Solution at TE

Ring 6 · Mar 27, 2019

mgteich said:
I agree tha Izzo is the presumed replacement for Allen. Imo, we do not have ANY reason to believe that Izzo is ready to take that role. I would have waited until the pre-season to make that determination. Because we didn't want to make early restructuring changes, there will be no competition between Allen and Izzo.

That would hsve happened if Allen took a paycut. There would be no competition at over 7 mill. We would go without a TE2 before paying that to Allen.

Ring 6 · Mar 27, 2019

p8ryts said:
I know it was only the 4th preseason game against low level competition but I thought Izzo blocked and caught passes effectively in that game. He's had a year to sit and watch. I'm hoping he will be a contributor.

A year of no football is a negative not a positive though.

Pats2000 · Mar 27, 2019

varjao said:
One thing is for sure, BB won't get desperate. He might not draft nor sign a TE at all.

True we could just draft all offesnive line men in every round and do a 2 WR and Oline which just punishes everyone on the field during the run game. Just watch Brady hand the ball off and throw TD's to one of our Defensive Ends.

DW Toys · Mar 27, 2019

supafly said:
Thoughts on Sternberger? You see him as more of a move TE, I’m guessing? He will likely go higher than warranted.

My guess is BB doubles down on TE because he shot his FA TE wad on LeCosse when he could have had Cook or at the least Austin Seferian-Jenkins. So he put himself into a corner when he does these last minute juggling acts. Could have had Cook, opps waited too long. Could have had Humphries....opps waited too long. Could have had AB........swung and missed there too but Barbados called....."NO DAYS OFF". I give BB a pass on this. I actually think it's Nick. C. who is waiting to hit the game show buzzer.

Sternberger ?o.k. rather see Warring because he can block a bit. Then I am going back to the H Back (Hernandez) type offense. I am adding Stanford wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside as my H Back at 6'2" and 222lbs. That offense with rookies Gronk and Hernandez was pretty sporty.

Best bets? Maxx Williams, former first rounder UFA underused by Ravens, Cameron Brate or Adam Shaheen I am trading for, and one of the TE rookies.
DW Toys
Rosen would be a smart trade. Last chance to get a top tier replacement. To throw the ball in the future.

203Pat · Mar 27, 2019

I like Hockenson from Iowa at TE if we’re going to be taking one in the first. Good route runner with soft hands who by all accounts blocks well. Could potentially be there late in the first and we know bill has the connection to Iowa with the Farentz’s.

scott99 · Mar 27, 2019

203Pat said:
I like Hockenson from Iowa at TE if we’re going to be taking one in the first. Good route runner with soft hands who by all accounts blocks well. Could potentially be there late in the first and we know bill has the connection to Iowa with the Farentz’s.

No offense 203Pat, but I'm guessing you aren't a follower of the draft. No way in hell Hockenson is there late in the 1st. Most have him going top 15.

203Pat · Mar 27, 2019

scott99 said:
No offense 203Pat, but I'm guessing you aren't a follower of the draft. No way in hell Hockenson is there late in the 1st. Most have him going top 15.

I thought Fant was going too 15 and Hockenson was late first. Did he really slide up that high or did I just reverse the two?

zimmy · Mar 27, 2019

betterthanthealternative said:
This is the team's normal approach to the draft: try and fill out the roster before the draft, so there's no position of need going in, and they can draft BPA. If they are successful, it will never look like they are drafting any particular position going in.

I'm not sure this is true. Yes they try and have a good roster by the time the draft rolls round, but they assess what gaps they need to fill in the draft too. You can see from the videos on patriots.com last year that they had identified positions that needed filling.
Every year there are areas of clear need that need to be addressed in the draft. Last year OT was one for example. We didn't have a starting caliber LT on the roster and we then took Wynn and traded for Brown.

scott99 · Mar 27, 2019

203Pat said:
I thought Fant was going too 15 and Hockenson was late first. Did he really slide up that high or did I just reverse the two?

Nope, I just think it was a case of Hockenson was always rated higher than Fant.

DaBruinz · Mar 27, 2019

nabwong said:
Lebron looks like he’s sick of basketball.

No thanks. LeFraud should just go away once and for all..

FreeTedWilliams · Mar 27, 2019

42 year old Tom Brady throwing to 42 year old Zdeno Chara!!!

OLD GUYS RULE!

YOUGOTMOSSED · Mar 27, 2019

Pardon me if this comes across as wishful thinking or being in denial but . . .
what rules are in play for Gronk coming out of retirement for the playoffs next season?
The Patriots can probably make the playoffs without him on the roster. Having him on the roster for the playoffs without any wear and tear from the regular season would be a bonus. How would this work with regard to salary cap and roster management and other such concerns?

patfanken · Mar 27, 2019

DW Toys said:
My guess is BB doubles down on TE because he shot his FA TE wad on LeCosse when he could have had Cook or at the least Austin Seferian-Jenkins. So he put himself into a corner when he does these last minute juggling acts. Could have had Cook, opps waited too long. Could have had Humphries....opps waited too long. Could have had AB........swung and missed there too but Barbados called....."NO DAYS OFF". I give BB a pass on this. I actually think it's Nick. C. who is waiting to hit the game show buzzer.

Sternberger ?o.k. rather see Warring because he can block a bit. Then I am going back to the H Back (Hernandez) type offense. I am adding Stanford wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside as my H Back at 6'2" and 222lbs. That offense with rookies Gronk and Hernandez was pretty sporty.

Best bets? Maxx Williams, former first rounder UFA underused by Ravens, Cameron Brate or Adam Shaheen I am trading for, and one of the TE rookies.
DW Toys
Rosen would be a smart trade. Last chance to get a top tier replacement. To throw the ball in the future.

