Drafting A Thumper And Running Three Or More Safety Sets Doesn't Fully Make Sense.

People are talking about the Patriots possibly playing with three or more safeties. However, people also think the Patriots are going to get a big 270 pound thumping linebacker. It doesn't quite make sense with how the team is built. If the Patriots want to run a 3-2-5 nickle maybe they can do it on early downs and keep the big body guy in the middle for first down. 

The Patriots running with three or more safeties in my opinion means the true linebackers are going to be jacks or edge rushers. Now I like Darrian Beavers and Leo Chanel. If the Patriots take a guy in the draft, they won't be larger than these two. If the Patriots take a larger linebacker, the front three must be able to stop the run. The Patriots do not have that talent on their roster. I do not think the Patriots have the personell to play a 3-3-5 nickle set properly.

Safeties that play middle linebacker are the direction the league is going. The 3-2-6 or 5-6, whatever variation of the three down dime they like. Two corners, a free Safety, and three hybrid safeties. With the front five being a nose tackle, two tackle end hybrids, and two jacks/edge rushers. That's the future or defense. 

Unless the Patriots are getting Jordan Davis and using him as a thumping linebacker instead of an interior  defensive linemen, it just doesn't make sense. 

If the Patriots wanted another big body guy, they're better off converting to a quarter defense. Either a 3-1-7 quarter with a nose tackle and two hybrid tackles that can play edge and an athletic thumper plus four or more safeties, or run a 4-0-7 quarter with four heavier tackle hybrids and running with five safeties.

I don't know, it's just a thought. If anyone can make it work, It's Bill Belichick.

The Patriots Don't Need A Number One Receiver In The Draft

How many times this offseason have we heard "the Patriots need a receiver" ? It didn't stop once the Patriots acquired DeVante Parker. Which is funny because majority of the people still saying the Patriots need a number one receiver are pretty strong with their opinion of Parker. DeVante Parker is supposedly a number one receiver. So why do the Patriots need another number one?

Nelson Agholor is supposed to a number two. Kendrick Bourne is supposed to be a number three according to many. And Meyers is either a number two or three, depending on who one asks. Then the Patriots have Henry who is a number two pass catcher. And Smith who is either better than Henry or less than Burkhead as a pass catcher, depending on who's asked.

On paper, the Patriots theoretically don't need a top tiered pass catcher from the draft. However, the game is not played on paper. With that, the team does not need to invest a top 100 pick on a wideout. However, if one becomes available where the Patriots are comfortable, probably in round three, than the Patriots should take one if they fall.

Taking a developmental round six or seven slot guy still makes sense. I know there are those who want a guy who can't seperate so that Mac Jones has to throw into coverage a.k.a. throw 50-50 balls. It's funny we as fans have bitched about receivers not getting open. We have bitched about N'keal Harry not getting open. At the same time, we will still call Harry a 50-50 guy and say he wasn't used right. Why do we do this? Because as fans, we cannot admit that 50-50 is just another way to say a guy who's covered.

The Patriots don't need another Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, or Brandon LaFell. They need another Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, or, Malcolm Mitchell. That doesn’t mean we will not welcome a guy who can't get seperation from this draft class. We all know if they get one, we will put Randy Moss expectations on him. It's just being real in saying the Patriots don't need a guy they have to force the ball to or to create special plays taking everyone else out of the play, just so one guy might pick up 3 to 5 yards through the air.

Running backs have plays just for them because a handoff only has one option typically. On passing plays there should be four options. There is no reason to design a play that takes all but one pass catcher out of the play. If the defense guesses right and takes the guy out of the play, all that's left is for the quarterback to scramble or throw it away. Thanks but no thanks. 

Lawrence Owens once said that a number one should be the team's third or fourth target. And I agree with that. I also like how Nelson Agholor drew coverage away from everyone else in 2021. He didn't get the same amount of targets as Meyers but defenses treated him like a number one. If Parker is a number one, the Patriots should have two guys putting up Agholor production in 2022. That means there should be two guys that have inflated seasons in 2022, and I think that's gonna be Meyers and Bourne. And fans will fail to realize it until one or both of Parker and Agholor are gone. 

