Ellis, Austin, Stevenson, Douglas

[Real fan 02]

Twin we need consistent production from at least one more WR. Look at how Buffalo is doing it: they have Coleman - Shakir and Palmer plus others. Allen is doing it just like Brady when he was here: with very good role players. We need ours to pick it up.

Twin agreed. Allen is the straw that stir tje drink in Buffalo.. he has average wr but a great do it all RB in cook. We need AJ Brown. Drake is too good and getting a guy like AJ who Vrabel is familiar with would take this offense to elite levels.

 

[Real fan 02]

Not this Season twin may be next Off-season.

Twin what I've learned is NFL teams want to make something happen they will.. don't get caught up in the cap and $$$ it is all BS.. players restructure all the time. Look how many times goat restructured over the years.. so BB could buy his staff dunkin donuts for payment..

 

[patfanken]

Twin we need consistent production from at least one more WR. Look at how Buffalo is doing it: they have Coleman - Shakir and Palmer plus others. Allen is doing it just like Brady when he was here: with very good role players. We need ours to pick it up.

THIS is the right response, if you are unhappy with the lack of WR production. This is perfectly reasonable. Remember P, that the offense we are seeing now is still at the primary school level. Just look at the difference in how it looked from one week to the next. Every week we will watch it open up a bit more. It won't be for a couple of years from now we before we will start to see the entire thing opened up

I'm not saying it isn't legitimate to "complain" about Pop's lack of production or even be concerned. It's just that this "off with his head" attitude at the first sign of a mishap that seems to permeate here, is just over the top, P

 

[PatsFan2]

THIS is the right response, if you are unhappy with the lack of WR production. This is perfectly reasonable. Remember P, that the offense we are seeing now is still at the primary school level. Just look at the difference in how it looked from one week to the next. Every week we will watch it open up a bit more. It won't be for a couple of years from now we before we will start to see the entire thing opened up

I'm not saying it isn't legitimate to "complain" about Pop's lack of production or even be concerned. It's just that this "off with his head" attitude at the first sign of a mishap that seems to permeate here, is just over the top, P

I get it ken: I really hope that #2 WR is K Boutte; the season is still young. Our Offense is evolving.

 

[Real fan 02]

I get it ken: I really hope that #2 WR is K Boutte; the season is still young. Our Offense is evolving.

K Boutte is what every NFL team should have a clutch wr who can get open when he's covered and has great hands. He may not be a 1,000 yards guy however he's a needed type of player especially for Drake.. Brady would have loved Boutte!

 

[patfanken]

I get it ken: I really hope that #2 WR is K Boutte; the season is still young. Our Offense is evolving.

I'm not watching closely, but Boutte has been solid so far. Much more effective than what I hoped for back in August when we were talking about his roster spot like it was for sale to the lowest bidder.

Just like we saw Diggs' targets go up as his route package expanded, I suspect over the next few weeks we will see the same for Boutte . It's hard to see great WR production when you have so many good RB targets and you are only throwing 17 passes.

I'm sure shortly we will see a game when Maye will have to throw 30-35 passes just to stay in the game. Maybe as soon as this Sunday night. This is a PROCESS, and one that takes some time. It's easy to grow impatient when you have waited a few YEARS now to see some quality offensive football. But be assured that it's here NOW, it's being unwrapped as we speak. And don't worry, Josh will do plenty of things that we can complain about. For me, its lining up in an empty backfield on 3rd and 2, not even THREATENING a run, He's been doing that for 20 years.

 

[Real fan 02]

I'm not watching closely, but Boutte has been solid so far. Much more effective than what I hoped for back in August when we were talking about his roster spot like it was for sale to the lowest bidder.

Just like we saw Diggs' targets go up as his route package expanded, I suspect over the next few weeks we will see the same for Boutte . It's hard to see great WR production when you have so many good RB targets and you are only throwing 17 passes.

