Game Day Thread Official Pregame Thread Bills @ Pats

[Triumph]

2007-2009 Randy Moss: 59%
Darn, since catch rate is everything for the patriots, he wasn’t great.
Those points aren’t relevant. Your point is that Agholor does not play the role that Edelman, Welker, and Brown played? Of course… no crap. No one is claiming that. No one is claiming that Agholor doesn’t have a history of drops on other teams, especially the eagles. But he has ONE this year. And he’s won several contested catches. Jakobi has dropped more passes than him, to be fair. Stop using catch % to compare players in extremely different roles as a way to measure how good they are at catching. Strawman all over the place.

Yeah, I am excited to see if Wilkerson can fill in in any capacity (although he actually showed a bigger problem with drops in the preseason, so funny you bring him up). I absolutely think the Pats can win without Agholor and I’m not claiming that he’s a superstar, but I do think he provides some value.

I never stated that Agholor ;played the same role as anyone else. He runs deep routes. Big deal.

Its ridiculous placing this much concern over a JAG. Send somebody else deep and IF that guy takes the lid off the defense THEN he may draw the Safety.

Were talking about replacing 5 - 8 targets maximum. Mac Jones is not doomed.

 

[Family]

I actually think Wilkerson can burn them deep, if he can haul it in. He appeared to have the speed in the preseason but not the hands, at least at the time. He's not only fast but also a big dude, he may be a real gem if he can round into form. I have some hope there.

How many times has Mac's sideline deep ball been dropped, whether it's Wilkerson, Agholor, Meyers, Harry, or someone else?

 

[borg]

The absence of Stevens is a big problem, bigger than the WR clusterfeck.

Harris has durability issues and I don't expect a gameplan that has him running 25+ times
Bolden, unlike Stevens, shies away from contact and won't be getting the important 'after first contact" yards that Rham piles up.
And diminutive Taylor can be pinky tackled. Why Josh has Taylor run north/south instead of outside/turn the corner defies logic.
I can foresee Smith lining up behind Mac and having a go as a north /south RB for a few plays. Maybe Harry too.
Both Smith and Harry have to rise to the occasion for NE to get the W

Given the roster situation, I expect Josh to 'trick play" Buffalo to death with Meyers chucking darts out there.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

 

[Rob0729]

Yeah, that’s not how it works. Do you really think the NFL would allow teams to conduct testing on their own, in secret, and then hide the results for 48+ hours? The bookies would not be happy about that and the patriots would probably lose all of their draft picks in the 2022 draft.

More likely, there where are some conflicting test results earlier in the week (for instance, rapid swab positive but initial PCR test negative). They probably treated him like a positive test anyway, to be cautious, but officially listed him as “illness“his PCR test returned positive yesterday or the day before. If a player tests positive, and the rapid test and PCR results are congruent, then that player would immediately be put on the Covid reserve list, even if asymptomatic. The fact that they listed Stevenson with a “illness“ makes it likely that he had at least mild symptoms.

I never said the league lets the teams conduct the test in secret. The league conducts the test, but I think the results may not come public unless the player is put on the COVID reserve list or the team discloses it themselves. Most teams immediate put players on the COVID list because it gives them a roster spot. Usually we find out a player has COVID if the team announces it some way or the player is placed on the COVID reserve list. I am saying there could a loophole in the rules that the league doesn't release test results possibly for HIPPA reasons and the Patriots are under no obligations to disclose this under the rules unless they put him on the reserve list.

Technically the Pats did nothing wrong if they did know Stevenson had COVID and didn't disclose it. He isn't practicing. He was listed out with an illness all week on the injury report. There is no requirement to put a player on the COVID reserve list. That is a benefit for a team to gain an extra roster spot while a player is on COVID. I don't know if a team is required to disclose to the media and other teams that a player has COVID as long as they follow the rules of not allowing the player to practice and disclosing he is out with an illness. If that is the case, the league itself would have known that Stevenson was out with COVID and did nothing to stop the Patriots from doing what they did.

And after what we saw in Green Bay and Tampa, there is no way the Pats would lose all of their draft picks for this.

Again, it is just a theory.

 

[Ring 6]

It hurt the Pats because they'd be better off with Indy as the AFCS winner. If the Pats lose another game they have the head-to-head vs the Titans but not the Indiots. It could matter a lot. I still picked them though. I was one of the 30% that did.

Why would the patriots be better off with the colts winning the afcs?

 

[Rob0729]

Evan is a little optimistic. Harry has been improving, but he isn't Bourne who can be consistent through out the game. Harry is still more of an one to two catch a game guy. He can replace Agholor for a game, but I would be far more happy if Bourne was activated by 4PM today.

