Fencer
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 14,293
- Reaction score
- 3,986
The Patriots have three elite receivers capable of getting open quickly - Welker and the top 2 TEs. That they do it in different ways (Gronk is open even when he's standing still) is a detail; what's important is that they do. With 3, it's a good bet that 2 will be healthy at any one time. Those are good odds.
Yeah, there's a lot of value to be had in paying all 3 of them AND our elite QB.
I lean toward thinking that it's better to pay up for instigators than for reactors, especially reactors on the edge. Why? Because if a guy's job is to react, then the other team has an option of playing away from him (less so if he's in the center of the field). If his job is to instigate, then his own team can force him to be relevant on every play if it chooses -- even if that relevance just is drawing a double team that often smothers him. I'd let the younger but fragile Vollmer walk if that were the price of keeping the older but durable for his age Welker.
Yeah, there's a lot of value to be had in paying all 3 of them AND our elite QB.
I lean toward thinking that it's better to pay up for instigators than for reactors, especially reactors on the edge. Why? Because if a guy's job is to react, then the other team has an option of playing away from him (less so if he's in the center of the field). If his job is to instigate, then his own team can force him to be relevant on every play if it chooses -- even if that relevance just is drawing a double team that often smothers him. I'd let the younger but fragile Vollmer walk if that were the price of keeping the older but durable for his age Welker.
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