We should get to know more about...BRANDON TATE

• Excellent route runner with quick feet
• believed to have had an excellent 3 cone time pre injury
• Elusive in the field makes up for lack of breakout speed (aka wes welker syndrome)
• Very good at reading blocks and making them
• Very good flexibilty to counter for poorly thrown passes

Because of Tate’s versatility, the Patriots can use him in a variety of roles. They’ll certainly need help on kick returns due to Edelman’s injury, and Tate’s explosiveness should make him a serious threat in the Patriots’ screen game.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Tate said. “I feel real confident in myself, so I’m just going to go out there and do what I can do.”

Tate said he was a great student during team meetings and film sessions, and he has made sure to ask plenty of questions to his fellow receivers and the coaches. While he was tired of being stuck in the weight room and the classroom, Tate came to grips with that early in the process and knew there was only one way to make the best of a difficult situation.

“I knew it was going to be like this,” Tate said, “so I took it upon myself to learn more instead of depending on everybody else.”

Now that he’s back, Tate said he trusts his knee again and he shouldn’t have any issues with the playbook. He took diligent notes during meetings, and he went home and spent even more time studying to get everything in order for this moment.

“Coming into this week right here, [the coaches] have been telling me, ‘Since you haven’t been doing anything, you better know the plays when you come out there,’” Tate said. “So I’ve been studying real hard these last two or three weeks, and I’m ready for today.

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"You don't run a guy full speed if he's coming off a leg injury three weeks before you have to and see whether or not he's going to pull it," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said last week. "You get to the end of the process and this is his most demanding week. This week is more demanding than last week."

In the meantime, Tate's days have been spent in both the film room and weight room, making sure he has the Patriots playbook memorized before he's needed on Sunday. And his nights have been spent on the couch, poring over the pages of notes he's compiled since arriving at Gillette Stadium in April. Plus, he's leaned heavily on Randy Moss and Wes Welker for advice.

"Since you haven't been doing anything, you better know the plays when you go out there," Tate said.

Tate said he doesn't feel pressure to go out and perform, although he's eager to show the coaching staff that the third-round pick it used on him wasn't made in vain.

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The NCAA record-holder for total return yardage at 3,523, Tate had 16 receptions for 376 yards and three touchdowns in the Tar Heels' first six games of the season last fall. He played alongside Hakeem Nicks, a first-round pick of the Giants.

Tate has been able to participate in all of the team meetings and has been taking notes as he learns both the offensive and special-teams schemes. Each night he goes back over what he learned that day in the hopes that he would be mentally ready to go when the time came for him to practice and play.

He also has been wisely leaning on Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and hasn't been shy about asking questions of the younger receivers. In a refrain heard from other inexperienced receivers who have been in New England in recent seasons, Tate said Moss has been a particular help.

"Oh, man, he helps me out with everything on and off the field. On the field he tells me the routes, the concepts, stuff like that," he said. "We were just talking not too long ago; he was just getting me ready for (practice)."

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JSn said:

JMT, your article citing/regurgitation is SCARY. Awesome, but holy frigoli, man.

Anyway, here's a thing to know about Brandon Tate: He'll be activated for Sunday's game. Let's call it a hunch.

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SeanBruschi54 said:

Small Brandon Tate highlight reel (nothing great)

Kickoff return for a TD (Breaks 4 tackles then outruns everyone on field to score)

Height: 6 Feet 0 Inches
Weight: 183 Lbs
College: North Carolina

Played 3 positions in college. Return specialist, WR and Defensive back.

Had 66 receptions for 1,213 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games as a senior.

PROS:

• Excellent route runner with quick feet
• believed to have had an excellent 3 cone time pre injury
• Elusive in the field makes up for lack of breakout speed (aka wes welker syndrome)
• Very good at reading blocks and making them
• Very good flexibilty to counter for poorly thrown passes

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wdkantro2 said:

Um, where did you get those stats from? Pretty sure he didn't even have 1000 yards in his entire career.

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jmt57 said:

And here I was wondering if anybody even ever read any of those quotes or links ...

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jmt57 said:

“Coming into this week right here, [the coaches] have been telling me, ‘Since you haven’t been doing anything, you better know the plays when you come out there,’” Tate said. “So I’ve been studying real hard these last two or three weeks, and I’m ready for today".

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SeanBruschi54 said:

Had 66 receptions for 1,213 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games as a senior.

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BritPat said:

Does no-one see him as more of a Branch-quick twitch-explosive burst-top route runner-type?

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BritPat said:

Does no-one see him as more of a Branch-quick twitch-explosive burst-top route runner-type?

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Liverpool_Patriot said:

Does anyone know what he runs in the 40?

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