A couple of points -

a. I think you are being harsh about the Pats seeming lack of urgency in the FA market at TE. You first have to wonder just how much of a surprise Gronk's retirement was to the FO. Don't you think that it is very likely that Gronk gave them an indication of what he was thinking BEFORE his announcement. So if Cook really was high on their priority list they might have gotten him....but at what price?

b. Even if they knew Gronk was retiring, and then assuming the Pats were ready to match the Saints offer or even go a bit higher, who's to say Cook would come here. The Saints offer the same, if better prospects of a winning season. He could live in NO, or Foxboro? Play in a dome or outdoors in December, etc.

c. As far as the draft goes, I see Fant and Smith as HB's and I'm not spending any of my first 3 picks on an HB. In my ideal draft, I'd be getting Sternberger in the 3rd, and Warring in the 4th or 6th. Wesco is also an option as a blocking TE who has good hands and slow feet. Any two of those 3 would be fine.

d. As for any trade or FA. Jenkins is a non-starter. I liked him coming out, but really hasn't shown the fire that they look for. here. Shaheen was another guy I liked coming out, but I don't really have any idea how he's played now that he's in the league. Maybe he's worth a 3rd day pick.

e. It's a fact that BB's LOVES TE's and believes they are critical to the Pats offense. He's he's used several first and 2nd round picks looking to find QUALITY TE's, and is willing to swing and miss to try and get one. Graham, Watson, and Gronk were hits. We all know the misses.

f. Assuming after all is said and done and what we have left is a group of moderately productive TE's, then the Pats will simply change the narrative of their offense until they DO find the next impactful TE.

manxman2601 · Mar 27, 2019

patfanken said:
A couple of points -

a. I think you are being harsh about the Pats seeming lack of urgency in the FA market at TE. You first have to wonder just how much of a surprise Gronk's retirement was to the FO. Don't you think that it is very likely that Gronk gave them an indication of what he was thinking BEFORE his announcement. So if Cook really was high on their priority list they might have gotten him....but at what price?

b. Even if they knew Gronk was retiring, and then assuming the Pats were ready to match the Saints offer or even go a bit higher, who's to say Cook would come here. The Saints offer the same, if better prospects of a winning season. He could live in NO, or Foxboro? Play in a dome or outdoors in December, etc.

c. As far as the draft goes, I see Fant and Smith as HB's and I'm not spending any of my first 3 picks on an HB. In my ideal draft, I'd be getting Sternberger in the 3rd, and Warring in the 4th or 6th. Wesco is also an option as a blocking TE who has good hands and slow feet. Any two of those 3 would be fine.

d. As for any trade or FA. Jenkins is a non-starter. I liked him coming out, but really hasn't shown the fire that they look for. here. Shaheen was another guy I liked coming out, but I don't really have any idea how he's played now that he's in the league. Maybe he's worth a 3rd day pick.

e. It's a fact that BB's LOVES TE's and believes they are critical to the Pats offense. He's he's used several first and 2nd round picks looking to find QUALITY TE's, and is willing to swing and miss to try and get one. Graham, Watson, and Gronk were hits. We all know the misses.

f. Assuming after all is said and done and what we have left is a group of moderately productive TE's, then the Pats will simply change the narrative of their offense until they DO find the next impactful TE.

Sternberger/Warring and Sample/Wesco is my preferred option right now.

Zuma · Mar 27, 2019

The Patriots are in desperate need of a 3 down franchise TE...Hock, Fant and Smith are the best options in this draft. BB needs to draft one of these guys in the 1st / 2nd round. PREDICTION: no Tight Ends will be drafted in 2019.

EDIT: JK

50-yard-line · Mar 27, 2019

scott99 said:
No offense 203Pat, but I'm guessing you aren't a follower of the draft. No way in hell Hockenson is there late in the 1st. Most have him going top 15.

Excuse me, but if I go to the Fanspeak mock draft and pick the right board and run enough simulations, I get him at 32.

Make it so.

Nehalem · Mar 27, 2019

The solution is to de-emphasize the TE.

Design a RB heavy offsense and roll with Burkhead, White, and Michel. Hopefully Michel can up his receiving skills. Forget the 2 TE offense, roll with the 2 run/pass capable RB offense. Maybe consider taking another RB high in the draft.

That and maybe pick up a toddler-leash for Josh Gordon, so that he is never more than 5ft from BB.

patfanken · Mar 27, 2019

manxman2601 said:
Sternberger/Warring and Sample/Wesco is my preferred option right now.

It is shocking to me to find myself is such good company.

patfanken · Mar 27, 2019

Zuma said:
The Patriots are in desperate need of a 3 down franchise TE...Hock, Fant and Smith are the best options in this draft. BB needs to draft one of these guys in the 1st / 2nd round. PREDICTION: no Tight Ends will be drafted in 2019.

EDIT: JK

TE's WILL be drafted, in fact probably 2. Just none of the 3 you mentioned.

Hyped · Mar 27, 2019

I am not too worried about replacing Gronk or ensuring that we have production at the TE position. Players like Gronk don't grow on trees and come around once a generation. Right now, the only tight ends in the league that would get me excited are Ertz, Klece, and Kittel. Otherwise, the rest of the league either has nothing or a guy like Cook/Rudolph/Graham/etc...

What I am most concerned about is the LACK OF PASS CATCHERS/PLAY MAKERS....we only have Edelman who is over 30....and Gordon who might miss several games....and of course James White...thank god!!

We need to load up on talent at the receiver/TE/Hybrid Back positions.....not having a TE doesn't matter if we have WR's who can create separation...

Solution at TE

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