I don't get the Jonnu bashing at all.
The largest part of it is the disappointing pass-catching production (1 game over 50 yards, 52 against the JETE), and it seems doubtful that he's supposed to only block, though I don't know if he's somehow the greatest blocking TE in the world. (I don't seek out all-22s to make such assessments, because I think there are guys who are better at such assessments on the coaching staff.) But I don't think that's the deal - we picked him up after a career year as a pass catching TE on a 4 year deal for pretty significant coin. I don't know what guys are making as blocking TEs who dont add pass-catching production, but 12.5M APY (50M/4 years, 31M guaranteed) seems steep. We bought high and paid a ton up-front. The number of targets available is not like under Brady (without Thunder & Lightning & Thunder & Lightning at RB), so there is that. Patience will be key, but there might just be plain old misses in that giant spending spree - tactical losses within a promising grand strategy.
I don't get the way some people seem to feel personally offended by various player transactions.
Some work out OK, some work out worse than hoped, some work out better than hoped.
Some people seem to get a lot of glee out of focusing on the ones that work out worse than hoped, and seem to ignore the ones that worked out better than hoped. They also seem to ignore the rise of the team as a whole via having a lot more good than not as good transactions because that works against pointing out what a "disaster" various individual player transactions have been.
That's always annoying - would-be mediots are worse than the real thing.
They seem to get a perverse joy out of being able to say a transaction is/was bad. They seem to heighten their thrill by not allowing for any possibility for a player to improve as they get healthier or more comfortable with the environment or more mature.
With Jonnu I'd say he's underperforming relative to salary and my own expectations, but I can't say why. It could be as simple as Henry is outperforming him. It could be nagging injuries. It could be changes in the scheme where we go with more RBs than TEs so he doesn't get as many opportunities as we/he would like, we are seeing the FB on the field a lot and not in 2TEs as much.
IMO he's a Patriot, and I'll let things play out a lot more before I go negative on the situation.
This is a good - and mature - take.
People's minds are set to instant gratification, instant judgment, instant anything that makes them feel like a smart caller to a talk radio show. We're dummmmmmmb though (at our "argue on a BBS" level)
I'm sure people who are smarter have some concern - but what about, and how much, is likely not what we see from the local bile hydrants. Example - maybe it's "we knew his shoulder is dinged, we want to see what havoc these backs can wreck, he seems to have some use in the backfield too... hope he rises to the occasion when the backs do get stuffed, but for now don't have a stroke." Or maybe they're in the bowels of Gillette already thinking "OMG this guy... not. as. advertised."
Thing is, with that front-loaded deal, we better HOPE that's not it LOL... but if anybody wants to whine how we have to unload him, good luck on that strategy. Expensive way to make room.
Part of what we're seeing is "here we are, you want to see how much Mac can handle, stop our run game. Oh you can't? Okies, that then."
Last game we actually saw N'keal Harry come out of the witness protection program for a few plays, so I think there's an effort being made now to be ready for the day he has to make sure to use every weapon.
Eh, who knows, I just like when the silver helmet guys go the right direction on the field.