Rookie receivers and dropped passes.

[DaBruinz]

So, Dobson, Thompkins and Boyce have completed their 1st regular rookie season.

All 3 dealt with injuries this year and missed time with Boyce missing the most. All 3 had some issues with drops, but they got better as the season went on.

Here is how the receivers ended up:
Dobson - 9 drops on 74 target
Thompkins - 7 drops on 70 targets
Boyce - 2 drops on 19 targets
Amendola-4 drops on 83 targets
Edelman -8 drops on 151 Targets
Collie - 0 drops on 11 targets

Welker - 10 drops on 111 targets. (for reference for everyone who whined about drops)

So, the Pats clearly had issues, but I believe it's something that will get better with time. Both with Brady throwing the ball to them and with the players working on it.

 

[supafly]

Nice numbers, DaBruinz. I think it was what many of us expected for a rookie year by the usual higher standards that come with our team and the more complex offense, but it'd have been nice to see someone rise to the top a bit more due to the opportunities presented to them--which were many.

I think that it was something that needed to be done in terms of bringing in new younger talent at the position, but my concern is that we may end up coming up a bit short due to the injuries and other specifics.

Next year has the potential to be much better in my opinion, especially if we're able to retain Edelman and/or have just one more contributor for a reasonable cost in free agency or outside acquisition. One or more of these guys should be able to take a nice year #2 step up, and the odds are that Dobson is an excellent candidate to do so.

EDIT: Unfortunately, I didn't think that these rookies brought much to the table as the season progressed into its second half, but in fairness, that was also due to injuries. Either way, I would have liked to see more from one of these guys.

 

[RayClay]

So, Dobson, Thompkins and Boyce have completed their 1st regular rookie season.

All 3 dealt with injuries this year and missed time with Boyce missing the most. All 3 had some issues with drops, but they got better as the season went on.

Here is how the receivers ended up:
Dobson - 9 drops on 74 target
Thompkins - 7 drops on 70 targets
Boyce - 2 drops on 19 targets
Amendola-4 drops on 83 targets
Edelman -8 drops on 151 Targets
Collie - 0 drops on 11 targets

Welker - 10 drops on 111 targets. (for reference for everyone who whined about drops)

So, the Pats clearly had issues, but I believe it's something that will get better with time. Both with Brady throwing the ball to them and with the players working on it.

Probably being kind on the drops for rooks, but Brady definitely boot camped those guys into shape and I supported him all the way. Too bad they both got mid season injuries, because I felt they were both pretty reliable receivers by then and definitely offered more size and athleticism than our other receivers.

Remember all the posters worrying about mean old Brady and their delicate feelings? Ha ha.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

So it's roughly 11% drops for rookies and 5% for the veterans.....

 

[DaBruinz]

Probably being kind on the drops for rooks, but Brady definitely boot camped those guys into shape and I supported him all the way. Too bad they both got mid season injuries, because I felt they were both pretty reliable receivers by then and definitely offered more size and athleticism than our other receivers.

Remember all the posters worrying about mean old Brady and their delicate feelings? Ha ha.

I used SI.com to get the drops.. They have been pretty accurate in the past.

 

[Deus Irae]

AGAIN

The drops stats are not accurate.

 

[supafly]

Remember all the posters worrying about mean old Brady and their delicate feelings? Ha ha.

I thought it was great to see myself

Set the tone early on--no coddling. This is the NFL, and on top of that, it's an organization who expects production and hard work from their employees in every single form.

 

[RayClay]

I used SI.com to get the drops.. They have been pretty accurate in the past.

I wasn't being critical, just jokingly referring to how bad they were the first few games.

 

[RayClay]

I thought it was great to see myself

Set the tone early on--no coddling. This is the NFL, and on top of that, it's an organization who expects production and hard work from their employees in every single form.

He had to risk traumatizing them. With Gronk and Amendola hurt, the season was at risk if they didn't snap out of it. I remember saying these awful wins are in the bank and will look like beauty queens at the end of the year (or words to that effect). Imagine if a couple of those ugly wins slipped away...no bye.

 

[DaBruinz]

AGAIN

The drops stats are not accurate.

Deus - Unless you have proof that the DROPS stat that SI.com uses in inaccurate, please go someone else and spew.

 

[Brady6]

So, Dobson, Thompkins and Boyce have completed their 1st regular rookie season.

All 3 dealt with injuries this year and missed time with Boyce missing the most. All 3 had some issues with drops, but they got better as the season went on.

Here is how the receivers ended up:
Dobson - 9 drops on 74 target
Thompkins - 7 drops on 70 targets
Boyce - 2 drops on 19 targets
Amendola-4 drops on 83 targets
Edelman -8 drops on 151 Targets
Collie - 0 drops on 11 targets

Welker - 10 drops on 111 targets. (for reference for everyone who whined about drops)

So, the Pats clearly had issues, but I believe it's something that will get better with time. Both with Brady throwing the ball to them and with the players working on it.