I'm sure shortly we will see a game when Maye will have to throw 30-35 passes just to stay in the game. Maybe as soon as this Sunday night. This is a PROCESS, and one that takes some time. It's easy to grow impatient when you have waited a few YEARS now to see some quality offensive football. But be assured that it's here NOW, it's being unwrapped as we speak. And don't worry, Josh will do plenty of things that we can complain about. For me, its lining up in an empty backfield on 3rd and 2, not even THREATENING a run, He's been doing that for 20 years.

Some poster on here mocked me when I said over the offseason Drake would be more efficient under Josh. Efficiently is everything for a QB. Drake is amongst the league leaders at QB in completion % and passer ratings.

Having to drop back 30 to 40 times in a game is taking away from his efficiency.

We need the running game to really continue to be effective. A mix of run/pass is what Will keep Buffalo off tilt.

Look for Henry, Diggs and of course Boutte to be factors in the passing game. Also Mack Hollins in the red area and using his frame to block defenders.

 

[mgteich]

THIS is the right response, if you are unhappy with the lack of WR production. This is perfectly reasonable. Remember P, that the offense we are seeing now is still at the primary school level. Just look at the difference in how it looked from one week to the next. Every week we will watch it open up a bit more. It won't be for a couple of years from now we before we will start to see the entire thing opened up

I'm not saying it isn't legitimate to "complain" about Pop's lack of production or even be concerned. It's just that this "off with his head" attitude at the first sign of a mishap that seems to permeate here, is just over the top, P

Personally, I think that, barring injuries, Douglas is irrelevant to the prospects of the 2025 patriots.
===
Williams could be the difference in close games against good teams later this year, or not.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Well his role is to cover WRs. If he isn’t good at that starting he won’t be any better at it when he subs in

It's a little more nuanced than that. With Gonzo in, he takes a higher receiver in the pecking order. And even covering the top receivers, Gonzo still probably needs less help than the average CB. So now Austin, when he is out there, is covering lesser receivers with the luxury of more help.

It doesn't make him any better a player individually, it just puts him in favorable situations that are more commensurate with his talent level as an NFL CB. Depth guys don't get any better when they play depth roles vs. starter - you're right there. But functionally in terms of actually building a team keeping depth guys in depth roles makes them "better" players for your team because they're not overmatched tasked with starter level responsibility.

 

[Ring 6]

It's a little more nuanced than that. With Gonzo in, he takes a higher receiver in the pecking order. And even covering the top receivers, Gonzo still probably needs less help than the average CB. So now Austin, when he is out there, is covering lesser receivers with the luxury of more help.

It doesn't make him any better a player individually, it just puts him in favorable situations that are more commensurate with his talent level as an NFL CB. Depth guys don't get any better when they play depth roles vs. starter - you're right there. But functionally in terms of actually building a team keeping depth guys in depth roles makes them "better" players for your team because they're not overmatched tasked with starter level responsibility.

It’s not though. “He’s ok as a backup” means nothing because the purpose of a backup is to play when the starter can’t.
Austin will play a starter role if one of the 3 are hurt. Being “good for a backup” distant mean anything when he is in a starters role

 

[BobDigital]

First quarter report card. I miss the 16 game schedule. It made all this much neater. But anyway here we go! A = elite B = very good to pretty good depending C = average, D = poor, F = suck

QB - Maye - B. Looks to be taking a nice year 2 jump. We need to remember though, he has played some of the worst Ds in the league. But I like the trend. Even if you adjust for his opponents you need to look at his cast to and admit, yeah it has been pretty impressive and he has played like a top 10 guy to this point, but not elite elite.

RB - Stevenson - C+. The 2 fumbles here are a killer. He sometimes looks really impressive running but is 4.0YPA needs to be kept in mind. He has done well as a pass catching threat. Without the fumbles he's be a B. Gibson - C+. Has really just been pretty good. His lack of pass catching is surprising. But has a healthy YPA. Henderson - C-. We've seen the electricity at times, he it isn't leading to consistent results. Not to mention his pass blocking has been suspect. He wasn't as pro ready as we hoped, but I'm sure he'll get there.

