Name a top 10 WR in the NFL who would thrive in Brady's system and why?

[NG Pats Fan]

Go

My pick is Deandre Hopkins because he's a smart well schooled route runner who is great at attacking the football, and he can catch any type of pass

 

[archstanton543]

Odell Beckham Jr. - Too much of a diva.

 

[Galeb]

Go

My pick is Deandre Hopkins because he's a smart well schooled route runner who is great at attacking the football, and he can catch any type of pass

Good choice. The fact that he's thrived in a system much like the Pat's is also a huge plus.

 

[Ross12]

Name one who WOULD thrive? I think many of the top 10 WRs would do well here... I think there are fewer who wouldn't. There's a reason they're "top 10"...

 

[chasa]

im going to go with all of them.

/thread

 

[BradyFTW!]

Any one of them. Brady makes WRs better, by and large - the only limitation is that they have to be smart enough to handle a complex playbook full of option routes. OBJ and DeAndre Hopkins would be great here too, and I'd love to see what Brady would do with a receiver like AJ Green. If there's one guy that I think would disappoint here, it's probably Julio Jones, but mostly because I think he's overrated in general and he doesn't really play to Brady's strengths. He'd do very well here because he's too good to do badly anywhere, but I think he'd produce less than he does in Atlanta.

As far as one WR who I think would particularly excel here, I'm going to go with Antonio Brown. Exceptional route-runner, great hands, tracks the ball well downfield, makes contested catches, YAC machine. I'd take him over Hopkins both because I think he's a bit better in general and because I think his strengths are a bit more aligned with what's traditionally worked for Brady. Compared to Hopkins, Brown gives up a little in height and a lot in arm length and hand size - as a result, Hopkins is better at making contested catches with minimal separation. Brown, OTOH, has better agility, burst, and speed. That makes him better in a quick-strike passing offense, I think, and his hands are almost as good as Hopkins' despite being much smaller. Re: route-running, they're probably 2 of the top 5 in the league, so pretty much a wash there. I think Hopkins is a better option for maximizing the production of a QB who lacks a bit in precision or decision-making. It's easier for a QB to all (or close to it) of what Hopkins has to offer, whereas Brown has a higher ceiling but the QB has less margin of error when throwing to him. If your QB is Brock Osweiler, you're probably better off with Hopkins than Brown. If your QB is Brady--a guy who's never relied on big-bodied, huge catch radius and/or jump ball receivers, and instead has got the most out of Troy Brown, Welker, Edelman, and Amendola--I think it's fair to say that he could get the most out of AB. You could maybe make an argument for taking a big, versatile, downfield threat like AJ Green just to create more variety across your WR corps, but I'd be more inclined to just take the most talent and challenge some team to try to cover Brown, Edelman, Gronk and Amendola.

Chad Johnson was the exception. His success came entirely in a system where he was operating in one of the simplest offenses in the NFL, which required him to make basically no reads.

 

[Galeb]

Name one who WOULD thrive? I think many of the top 10 WRs would do well here... I think there are fewer who wouldn't. There's a reason they're "top 10"...

I disagree. The Pat's system requires a specific combination of aspects of intelligence that history has proven is uncommon. Regardless of you speed, athleticism and toughness, if you're not reading the situation the same way as the QB, you're not a fit for the Patriots system. It's not merely a matter of a presnap reads. It requires the receiver to engage at game speed while maintaining awareness of the coverage/blitzes, and adjusting routes the instant anything changes.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Go

My pick is Deandre Hopkins because he's a smart well schooled route runner who is great at attacking the football, and he can catch any type of pass

Plus he's thriving in an offensive system based on our playbook!

 

[farn]

AJ Green. Too talented. Others that have failed in NE were past their prime (those we expected to waltz in and click). AJ would simply be too much for opponents. Add to that : Edelman & little friends + Te combo.......

AJ all the way to the house.

 

[TBR]

DeAndre Hopkins.

But in terms of semi-realistic options...

