Murphys95
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Somehow, this sentence comes out funny.TP76 said:IMO they probably let him go if he wishes, as a reward for his years of service.
Kdo5 said:Yeah yeah yeah. We still have Watson. Watson Watson Watson. I hope you understand that Daniel Graham is the best TE on the Patriots and is a crucial part to this offense. He is one of the best blocking tight ends in football now and he can fly under the radar and make big catches here and there. We need to resign Graham. Jesus, its as if some people here just dont know how big a role Graham plays in this offense. He deserves a good contract and the Patriots should give him one. We should not let him slip away to another team.
donb said:The name of Jesus should be used with reverence, not as a curse.
Graham is a good not spectacular all around tight end. If he has a solid year someone will probably pay him more than the Patriots estimate his value to be. IMO, he ranks in the middle of NFL tight ends and should be paid as such.
PonyExpress said:Graham is not the best blocking TE in the league. There are TEs who are pure blockers and have no pretense of being offensive weapons who are superior to Graham at blocking. The reason Graham is valued is that the 2 TE offense is predicated on both being threats as pass catchers who can threaten the seam AND as blockers. That is how the mismatches are created. So Graham's value is not his excellence in one area, but his versatility, which should surprise noone since this is a BB hallmark. What supporters of Graham may really be trying to say is NOT that he is the best blocking TE in the NFL, but the best blocking TE who can also pose a threat as a pass catcher. Those are two different things. As such, Graham is a good blocker and IMO an inconsistent receiving threat. He has struggled with durability. Last year due to shoulder problems his blocking was average and his receiving sub-par. Graham had a good game last week against Cinci's porous front 7. IMO D. Thomas will be a more reliable pass catcher and if he can improve his blocking, the way Shockey and other TEs have who entered the league not noted for blocking, he may adequately fill Graham's shoes at comparatively low cost.
flutie2phelan said:These considerations have the effect of
focusing me on
re-signing Dan Koppen.
PonyExpress said:Thomas will be a more reliable pass catcher and if he can improve his blocking, the way Shockey and other TEs have who entered the league not noted for blocking, he may adequately fill Graham's shoes at comparatively low cost.
PonyExpress said:During the Branch debacle, Graham was quoted in the BGlobe regarding his own contact situation, saying, "I'll give them one shot, and them I'm gone." sniff, sniff, boo hoo. I also question where the offseason trade rumors regarding Graham emerged from. After listening to an interview with the Broncos GM, I was left with the impression that the rumors may have been initiated by Graham and his agent, and not by the Broncos at all. Furthermore, there has been much discussion about how Graham had to be left in to block for Brady over the years because of the O-line troubles, and that was why he didn't catch more passes. Question: If the organization truly believed Graham to be an important and reliable weapon in the passing game, don't you think they would have found a way to integrate him more? I do. Bavaro regularly caught 50+ passes. Graham never has come close to that production. Bavaro was being charitable in his description of Graham, because he has a personal relationship with him ever since he was brought in to tutor him after Graham's slow development as a rookie. In fact Bavaro was mystified by Graham's sub-par performance as late as the 2003 postseason. My source for this was Deossie on air, who said he asked his old Giant buddy about Graham's tendency to hot-potato passes in his breadbasket. Bavaro shrugged his shoulders and said nobody could figure it out, because he "catches everything in practice". Based on my own following of Graham's career, the idea that Graham is the best TE since Bavaro is absurd.
On what do you base this claim?patsfan13 said:Bravaro isn't given to hyperbole either.
patsfan13 said:IMO Graham is worth Top 5 money. BB places a high value on Te's and feels they are hard to find and are essential to the type of O he wants to run. Other than DL he has used more 'precious' Rd 1 picks on TE's that tells you a lot.
Graham is the BEST blocking TE in FB period. I think his rep for dropping passes is from his first year or two andis obsolete at this point. Heck Watson has dropped a few this year.
Remember Mark Bravaro said in the article posted here that Graham was the best all around TE in FB. Frankly I'll take his word for it over anyone on this board.