I agree the rookies did have some issues with drops but it wasn't much worse than last seasons drops.

2012 drops leaders:

Welker - 10
Hernandez - 9
Lloyd - 6
Gronkowski - 6
Fells - 2

I will say one player that you left off your list that I think needs to work on his drops is Vereen, he dropped 7 balls which was 10.1% of his targets. Last season Woodhead didn't drop a pass, if you combine Vereen and Bolden they dropped 10 balls and both were over 10% for a drop rate. I know Vereen was playing with a soft cast so hopefully that is something he doesn't have to contend with in the playoffs.

 

[Brady6]

AGAIN



The drops stats are not accurate.

Deus - Unless you have proof that the DROPS stat that SI.com uses in inaccurate, please go someone else and spew.

I don't think drops are inaccurate. The same formula is used to determine a drop for all players. Sure there are receiver errors and misplays that don't get logged as a drop but that is true for every player. Dobson is issued a drop for the same reasons as Johnson Jr. that make it an accurate metric, if the formula wasn't the same for all that would open it up for inaccuracies.

 

[Brady6]

EDIT: Unfortunately, I didn't think that these rookies brought much to the table as the season progressed into its second half, but in fairness, that was also due to injuries. Either way, I would have liked to see more from one of these guys.

I agree injuries prevented them from being as impactful down the stretch but in fairness there were some key plays made that put us into the #2 seed. Thompkins play in the second half of the Broncos game and Boyce's drawn penalty in the end zone against the Browns, I think there is a good chance we'd of finished 10-6 if not for those plays and some others.

 

[RayClay]

I agree the rookies did have some issues with drops but it wasn't much worse than last seasons drops.

2012 drops leaders:

Welker - 10
Hernandez - 9
Lloyd - 6
Gronkowski - 6
Fells - 2

I will say one player that you left off your list that I think needs to work on his drops is Vereen, he dropped 7 balls which was 10.1% of his targets. Last season Woodhead didn't drop a pass, if you combine Vereen and Bolden they dropped 10 balls and both were over 10% for a drop rate. I know Vereen was playing with a soft cast so hopefully that is something he doesn't have to contend with in the playoffs.

Vereen is shaky as hell right now. He just started to get in rhythm, then teams put the clamps on him because all we had was Edelman and Amendola, no Gronk, athletic rookies. We need his explosiveness, but also what would help is one or both rooks coming in, so we're not just a slot receiver team.

I've never seen a team that finds a way like this one, but it would be nice to get some bigger athletic weapons and a calmer Vereen. He just isn't a guy that plays well with guys all over him, he needs space.

I still want to see them hit Blount with some short passes/screens. He seems to me to be the type that is loose as a goose when he's in the mood, I don't see why he couldn't catch some passes and destroy some LBs and DBs in the open field.

 

[diemer]

Obviously we have better targets. Peyton's targets have dropped the ball more but why have they been able to become the best offense in league history?

Looking at stat history we actually threw the ball for TD's just as often as in the reluctant 1-5 yard line. The 2013 Broncos actually scored MORE rushing TD's than us in 2007. I'm confused.

 

[supafly]

I agree injuries prevented them from being as impactful down the stretch but in fairness there were some key plays made that put us into the #2 seed. Thompkins play in the second half of the Broncos game and Boyce's drawn penalty in the end zone against the Browns, I think there is a good chance we'd of finished 10-6 if not for those plays and some others.

Sure, there's no doubt that they contributed, and I definitely agree that all of our contributors acted as important role players, but I'd have liked to see one of these three really rise to the occasion under these insane circumstances. Unfortunately, it seems as though injuries helped to stop this from happening.

I think these are the kinds of rookie numbers we'd have expected with last year's or the 2011 offense, not an offense like 2013's. It's really amazing that we were even able to go 12-4 when you think about it. Hopefully we can see Dobson rise up in the playoffs, along with a few important plays here and there by Devlin, Hooman, Mulligan, etc (don't laugh). We're going to need someone other than Edelman, that's for sure.

 

[Deus Irae]

Obviously we have better targets. Peyton's targets have dropped the ball more but why have they been able to become the best offense in league history?

Looking at stat history we actually threw the ball for TD's just as often as in the reluctant 1-5 yard line. The 2013 Broncos actually scored MORE rushing TD's than us in 2007. I'm confused.

Quit pretending to be a Patriots fan. You're a Broncos fan trolling on the bye week.

And the 2007 Patriots (17) had more rushing TDs than the 2013 Broncos (16), according to PFR.com. If you're going to troll, do it right.

 

[supafly]

And apparently not a very good troll at that, judging by their confusing use of "we/us" on both sides--unless I just read it incorrectly.

 

[Deus Irae]

And apparently not a very good troll at that, judging by their confusing use of "we/us" on both sides--unless I just read it incorrectly.

Yep.......

 

[Joker]

must be advance scouts from that "Orange Mange" message board.