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Punt returner - who is it?


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bormio

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Reiss indicated today that the #1 PR job looks to be Berrios vs McCarron - with one of them making the team and backing up in the slot. If so, who is it and will it be solely about PR ability or will WR ability be a big factor?
 
Reiss indicated today that the #1 PR job looks to be Berrios vs McCarron - with one of them making the team and backing up in the slot. If so, who is it and will it be solely about PR ability or will WR ability be a big factor?

Should be sorted out through camp. If they play equally my guess is berrios. Easier to get mccarron through waivers and back on the PS.
 
I think they want the PR to be a real weapon - not just a fair catch guy. Getting 15 yards on a return can really set up the next drive. I think Edelman still gets some spot PR duty, but no more than that and maybe none. And both Berrios and McCarron are “expendable”.
 
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Cyrus Jones. This should be a big year for him.

The Roll Tide is influencing your decision making process. haha

Seriously though, it would be great to see him rebound this year.
 
I think they want the PR to be a real weapon - not just a fair catch guy. Getting 15 yards on a return can really set up the next drive. I think Edelman still gets some spot PR duty, but no more than that and maybe none. And both Berrios and McCarron are “expendable”.
I like what you are saying I just hope we don't have a guy with the dropsies
 
Reiss indicated today that the #1 PR job looks to be Berrios vs McCarron - with one of them making the team and backing up in the slot. If so, who is it and will it be solely about PR ability or will WR ability be a big factor?

This thread comes about 1-2 weeks too early.
 
Berrios, McCarron and Cy Jones all exhibited cat-like quickness in pre-draft testing. McCarron's testing numbers were the best of the three by a decent margin, though the other two weren't slouches:

McCarron (5090/188)
.. 4.41/40, 1.50/10yd .. 40.5 vert/124 lj .. 4.16 ss/6.59 3-cone

Berrios (5085/184)
.. 4.44/40, 1.58/10yd .. 36 vert/110 lj .. 4.18 ss/6.72 3-cone

Cy Jones (5097/197)
.. 4.49/40, 1.55/10yd .. 33 vert/116 lj .. 4.21 ss/6.71 3-cone

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Size-wise (heft), Berrios and McCarron maybe comp close to Dorsett/(Cooks)/J.Jones: 5096/185
... Cy Jones is a bit closer to Edelman/(Amendola): 5103/200

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Berrios had, by far, the most experience and consistent use as a PR in college:

Berrios: 47 PR/488 yds (1 TD) ... 3 KR/60 yds
... averaged 14 PR per season his last three years

McCarron: 19 PR/179 yds (1 TD) ... 5 KR/153 yds
... almost all of McCarron's PR production came in his Senior season (2016)
... 7 PR/148 yds (21-yd avg), 1 TD

Cy Jones: 12 PR/143 yds (0 TD) ... 14 KR/327 yds
... most of Jones' return production came in his Freshman year (2012) when he was playing WR for 'Bama
... in 2016 for the Pats, Jones had 11 PR for a dismal 4.2-yard average (not to mention the fumbles)

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Berrios also has, by far, the most college experience as a receiver:

Berrios: 100c/1175 yds (14 TD) ... 55/679 (9 TD) as a Senior

McCarron: 50c/584 yds (5 TD) ... 42/517 (4 TD) as a Senior (IOW, he didn't really do much prior to that)

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Until we begin getting reports from padded practices about how Berrios and McCarron are performing as both receivers and returners, it seems to me that Berrios is the most likely to succeed due to his greater experience at both jobs.

For Cy Jones, I'd project that he now needs to perform at the Jon Jones level as a non-returner special-teamer and reserve DB in order to make the roster. I'm not sure at all that Cy Jones will be a significant part of the PR competition in Camp.

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Then there's the question of how to fit a PR-specialist on the 53-man roster.

BB himself has explained - at length - that returning punts requires a much more specialized skill set than returning kicks does. Finding a consistently good punt returner appears to be much more difficult than finding an adequate Kick returner. Annually, there are more than twice as many players who average at least 20 yards (adequate level) as a KR than there are players who average even 10 yds returning punts, and it's rare for one guy to do both.

While it's also rare for a player to average 30+ yards per KR, as Patterson has, the Pats have always had a few guys on the roster who have been at least adequate kick returners. Aside from Edelman and the current (untested in live fire) candidates, they don't appear to have an even adequate PR on the roster. ICYMI, Patterson has made 153 kick returns in his 5-year NFL career, but he's made only ONE punt return.

So, if (say) Berrios proves himself to be a consistently good PR and at least an adequate #4/#5 WR, and it comes down to either him or Patterson (presumably ALSO an equivalently adequate #4/#5) for that last WR spot, which do you choose?
 
I think McC and Cheerios are good enough to be PRs at this level but not at WR or at other ST roles to see time here. Too many other players in front of them.
 
Paterson is a lock for his KO return skills. But, I believe he will be much more because BB has big plans for Patterson.
 
Isn't Patterson a best punt returner right now in the league? Let the man do his job.
 
Isn't Patterson a best punt returner right now in the league? Let the man do his job.
He has not returned punts only kickoffs but there are reports he will be tried as a pr.
 
I think McC and Cheerios are good enough to be PRs at this level but not at WR or at other ST roles to see time here. Too many other players in front of them.

One of them only really needs to be good enough at WR this year to hold the #5 WR spot (assuming they also show the potential to develop). The #5 WR spot might make them the 10th/11th most frequently targeted player - maybe one target per game.
 
I don’t think either of those guys make the team.

If neither of them make the team, then they're going to go into the season with exactly one WR who's under contract for 2019, and that would be Edelman.
 
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