2014 Off-Season Additions for the Offense

[superpats]

Ok i didnt see jackson a total bust but i Felt had inflated production kinna like mark clayton of ravens.jackson had some holes in his game all in all. Get straight what i said. I said i would prefer one of those rare talents that only come along so often like a Justin Blackmon, AJ Green,or Dez Bryant than a taylor price or chad jackson whom we are hopeful of. If we can get an elite rare talent with a late #1 or early #2 Whats the difference as long as we can secure one of those rare talents. Also i dont care what early round a bust is from. A bust is a bust! Unless they drafted several players from that position the bust sets the team back. It sets the offense back! So its a matter of which question mark would u rather a player have. A rare talent if he can avoid trouble with the law or a player with question marks on if he has the skill to be a legit starter much less blue chip skills. Justin Blackmon and Josh Gordon are rare talents. Gordon whom we could have had next to nothing compared to what he's worth, we lost out on him ever catching passes from Tom Brady. NOW Justin Blackmon who we can get for far less than what a rare talent is worth.

Simon says BlackmonBlackmonBlackmon. So what maybe i want to see tom brady have a d Thomas type supreme talent that will have a rippling effectt across the offense that can match mannings empire. ITs not happening with Bradys ewok wr"s. So BlackmonBlackmonBlackmon beats resign EdelmanEdelmanEdelman. At least im realistic and honest. An offense fronting Blackmon Dobson Gronk Amendola Vereen ridley sounds pretty awesome and exciting. Theres really no more room on this offense for more slot ewoks or developmental"s. If we get a Blackmon or Britt then Dobson can be the #2 while learning on the fly. I think he is by far most talented of our young guys.

I know i sound like a broken record but i just hate seeing this manning all time talk and how it would be Tom Brady had we traded for Gordon or even Britt. Especially if the team had stayed somewhat healthy even just Gronk coupled with Gordon. If u think im a pain believing in Blackmon, should have seen hoping for Josh Gordon. Im actually ok anticipating wr success in the nfl.

 

[superpats]

I wouldn't want to see Gonzo in the offense. I just think its going to the well to many times. Like i said before lets find the next guy to get 90 catches,12 tds. I know he had his clone except for the murder thing. II know he would just be the #2 te but still. Unless you want him to tudor Gronk and young wrs on science of catching and conditioning to reduce injuries.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

you realize there is a sudden ,persistent buzz in the media about Tony Gonzalez and the Pats, right?..what do you make of this?...EEI, FAN, NFLN...it's buzzing out there...who's behind it? Gonzo's agent?

:wha:

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Id rather pass on a WR all together if it means Britt or nothing.

So they brought Britt in to check him out, but if WR LaFell was just signed, that may be it for the receiver group in terms of numbers.

 

[mgteich]

You might check how many receivers we had in last year's Training Camp. My guess is that we are not done.

So they brought Britt in to check him out, but if WR LaFell was just signed, that may be it for the receiver group in terms of numbers.

 

[mayoclinic]

You might check how many receivers we had in last year's Training Camp. My guess is that we are not done.

I'm sure there will be more camp bodies, but this year is very different from last year. Last year the Pats tore up the WR position, dumping Lloyd, not re-signing Branch or Stallworth, and letting Welker walk in FA. Edelman was not viewed as a major building block. So they brought in a bunch of veteran JAGs and drafted/signed a bunch of rookies to let the position sort itself out.

This year Edelman, Amendola, Dobson and Thompkins are all known quantities to a fair extent. More depth and competition is good, and I agree that we'll likely see a bit more, but it's a different situation.

It's too early to tell, but depending on how things work out I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Harrison used as a hybrid WR/move TE. He has the raw skill set for it. Dobson, Lafell and Harrison give the Pats 3 WRs 6' 2 1/2" 210# or bigger, which improves their red zone capability and gives them a bigger WR group than they've had before, while Edelman, Amendola and Boyce give them 3 guys with short area quickness and movement skills who can work underneath. Thompkins fits somewhere in-between, and can probably play both roles to some extent.

It's not a flashy group, but it's a deeper and more solid nucleus than we've had in a while. I personally like the "wide receiver by committee" approach, and encouraging Brady to "use the whole pig". It makes the offense less predictable, and therefore, IMO, better in the long run.

 

[ripatsfan91]

I'm sure there will be more camp bodies, but this year is very different from last year. Last year the Pats tore up the WR position, dumping Lloyd, not re-signing Branch or Stallworth, and letting Welker walk in FA. Edelman was not viewed as a major building block. So they brought in a bunch of veteran JAGs and drafted/signed a bunch of rookies to let the position sort itself out.

This year Edelman, Amendola, Dobson and Thompkins are all known quantities to a fair extent. More depth and competition is good, and I agree that we'll likely see a bit more, but it's a different situation.

It's too early to tell, but depending on how things work out I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Harrison used as a hybrid WR/move TE. He has the raw skill set for it. Dobson, Lafell and Harrison give the Pats 3 WRs 6' 2 1/2" 210# or bigger, which improves their red zone capability and gives them a bigger WR group than they've had before, while Edelman, Amendola and Boyce give them 3 guys with short area quickness and movement skills who can work underneath. Thompkins fits somewhere in-between, and can probably play both roles to some extent.

It's not a flashy group, but it's a deeper and more solid nucleus than we've had in a while. I personally like the "wide receiver by committee" approach, and encouraging Brady to "use the whole pig". It makes the offense less predictable, and therefore, IMO, better in the long run.

