Today In Patriots History June 20, 2013: Aaron Dobson signs his rookie contract

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Aaron Dobson signs rookie contract​

June 20, 2013:
The Patriots signed rookie wide receiver Aaron Dobson. That was barely a blip on the radar, as the news cycle and sports talk was completely consumed with the previous day's headlines about another Patriot pass catcher named Aaron - Hernandez - who had been locked out of the facilities at Gillette Stadium on June 19.

Dobson signs 4-year deal with Patriots - WV MetroNews

Aaron Dobson has reportedly signed a 4-year deal worth $3.4 million.

wvmetronews.com

Former Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson has signed his first NFL contract, agreeing to a four-year deal worth a reported $3.4 million.​

The Patriots have wasted little time locking up their 2013 draft picks. New England has already signed its seven draft picks, all of whom will be ready to start preseason camp.​

According to the Herald-Dispatch, Dobson’s contract includes $1.1 million in guaranteed money and a signing bonus of around $873,000. The Dunbar native and South Charleston High graduate was selected with the 59th overall pick in the draft.​

Dobson caught 165 passes for 2,389 yards in four years with the Thundering Herd and finished his career tied with former New England Patriot Troy Brown, for fourth on the career touchdown receptions list with 24 scoring grabs. His 57 catches for 679 yards and three touchdowns was good enough to be named all-Conference USA second-team and earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl.​

Aaron Dobson finished his career at Marshall with 24 touchdown catches.
He’s tied for fourth with Troy Brown on the career touchdown receptions list.​

The rookie could find himself as one of Tom Brady’s top targets very quickly. Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and Danny Woodhead — three of the Patriots top five receivers in 2012 — are no longer with the team.​

In addition, tight end Rob Gronkowski recently underwent another surgery on his back and left arm, and tight end Aaron Hernandez is at the center of a homicide investigation.​

Patriots Sign Dobson, Now Have All Rookies Under Contract

The New England Patriots signed rookie wide receiver Aaron Dobson on Thursday afternoon, which now means their 2013 rookie class is all under contract.

www.patsfans.com

While Dobson has been limited in portions of New England's Organized Team Activities and minicamp, he has flashed in other drills, making tough catches over defenders. With all rookies now under contract, the Patriots have at least one bright spot in a wild off-season.​

New England Patriots sign Aaron Dobson

Finally, some good news regarding the New England Patriots, as the Pats have signed their final unsigned 2013 NFL Draft pick in wide receiver Aaron Dobson....

musketfire.com

Dobson has a big job to perform as a rookie, and the New England Patriots organization is expecting quite a bit from the second-round pick out of Marshall. The Pats elected to release Brandon Lloyd instead of picking up his $3 million option after a mediocre year, and that’s largely because Lloyd didn’t perform as a true No. 1 receiver. New England needs a true No. 1 guy on the outside to take pressure off of the middle of the field, and Dobson is expected to come on and be the “X” receiver for the Patriots.​

Those are high expectations for a rookie, and he had a rough start with plenty of adjustments in OTAs and minicamp. No wide receiver dropped more passes than Dobson in workouts, and he seemed slow to get on the same page as Tom Brady in the offense. That’s okay, though, because he’s just a rookie, and it will only be a concern for the Patriots if Dobson can’t get on the same page by the end of training camp.​

Brady usually gets on the same page with his receivers during the middle of training camp, but Danny Amendola is definitely an outlier. He has seemingly developed a sixth sense with Brady. The New England Patriots really need Dobson to pick up the ropes and have a successful rookie campaign, because the future of Aaron Hernandez is in doubt, and there is a chance that the Patriots end up placing Rob Gronkowski on the PUP.​

Unfortunately the first round draft pick was not ready for prime time. His career got off to a rough start, with three drops in his first game and a combined six drops in his first five games. While things did improve to only three drops over the final seven games, it seemed as though neither Brady nor Belichick ever trusted him after that start. Injuries certainly didn't help matters either, while fans never saw enough production to drop the moniker "Aaron Dropson."


