As bad as Polk has been…

[JohnJH]

It's okay since we got Javon Baker in the 4th. Kinda makes up for missing on Polk.

I would rather that they drafted Braelon Allen in the 4th (which is what I suggested even before the 2024 Draft happened).

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Don't forger K Boutte he and Maye seem to have the best connection.

Im definitely hopeful on boutte but not quite sold yet. If he takes another leap down the stretch or next year that would solve alot of problems.

 

[PatsFan2]

Im definitely hopeful on boutte but not quite sold yet. If he takes another leap down the stretch or next year that would solve alot of problems.

What surprises me with K Boutte is that we are using him like an X: Thought he was more of a Z. Maye tried to end the game with that pass to him last Sunday... Boutte been getting doubled by the Safety a lot. Shows you how useless Tyquan is.

 

[h0c2000]

That's why hitting on one of those guys would have been massively helpful. Sort of can't believe they whiffed that bad for that long. Save for Malcolm Mitchell (who ended up getting hurt and had his career cut short too soon), they didn't have much luck drafting high there, and he was a 4th round pick.

Dobson's probably the only other guy who also had a shot at contributing at any level, but he was never the same after he broke his foot. Had some early drops, but he had started coming on until his injury that year (he had 519 yards and 4 TDs in his rookie season). They were absolutely snake-bitten there, unfortunately.

The 9 (2005-2013) year "drought" TB averaged the 6th highest QB cap hit. PM averaged 3rd and won 2 Super Bowls. Eli Manning averaged 7th and won 2 Super Bowls. Somehow other (lesser0 GM's and coaches overcame those margins.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

They could've draft Ladd McConkey. 35 catches for 440 yards.

even with jacoby?

 

[TheRainMaker]

Yeah I mean Moss and Welker sucked we definitely needed more weapons.

Gronknandez too.

Moss played with Brady for only two seasons and both at the tail end of his career. He was cooked in 2010. Had Moss been younger, we're not having this conversation.

Gronk and Hernandez were drafted 6 years after their last Super Bowl win.

Their major weakness was an outside WR which is why Rex Ryan had said that playoff game was one of the easiest game plans of his career.

 

[signbabybrady]

Moss played with Brady for only two seasons and both at the tail end of his career. He was cooked in 2010. Had Moss been younger, we're not having this conversation.

Gronk and Hernandez were drafted 6 years after their last Super Bowl win.

Their major weakness was an outside WR which is why Rex Ryan had said that playoff game was one of the easiest game plans of his career.

How many years after Moss?

Because if seems to me like we had 2 of the greatest weapons of all time during that span.

Also Welker and Hernandez.

 

[upstater1]

even with jacoby?

Huh?

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Huh?

would he have that many catches even with JB as the qb up to now?

 

[Kdo5]

You do realize we traded back and gave the Chargers the pick they drafted McConkey with, right?

Wolf massively ****ed it up. We should have stayed where we were and drafted McConkey.

Many people here were saying to draft McConkey he would’ve been a great fit with Maye. But Wolfe had to overthink it.

 

[Huckleberry1]

It’s not appearing anyone at WR drafted after him is faring much better so far this season.

WR’s drafted after Polk in rounds 2/3:

Adonai Mitchell: 10 catches, 109 yards.
Malachi Corley: 1 catch 4 yards. 1 touchback.
Jermaine Burton: 1 catch, 47 yards
Roman Wilson: 0 for 0
Jalen McMillan 10 catches, 109 yards.
Luke McCaffrey: 12 catches for 111 yards.

The highest producer through the entire remaining draft from there is Jordan Whittington in the 6th, who’s posted 18 for 201. Still nothing Earth shattering.

Feels like we just drew a short straw with the run of WR’s right before us. The quality of the position group dipped tremendously after those guys were off the board. McConkey, Coleman, Leggette, Worthy, BTJ.., all of these dudes are looking like hits so far.

I think Polk is going to turn out to be a good player, he’s just off to a rough start. Many don’t seem to understand what a jump it is from college to the pro’s, and unlike most professional sports there is no intermediate minor league or lower league system to let players develop to their potential in. It’s either sink or swim. And now most fans give up on players if there is no instant return on them, claiming “ they suck,” or “ they’re a bust” when a prospect doesn’t have an immediate impact on the team.

The Patriots have 4 really young receivers, Douglas and Boutte (2nd season), and Polk and Baker, rookies. They need to stick with and develop these players, instead of listening to the idiot fans who expected a finished product from day 1. And many Patriot fans apparently forget that it took guys like Troy Brown and Julian Edelman several years to really develop into good players for them. If they are going to build a contender they need to draft really well, and then give these prospects the time and coaching to develop into consistent contributors, as you will never build a long term contender by overpaying mediocre players in free agency. Free agency is for building depth, and finding a few high quality players to fill the important roles they couldn’t get in the draft, and put the team over the top, not to build an entire roster.

