Not feelin' the love for Collie here.....
I don't really expect him to be an impact player, do you? I guess "contributing" is too loose of a term, he may catch a few balls, but I think it is difficult to come in here and pick up the offense is all I'm saying...
I think it's difficult to get much of a read on what Collie may do here. We probably won't know until Belichick gets a chance to see him in our scheme.
It could be that he's nothing more than a depth signing, or it could be that he might be an upgrade to a guy like Boyce, who isn't getting Brady's trust for whatever reason so far and appears to be quite raw still.
It also should be noted that Collie is at least an experienced NFL player who has played in many big games/playoffs, and who has produced in a scheme with some similar nuances. I'm not as sure with a player like Josh Gordon, but then again, I don't know the specifics of the CLE offense this year or last either.
I'm sure I have no idea. BB must feel it is possible because he's done it more than once.
Just out of curiosity, Mack--how many times has it been done here, and what were the players (at the specific position of WR)?
The most recent one I remember is Jabar Gaffney in 2006, who had an absolutely awful season and didn't contribute a damn thing until the postseason after slowly learning the system throughout the year.
It's quite possible that I am forgetting someone who has been more recent.
I think one important aspect to remember is that even Belichick himself claimed that Collie had done many similar things in some ways, and that it was probably just a difference in speak/terminology that he'd have to get. While that shouldn't be understated, it's also worth noting that there are some exceptions in certain situations where Belichick believes that it's worth the risk.
Now, trading for a higher round pick is something altogether different, due to Collie being a low risk situation. I couldn't imagine Belichick pulling the trigger for an outsider who costs so much. If it were going to be done, I think we would've seen it during the summertime, which makes a lot more sense.
I don't think there's no chance of a WR picking up the offense in half a season, but I'd much rather give a chance to the free agent than the guy that would cost a second round pick.
I definitely think that there's a chance of someone picking it up in 1/2 a season, as we kind of saw with Gaffney in '06 who produced nicely in the playoffs, but what happens to him in the meantime?
Do we actually pull the trigger on a major trade for a player who is going to be totally inactive for at least the next 3-4 games at a minimum, and then will still be learning things for the next several games after that? I'd have a hard time seeing something like that happening here, as I'm sure you probably would too.
