Ohhhhh.
That clears
that up.
So now it's a matter of closing the distance between the #3ish guy he
is now, vs. how he sees himself developing in the future, in terms of contract talks. Now I love him, and
want the Pats to find a way.
The knock on him, and the beauty of the AJB pickup, is that Boutte isn't a high-pointing, chain moving, scrappy fighter for the ball, and he's not built to be.
Edit: I wrote the struck-out text and it's totally wrong. Moving on...
What he
did do last year was post 16.7 yds/reception with 6 TDs -- nobody is knocking that -- on 33 catches. Targeted 46 times, 6 TDs, so a little better than a TD every 8 targets.
Now - he did that outside the numbers. He brings something different.
Another poster complained elsewhere that we don't have an "answer" at the slot receiver position. Okay I get the complaint.
Meanwhile, Vrabes wants guys to learn many aspects of their positions, and that includes receivers.
You have to wonder how that perceived gap in (slot) performance meshes with the materials on-hand and Vrabes' point of emphasis on learning all the aspects of the position.
We know that AJB has done lots of damage from the slot in the past.
We have Hollins and Douglas capable of being the "other" slot guy if we want AJB outside with another slot guy available.... and are okay with 7 or 8 yards per catch.
Does that leave Boutte either fighting Doubs for snaps or
(probably disastrously) trying to move to slot?
Or, and this is weird, does it make AJB the outside/slot hybrid threat he started out as, freeing up outside looks for Boutte and Kyle Williams opposite Doubs?
How much other room does that leave for a Boutte... especially with AJB a threat to "AJ Smash" from any position?
So if we keep 5 WRs that would mean keeping:
- AJB
- Doubs
- 1 pure inside guy? (Hollins? Douglas? Efton?) This is for when we want the best at x and z and still have the chain mover at Y
- Kyle Williams - gotta develop future home run guy
- Boutte - does he need to line up outside the numbers? can he bring slot production?
I honestly would love to see what happens with AJB in the slot a higher percentage, like earlier in his career, to see what Boutte/Doubs/Williams look like on the outside with a gigantic must-double slot receiver drawing defensive attention.
Okay, that's the first cup of coffee talkiing. Jesus, it's barely June.