As a rookie Dobson caught 37 passes for 519 yards and four touchdowns, but the catch rate/pass completion percentage of only 51.4% was concerning. Things got much worse, as Dobson played in as many games his rookie season (12) as he would for the short remainder of his NFL career. Dobson had only three receptions the following season, and he never played again after 2015. Over three seasons he had 53 receptions for 698 yards and four TDs in 24 games, catching only 54% of the balls thrown his way.

Aaron Dobson Aware Drops Are 'Not Acceptable,' Not Making Excuses for So-So Patriots Debut - NESN.com

FOXBORO, Mass. — Aaron Dobson‘s first NFL game started off with a bang, but it ended with a splat. That splat was likely the sound of the wet turf where Dobson dropped four passes on the night. At one point, a Dobson drop drew a visibly angry reaction from Tom Brady. Dobson caught three passes...

nesn.com

A look back at the 9 passes Aaron Dobson dropped this season

You've probably already heard this story, maybe even during a New England Patriots broadcast earlier this season.

www.masslive.com

Aaron Dobson was unable to shake the Curse of the #17 Jersey​

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DobsAa00/gamelog/

Aaron Dobson Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Aaron Dobson. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Aaron Dobson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
20th Century June 20 News​

June 20, 1972:
Ed Weisacosky retires

The Jets-hating linebacker later known as 'Sheriff Ed' would be talked out of retirement a month later, and for the second straight year would once again not miss a single game with the Pats.

Today In Patriots History - May 4: Ed Weisacosky, the Jete-Hating Ozark Sheriff

Today in Patriots History Ed Weisacosky In memory of Ed Weisacosky, who would have turned 81 today Born May 4, 1944 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania Died November 24, 2019 at the age of 75 in Mt Vernon, Missouri Patriot left linebacker 1971-1972; uniform #66 Claimed off waivers from New Orleans on...

www.patsfans.com

June 20, 1985:
Patriots release QB Mike Kerrigan

Mike Kerrigan spent four years losing at Northwestern University,... - UPI Archives

Mike Kerrigan spent four years losing at Northwestern University, and another three years warming the New England Patriots' bench. Now, he's found a home in...

www.upi.com

Mike Kerrigan spent four years losing at Northwestern University, and another three years warming the New England Patriots' bench. Now, he's found a home in the Canadian Football League as quarterback of the Grey Cup champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats.​

June 20, 1997:
Patriots re-sign restricted free agent Max Lane

Catching Up with Former Player Rep: Max Lane

A former NFL offensive lineman, Max Lane was drafted in the 6th round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots out of the US Naval Academy. As a versatile lineman playing both guard and tackle, Max went on to play 8 season in the NFL, appearing in 100 games in his career. We caught up...

nflpa.com

Max Lane on football and life - The Martha's Vineyard Times

Growing up 60 miles northeast of Kansas City in Norborne, Mo. (population 900), which self-styled itself as the Soybean Capital of the World, Max Lane could not have been farther away from a seagoing Island culture like ours. On the other hand, he also probably never saw himself attending the...

www.mvtimes.com

Growing up 60 miles northeast of Kansas City in Norborne, Mo. (population 900), which self-styled itself as the Soybean Capital of the World, Max Lane could not have been farther away from a seagoing Island culture like ours.​

On the other hand, he also probably never saw himself attending the U.S. Naval Academy and playing seven years (1994-2000) as an offensive guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).​

But three or four years ago he walked into the community net here, and he’s enmeshed now. That’s why he was in front of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) varsity football team Monday night after practice, dispensing football technique and coaching up life skills and values with which football has provided him.​

Lane was on-Island for a charity golf outing, Vineyard Coach Donald Herman heard about it, one thing led to another, and here he was, coaching up skills and spirits of a young football team. These high school gridders haven’t heard of NFL Hall of Fame defensive kamikazes Reggie White and Warren Sapp. Lane’s job was to keep them from dismembering Pats QB Drew Bledsoe.​

