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Heh. I don't know how well these next couple of Posts will be received!! But I'll risk it, Brothers!!
Regarding Split Ends, SlotBacks, & Flankers
Where We're At & Where We're Heading
SE Aaron Dobson ~ Ascending StudHorse. For all my concerns about picking him last Year ~ and I maintain that that Pick could've been much better deployed ~ I was very impressed with Dobson's Performance. It seems that Tom Brady can develop young WideOuts if he's forced to. Dobson's went through considerable growing pains last Year, as Rookies always do, and his Future is far from certain ~ beware the Sophomore Slump ~ but I was highly impressed.
FL Kenbrell Thompkins ~ Ascending Beast. I'm amazed by all the chatter I read on Fan Boards about Thompkins's possible imminent demise. His Rookie Campaign, too, was painful. But it's one Hell of a difficult job, mastering an Offense at This Level, and it takes time to get in Sync. Thompkins was a SuperBinky of mine, last Year. He boast phenomenal Processing Speed, exceptional Agility, and Balls of Steel. I foresee an extraordinary Career.
SB Julian Edelman ~ Ascending StudHorse. I love the guy, but while he can play Flanker effectively as well as SlotBack, the Slot is his forte, and I want bigger guys playing Flanker. As a "Utility" WideOut, I'd love to keep'm, but of course his spectacular BreakOut Campaign will drive his Price far higher than I'd wish to consider.
SB Danny Amendola ~ Starter. Like Edelman, Amendola is a SlotBack who can play Flanker. And like Edelman, Amendola plays SlotBack exceptionally well during his rare appearances on the Field. But like Edelman, he's neither Tall nor especially Fast, and is consequently only adequate at Flanker, falling far short of warranting his Salary/Atrocity.
SE Mark Harrison ~ Lottery Ticket & Potential Star. I was ecstatic when the Patriots got their UFA hands on two of my Deep Dark Draft Binkies, last Spring, in Thompkins and Harrison. Interestingly, there seems to be lot of whispering on Fan Boards about converting Harrison to Flex End, but while I think he could manage it, I think that that'd misuse an extraordinary Split End Talent: Harrison is raw, but blessed with a phenomenal fusion of Size & Speed.
What I'd Love To See
1 ~ Dump Amendola. I don't know what the obsession is with Soft, Slow Smurfs, but I wish to Jesus that it would end. Bad enough that we signed the Cripple in the first place, but to dump all that Cap Space on the guy was disgusting. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth will greet this painful Salary Cap Hit, but Bad Medicine is always best taken at once. Deferring Salary Cap Pain until the future is the best way to encourage the Cancer to grow. Kill it.
2 ~ Cut Edelman loose. I love the guy, but 6 Years of Wes Welker ~ the best SlotBack, by far, in History ~ really should've made it excruciatingly clear to all that running one's Offense through a Smurf ~ even a Legendary Smurf ~ virtually guarantees that your Offense gets Shut Down in January, when The Only Games That Matter are played.
3 ~ Foreswear Free Agents and First Rounders. If those first two suggestions don't get people calling for my Scalp, then this surely will. But now that we've all endured all the inevitable pain and suffering that attends the prominence of two Rookie WideOuts on our Offense, I believe it would be incredibly foolish to now place impediments in their way. As Thompkins and Dobson have probably gone through the worst of it ~ and us right along with them!! ~ there is now enormous reason to believe that both have a very good chance of taking huge strides forward, this Year.
4 ~ But that is no reason to fail to draft and develop Depth of Talent at the two Positions, especially if my desire to expunge all SlotBacks from the Roster were to come true. I would be very aggressive in drafting Day 3 & UFA Talent.
Some thoughts:
1. Is Josh Boyce's absence an omission, or by intention? While Boyce didn't get much playing time last year, I wouldn't write him off yet, either. And his measurables stack up pretty well against Odell Beckham and Brandin Cooks.
2. I pretty much agree with your assessment of the 5 guys you list. I'm particularly high on Thompkins compared to the rest of the board. MHTK has derided me for saying that Marqise Lee wouldn't necessarily be that much of an upgrade over Thompkins, especially given the latter's head start. Harrison is a lottery ticket, but definitely one that I'm buying at this point. I really think that Dobson, Thompkins, Harrison and Boyce will end up being a solid WR nucleus.
3. I don't want to go through the kind of mass growing-pain year that we did in 2013. It takes Brady time to gel with his receivers. These guys all need to spend time working with him and get better. We don't need more receivers - at least not with top 100 draft picks.
4. I'm fine with the "let Edelman walk" and "dump Amendola" ideas, but I doubt the team will go that way. The Amendola signing never made sense to me - like you, I wanted a bigger WR, and they overpaid terribly. But I think that Amendola gets a second year, and if Edelman does walk they'll go after someone like Emanuel Sanders. Again, not my preference, but I can live with it as long as the other guys are given a chance to develop.
5. None of this particularly interests me. WRs are a necessary part of the game, but I haven't seen a dominant WR win a SB since Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin (maybe Isaac Bruce). We just saw a meaningless record-setting SB performance by Demaryius Thomas. They make for great fantasy football, though.