Breaking down the 91

sure welker is the no.2 receiver,but its more like he will fill gaffneys role.we need a true threat on the other end of moss,and welker running the slot,or crossing route.

Welker will not fill Gaffneys role. Joey or Lewis will end of story.

It only makes sense to sign players under the top 51 players at this point. That way if you cut them they don't count against the cap at all.

Welker is the number 2 receiver in terms of talent and production, but he plays the slot, which is traditionally considered the "#3" receiver. I have no problems referring to him as the #2 receiver on the team, even though he is the "Y" (slot) receiver.

I think it depends on whether or not Randy Moss is physical enough to get off press coverage, because if he's on the line in the traditional "X" spot, he is going to get jammed, and he's seemed to have issues with that in the past. It really comes down to who is the more physical receiver. If Galloway (small, but rather large for his size, considering he's a receiver - 5'11", 197) can beat press coverage, we could see Moss off the line. If Galloway can't beat press coverage, we could see Moss on the line and him off the line. If neither of them can do it, they might throw Lewis out there and see if he can, even though he's smaller (6', but only 180 lbs), he's quick and much younger (possibly able to wear guys down over the course of a game). All in all, I think Galloway would be a fairly large upgrade over Gaffney if he can still run like he used to, and if not, Lewis would be about a break even proposition.

darryl.....they picked up Galloway for that. The guy still has speed, regardless of his age.

On an unrelated note....

I went out to Patriot Place this weekend and went to the hall. It was awesome. I highly recommend it for any/all fans and when I went on Saturday (about 6:30 pm) it was almost deserted so I got to use all the interactive things there with no wait, and got about 10 pictures with the SB trophies.

There's no way they pull Welker out of the slot, no one in the league can do it better than him. Galloway's their best bet at repalcing Gaffney, he might even catch a few passes !

I like this discussion on Welker. My feeling is that the perception of him around the league is as a slot receiver. But he was playing in two-receiver sets over Gaffney for much of last year. Part of that was the adjustment to Cassel and Welker serving as almost a quasi-like running back, with short passes almost serving as running plays. Will be interesting to see if that stays the case with Brady back.
--Mike

The Pat's had a passing play two years ago that was unstopable. Moss would line-up on the outside with Welker on the inside and they would run a criss-cross pattern. With Brady's accuracy, the play would either have a 4-5 yard reception to Welker on the sidelines, or a 10-12 yard reception to Moss on the inside. I like the play, but the Pat's should have a Welker/Faulk combination for running that play. Moss should be on the other side of the field to prevent teams from double teaming either Welker or Faulk

I don't know how the tight end position can be called "deep" - unless we're talking quantity over quality. If we have 6 tight ends, with at least three or four vying equally for the majority of the snaps, we have no top NFL tight end. This underscores the curious decision by Belichick to trade picks forward into next year, even though this draft was called one of the deepest in years in tight ends. And, of course, we're still short a pass rushing linebacker. It's a litle like a person with a leaky roof rolling his savings into a CD that can't be accessed for a year. Sure, there will be some additional interest earned, but he's getting drenched in the meantime.

Hey, either way you look at it, nobody will drop all the passes Gaffney did. He Cost us the playoffs himself.

JoeJ, Baker is a very good tight end who can catch balls in traffic as well as block. Is he a "top NFL tight end"? Probably not. Unfortunately the Patriots operate under a salary cap like everyone else and can't have a Pro Bowl player at every position. As far as outside linebacker goes, whoever they put there can't be any worse than Vrabel was last season, plus they get Adalius back. Also, they have 3 young guys in Woods, Redd, and Crable who all have great physical talent and will compete for the job. The part of this team you should worry about are the overrated Dan Koppen and Stephen Neal on the interior of the O line and the washed-up Tedy Bruschi and undersized Gary Guyton sharing time at ILB.

Mike, I don't understand why you're implying that Watson could be the odd man out if Alex Smith makes it. As much as I think he's overrated, he's still better than Thomas, and only saves the team $450k in cap space if cut. Watson is a lock to make the roster. However, I do think he'll lose a lot of time to Baker, who I believe is the better TE -- not just as a blocker either.