Matt Groh Spoke To The Media And Said A Lot Without Saying Anything.

People have questions about the Patriots offseason approach this year and what to expect in the draft. Media members had the chance to ask Matt Groh, the director of players personnel for the Patriots on April 15th some of these questions in hopes of getting clarity.

Matt Groh said teams cannot rely on the draft get quality receivers. This was in reference to their offseason approach to acquiring a receiver. His response seemed like something that would be true for every position. However, receiver was an important need this season.

Groh admitted to relying on experience from other staff members including Matt Patricia and Elliot Wolf. The Patriots sent Wolf to scout record breaking prospects Jerreth Sterns and Bailey Zappe. Groh is still young and learning the ins and outs. Groh admits he's still learning his job. And how much he values the rest of the staff.

Matt Patricia who Groh mentioned, was the reason the Patriots traded for DeVante Parker. Groh said "Patricia was all in and on the trade early " Matt Patricia was a former head coach and just like there are still players that want to play for the Patriots. There were players who wanted to play for Patricia prior to losing the lions job.

As far as college scouting, Groh said they "do their best scouting with college teams that they're friendly with the staff of." Obviously he acknowledged they have an 'In' at Alabama but he implied that if the staff has connections at other schools, they would have an advantage in those locations also. Everyone knows about the Belichick Saben connection but has anyone really looked into any other possible connections between the Patriots and colleges?

Groh admitted that the college game was changing but also implied that at least when it comes to linebacker, that if college isn't producing the type of player they want, then they have to manufacture that player if need be. Talking about the bigger linebackers. Do not be surprised if they sign or draft a bigger athletic defensive linemen and convert them to linebacker 

Groh also said "guys have to fit schematically." That's should rule out the thought of BPA (best player available) for the most part. The Patriots are going to look for guys who fit what they do before looking at how good they are overall. This is basically how it seems they have always worked things but it had to be made clear, it was still the Patriots way.

When Groh talked about speed, he mentioned about how guys were used and how people define positions. Like a safety and a linebacker. "Guys can be put all over the place and that's a way to increase the speed of a defense."

With Groh's other comments about linebacker, expect the Patriots to possibly draft outside the box at the position. Keep an eye on Jordan Davis from Georgia, the defensive talked has linebacker speed and athletism and would be the type of player Ghor was referring to.

When asked about offensive line Groh stressed the importance of acquiring guys that can play multiple positions. Groh was mainly talking about the draft but it goes to show that guys who are not versatility with their position are going to have a harder time becoming a Patriots player.

After hearing Groh talk about linebacker and offensive line, it's clear that one trick ponys are not what the Patriots want. Even if the Patriots take a receiver, expect them to either be a returner, move tight end capable, or just a true receiver and not limited to just one role or package. It looks like Groh has a strong desire to acquire hybrid players. Typically prototype players may become a thing of the past under Groh.

Groh acknowledged that the team was going to build around Mac Jones's contract but also implied that quarterbacks were getting overpaid. Expect the Patriots to do their best to keep Mac Jones's contract as low as possible for as long as possible. Other teams are struggling because they're paying their quarterback around 25% of the team's salary cap.

The Patriots have a plan for this free agency, that's clear. The question which we won't know, is how well are they doing and executing their plan. People may not be happy with their approach but it's a calculated approach. That approach might not be the approach fans want but it may just be the approach the team needs. 

The Patriots Employ Three Percent Of Players, That Doesn't Mean The Other Ninty Seven Percent Want To Play For The Patriots.

The offseason before the Eagles won the superbowl, former Patriots Blount and Long left the Patriots to play for the Eagles. An Eagle's  lineman then came out and said nobody wants to play for the Patriots. He had to get that from somewhere, where does anyone think he got that from? The former Patriots on his team when he made the comments.