 

[gitgronked82]

No, because Moss caught 23 TDs in 1 season. Moss could have been the GOAT WR in the NFL history with Jerry Rices work ethic.

There is no replacement for a Randy Moss. There are plenty of Agholors, but its comical that you would include Agholor in the same group as a HOFer. You must have been taking the game into consideration.

Again with the strawman- no one is saying Agholor is a “replacement” for Randy moss, or that he is a hall of famer… Come on… We are showing that you cannot just take stats such as catch % to grade a player without context (such as their role).

I never stated that Agholor ;played the same role as anyone else. He runs deep routes. Big deal.

Its ridiculous placing this much concern over a JAG. Send somebody else deep and IF that guy takes the lid off the defense THEN he may draw the Safety.

Were talking about replacing 5 - 8 targets maximum. Mac Jones is not doomed.

The fact that he runs deep routes IS a big deal when you’re out here trying to use catch % as a stand-alone stat to evaluate players lol

No one is saying Mac is “doomed” or that Agholor is going to get more than 5-8 targets (seriously where did that come from????)
Agholor is a guy who provides some value. The passing game can be just fine without him. Evaluating him as a drops guy because he had ONE this season that sticks in your mind is dumb. That’s all there is to it. Stop building up fake arguments you want people to be making so you can be right.

 

[ashley]

Hoping this is what I think it is...great news for Sunday!!!

 

[denverpatsfan]

Ocho Cinco > Wikerson

 

[kennyb]

Ocho Cinco > Wikerson

I don't think so. Ocho cinco was called "Ocho Stinko" for a reason. In fact, i believe I coined that moniker for him. I'm quite proud of that.

Not saying Wilkerson is great, but I say give him a shot. Can't be worse than Stinko.

 

[Wax Frog]

Hoping this is what I think it is...great news for Sunday!!!

 

[TomPatriot]

Hoping this is what I think it is...great news for Sunday!!!

So at least Bourne, Meyers and Harry are a go tomorrow?

 

[Wax Frog]

Hoping this is what I think it is...great news for Sunday!!!

I'm guessing that the red and blue droplets are a reference to test results?

 

[TomPatriot]

Catch rate is everything for a NE WR or TE.

The best that there ever was all were in the 66% range for their NE careers and exactly where the Patriots like to be on offense.

Gronk 65.6 %
Brown 65.8 %
Edelman 65.9 %
Welker 72.6 %

Agholor has a history of drops. Other people here have made reference to it. He will go the way of these 3 in their final seasons in NE if it continues.

Sanu 55 %
Gordon 55 %
Dorsett 53 %

Mac Jones is not in trouble if Agholor cant go. In practice, Wilkerson imitates the best WR the upcoming opponent has. Stefon Diggs this week. If Wilkerson begins hauling in passes in Agholors shoes this Sunday, watch how fast the Bills Safety shades in his direction because defenses do not want to give up the home run play. Just like the Patriots defense.

Offensively, the Patriots are not the Chiefs. The NE offense is a methodical patient system that takes what defenses generally give them. The short passes are always there which is Mac Jones game.

Good catch by Lazar. I’m starting to like him.

 

[shmessy]

No, because Moss caught 23 TDs in 1 season. Moss could have been the GOAT WR in the NFL history with Jerry Rices work ethic.

There is no replacement for a Randy Moss. There are plenty of Agholors, but its comical that you would include Agholor in the same group as a HOFer. You must have been taking the game into consideration.

Once again.

The group you had as the 60s-to-70s catch % were 1 TE and 3 Slot WRs.

The group you had as the 50s catch % were 4 outside threat WRs. Even the legendary Moss was sub-60% catch %.

If you can't see the pattern and the obvious reasons for the delta between those two groups' catch %, I can't help you.

I do agree with you about Wilkinson. I am very excited to see this kid on the field tomorrow. I think he may be a very nice jolt of energy.

.

 

[JMC00]

Bourne clear

 

[gitgronked82]

Yeah I feel ok about the WRs tomorrow. Playing majority of the game in 12 or 21, and having Bourne jakobi and nkeal when we go 11… sounds good enough to me

 

[RIpats88]

Yeah I feel ok about the WRs tomorrow. Playing majority of the game in 12 or 21, and having Bourne jakobi and nkeal when we go 11… sounds good enough to me

Also can play more 2 tight end sets

 

[gitgronked82]

Also can play more 2 tight end sets

That’s what I said, “playing majority of the game in 12 or 21”