He's a middle-of-the-pack performer, or just slightly above, against the league. He's a superstar, measured against expectations of a rookie. I hope we see the next step.
- RB... This can be the strongest unit in the league. Not much else to say. You have two guys I'd call ThunderAndLightning and ThunderAndLightning, you add more thundery thunder and more lightningy lightning... I think we'll let Harris 1 play out the string, and entertain offers, but Stevenson's finna be Harris, and we have plenty of plug-ins to be the number 2, just not 2 "all-around back" like last year.... The best out year for White would be 2023 cap-wise, but hmmm. I could see a trade there too. So let's see. Harris 1, Harris 2 The Thickening, Strong (The Quickening), Stevenson, J. White (signed his extension
this March, so no, he's not gone yet...) and I'm sorry I can't stop hoping something can happen for JJ Taylor even though sigh, barring injury, you have to root for new acquisitions not to show anything to give him a landing spot. I mean he's number 6. And don't tell me, Sony Michel wants to come back
I kid because I love.
NE was one of the teams that was ahead of the "committee" model, getting guys who woulda coulda shoulda been "the man" and not letting any back reach receiver or even TE levels of compensation. And God help you if you lead the league in TDs, lookin at you, LaGarrette Blount
I lot rises and falls on Mac Jones, is my conclusion. He's got some weapons. What have we got here, really? All signs are positive. Looking forward to answering the questions!
If they all come up "we got this," okay good. Just seems like we're making up ground, and "could be" isn't "X will happen"
