Polk & Baker revival.

[Hyped]

As much as I’d love to see a revival….

Polk just never seemed to do much despite having a solid camp. Unsure what happened there….but I think the OOB TD catch vs. the Dolphins really screwed him up for the rest of the season.

As for Baker, he must not be very good in practices…how many live regular season snaps did he see last year? 10-15?

I say bring in some vets like Diggs, Cooper, and/or Allen…and draft a WR in round 3 after we take BPA and/or an OT with the first two picks….

 

[mgteich]

Call me wrong or stupid (and I dare say some will) But I think Polk and Baker are going to have a break out season in 2025. Better coaching, top QB, growing pains over. They were not dragged in off the street to play, both were very good collage players. But for what ever reason, they both really struggled to make the transition. But now things have changed and they have a chance to really show us how good they can be.

Let the abuse begin......

I expect the Polk and Baker will be given every opportunity to make the roster and to be part of the future, as part of a 6-man WR corp.

 

[mgteich]

The WR room right now:

1. Kayshon Boutte
2. DeMario Douglas
3. Kendrick Bourne
4. Mack Hollins
5. Ja’Lynn Polk
6. Javon Baker

Factoring in for some rookies or veteran additions, it’s hard to see Baker making the Week 1 roster. There would need to be multiple injuries ahead of him on the depth chart to buy him additional time.

I see Baker as a longshot to be a future contributor and a likely #6 WR on the roster. He has a lot to learn and he seems to have some raw talent. That's fine for a #6 WR who shouldn't even be active without a couple of injuries.

 

[PatsFan2]

I see Baker as a longshot to be a future contributor and a likely #6 WR on the roster. He has a lot to learn and he seems to have some raw talent. That's fine for a #6 WR who shouldn't even be active without a couple of injuries.

You said the same thing about Boutte last year now he's part of the regular rotation.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Call me wrong or stupid (and I dare say some will) But I think Polk and Baker are going to have a break out season in 2025. Better coaching, top QB, growing pains over. They were not dragged in off the street to play, both were very good collage players. But for what ever reason, they both really struggled to make the transition. But now things have changed and they have a chance to really show us how good they can be.

Let the abuse begin......

I think it's a good possibility that one of them has a good year coming up.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I don't watch college but I heard a couple of former NFL players raving about Polk. That got me excited but made the letdown huge.

If I had to guess why Polk doesn't look like the same player I'd say he's shy about being hit.

Sports is part mental too, he has the physical tools but needs to get his confidence back, not too late for him to bounce back.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

That's what gives me confidence in him: under ridiculous circumstances, the kid showed up and played well, as a rookie under perhaps the worst HC in NFL history. If he learns not to turn the ball over, he's gonna be special.

IF, Otherwise we have Danny Dimes.
My biggest concern with him, some of those interceptions were ATROCIOUS, but I don't know if those were his fault or the receiver.
Ints/Fumbling will kill EVERY QB.
He needs to clean that mess up, cuz he's good.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Call me wrong or stupid (and I dare say some will) But I think Polk and Baker are going to have a break out season in 2025. Better coaching, top QB, growing pains over. They were not dragged in off the street to play, both were very good collage players. But for what ever reason, they both really struggled to make the transition. But now things have changed and they have a chance to really show us how good they can be.

Let the abuse begin......

Mayo did not run the ship very well. It's hard to say if bad coaching was to blame.

But we did have one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Was AVP really that bad as an OC or was something lacking in the preparation and training as well?

I'm inclined to say it was a combination of lack of talent and bad coaching. Players have to take some of the blame as well.

But they are young with still a shot to improve. Just don't hold a lot of hope with how badly our WRs have turned out from the draft.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Thank you for the replies fellas:


Im more in Tom's side than Huckle's

In my opinion we've been in "rebuild" for 5 years. And our wr woes in regards to developing go way longer

That just means that my patience is over. There were (are maybe?) players there that instantly upgrade our team.