Cole Beasley chose the Buffalo Bills over the Patriots because Tom Brady was too old. Former Patriots's linebacker Marsh said he didn't want to play for the Patriots because he didn't have fun. OBJ chose the Rams over the Patriots in 2021, saying it would've been different if Brady was still with them. Tom Brady chose to go to Tampa and lastly, Rob Gronkowski retired and then unretired to go play in Tampa. Five players we know who chose to play elsewhere instead of in New England.

Then there are players like Kendrick Bourne and Jabrill Peppers who wanted to play for the Patriots. Everytime one of the near 1700 players in the NFL signs with the Patriots, Patriots nation starts talking, joking about how nobody wants to play for the Patriots. At most the Patriots can have on their roster is 90 players but they have to lower it to 53 men. They never have more than 3.15% of the players on under contract.

Granted some players salaries cost to much to be able to sign with the team but I really do have to say that just because there are some players who come out after signing and say that they wanted to play for the Patriots, that we're to believe there isn't an anti Patriots base among the players union? There are a lot of players who think the Patriots are too strick, or too dirty to want to play for them. New England has a bad reputation over the Belichick era.

However that doesn't mean I think nobody wants to play for the Patriots. Also players want to get paid, we know that. A player is going to not only sign with the highest bidder normally but with whom's offering. NFL salaries a better then most careers. We are almost never going to hear a player who just signed a contract with a team say, "I didn't want to sign here, I didn't want to play here." And the reason why we're not likely to hear that is because it's a quick way to never see the field or to get cut. 

When players came out in support of Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham in 2020, what was said by the fanbase? "Well, what else were they going to say?" It's no different when a player says they wanted to play for the Patriots after they signed. There will always be speculation on if comments are legit. And with how often contracts are manipulated to sign players, there will always be speculation that any player that signs elsewhere didn't want to play for the Patriots.

We need to accept that there are players that don't want to play for the Patriots and that's okay. The only time we need as a fanbase to throw it back in people's faces is when there are people in our faces saying nobody wants to play for our team. Otherwise all we're doing is giving ourselves and the team a bad name.

Our fanbase has such a bad reputation and it's warranted enough that we cannot stand ourselves, no wonder other fans can't. And the team doesn't need us doing anymore damage to it's reputation. So rise above the haters instead of lowering yourself because when you lower yourself, you lower all of us.

Better than Elway was at this point of his career with more rings and more comebacks than Rodgers has over his career with the same amount of rings? It must be Russell Wilson.

One player typically doesn't make a team in football but can push a team to the next level. The only position given credit for wins however is the quarterback. So if a team doesn't make the superbowl, that's the player who must be at fault. Sometimes a quarterback can hold a team back and other times the player is unfairly criticized for a team effort. One of the top quarterbacks in the league are currently facing unfair criticism. 

In his first ten seasons in the NFL, John Elway went 89-52-1. He also went 7-5 over that span with 3 superbowl losses. Over that span there wasn't really any talk of if Elway was truly a franchise quarterback or if he was an elite quarterback. Flash forward two decades and a quarterback with similar a career path is being questioned. 

There's a quarterback whom over ten seasons has a record of 104-53-1. Going 9-7 in the playoffs, appearing in two superbowls and winning one. Maybe it's a touchdown thing, let me go look but one ring is better than three losses.

Over his first ten seasons Elway had a combined 188 touchdowns and a combined 241 fumbles and interceptions. In the playoffs he had 20 combined touchdowns and 8 combined fumbles and interceptions.

The current quarterback I also mentioned had a combined 315 regular season touchdowns and a combined 169 interceptions and fumbles. In the play offs those numbers are 28 touchdowns and 19. 

Maybe it's fourth quarter comebacks. Elway had 21 regular season comebacks and 3 more in the playoffs. The modern quarterback has 24 regular season comebacks and 4 more in the playoffs.