WR - Diggs - B-. The first 4 games have been finding what does and doesn't work for Diggs in our offense. He was dependable the first 3 but underwhelming. But he put it together in week 4 with some tweeks. hope it's a sign of things to come. Boutte - C+ He is doing well in his role and is worth game day activation. Hollins - C-. He does well in the redzone as a big target, but so far his run blocking isn't helping and outside of those redzone situations he lacks much of an impact. Douglas F. Just has not been worth carryinging into games. Williams D So far as shown very little, but in limited snaps he's done more than Douglas, he needs to get on the field more. Lacks Maye's trust maybe and could have had a TD by now perhaps.

TE - Henry - B. Henry has been very good this year all around. Nothing else to say really. Hooper C+. On a per snap basis Hopper has been good. But it isn't like more snaps wouldn't be there for him if he was on Henry's level.

OL - Campbell A-. He has played at a probowl level, but his run blocking could have been more impressive, which is surprising as i thought that would be his main strength instead of his pass blocking which seems to be. Wilson B-. Wilson is having a good start overall but has been a bit inconsistent. Bradbury B-. Surprisingly steady all around, but not amazing. Onwenu B. About what you'd expect from him now that he has better players around him and is back to guard. Moses B-. More penalties than i'd like and a bit inconsistent, but still has been solid enough to stay in B tier. Brown C+. filled in well vs a bad team, but the small sample size limits him.

DT - Barmore A-. Looks great this year. But is he Prime Donald or Chris Jones? No. Still great though. Williams A-. Same as Barmore. good enough to be elite but not a super elite. Both should be pro bowl considerations for sure. Tonga B-. absolutely playing like a premier back up and not just any old back up. Farmer/Durden C-. Both have been out there a fair amount, but haven't made their presence felt, in either a good or bad way. So they don't deserve higher but don't deserve lower either imo.

Edge - Landry B. Great week 1, supbar week 4. Good 2/3. He's a good player but not elite or anything. Chaissen B-. Has been consistently a pretty good starter. White D. Make a play please. Ponder D+. Nothing impressive yet, but hasn't been blown off the line either. Hopefully he starts to show his upside. Jennings D+. Same as Ponder, but without the upside. Depth and nothing more.

LB - Spillane B-. A lot of playing out of position has hurt him. But i think he will have a better next quarter. Elliss F. Wow, he has been bad. Gibbens D+. Let's not pretend he is amazing, but a big improvemen over Elliss and hopefully as he works into more of a full time player he finds his legs in this defense a btit more. Mapu D+. Okay in his small role, nothing more.

CB - Gonzo B+. Small sample but was good. if he played more than 1 game he'd be in the A range. Davis B. Some good and some bad, but overall has looked like a solid #2 level CB in the NFL. Jones C+. Hard to grade him as he played out of position so much, and his best game was the 4th when he got to be a full time slot guy again. Next quarter i think he will be in the solid B range. Austin D-. Not seeing much of that promise we saw.

S - Woodson C. Some hiccups along the way, but he is trending up as the year has gone on. very good sign from the rookie. Hawkins C-. When he has sucked, he has impressively sucked. But at times he has made occasional plays and been unnoticable in a good way. So i think that keeps him up of the D tier... for now. Dugger D+. The fact he couldn't get in over Hawkins for playing time is telling and unlike Hawkins he's made basically no plays this year. Pettus. D+. Here for STs mostly anyway.

STs - Borragales - D+ - One really bad game is enough to drag him down to a D+. But, outside of that one game he has been... dare i saw it solid. Maybe, just maybe... we should give the rookie a break moving forward and have that one game be a 'forget it game' till proven otherwise. Plus he made that important kick at the end in that bad game. So that did show something i guess. Baringer C-. Some bad kicks mixed in with some okay and some booming ones. Needs more consistency. (Returners) Jones A. - Yep. Gibson C+. Henderson C. Schooler B+ - has been a solid STs ace.