The rule changes in the passing game have made the fullback position obsolete. You now have 3 or 4 wideouts, 2 or 3 tight end sets, H-backs, etc. Short yardage you can use a lineman as a lead blocker. I expect the Pats to add depth to the receiving corp. An extra wr or te.
Versatility in their offensive linemen appears to be big and Mark LeVoir played pretty good last year at either tackle position, so how about sliding Nick Kaczur inside to right guard? Less wear and tear on Steve Neal might extend his career a little. It would definitely add gameday versatility to the line.

Marvcook,

I agree that the O-line is very overrated and Tedy is washed up. Those are the two areas that worry me the most. Tedy is a shell of himself out there.

I agree with "marvcook".....

No we don't have a ProBowl TE but most teams don't.
I think what Bill is looking for is a player that can stay out there all the time.
If you have a TE that comes on for Passing plays and another that comes on for running plays then Defenses can get tipped off by your different packages.
I think D Thomas is gone. Baker, Watson, Smith stay on.

As for OLB - Crable is my selection. He has the Size, Build and Speed that Bill has talked about in the past. He didn't like any of the LBs in this draft b/c they were smaller & slower.

As for ILB - definitely a concern especially after losing the rookie McKenzie.
I'd love to see them pick up a cap casualty as there's not much on the market now unless that guy from St. Louis is still available.
Guyton is interesting but he's definitely undersized......although so was Tedy.

As for WR - Lewis and Galloway will share time on the outside. Undoubtedly one will have an injury (Galloway) or make stupid plays (Lewis) and they'll each take turns. It'll be interesting to see if / when Tate gets back to full speed.

Jimbo...Gaffney cost us the playoffs?????

You cost the taxpayer alot too...get a effen job, you moron.

How about the lack of a fullback for blocking for the running game and for protection of Brady? I saw a replay of the Pats-Eagles Super Bowl and the kind of dodging and mobility that was required of both McNabb and Brady when they got to that level. I thought wistfully that the kind of mobility they both showed will never be shown again. We are an injury to Baker short of really messing this up this year.

i doubt that woods or redd are better than vrable. if they are why didn't they start ahead of him.

I think our WR situation is in good shape as Galloway and Lewis should be able to contribute as much as Gaffney. Hoping for no injuries again, but our run offense was actually pretty good last year (delayed draws) and should be stronger this year depending on O-line performance. I actually like our TE situation; we can't have everything therefore we shouldn't be comparing it to Gonzo or Gates. I feel that Watson, Smith, and Baker are all below average starting quality TEs. Although they aren't elite, having 3 starting caliber TEs is more than serviceable. We have the option to run a solid two TE set with those 3 guys. I agree with marvcook that the O-line and Linebacker situation is the most worrisome. But Mayo is a clear bright spot (article on patriots.com about how Mayo has been watching film and working out non-stop at Foxboro since the end of the season). Seems like a kid that will overachieve the unreal expectations that Pats fans already have.

Hi MarkZ. I'm not saying he would necessarily be cut. But if Watson has some value on the trade market, and they feel good about Baker/Smith/Thomas or Baker/Smith/DeVree or Baker/Smith/Listorti, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that Watson is moved. I could see him as the type of player who would have some value on the market. If he sticks ... I think Watson runs better than Baker, so Watson would be the choice in 3 WR/1 TE groupings. But if Smith shows he can run as well as Watson, and be a threat down the seam, then I think that could impact some of Watson's playing time.
--Mike

I think with Heath Evans no longer here, they will keep four TE's. Smith, Thomas, and Watson can play special teams and BB likes speed and size on special teams...

Mike, I agree that Watson runs better than Baker. But I think Baker's hands are worlds better than Watson's, and I also think he's better than Watson after the catch. Baker is a pretty good receiver that was used stupidly in the Mangini era. We could see Fauria-like production in the red zone from Baker with Watson being used more between the 20s. I'm not sure where Smith will fit into the equation.