Good point on Kickoff returns tho, if he can become reliable, might be worth the spot


Nice post too, and i agree with the depth chart, taking that slots are never #1 (i.e. i think Pop is now better than Boutte)

Ive expressed in another post, but continuing my first paragraph

I think Polk and Baker are just not NFL receivers. Bourne also is just too inconsistent overall, on and off the field, for me to get any sort of excitment. And Hollins is not a WR, to me, i think he might see something in the old Hernandez role, with way more blocking, plus ST

Were I the GM, i'd draft 1 WR highly and get a big name Wr. If not Big name Wr can be acquired, besides the draftee, id get at least 3 guys to foment actual competition in TC. In the end id get 3 guys total there, as there were option if we include some trade possibilities. Then my DC woould be

#1 big name
#2 high draftee
#3 Pop
#4 Boutte/best signee
#5 polk/baker/signee with clear short term value

TO ME thats a NFL wr corps

I think this post demonstrates a clear line that divides Patriot fans. There are many, like Jay, who feel like the rebuild has been going on for 5 years, and they want results now. On the other hand, there is a contingent of fans, like myself, who believe that drafting Drake Maye was the beginning of the real rebuild, and Mike Vrabel the 2nd step of it, and what we want is for the Patriots to put together a team over the next couple of years, including this offseason, that will contend for the next decade, at a minimum. And while we would love to see some good wide receivers come through the door, we also realize that they have to have a strong offensive line to be able to protect the franchise QB, and to execute anything offensively. So while wide receivers would be nice, offensive linemen are the imperative. Speaking for just myself I think they will have an outside shot at a wild card this coming season, but what they should really be building towards is the 26 & 27 seasons, and if they make the right decisions they should be set up then to actually compete in the playoffs. So for me rushing the process and putting wide receivers before the offensive line makes little to no sense at all, because what they do this coming year isn’t that big a deal in the long run, and putting the right pieces in place is what really matters.

 

[dliverey44]

I think this post demonstrates a clear line that divides Patriot fans. There are many, like Jay, who feel like the rebuild has been going on for 5 years, and they want results now. On the other hand, there is a contingent of fans, like myself, who believe that drafting Drake Maye was the beginning of the real rebuild, and Mike Vrabel the 2nd step of it, and what we want is for the Patriots to put together a team over the next couple of years, including this offseason, that will contend for the next decade, at a minimum. And while we would love to see some good wide receivers come through the door, we also realize that they have to have a strong offensive line to be able to protect the franchise QB, and to execute anything offensively. So while wide receivers would be nice, offensive linemen are the imperative. Speaking for just myself I think they will have an outside shot at a wild card this coming season, but what they should really be building towards is the 26 & 27 seasons, and if they make the right decisions they should be set up then to actually compete in the playoffs. So for me rushing the process and putting wide receivers before the offensive line makes little to no sense at all, because what they do this coming year isn’t that big a deal in the long run, and putting the right pieces in place is what really matters.

I am in between I think. Organizationally we have been rebuilding for 5 years, but in that rebuild there have been 3 iterations (BB, Mayo and Vrabel). We are starting a new version of the same rebuild, but with each new HC comes the title of new rebuild because there are varying strategies used to each rebuild.

I get the frustration from both sides, it has been 5 years of putrid football minus 1 playoff run. The other side is like chill out this is year 1 with a new HC. Both situations are true, but I suggest patience because dwelling on the last 4 years is not changing anything

 

[Kdo5]

They both have to come out hot in camp otherwise they are done. Boutte, Douglas, Bourne are clearly better players so that’s already an uphill battle for playing time, let alone if we get Hunter or Tet.

 

[Sect140]

Call me wrong or stupid (and I dare say some will) But I think Polk and Baker are going to have a break out season in 2025. Better coaching, top QB, growing pains over. They were not dragged in off the street to play, both were very good collage players. But for what ever reason, they both really struggled to make the transition. But now things have changed and they have a chance to really show us how good they can be.

Let the abuse begin......

I give them until the last cutdown in training camp to show me they are picking up the offense and will be able to contribute.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I think this post demonstrates a clear line that divides Patriot fans. There are many, like Jay, who feel like the rebuild has been going on for 5 years, and they want results now. On the other hand, there is a contingent of fans, like myself, who believe that drafting Drake Maye was the beginning of the real rebuild, and Mike Vrabel the 2nd step of it, and what we want is for the Patriots to put together a team over the next couple of years, including this offseason, that will contend for the next decade, at a minimum. And while we would love to see some good wide receivers come through the door, we also realize that they have to have a strong offensive line to be able to protect the franchise QB, and to execute anything offensively. So while wide receivers would be nice, offensive linemen are the imperative. Speaking for just myself I think they will have an outside shot at a wild card this coming season, but what they should really be building towards is the 26 & 27 seasons, and if they make the right decisions they should be set up then to actually compete in the playoffs. So for me rushing the process and putting wide receivers before the offensive line makes little to no sense at all, because what they do this coming year isn’t that big a deal in the long run, and putting the right pieces in place is what really matters.

