3. If the Bengals told Johnson just go out and get open, he still has to read the defense and go to the open area.[/'quote]
Thats the point, no he doesnt. They don't tell him to get open.
See let me explain this to you. Most teams call a pass play that has a combination of routes design to exploit the defense. The complementary routes are designed to draw coverage away from the primary route. The Patriots are unique in that their pass plays have OPTIONS, meaning depending upon the coverage you have a different route. 85 has NEVER done that. That doesnt excuse him sucking at it, but it is the reason he struggled. Its really kind of simple.
By the way, no team tells recievers to just go get open.
(b) There is no question, IMO, that the success 85 had in Cincy included being in a system that revolved around designing, calling, and executing plays to use his strengths to get him open. When he becomes a ''normal WR' the equation changes.
1. How is Johnson not a normal WR? Because he was the #3 WR? There should have been more opportunities for him since he was not drawing the defenses best DBs. You cant have it both ways.
Normal, meaning not the focus of the offense. I don't want it both ways. He is not real good at running a variety of routes. The things that worked for him in Cincy are not the things he is doing here. Again, not an excuse in any way.
2. The Pats are only asking him to do 3 things on the field - 1 run the correct route, 2 get open, 3 catch the ball. Thats all. Do that and Brady will get you the ball. He wants to win and his favorite target is the open WR.
And he is not doing that. How do you figure that me explaining why he is not doing that is making an excuse?
(c) Is it possible that he learns a part of the game that came hard to him in his first year? Sure. Is there any reason to believe he can be as productive here as he was in Cincy? Not really, unless we redesign our offense to highlight him, and set up route groupings that are designed to free him up.
1. So what youre saying is that Johnson has the ability to be a 1000 yard WR if only the Pats wouldtake advantage of his strengths.40 receptions, 500 - 600 yards and 4 - 5 TDs would have been a promising first season for him.
NO. What I am saying is if you design the offense around him and make him your primary weapon he can produce. He has shown that. Why you feel that is a complement is beyond me.
In no way did I say this is what they should have done. I am simply saying that is what he needs to succeed, in other words that is his limitation.
There are tons of WRs who could produce under those circumstances.
If you could see through your bias, you would see that my comment is closer to he only produced those #s in Cincy because of the way they used him, than saying the Patriots misused him.
(d)We simply have too many better weapons than 85 to use them as decoy or complementary pieces for 85.
Oh, too bad for Brandon Lloyd huh?
Yeah, this makes on sense. We have other receivers that are better than 85 so we didn't make him the focus of the offense and that is bad for Brandon Lloyd.
And somehow that was making an excuse for 85?
Dude, you need to get a grip. My posts about 85 are not even close to positive. Since you have this dislike bias you seem to think anything ohter than OCHOSTINKO SUCKS is some sort of ringing endorsement.
My posts say he failed. Just because I don't call him names while saying that doesn't all of a sudden make them positive.