As for trading Watson, yeah they could probably get some value for him and he's in the last year of his contract, but there needs to be a line drawn as far as how much talent they let walk this year. Is stockpiling more day two picks a priority over keeping a guy that was on the field as much as Watson was last year?

They should keep 4 TEs. They'll lose a couple to injuries at some point this year.

realistic-i agree about gallowway being on the other side.i was just saying we need that other threat because we havent seen him in action yet,and i hope he fits the bill.i also think watson does very well when brady is in the line-up.i think the pats could get some kind of trade value for watson.for if he is in the right system that fits him.he can be good.

Mike-
I'm stunned that you think BB is just going to hand the 2nd string QB position to O'Connell. Stunned. Where's the competition?

MarkZ, no disagreement from me on Baker having better hands than Watson. I still think Watson's speed, and the fact he is more threatening to a defense in a three-receiver set, would lead him to play more in that grouping. We'll see how it plays out and revisit. ...MikeO, you are right. Nothing is handed to anyone. I think this post details the thoughts on the backup quarterback spot pretty well.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2009/05/no_2_qb_in_focu.html#comments
--Mike

I think the running game battle should be interesting. Be nice to see the Maroney that played at the end of the 2007 season back in 2009. If he can start and have Taylor backup Maroney, then have Morris as a short yardage back, then finally Faulk as our third and long back we could have a nice committee. Hopefully the the injury proneness of the first 3, splitting up the time with mitigate any injuries this year. Can see Hochstein or Vollmer coming in as a part-time fullback in goal line and short yardage situations.

Watson is a much better blocker than he is given credit for.

Last year he blocked about as well as Daniel Graham once did, which is quite an accomplishment for someone who was considered an overgrown wide receiver when he was drafted.

It is amusing that someone who was drafted to be a pass-catching TE seems to have developed into a blocking TE due to both hard work and stone hands.

If Brady is back and healthy which I expect he will be, he'll do wonders for Baker. Baker has good hands and is very good in traffic. We haven't had a good red zone tight end since Fauria left and now that Vrabel is in KC, Baker is the best bet inside the 20. Look for Brady to run some plays for him near the goal line. If this offense can stay healthy and the O-line can protect #12, we could smash the '07 offensive records.

As far as receivers go, I don't expect Brandon Tate to play this year. He is recovering from a torn ACL and with the depth at receiver, we can 'redshirt' him while he learns the offense and get him ready for 2010. Galloway is on a one year deal so replacing him with Tate in 2010 is logical. It's also the Patriot way.

Guyton is definitely the answer inside. He runs like a cornerback and undersized? He is 6'2 1/2 243. He was pretty much the starter next to Mayo last year and he was a Rookie and Belichick likes him. OLB-this looks good for the future Crable and Vincent Redd both fit the bill for Bill. Crable-6'5 245 4.61 40time.
Vincent Redd-6'6 263 4.55 40time-undrafted gem like Guyton who came on late in season but hurt instantly. The future at linebacker-looks-good,young,talented,big and really fast. Lastly, I wish the Navy players could stay and not serve duty.
Eric Kettani-6'0 1/2 233 4.59-a more talented Heath Evans that would play like evans would run the ball and not be a big blocking FB. Aaron Curry #4 pick said Kettani was one of the best RB's he ever faced. Shun White-5'9 190 4.3 40 blazing speed and played running back at Navy, would be the perfect return man for us. He averaged 8 yards a carry for the season. Even Tyree Barnes from Navy is suppose to be pretty fast and big. I cannot wait for this season.Fred Taylor, Galloway, Guyton and Mayo with a year under their belt. Crable back from inury. Jason Taylor possibly to disturb the other teams QB,s. Leigh Bodden big and fits our system. Shawn Springs. Merriweather coming off a good year. Darius Butler-the steal of the draft. He should have been a early first rounder. Chung-could become the next Bob Sanders or Troy P. Then Sanders and McGowen for depth. Brace . We have so much depth. We the best.

Greg Lewis could be the 3 and he would be a huge upgrade over Gaffney. Now, with the OTA's going on media reports"Galloway has not lost much of his world class speed"