We had no QB for 4 years, and lost confidence in Bill during that stretch and Mayo last year. With Maye & Vrabel, we can forget those years cause the new era of the Patriots has begun. We’ll have a winning record and possible playoff berth this season.

LT is the biggest priority, but with many picks and still a few FA opportunities, WR can also be improved this year. Need one of each.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

he ran lousy routes and didn't make the same reads as his QB both years, though.......I thought he actually regressed last year, hoping it can all be due to lack of coaching (same as polk & baker) and that it improves this year.....

I read his recession was due to being double teamed, even in the slot, because the opposition thought Douglas was our only WR worth worrying about.

 

[Thelonious]

I don't think anybody on the roster got much of a shot last year under the abysmal coaching, ST perhaps aside, to which they were subjected, from the HC on down. So, of course these two and others deserve a start-over shot at their NFL careers. They deserve it for their own sake, I suppose, but more importantly potentially for the team's. I guess I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic about them, since I really don't know what their problem is. I doubt anyone does, perhaps because they have been incompetently coached on a technical basis,, perhaps because a lack of character in the players, perhaps because of incompetent management which has resulted in a toxic culture in the room. It appears we will be in a similar situation re the O-line. Our O-line group is going to be staffed with draftees, marginal returnees, has-beens and never-was-ers. Here too coaching will be key. The only way this room will return to acceptable form any time soon is if the younger guys in the room develop. Given the mediocre quallity of draftees this year, I hope we will, perhaps paradoxically, draft a bunch of them. It would be nice if there were a couple of sure-fire types to be drafted, but there are not. So you you have to play the odds by taking more than you need, because there's a likelhood most of them just won't work out. It'll take a lot of bites of the apple with apples this blemished to find a good one.

While one understands that a number of factors - availability, players' preference to extend their careers elsewhere, emphasis on "character," and so on - account to a degree for the comparative neglect to this point of the offensive side of the ball, it is fair to take note of this neglect and to insist that they find a way to redress the imbalance. Given what is on offer, this will be an effort involving risk. The extent to which this need is attributable to failed GM. (We don't actually have one, of course, unless you want to count that preening punk Wolf.) is a matter that will deserve very stringent scrutiny once all is said and done.

 

[Patsfan1645]

I watched an interview with Hoyer this week talking about the Patriots #4 pick. Say what you will about Hoyers game but he truly understands the McDaniels offense inside and out. His take was if Hunter is available you take him. He goes on to explain that in McDaniels system the tackle will routinely be getting help no matter how good they are. He said he did not see that last year and that was a huge problem as well as working with Maye about his depth in the pocket. He mentions good tackle play often goes unseen by most and its not a game changer. He said a guy like Hunter can be a difference maker. I was and kinda still am in the camp of the line is the priority in the draft (but not if Hunter/Carter are at #4). But his take was very insightful and if you can get past Tom Curran's crap its worth a listen.

 

[Real fan 02]

BTW, ITT "can't learn the playbook" is code for "not the brightest bulb on the tree."

Polk.. I'm sorry

 

[Triumph]

Resurrections is more like it.

Rising from the dead. Remember last season when Teakwood Thornton caught a pass?

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

I watched an interview with Hoyer this week talking about the Patriots #4 pick. Say what you will about Hoyers game but he truly understands the McDaniels offense inside and out.

If you don't have a lot of talent or physical gifts, the only thing that compensates is brains.

 

[1960Pats]

I am in between I think. Organizationally we have been rebuilding for 5 years, but in that rebuild there have been 3 iterations (BB, Mayo and Vrabel). We are starting a new version of the same rebuild, but with each new HC comes the title of new rebuild because there are varying strategies used to each rebuild.

I get the frustration from both sides, it has been 5 years of putrid football minus 1 playoff run. The other side is like chill out this is year 1 with a new HC. Both situations are true, but I suggest patience because dwelling on the last 4 years is not changing anything

I'm dwelling on the last 25 years, 20 of which were spent as a fan of the greatest dynasty in league history.

I'm not sure Bill got a chance to rebuild.

It's been 5 years and we have the start of another rebuild. I'll give them a grace period of another 5 years.