Success

Alright, I went a little overboard. I was thinking more "generally" - there are weeks were even the top receivers only get 2-3 catches, and there are often a few games missed.

So much rests on Coleman, imo. I feel like Samuel will have a much better season if he's healthy and he & Palmer can be the good 3rd & 4th options we need. Shakir is ever-reliable. I don't think Coleman will be elite, but he showed some flashes before he was hurt last year of having a decently high ceiling. He needs to become that 6-8 catch per week guy. Here's hoping.

I'd love to see a more comprehensive analysis - which is probably hard to come by without a lot of research. The conclusion that it doesn't matter for a WR who his QB is seems to fly in the face of logic. But your posts are working. I promise not to get too hopeful if we sign this guy.

On what are you basing the bolded?

I voted WR - but I wouldn't say we're "weak" at WR. I think that just speaks to how strong we are in other units. I debated safety, but I have a good enough feeling about Bishop having a good year that we should be solid there. I think there are more variables in the passing game - can Coleman or Kincaid take a big step forward? Was Samuel's disappointing season last year largely due to injury? Can Palmer excel w/ Allen throwing to him? A lot of that stuff could pan out too - but right now there is just more uncertainty around WR than safety.

Great write-up. I loved this draft, and the emphasis on defense. I really don't want to pull my hair out anymore in the 4th quarter of playoff games.

Good homework! Can't imagine how much time that took. Are you just trying to convince us to not get excited about anything again?

Watching highlights - he's good after contact. Breaks tackles & fights for extra yards. I agree that he's not a huge needle-mover, but we need one more guy and he'd at least be more of a deep threat than what we have.

Of course, he's right. For starters - some of the criticism re: not going for a receiver in the mid-rounds is mystifying. This was a weak WR draft - unless we went 1st or 2nd round again, it's extremely unlikely that we'd get anyone better than what we have right now. Even a "speed" guy would have minimal impact - we weren't getting a WR 2 or 3 in those rounds. But beyond that - the offense has rarely been the issue. As he said, we are often one of the league leaders in scoring. I'm thrilled w/ how the draft went, and their strategy. Seems like every guy we got in the 1st 4 rounds was projected higher, and they could all have an immediate impact. We won't know until the playoffs - but for once, it would be nice if the D didn't let us down, and could actually control a game.

This really ticked me off - I thought it was incredibly mean spirited. But, I'm inclined not to judge to harshly. I wouldn't want to be judged by my worst stuff when I was in my 20's.

We're definitely missing a true #1 - but it's really not even close to the worst group. Samuel is better than what we saw last year - I'm surprised he even played w/ turf toe. Coleman looked great before his injury. A lot of the success of this group depends on him taking a step this year. We know we can rely on Shakir, and I think Palmer - though not a star - is a good separate guy and gives us some versatility. Shenault is kind of a wildcard - I remember some here wanted him in that draft, and he hasn't had great situations. I think it's a better group than what we had last year. Not by a mile or anything - but it's fine when you have a QB like JA.

I look at the 2 top AFC teams while the Bills were going through the drought. The Patriots rarely made big investments in WR's. Moss was the exception, and they didn't win the SB with him. They did win the SB fairly often w/ not much more than what we have at WR, and sometimes less. The Colts DID invest in WR's, often - 1st round picks, FA acquisitions. They made 2 SB's and won 1. When you have a QB as good as Allen, Brady, Manning, et al. - the best thing you can do is build the O-line into a top unit. If that QB has time, he doesn't need superstar receivers. Allen was MVP last year with arguably a worse WR corps than what we will have this season. There is too much hand-wringing about WR.

That's really it. They have come up short to this point, despite best intentions. But you have to keep trying. I certainly like the picks - but we just won't know for a couple of years if they got it right this time.

And the offense can score more points when the defense holds the opposing offense to fewer points.

I have always contended that we probably wouldn't know the name of either guy if they were in half of the teams in the league. Brady made them stars.

I wish I could thank this more than I did.

Our opponents have averaged over 33 points per game in our playoffs losses. Our offense is always going to score w/ Allen & a solid surrounding cast. We didn't need a round 3 receiver in a pretty middlin' receiver draft to move the needle there. But we need a defense that can shut teams down. I don't know how this draft will pan out - but I like the mindset, the strategy and the picks. In the 1st 4 rounds, every pick we got was expected to go before our pick by most pundits I saw, and they all bring something to the table that we haven't really had. I love this draft. Combined w/ our FA additions, it's hard to see this defense being any less than top 5 (and not just statistically).

Um.....how? It's the SEVENTH ROUND.

Wasn't Stevie J. a 7th rounder?

Honestly, you just seem intent on disproving the idea that New England didn't make big investments in WR's. Still haven't quite managed that, however.

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to glean from this. My original point stands: the Pats won their SB's with pretty middlin' receiver corps.

BB didn't spend a lot of time trying to get top receivers. He had a franchise QB, and without doubt, his TOP PRIORITY was to protect that QB. They consistently had a top O-line, and a receiver corps populated by guys that would have been no names on many other teams. How's that? More understandable?

Okay.

Not really the point I was trying to make - which was that they won 6 SB's w/ receiver corps that are pretty much on par w/ what we have, or worse.

For me - as much as I still hate them - the Pats are the blueprint. Build the trenches, build a championship D, have a top O-line. If you have a great QB, he can make stars out of middlin' guys. The only time the Pats really invested in a top WR, they didn't win a SB.