Most Overrated - Our Wide Receivers

[patsinthesnow]

With no additions, I agree that the key is Price. However, consider where we are if Branch were to be out for a game or two.

We tried to add a veteran last year by bringing in Patten and Holt. We need to do better.

Agreed. Unless its Julio Jones, I don't see a rookie helping out early on either.

I'm iffy on the send everything for Fitz trade too.

The key is FA, but I want a WR that isn't ancient. (Holt and Galloway)

 

[Triumph]

And I would argue the Jets didn't figure anything out. Brady threw a bad pass and multiple receivers (including a TE) caught an uncharacteristic case of the drops that left at least 2 early TDs off the board. The most talented receivers in the NFL would not have changed the outcome of the game if they drop those passes.

Agreed

To me the game boiled down to 4 bad plays:

1. Bradys Int.
2. Crumplers TD drop.
3. Chungs bobble.
4. Welkers TD drop.

With that said, Id like to see NE add a tall burner at outside WR. It might be possible to keep all the current WRs and add another if the new CBA expands the rosters.

 

[BlueThunder]

Fitzy probably isn't an option for at least another season.....Tate and Price developing would be the best bet.....build the OL and DL and get another young speedy OLB......don't trade out into next year until late in round 3 or round 4......

A RB in round 3 would be nice...no need for one earlier unless one BB really covets falls to him.....

This team has a chance to be really good next season if the youngsters keep developing like they did in year 1.........

 

[Ring 6]

Brady was the one who got exposed in the playoffs. More correctly, he played like ****. Our receivers were getting open, he just didn't make enough reads. You don't have the kind of success we did 9 or 10 games in a row and all of sudden get "exposed" in one contest. There's more to it than our group of WRs being "overrated," which is an interesting statement, since I don't think anyone touted the WRs all that highly during the regular season.

What does 'there's more to it' mean?

 

[RodThePat]

Our receivers were open and Brady kept making the wrong reads? Does this guy have access to the coaches tape and the gameplan? Because some of those mistakes could very well be miscommunication or a mental lapse by the receivers. It's incredibly hard to say who was at fault, apart from the INT, which was just lazy. But then again, there were numerous drops, including two touchdowns, so...

 

[tests]

imho, the brady int was not that bad because it was not a pick 6. Sure, he made a lazy int, but it was bound to happen eventually. Look at rapistberger, 2 ints already...

If crumpler doesnt drop that TD, and other dropped passes, i see the patriots in dallas right now..

 

[crowell33]

Brady was the one who got exposed in the playoffs. More correctly, he played like ****. Our receivers were getting open, he just didn't make enough reads. You don't have the kind of success we did 9 or 10 games in a row and all of sudden get "exposed" in one contest. There's more to it than our group of WRs being "overrated," which is an interesting statement, since I don't think anyone touted the WRs all that highly during the regular season.

This post is 100 percent correct. OP wrong.

 

[crowell33]

Brady was the best player in the nfl in 2010. He could win with almost any set of receivers, as he has shown in the past. Two of his most dependable receivers were tight ends - Good thing that!

Unfortunately, the jets figured this out. They simply covered our wide receivers one on one and used the extra defenders inside. We then needed to play much better htan we did to win.

However, we were exposed.

Remember 2007. Moss in his prime. Best passing attack ever. Who got exposed that game ? It was the same game as against the Jets.

 

[alvinnf]

We need someone in the Givens mold. Our recievers are good enough and they run tight crisp routes. What we need is that backside reciever who win on the backside of the formation. Oh, and run the ball more too. That always helps our WR.

 

[drew4008]

I do think this is a position that will be improved more by maturation of the young WRs than addition of new players. Tate just finished his 1st season on the field. Price has had a season to learn the mental aspects of the game. Edelman has been playing WR for literally two seasons. They will improve.

That's not going to cut it. Our window is closing with Brady, and to rest our hopes on Tate, Price, and Edelman would be flat-out ******ed. We need to address this in another way.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Is this thread a joke?

Most people had them going 8-8 (including most of this board).

So they go 14-2 with the #1 offense that was changed a quarter way through the season and had as weapons 2 rookie TE's, a redshirt sophmore, another sophmore and a receiver traded for and one coming off ACL.

The RB's were two UDFA's one acquired week two.

Some you need to give it a rest. A passing offense takes years. It's simply not shocking that a weakness gets exposed 12 weeks into the offense.

 

[DaBruinz]

Mike Wallace FTW.

Yes, because Mike Wallace showed so much during these play-offs... Going into the game, he had 4 receptions for 33 yards in the play-offs.

 

[Fencer]

A scary receiver is one who can't be covered without a double team.

To a first approximation, Welker is scary when he has space to use his quickness, Branch is scary sometimes (but only if Brady is his QB), and Gronk is scary on routes where he can use his size to wall off the defender.

Ryan's cleverness was to note that all these guys all are more scary toward the center of the field, and to throw a lot of bodies there accordingly.

Frankly, if Hernandez makes a second-year jump, he could be pretty scary too. It's a rare defender who can cover him on pure physicality; if he can close the crafty-ness gap vs. experienced defenders, he'll be pretty amazing. (Of course, the same could be said for numerous other athletically awesome TEs.)