 

[IllegalContact]

emmanuel sanders........the pats screwed the pooch by not seeing his acquisition through

 

[jri37]

Most of the top 10 receivers in the league are number tree route runners and need their egos fed constantantly. They ain't running 9 routes in NE and nobody is going to feed anyone's ego.

Larry Fitzgerald, in order play in NE you need to understand how to identify defenses pre-snap and you have to check your ego at the door.

 

[Bradyking12]

DeAndre Hopkins.

But in terms of semi-realistic options...

Fingers crossed that we get him

 

[jah]

Antonio Brown would be even more amazing here.

 

[PatsBoy12]

I don't know if many would put him in the top 10 because he's in the twilight of his career, but Larry Fitzgerald would definitely definitely excel here. That was the one rumor (more than Peppers, Reed, etc.) that I wish was true. But AZ knew what they had and they were not going to let him walk out of the door.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Antonio Brown would be even more amazing here.

He'd probably be good anywhere, even the Bears. LOL

 

[Galeb]

Most of the top 10 receivers in the league are number tree route runners and need their egos fed constantantly. They ain't running 9 routes in NE and nobody is going to feed anyone's ego.

Larry Fitzgerald, in order play in NE you need to understand how to identify defenses pre-snap and you have to check your ego at the door.

I agree with your first paragraph, but the difficulty in the Pats system is the speed of recognition and decision making after the snap, not before. Anyone can read defenses presnap with moderate study.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Fitzy, Fitzy and Fitzy.

With that said not sure he is top 1o any more but still and excellent player.

Hopkins from HOU as well. Hes already had time in BOBs system so he SHOULD? slide right in.

 

[Ross12]

DeAndre Hopkins.

But in terms of semi-realistic options...

If the Browns actually CUT Gordon then I wouldn't be at all shocked if he was picked up by NE... really no better place for a guy to get his career and life back on track. But don't see them trading anything for him.

And to think that dumbass organization **** on Lombardi for trying to get first round pick(s) for Gordon way back when. Keeping him and dumping Lombardi has really worked out well for them so far.

 

[BradyFTW!]

If the Browns actually CUT Gordon then I wouldn't be at all shocked if he was picked up by NE... really no better place for a guy to get his career and life back on track. But don't see them trading anything for him.

And to think that dumbass organization **** on Lombardi for trying to get first round pick(s) for Gordon way back when. Keeping him and dumping Lombardi has really worked out well for them so far.

Yeah, I agree. Gordon's an idiot, and I wouldn't trade anything for him. But if he's cut after the season, the Pats would be smart to offer him a one-year deal with a minimal signing bonus and the bulk of the money in base salary. Makes sense for us because if he keeps his head on straight he's a great weapon and if not you can cut him and be no worse for wear. We paid $350K for one preseason half of Reggie Wayne, so guaranteeing Gordon some token amount isn't really outside the team's MO.

That's probably where things would hit a snag, though. For this to make sense for the Pats, Gordon would have to be willing to sign for very, very little guaranteed. And that would require Gordon to bypass higher guarantees elsewhere and treat 2017 as a one-year career rehab. It's possible he'd be willing to do that, but few players are and we haven't seen much from Gordon to positively indicate that he's one of them.

Also agreed re: Lombardi. In addition to this forum, I frequent the nfl subreddit pretty frequently, and I'll never forget how much **** Lombardi got from fans across the league--and particularly Browns fans--when he traded Trent Richardson for a first. Even at the time it was becoming pretty clear that Richardson wasn't a good RB, but people fall in love with names and perceived potential over actual production, for whatever reason. And when that happens the guy with an actual head on his shoulders always pays the price. The moment Gordon was hit with his first suspension, dealing him for maximum value became a no-brainer IMO, and the fact that Lombardi tried to really vindicates that. It's not like Lombardi is averse to 'problem' receivers. A huge part of the reason why we traded for Moss is because Lombardi confirmed to Belichick that he would get the job done for a team like the Pats. If he was that eager to get rid of Gordon, it's because he either believes Gordon's a lost cause or he believes the Browns will never get their acts together enough to keep him in line. I'm sure Belichick's been on the phone with Lombardi about Gordon, I'm sure he'll give him the scoop.