So why is Elway held in higher regard than this new age quarterback? Especially when over both of their first 10 seasons, this new age quarterback has beat out Elway in every area that matters except superbowl appearances but since Elway lost, most fans would knock Elway for all three of his appearances when the other quarterback I'm talking about has at least won one.

The thing I hear is this younger guy has turned the corner. He's not carrying the team. Yet he's already better than a hall of fame quarterback. In New England we have a debate, was it Belichick or was it Brady. We say Brady cannot be given credit for all the success and Belichick the blame for all the failure. The Belichick side is quick to bring up defensive players to support the case that it takes more than a quarterback to win. 

Yet it's some of the same fans I hear putting all the blame of Russell Wilson's lack of success solely on him. If We're not giving Pete Carroll any blame for what Wilson has not been able to do, then Bill Belichick cannot get credit for anything Tom Brady did do. See how that works? If people are going to say the credit for the Patriots success and failure must be divided, then its true for every team.

I want to remind everyone that if Pete Carroll runs the ball, Russell Wilson is a two time superbowl winner because Lynch was picking up too many yards per carry not to score. Patriots nation blames Welker, we blame Samuel, we blame Gronk, and we blame Belichick for the Patriots superbowl losses. Until the Brady versus Belichick debate started, Brady was given sole responsibility for the success. 

I used the Patriots but it's not just New England, it's league wide. NFL fans are hypocritical. We're as bad as Boston media. We'll build someone up one minute talking about how great they are and then the next minute we're talking about how they're a bum. Over the next four seasons, Russell Wilson needs 1 ring to tie John Elway for rings. 

The Montana crowd has said Joe didn't need to go to the superbowl as many times as Brady because everytime he went, he won. We'll the same is true for Russell Wilson. If he only appears in 1 more superbowl and wins, he's just as good if not better than John Elway since it took Elway five tries to win two.

And since superbowl losses are discredit, all Wilson needs to tie Rodgers in wins is 9 regular season wins and 1 playoff win over the next 4 seasons. Wilson already has more comebacks and game winning drives playing 4 years less than Rodgers, making him more clutch.

For the record, I do count superbowl appearances as an achievement. Five superbowl appearances by Elway, or four by Kelly is still impressive but like I said earlier, a ring is worth more than 3 or more losses. When Brady won his fourth, it was his two losses that put him above Montana. Montana couldn't get to five.

Every conference champion quarterback has that over every quarterback who never won one,  And there are some pretty good quarterbacks who never won or made a conference championship. Since winning is all that matters to fans, think about this, Trent Dilfer has won more superbowl rings then Dan Marino, Warren Moon, and Phillip Rivers.

So What If He Is A Game Managing System Quarterback.

Mac Jones was considered to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft. His "ceiling" was said to be low because he was NFL developed at Alabama. Of course respected people in the football world called Mac Jones the best passer in the 2021 draft. I'm talking about a Charlie Weiss and June Jones but the rest of the sports world seems to think Mac will be or is a middle of the pack quarterback.

Middle of the pack quarterback is funny because many are comparing Mac to Tom Brady. Now I get the early similarities but some are comparing Mac to the 44 year old goat. And nobody refers to Brady as middle of the pack. However, there are some who refer to Brady as a system quarterback or game manager. Those are terms people use as a negative to describe Mac Jones. 

Now as for the system quarterback comments. Referring to Mac, let's look at two guys who were also referred to as system quarterbacks.

Joe Montana was referred to as a system quarterback throughout his career playing in a west coast offense. He had a record of 117-47  regular season win loss record. He also went 16-7 in the playoffs and won 4 superbowls.

Tom Brady has been referred to as a system quarterback playing in an E.P. offense. Brady has a regular season record of 243-73, with a playoff record of 35-12. Brady has been in 10 superbowls, winning 7.