Honestly, I love this approach. Bring in Britt on a flier too. Bring in as many big young and experienced receivers and have them compete in camp for a roster spot. Cream rises to the crop, so we will see who actually sticks.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if guys you think will be on the roster get cut. It wouldn't surprise me if neither Amendola or LaFell were on the week one roster. IMO it comes down to who plays the best in TC and who works the hardest. It's impossible to tell now, but it will definitely be interesting to watch.

 

[mgteich]

I agree with your analysis.

I think that you overstep some when you imply that Boyce, Thompkins and Harrison are in any way solid.

I'm sure there will be more camp bodies, but this year is very different from last year. Last year the Pats tore up the WR position, dumping Lloyd, not re-signing Branch or Stallworth, and letting Welker walk in FA. Edelman was not viewed as a major building block. So they brought in a bunch of veteran JAGs and drafted/signed a bunch of rookies to let the position sort itself out.

This year Edelman, Amendola, Dobson and Thompkins are all known quantities to a fair extent. More depth and competition is good, and I agree that we'll likely see a bit more, but it's a different situation.

It's too early to tell, but depending on how things work out I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Harrison used as a hybrid WR/move TE. He has the raw skill set for it. Dobson, Lafell and Harrison give the Pats 3 WRs 6' 2 1/2" 210# or bigger, which improves their red zone capability and gives them a bigger WR group than they've had before, while Edelman, Amendola and Boyce give them 3 guys with short area quickness and movement skills who can work underneath. Thompkins fits somewhere in-between, and can probably play both roles to some extent.

It's not a flashy group, but it's a deeper and more solid nucleus than we've had in a while. I personally like the "wide receiver by committee" approach, and encouraging Brady to "use the whole pig". It makes the offense less predictable, and therefore, IMO, better in the long run.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'm sure there will be more camp bodies, but this year is very different from last year. Last year the Pats tore up the WR position, dumping Lloyd, not re-signing Branch or Stallworth, and letting Welker walk in FA. Edelman was not viewed as a major building block. So they brought in a bunch of veteran JAGs and drafted/signed a bunch of rookies to let the position sort itself out.

This year Edelman, Amendola, Dobson and Thompkins are all known quantities to a fair extent. More depth and competition is good, and I agree that we'll likely see a bit more, but it's a different situation.

It's too early to tell, but depending on how things work out I wouldn't mind seeing Mark Harrison used as a hybrid WR/move TE. He has the raw skill set for it. Dobson, Lafell and Harrison give the Pats 3 WRs 6' 2 1/2" 210# or bigger, which improves their red zone capability and gives them a bigger WR group than they've had before, while Edelman, Amendola and Boyce give them 3 guys with short area quickness and movement skills who can work underneath. Thompkins fits somewhere in-between, and can probably play both roles to some extent.

It's not a flashy group, but it's a deeper and more solid nucleus than we've had in a while. I personally like the "wide receiver by committee" approach, and encouraging Brady to "use the whole pig". It makes the offense less predictable, and therefore, IMO, better in the long run.

When you overrate your offseason lineup, you end up dealing with what we saw last year. I suspect you're doing that same thing, all over again. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[mayoclinic]

When you overrate your offseason lineup, you end up dealing with what we saw last year. I suspect you're doing that same thing, all over again. I hope I'm wrong.

You frequently are, so I'm optimistic.

If I look at the players on the roster and ask whether they are likely to be more productive or less productive than they were in 2013, I come up with the following:

1 Rob Gronkowski. A bit of an unknown coming off an ACL injury, but he played in only 7 games in 2013.

2. Julian Edelman. Probably a bit less productive. 105 catches for 1056 yards was a huge jump for him. I'm not sure we'll see those numbers. But 80-90 receptions for 800-900 yards seems reasonable.

3. Danny Amendola. He missed 4 games and played injured most of the season. I think his 54 receptions and 633 yards is probably going to improve slightly.

4. Brandon Lafell. He produced 600+ yards receiving in each of the last 3 years and averaged 43 receptions and 4 TDs. If he can do that with Tom Brady throwing to him, he'll be solid production.

5. Shane Vereen. He missed 8 games with a wrist injury last year. I think it's not unreasonable to hope he'll be a bigger part of the passing offense in 2014.

6. Aaron Dobson. He had more receiving yards than any rookie WR in the BB/TB era. His foot injury is obviously a concern, but he's already had surgery. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that he could develop.

7. Kenbrell Thompkins. Had nearly the same rookie season as Deion Branch in terms of productivity.

8. Josh Boyce. Showed flashes, but wasn't on the field enough to produce. Talented, but I'd put him in the unknown category for now.

9. Mark Harrison. A complete unknown, though one with a lot of talent and potential. I'm not counting on anything till I can see what he does on the field.

And that doesn't include any other moves at WR or TE, including both FA and the draft.

None of those guys will be over 28 at the start of the 2014 season. There are no guys at the tail end of their careers from whom the Pats are hoping they can squeeze some extra mileage. Lafell is the only guy who won't have had at least 1 year to get familiar with the playbook (not including any subsequent additions and rookies).

It's normal to expect a "2nd year jump" from players. Not everyone makes it, but I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that at least 1 out of Dobson, Thompkins and Boyce may make a significant leap. And I also don't think it's unreasonable to assume that at least 1 out of Gronk, Amendola and Vereen may have a more healthy and productive season.

There's obviously no crystal balls. But you can go into your season with Julio Jones and Roddy White as your outside receives and end up limping, too. There's good depth and enough talent for TB to spread the ball around.

Last year we had nothing at WR at this time, and we were counting on Gronk recovering and Hernandez to carry the load. That didn't work out so well. We'll see how this one plays out.