Players like White and Sapp were of great concern to Lane (6 foot 5, 305 pounds), “but I always wanted to face big guys, my size. I didn’t like the 230-pound guys. Too fast. So if you’re smaller and quicker, use your speed,” he told a team that is generally the smallest on the field, then demonstrated a sidestep blocking technique that served him well in his career.​

June 20, 1997:
Patriots re-sign TE John Burke

Burke was a fourth round draft pick in 1994 from Virginia Tech. He occasionally lined up in double TE formations with Ben Coates, and caught 25 passes for the Pats from '94-'96. The Pats waived Burke two months later as part of roster cutdowns, and he finished his NFL career playing for the Jets in 1997, and Chargers in 1998.

Coates happy for competition -- but not worried

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ben Coates knows John Burke and Lovett Purnell are doing their best to take his job, but the New England Patriots' All-Pro tight end isn't ready to surrender it yet. "Right now I…

www.southcoasttoday.com

Catching Up With Former Tight End John Burke Virginia Tech

Experience Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer's legacy: tough defense, ball-control offense, and dynamic special teams define his winning teams.

gridironheroics.com

John Burke’s Cinderella story wasn’t over, however. With the Independence Bowl win, just one chapter ended. Burke was a fourth-round selection (121st overall) of the New England Patriots in the 1994 NFL Draft. Fellow New Jersey native Bill Parcells was the head coach of New England at the time, and his teams brandished the similar tough-nosed, aggressive defense with ball-control offense kind of identity that was known at Virginia Tech.​

Parcells previously coached tight end Mark Bavaro and the New York Giants, whose home is really in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and they were winning Super Bowls when Burke was in high school. It was the perfect fit for the soon-to-be Virginia Tech graduate, and he was thrilled to play for the Hall of Fame coach. He recalls that “It was almost a dream to get drafted and talk to Parcells on the phone.”​

Burke went back to work and enjoyed three successful years playing as the second tight end with perennial Pro-Bowler Ben Coates. He played in all 16 games in each of his first two seasons. For the former Hokie tight end, it was both an honor and a thrill to throw some key blocks to spring Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin. His Patriots career was capped with an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where they unfortunately lost to Bret Favre and Green Bay. After the season, Parcells left the team, though, and Burke’s future was in question.​

Enter Pete Carroll, who was hired to replace Parcells. With the coaching change came an offensive philosophy change that included more of a hybrid tight end than a traditional one, and Burke’s spot on the roster was in jeopardy. He made it to the end of camp, but he was released in the last wave of roster cuts.​

Fortunately for Burke, his former coach had gone back home, this time to head the New York Jets, and Parcells inked Burke to a one-year contract in 1997. The situation was less than ideal, though, as Burke became the third tight end behind Kyle Brady and Fred Baxter, both of whom were Burke’s age or younger. He only appeared in seven games, and he even found himself as a healthy scratch on some game days. Eventually, he became a salary-cap casualty, and it was time to find another new home.​

June 20, 1997:
Patriots re-sign RFA WR Hason Graham

Graham was originally signed by the Pats in 1995 as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia. In his first two seasons Graham appeared in 19 games, including one start during his rookie year, with 15 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns - one from Drew Bledsoe, and one from Scott Zolak.

The Patriots released Graham as part of the first wave of roster cuts in late August of 1997. The Jets later signed Graham (of course), but he did not make their roster either. Graham finished his pro football career playing for the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League in 1999.

June 20, 1969:
The New England Aquarium[/COLOR] opens, giving Boston its first aquarium since the 1950s, as part of the city's goal of revitalizing the rundown and under utilized waterfront.

New England Aquarium in Boston - Protecting Animals & the Ocean

At the New England Aquarium, we know a habitable planet needs a healthy ocean. Let's take action for the ocean together.

www.neaq.org

​

 

[TheRainMaker]

He got trolled on his Twitter account being called Aaron “Dropson” where he’d go off on them. I don’t remember if he was still playing or already left the NFL.

One correction. I see you listed him as a 1st round pick, but he was a late 2nd round pick.