How Will Josh McDaniels and the Patriots Offense Use Phillip Dorsett?

[supafly]

For now, he will be on the scout team, and inactive barring two injuries to WR's.

Why would Dorsett be active with Cooks, Hogan and Amendola active? That 's with one injury to Mitchell. That's 3 targets, plus Gronk and a a few RB's.

If the receivers stay healthy, he shouldn't see the field for a solid month, if not more. Why would he?

That said, it's probably likely that we see someone miss time a lot sooner than we expect, so let's hope that he can get somewhere near the same page and contribute on some level as his reps gradually increase over time.

No matter what, it's definitely a move made with an eye towards the future. How deep into the future is anyone's guess, but I couldn't imagine him doing all that much in the first half of the season, even when he gets time due to injury.

 

[supafly]

OK.
Here's my ridiculous conspiracy theory:

Brady says if he gets #6 in the next 2 years, he's out.

They're building the roster for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy throws a better intermediate to long ball.
They have added more talent and speed to suit his skill set and needs.

It all makes sense now.

I've heard stranger conspiracy theories, but this still doesn't address how Garoppolo would be retained next spring.

 

[Mack Herron]

I've heard stranger conspiracy theories, but this still doesn't address how Garoppolo would be retained next spring.

There was a second gunman.

 

[BTTA]

My personal "conspiracy" theory is that last year they saw how well teams with strong CB's are able to cover the Pats receivers in Cover 1, recognized that this is what they'll be facing in the playoffs going forward, and thus the need for a stronger arsenal. They've now got a stable of receivers that make it twice as difficult to study their moves and tendencies. I'd guess that against teams with strong CB's, they'll have 5 WR's active, for that reason.

And, with Edelman out, Brady will be spreading the ball around more.

But I'm admittedly way out of my depth here.

 

[slam]

There was a second gunman.

But can they pay him as much as a first gunman?

 

[captain stone]

I've heard stranger conspiracy theories, but this still doesn't address how Garoppolo would be retained next spring.

Franchise tag.

 

[doesntmatter1]

My personal "conspiracy" theory is that last year they saw how well teams with strong CB's are able to cover the Pats receivers in Cover 1, recognized that this is what they'll be facing in the playoffs going forward, and thus the need for a stronger arsenal. They've now got a stable of receivers that make it twice as difficult to study their moves and tendencies. I'd guess that against teams with strong CB's, they'll have 5 WR's active, for that reason.

And, with Edelman out, Brady will be spreading the ball around more.

But I'm admittedly way out of my depth here.

I agree and more. The wr and rb group has been addressed more aggressively this year than I have ever seen from us. In recent years we have witnessed our running game shut down and big play ability stripped from us in the post season; thus forcing Brady to reach deep and methodically go down the field without turning it over while pressed for time. In essence, this is our own defensive philosophy used against us. It is sort of funny. The only difference is we use a contained rush to keep the qb in the pocket while that is unnecessary for other teams because Brady isn't a scrambling threat.

The only way to counter this was to address offensive speed across the board or Brady to somehow become a scrambling threat(I know lol) to force a change in coverage.

 

[Mack Herron]

Franchise tag.

Possible. Would be unprecedented cap percentage for QBs.

 

[Thelonious]

Dorsett has speed and hands. His discipline and intellect are unknowns at this point. Those qualities will determine what role, if any, he has going forward. Some receivers can master the complexities and rigors of WR here; some can't. Speed doesn't help much with those challenges. And if you're out of position, you're not gonna have the ball thrown your way, so your hands don't matter.

 

[n6249c]

There was a second gunman.

and steel doesn't melt.

 

[PatsFan2]

Dorsett has speed and hands. His discipline and intellect are unknowns at this point. Those qualities will determine what role, if any, he has going forward. Some receivers can master the complexities and rigors of WR here; some can't. Speed doesn't help much with those challenges. And if you're out of position, you're not gonna have the ball thrown your way, so your hands don't matter.

Some Players and I am hoping like Dorsett can get by on Talent alone for now until he figures the Playbook out. The thing I like about him is that he played outside a lot because of his Elite Speed. That's a plus for him because the D can't cheat on the Patriots anymore. With Cooks - Hogan - Dorsett - Gronk and a RB. I don't see many Defenses covering that package. Cooks and Dorsett are going to be tough to cover on the outsides one and one and whoever is singled Brady will find them pick your poison.

 

[supafly]

Franchise tag.

It's possible, if you want to dedicate 1/4 of your cap space to the QB position and make your backup clipboard holder the highest paid player on the team.

I think it's unrealistic, though.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Well he needs to run sharper routes. He was raw when it came to that. I hope he can thrive under this system. We have seen wrs with blazing speed and some have been bust. Chad Jackson was the perfect example here.

The Patriots system of running routes is so precise, I just assume he'll be used on SP (PR/KR) until he's in sync with Brady

But later in the season I expect he'd see more time at WR

That being said, if he's the deep WR, then he doesn't need to worry about running routes - he just needs to beat his guy long and have Brady hit him

That being said, your Chad Jackson analogy is a good one - not to mention Ocho Cinco (though I'm thinking he had lost his speed by the time he got here - and was never going to be smart enough to pick up the Patriots routes/offense)