 

[Deus Irae]

Is this thread a joke?

Most people had them going 8-8 (including most of this board).

So they go 14-2 with the #1 offense that was changed a quarter way through the season and had as weapons 2 rookie TE's, a redshirt sophmore, another sophmore and a receiver traded for and one coming off ACL.

The RB's were two UDFA's one acquired week two.

Some you need to give it a rest. A passing offense takes years. It's simply not shocking that a weakness gets exposed 12 weeks into the offense.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/98/539543-predict-2010-patriots-season-record-merged.html

 

[Sciz]

That's not going to cut it. Our window is closing with Brady, and to rest our hopes on Tate, Price, and Edelman would be flat-out ******ed. We need to address this in another way.

This team went 11-2 and set the all time NFL record for most points in the second half of a season with those exact receivers, and because of one game, they're suddenly not good enough? A "basically-rookie" Tate and "second-year-ever at WR" Edelman were trusted as the 3 and 4 options during this record-setting season. Why do the Pats need to upgrade "second year physically and third year mentally" Tate and "third year at WR" Edelman when they were good enough with a year less under their belts to be the 3rd and 4th receivers for a top-10 offense in the history of the NFL?

Can you upgrade them? Absolutely. But who is going to come and be an instant upgrade over these guys? Fitzgerald, Green, and Jones are 3 guys that come to mind, but those resources are better off being used to upgrade the defense or replace departing offensive lineman, not upgrade a receiving corps that was deemed plenty good enough for the first 16 games. I'm sure Ochocinco would be an upgrade, but does Bill want to go down that road again? Pretty much anybody else is at least a year away from beating out Tate, in my opinion. That doesn't really solve the whole "closing window" problem.


And more of a general statement for the thread:
We are all wondering about Hernandez's lack of playing time against the Jets. One thing that has been brought up is that he has struggled to get open against zone coverage, which the Jets were clogging up the middle of the field with. If we insert 2nd-year Hernandez who has had a whole offseason to prepare for zone coverage rather than, you know, the playbook and stuff, does that change the Pats' success against that coverage? I could see it being a factor.

 

[patsfan-1982]

the jets have the two best starting CB's of any team in the NFL i dont care who the pats get at WR Darrelle Revis will stop him come playoff time


time to start building a defense that can hold a offense lead by mark sanchez under 20 points

 

[JoeShmoe]

As has been done to death already, Brady had a bad game, the int was a dreadful throw and he got rattled by the sacks, he had all day at least 3 or 4 times to scramble for 6-8 yards when nothing was on

And worse than that he missed reads, started staring down WW/Branch and throwing low or behind

Couple that to very poor play calling (we should have gone spread much earlier) and a lack of trust in the run game/BJGE to pound it at 7 DB's and it was an all round bad day

I dont think a top WR would have made much diifference

 

[JMarr]

The Packers have Jennings and Driver--both in a different completely different league than any wideout we have. Their running game is almost non-existent.
Point being, if you're going to be a pass first offense (which I don't see changing as long as we have Tom Brady) you really need elite WRs. Ours are mediocre.

Thinking that Tom Brady can win with JAG receivers is a mistake that's become glaringly obvious over the last few years. BB finally had it right when he realized this and fielded Welker Moss Gaffney and Stallworth. Then for whatever reason (maybe losing the SB) he reverted back to the old ways and tried to get it done with the likes of Galloway and Greg Lewis.

 

[Sciz]

The Packers have Jennings and Driver--both in a different completely different league than any wideout we have. Their running game is almost non-existent.
Point being, if you're going to be a pass first offense (which I don't see changing as long as we have Tom Brady) you really need elite WRs. Ours are mediocre.

Thinking that Tom Brady can win with JAG receivers is a mistake that's become glaringly obvious over the last few years. BB finally had it right when he realized this and fielded Welker Moss Gaffney and Stallworth. Then for whatever reason (maybe losing the SB) he reverted back to the old ways and tried to get it done with the likes of Galloway and Greg Lewis.

Against the only opponent where the Pats' WRs weren't good enough, the Packers put up 9 points. Something tells me that's not the answer.

 

[Fencer]

Suppose every Patriots WR were 6' 4", with great speed and leaping ability, but (to make them affordable) nothing special in the quick-cut getting open area. Then an offense that simply sent them all running downfield would be very hard to stop, because no team has enough DBs skilled enough to cover guys like that, even if they indeed have 1 or 2.

So what do you do against a team like that? You commit to the rush, trying to get to the QB before those guys get open. That otherwise unstoppable attack does have an Achilles heel.

Well, the Pats had an offense brimming with guys who could beat coverage in the middle of the field, some of them (against most defenses) getting open quickly. It was almost unstoppable. But Ryan found the Achilles heel of the scheme.

Only in this case, I don't think the Achilles heel is NECESSARILY crippling. Guys WERE open -- they just weren't open in ways Brady could recognize, or make ideal throws to, or they were the wrong guys (Crumpler, no longer the most reliable of receivers). That can all, I'm guessing, be counterschemed against.