Patriots WR Analysis: Receivers face stiff challenges in 2000

This is part of a multi-week series on the analysis of every position on the Patriots from 1999. This week’s subject: Receivers.

Did Patriot Nation really know what it had in Shawn Jefferson? It doesn’t matter now, it’s too late to speculate.

It is surprising that so many fans had Jefferson written off by the end of the year. Given the depth chart and salary cap considerations, the masses didn’t figure he’d stay around with the Patriots into the new millenium. Sure enough, you could still smell the smoke from the starting gun of free agency when Jefferson inked a four-year deal with Atlanta.

So, Jefferson’s gone. That’s what we all wanted, right?

Not only that, but all-world tight end Ben Coates (didn’t Howard Cosell lay the “all-world” moniker on another Patriot tight end, a helicopter pilot/Kahuna maven named Russ Francis?) was let go in a salary dump. Coates, the holder of the NFL record for most receptions by a tight end, suddenly went from Drew Bledsoe’s most reliable receiver to an old and overpaid veteran. And, also quite surprisingly, Coates’ release was met with a moderate majority of approval from Patriot Nation.

No more Jefferson, no more Coates. You all okay with that?

Jefferson was not pursued because of less expensive wideouts waiting in the wings. Coates was let go because most NFL observers contend that he can no longer play at his previous high level, and thus is no longer worth his high price tag. On the surface, both moves seem sensible, albeit unfortunate.

Until you get around to replacing them. Or, for that matter, trying to.

The Patriots signed Eric Bjornson on Saturday. Bjornson, having spent the last five years with the Dallas Cowboys, had two good years and three invisible years in his stay in Big D. Trouble is, his two “good years” equaled one good year for Coates. Bjornson had 97 catches in 1996 and 1997 combined. Coates had 96 in 1994 alone.

Bjornson is three inches shorter and thirty pounds lighter than Rod Rutledge. One can thus conclude that Bjornson was not brought up here to move 300-pound men off the line of scrimmage. The best guess here is that Bjornson is a stopgap replacement for Coates, until a better receiving tight end can be brought in at a later date.

It is not uncommon for teams to have two tight ends with differing specialties. In 1985, the Patriots had Lin Dawson as their blocking tight end, and Derrick Ramsey specialized in receiving. Dawson’s blocking was dearly missed in Super Bowl XX, as he was injured on the Patriots’ first offensive play and the rest of the game was all Chicago.

The real problem will be how much Bledsoe misses Coates and what he could do for him. If Coates has indeed lost the ability to get open on third down with two defenders holding him, then his loss is minimized. Still, assuming Coates being waived was the right thing to do, the Patriots are left without a player of Coates’ ability, and Bjornson simply is not the lomg term answer. How the Patriots deal with this in 2000 is a very critical issue.

The departure of Jefferson has left the competition for the number two wide receiver spot wide open. Jefferson, quite possibly the most underrated Patriot of all, gave the team four very steady years, with a few flashes of brilliance here and there. This now puts Troy Brown, Tony Simmons, Vincent Brisby and perhaps Sean Morey in a position of fighting for Jefferson’s spot, and how well the winner does will determine the full impact of Jefferson’s loss.

Whether or not one of these four men can step up and come close to Jefferson’s output is not certain. Brown, who also came to terms on a new contract on Saturday, is more of a slot receiver on third down and not an every-down receiver. Brisby has had ample opportunity in his seven years to prove himself worthy of starting, and he has yet to convince anyone to that effect. Morey is known only as Michael Bishop’s go-to guy; in reality he is green around the gills and has not ever gone up against a top-flight cover man. This is not to say that Morey doesn’t deserve a total shakedown, and his time in Europe will definitely be time well invested.

The favorite to break out of the pack here would be Simmons. The knock on Simmons is his inability to run precise routes, and he still does not have a good feel of timing patterns. The latter is very understandable given the small amount of playing time he usually gets.

Simmons is big and very fast, cut from the Keyshawn Johnson mold. But unlike the more experienced Johnson, Simmons does not possess the ability to “get open” in tight coverages. Simmons has shown breakaway speed on sideline and post patterns, but he’s no Randy Moss.

What Simmons needs is more playing time. You could say the same for Brisby, but Brisby seems more like trade bait/salary dump material than the heir apparent to Jefferson. Simmons needs to emerge as the man opposite Terry Glenn. Bill Belichick should try and work Simmons more into the offense until he proves that he just can’t cut it. It’s sort of like Tebucky Jones on offense, but in this case Simmons is at his natural position.

What if Simmons didn’t have the misfortune of attending the same college as Ron Dayne? One can only wonder.

Finally, whither Terry Glenn?

You can bet that Glenn is one happy critter now that Pete Carroll is gone. He is also thrilled to death that Belichick is now his coach.

That’s great. Let’s see how thrilled Glenn is when Belichick calls him “Theresa”. If it means 90 catches in 2000, gimme the podium mike and I’ll do it.

Belichick’s disciplined approach will be ideal for the troubled Glenn. No more benching for a quarter or suspending for a game. Belichick will know what to do with Glenn, and it’s possible that Glenn is perhaps looking forward to the butt-kickings he might be in for.

Miraculously, Glenn stayed healthy in 1999. Combine that with a return to the surrogate father coaching style, and you might have Glenn back at the top of his game. This possibility has to excite Bledsoe greatly.

Bringing Charlie Weis back into the fold also bodes well for Glenn. Weis was Glenn’s position coach in his rookie year, and the numbers speak for themselves. As offensive coordinator, you have to figure that Glenn will be preying on Weis’ thoughts. If he stays healthy, there is no reason why Glenn cannot approach 90 catches in 2000.

As much as Coates will be missed on third down, let us not forget that Coates didn’t even earn the nickname “Third Down”.

Brown’s re-upping was crucial to the fortunes of the ball club. Punt returning is to stay in good hands, but so is having the hot guy on third down. Brown will not fight through mud and muck to get open, but instead will slip into zone seams and make like Wayne Chrebet, except better. Brown is not big enough to play every down, but he will be the prime target on third and long, assuming he is brought in as a third wideout. Operating from the slot, he has shown over the years to find the open seam with the best of them.

The Patriot receivers will again be counted on to come up big, as long as the running game remains suspect. Not having Jefferson and Coates will be both eerie and telling. It is not impossible that the Patriots can still enjoy a great passing attack with who’s left. But they have to stay healthy, and simply play big and smart.

And also get open quickly. Bledsoe had more blitz nightmares the other night and he asked me to throw that line in.

Next week: offensive line.

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About Bob George

Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139

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