 

[rkarp1]

I think Maye is a top 6-9 QB in the entire league throwing the ball. he is able to make every throw, from any arm angle, in the pocket or rolling either left or right. he sometimes is not accurate, but I think that depends on who he is throwing to and his comfort factor

where he drops in rank is decision making and turn over worthy throws.

but I still see him in that 11-14 area, and he just finished his first full season of games, albeit spread over 2 seasons and 2 OC's

 

[Ring 6]

I think Maye is a top 6-9 QB in the entire league throwing the ball. he is able to make every throw, from any arm angle, in the pocket or rolling either left or right. he sometimes is not accurate, but I think that depends on who he is throwing to and his comfort factor

where he drops in rank is decision making and turn over worthy throws.

but I still see him in that 11-14 area, and he just finished his first full season of games, albeit spread over 2 seasons and 2 OC's

We need to stop the not accurate comments about a guy who leads the NFL in completion percentage at 74% with the all time single season record being 74.4%.
It’s like going back to watch John Hannah film and saying he sometimes misses blocks.

 

[FoxboroFan23]

Twin agreed. Allen is the straw that stir tje drink in Buffalo.. he has average wr but a great do it all RB in cook. We need AJ Brown. Drake is too good and getting a guy like AJ who Vrabel is familiar with would take this offense to elite levels.

Should have grabbed DK when we had the chance this offseason

 

[Patsfan1645]

Some will argue that with Josh back so is the dinking and dunking which allows for the completion percentage. I would disagree based on what we see with these stats. He is just playing good ball right now. Lets hope it continues.

 

[Patsfan1645]

Should have grabbed DK when we had the chance this offseason

He openly indicated he did not want to come to New England.

 

[FoxboroFan23]

He openly indicated he did not want to come to New England.

I had forgotten that but still.... 130 million guaranteed changes minds real quick. Would he really turn down that much guaranteed money and risk injury? As for the pick, a second round pick has a pretty high chance of busting anyways and it is very unlikely whoever you draft in the second round is a better player than Metcalf.

 

[Real fan 02]

Should have grabbed DK when we had the chance this offseason

I would have loved to get DK, AJ, DJ Moore or any other top tier WR to pair with diggs.

 

[Patsfan1645]

I had forgotten that but still.... 130 million guaranteed changes minds real quick. Would he really turn down that much guaranteed money and risk injury? As for the pick, a second round pick has a pretty high chance of busting anyways and it is very unlikely whoever you draft in the second round is a better player than Metcalf.

The more money didnt change Chris Godwins mind to leave the Bucs. Metcalf signed with the Steelers for 132 million after his 3 year rook contract for 72 million. I think he wanted to be with a team that looked like they may have a chance at a SB and if not the number would need to be stupid high. Dont get me wrong I dont disagree that he would have been nice to have but we couldnt throw the bank at one player when we have so many needs.

 

[Real fan 02]

The more money didnt change Chris Godwins mind to leave the Bucs. Metcalf signed with the Steelers for 132 million after his 3 year rook contract for 72 million. I think he wanted to be with a team that looked like they may have a chance at a SB and if not the number would need to be stupid high. Dont get me wrong I dont disagree that he would have been nice to have but we couldnt throw the bank at one player when we have so many needs.

Agreed. Godwin like Stanley were older players and(injury prone).. we made runs at them but it all worked out were we got a stud in Campbell at LT. At wr Diggs IMO is the better choice although older. Godwin wasn't ever really intending to leave TB he said as much over the offseason on goodmorning football.

We were making a run at guys becuase the roster was just so devoid of talent of course. We have a 11th ranked offense and a solid OL with a young stud LT who if he continues his play could have all pro votes as a rookie by seasons end. Stanley is once again dealing with injury and is a big reason why the Ravens loss last week. I think Godwin is still out no?