Our Offense - Decisions at OT and RB

[maineman209]

I like Hollister and hope he can improve overall. Couldn't he be trained to block better? What about Will Tye on the practice squad?

Can Hollister be trained to block better? One would hope. However, the Pats have been working with him since last May and I didn't see any huge improvement.

Tye is an interesting possibility. Fairly accomplished receiver in his first two seasons (NYG). No idea about his blocking. He received a futures contract, though.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Moss/Welker > Cooks/Edelman?

Of course, Moss/Welker didn't have Gronk.

Edelman is a little better than Welker. (Welker was a warrior though. I cringe when people crap on him.)

Cooks and Moss are rather different. Both possess cat like speed however Moss was a tall smooth strider. Cooks is young needs a little more polish to his overall skill set.

It is true that Moss & Welker did not have an all pro TE for a partner.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Can Hollister be trained to block better? One would hope. However, the Pats have been working with him since last May and I didn't see any huge improvement.

Tye is an interesting possibility. Fairly accomplished receiver in his first two seasons (NYG). No idea about his blocking. He received a futures contract, though.

Our coaching staff usually predicts the biggest jump in terms of improvement from year 1 to year 2. On the other hand he is lean and may need more fresh fish and chicken.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Who was the TE when we had Moss & Welker? Daniel Graham &/or Ben Watson???

 

[maust]

Who was the TE when we had Moss & Welker? Daniel Graham &/or Ben Watson???

In '07 it was Watson, who is still making the most of his 9 NFL lives, and a long in the tooth Kyle Brady who that year was using up the very last of his.

 

[maineman209]

Who was the TE when we had Moss & Welker? Daniel Graham &/or Ben Watson???

Watson, Kyle Brady and David Thomas in 2007.
Watson, Thomas and Kelley Washington in 2008.
Watson, Chris Baker and Michael Matthews in 2009.

Gronk, Crumpler and he-who-must-not-be-named arrived in 2010, and Moss was traded after week-4.

Graham went to Denver at the end of 2006 after Watson had taken over.

 

[captain stone]

He is not a great player but Allen is a better blocker than just about all of the past Pats TEs...

Except for Daniel Graham...and Rob Gronkowski...just off the top of my head.

 

[maineman209]

Except for Daniel Graham...and Rob Gronkowski...just off the top of my head.

That's two of the 20+ other TEs who made the Pats roster over the past 17 seasons.

He did say almost all.

 

[mgteich]

Neither of them will be retained at their current salaries/cap hits. Book it.

You may be right. Gillislie may not be worth $2.4M to us.

 

[mgteich]

Except for Daniel Graham...and Rob Gronkowski...just off the top of my head.

Calling Gronk a past patriot should be embarrassing.

Being the best blocking TE since Graham (if true) makes Allan worth quite a bit to the patriots.

 

[Pape]

Plug and Play? You mean like WRs? Or like OL?

You think WR is plug and play in NE?

 

[Pape]

Calling Gronk a past patriot should be embarrassing.

Being the best blocking TE since Graham (if true) makes Allan worth quite a bit to the patriots.

How often do the Pats keep these guys? Barely ever. Graham played out his five and was gone. Hooman, traded in the middle of his contract. Watson was here on one contract, never re-upped.

 

[maust]

You think WR is plug and play in NE?

 

[maineman209]

You think WR is plug and play in NE?

LOL! Now you're just being silly.

WR is most definitely not plug 'n' play in the Pats offense, nor is OL (though Scar often makes it seem that way).

Again, according to BB himself, a TE in the Pats offense needs to learn both positions.

Ergo, TE ("blocking" or not) ...

IS.
NOT.
PLUG 'N' PLAY ...

... in the Pats offense.

Unless, of course, you think BB is simply full of it.

 

[maineman209]

How often do the Pats keep these guys? Barely ever. Graham played out his five and was gone. Hooman, traded in the middle of his contract. Watson was here on one contract, never re-upped.

It seems to me that you're looking at this backwards.

The Pats kept Graham for five seasons.
They kept Watson for six.
They hung onto Hooman into his fourth season, but gave him up in trade when the Saints offered Akiem Hicks in trade. Akiem Hicks.

But tell us again how good blocking TEs are a dime-a-dozen.

 

[IllegalContact]

Whoever it is at WR or TE, they need to work with Brady right out of the box.....which means I would likely go away from the draft and towards free agency although there is decent day 3 value at TE though not effective blocking ones

 

[Pape]

It seems to me that you're looking at this backwards.

The Pats kept Graham for five seasons.
They kept Watson for six.
They hung onto Hooman into his fourth season, but gave him up in trade when the Saints offered Akiem Hicks in trade. Akiem Hicks.

But tell us again how good blocking TEs are a dime-a-dozen.

Come on man they kept these guys on their rookie deals then moved on. Wayson had a 6 year rookie deal, graham had a five year rookie deal.... If it was so important they would have resigned/kept at least one of them....

 

[maineman209]

Come on man they kept these guys on their rookie deals then moved on. Wayson had a 6 year rookie deal, graham had a five year rookie deal.... If it was so important they would have resigned/kept at least one of them....

First of all, Watson was the "#1 TE" during his tenure with the Pats, not "the blocking TE." He and Graham, both originally 1st-round "receiving TEs" who could block (more common in those days than now), got offers from other teams that the Pats couldn't (or wouldn't) match.

 

[Pape]

Daniel graham was a blocker from day 1. You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that.

Ben Watson played in one game on his first season, didn' breakout as a pass catcher til season 3, and that was because it was one of the worst receiving corps the pats ever put on the field.

None of these guys warranted a new contract. And being a good blocker was part and parcel of what they brought to the team. Their job was filled by random dudes and both were wastes of first round draft picks.

Tired of going back and forth about blocking tight ends. The name of the game is versatility, and I'm sorry but a guy who blocks, makes ten receptions for 86 yards in this offense, with this quarterback is anything but.

Sure there is a role for blockers. But if that's all they are bringing to the table, then get them gone. Dwayne Allen is a nonfactor. Any tight end with any sort of passable blocking skill could do what he did, and would cost half as much.

You have seen what martysauras rex can do in this offense. You know he can take over the 1 tight end position if needed. And you honestly think Dwayne Allen is a better alternative? wt-h-e-double hockey sticks..... come on guy, you can't be serious, can you?

Reply if you want, but I'm done with this nonsense.

 

[TomPatriot]

Except for Daniel Graham...and Rob Gronkowski...just off the top of my head.

Not as good as Allen. Certainly not Graham.