 

[upstater1]

would he have that many catches even with JB as the qb up to now?

Doubt it. Would Polk have that many with Herbert? Doubt it

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

That's why I am willing to give it until next year before I make a judgement on Polk (and Baker for that matter).

But at the moment, passing up on McConkey, who was one of my draft binkies, is looking like an epic fail.

Polk isn't going to get any faster or more explosive over the offseason. He's a bust, and that was obvious since the OTAs when he looked like he was running with concrete shoes. He's unathletic. And as for him competing for the ball and having good hands, that hasn't translated either.

 

[mgteich]

Many people here were saying to draft McConkey he would’ve been a great fit with Maye. But Wolfe had to overthink it.

Yes, many expert draft folks who post here preferred McConkey to Polk. Many here would have passed on Maye, trading down or drafting a WR at 3. I too preferred McConkey over Polk.

There are always differences of opinion. I would have drafted a defensive player instead of a WR. I'm an old man. I remember the posters fighting to draft Terrell (the WR of the day) instead of the very obvious Seymour.

I think that there were many players available at 35 who will have better careers than either McConkey or Polk.

Wolf did listen to his WR/OC/scouts and gave them the WR that they preferred. They believed that Polk WILL work better with Maye than McConkey. Perhaps Wolf should have polled this board rather than listening to coaches. We'll never know, but we will be better able to evaluate the two of them after a couple of years (actually three of them if Baker is included). Yes, it was probably the wrong strategy to listen to rookie coaches and the rookie OC, but they were given the nod, perhaps to avoid the excuses when the Offense didn't do as well as expected.

In the end, it is AVP and the WR coach who are at serious risk after this season, not Wolf (no matter how much posters want to fire Wolf). AVP has been given plenty of rope.

 

[mgteich]

Doubt it. Would Polk have that many with Herbert? Doubt it

That is not the issue IMO. The issue is who will have a better career, Polk/Baker or those WR's picked after them.

As an aside, there haven't been a lot of great seasons for those WR's drafted after Polk, but we'll see after a couple of years.

 

[upstater1]

That is not the issue IMO. The issue is who will have a better career, Polk/Baker or those WR's picked after them.

As an aside, there haven't been a lot of great seasons for those WR's drafted after Polk, but we'll see after a couple of years.

?? I was asked a question and answered it. You say it's not the issue when the person literally asked it of me. It was the issue I was answering.


But, on another front, McConkey will be better than Polk. I said Polk was going to be a bust last December when teams were thining of taking him in the 3rd round. There's a post here about my in depth evaluation of watching him several times. He was weak on the ball and lacked separation and speed.

 

[Thunderhead]

You do realize we traded back and gave the Chargers the pick they drafted McConkey with, right?

Wolf massively ****ed it up. We should have stayed where we were and drafted McConkey.

/thread

Not sure what we're doing here.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I think Polk is going to turn out to be a good player, he’s just off to a rough start. Many don’t seem to understand what a jump it is from college to the pro’s, and unlike most professional sports there is no intermediate minor league or lower league system to let players develop to their potential in. It’s either sink or swim. And now most fans give up on players if there is no instant return on them, claiming “ they suck,” or “ they’re a bust” when a prospect doesn’t have an immediate impact on the team.

The Patriots have 4 really young receivers, Douglas and Boutte (2nd season), and Polk and Baker, rookies. They need to stick with and develop these players, instead of listening to the idiot fans who expected a finished product from day 1. And many Patriot fans apparently forget that it took guys like Troy Brown and Julian Edelman several years to really develop into good players for them. If they are going to build a contender they need to draft really well, and then give these prospects the time and coaching to develop into consistent contributors, as you will never build a long term contender by overpaying mediocre players in free agency. Free agency is for building depth, and finding a few high quality players to fill the important roles they couldn’t get in the draft, and put the team over the top, not to build an entire roster.

Agreed with your building strategy, it needs to come primarily through the draft and it requires alot of patience on our end. Next year will be an interesting situation though because the team will basically be forced to spend. They rolled over around $40m this year and have $130m in cap space with barely any fa to resign. Theres only so much of that they can roll over into 26 with the rules on cap floor so once they complete their resignings , pay whatever past incentives they owe, and whatever they need to reserve for rookies they might looking at something like $70m that they have to spend on new veteran players. I feel like that might be a pretty conservative # too.

 

[Love The Drake]

@TheRainMaker was talking about the 10-year drought in between 2004 and 2014 where they didn't win a Super Bowl and probably would have had they hit on one of those guys in between.

Isn’t it funny a drought for us used to be measured in superbowls and now it’s more then 1 win in a row is the new measuring stick.

 

[Love The Drake]

We should of gave more to trade up for one of the 3 top remaining WRs.