Okay maybe looking at the goat and the former goat isn't fair. Mac Jones is also referred to as a game manager. There are two quarterbacks that comes to mind when I think of game managers. That's Chad Pennington and Alex Smith 

Pennington never won a superbowl but he did have a regular season record of 44-37 and a playoff record of 2-4. Pennington only played in 1 full season over his 11 years, missing 55 games as a starter and yet is still a name known around the sports world.

Alex Smith also never won a superbowl but came close as a backup the year he lost his job to Kaepernick. Smith had a regular season record of 99-67-1, with a playoff record of 2-5. 

Now there is one other label that Mac Jones has been called. That's a dunk and dunk quarterback. Something all the other guys were called. What people really are saying when they use the term dink and dunk is safe and conservative. They don't put the ball at risk and try to avoid throwing into coverage. Which means less 50-50 balls, something fans who use the term as a negative hate because they like quarterbacks who force the ball into tight windows and triple coverage.

Alex Smith completed 66.7% of his passes, throwing an interception 3.2% of his career regular passes.

Chad Pennington completed 66% of his passes, throwing an interception on 2.6% of his career regular passes.

Joe Montana completed 63.2% of his passes, throwing an interception on 2.6% of his career regular passes.

Tom Brady has completed 64.2% of his regular season passes so far over his career, throwing an interception only on 1.8% of his passes.

Mac Jones in his rookie year went 10-7 while going on to lose his only playoff game. He completed 67.6% of his passes with only 2.5% of his passes being intercepted. That puts Mac Jones in some pretty good company for categories people try to place him in to make him not appear so good.

And as far as the low ceiling goes. Quarterbacks with low ceilings have at the least won 7 superbowls and appeared in 10. We know that much because Tom Brady's scouting report was worse than Mac Jones's. So there isn't really anything being said about Mac Jones that's all that bad. I get Brady is a rarity but he's still part of that low ceiling group. And with that If Mac Jones is a game managing system quarterback with a low ceiling, he's in a place where he'll have one of the best careers he could possibly have as long as Bill Belichick is his coach. And he doesn't even need to win a ring.

It's Never Been Easier For The Patriots To Switch To A Variation Of The Three Down Dime.

Jabrill Peppers spoke to the media and some of the media made a big deal about him mentioning three safety looks. The Patriots like to run the big nickle and there's nothing saying that they have to run with three corners in the nickle. However, let's say the media is right and a change is coming. I've said that the 5-6 which is a variation of the 3-2-6 with five linemen, is the future of football. So what do the Patriots need to operate it?

Obviously the Patriots need to get themselves a premium outside corner in this draft. The Patriots had injuries last season but without Gilmore, the hole in the Patriots secondary was largely visible and now they no longer have Jackson. Belichick knows how to find corners, so I'm not too worried about this position. Unlike in 2021, expect a corner udfa to make the 53 man roster.

Linebacker has been on my board for the Patriots but they're set at linebacker if they wanna run a three down dime of some form. Safety however becomes of need. Devon McCourty is to be considered year to year at this point. So the Patriots need not only make sure they have his replacement on the roster but another linebacker strong safety hybrid as well.

With Perkins, McGrone, and the rest of the guys coming off of Injury, I believe the Patriots have enough edge guys to cover the 'Jack' position on both sides of the line. Which leaves interior defensive line. I get they drafted one last year but they don't have the rest of what they need behind him.

The Patriots have Barmore. He's a hybrid end tackle. He requires double teams. The Patriots need to acquire another hybrid from the Barmore mold. He doesn't have to be as elite. The Patriots also need to acquire a true nose guard. They need a Vince Wolfork, a Danny Shelton. A big guy who isn't as athletic as Barmore but pushes the pocket and stops the run.  If the Patriots can acquire one of each interior guy, they'd have six to seven blockers accounted for, leaving whomever the Patriots want to send at the quarterback pretty much free to go get at him.

This is all hypothetical. There's no guarantee that this is the direction the Patriots want to go in but if they want to, it's very doable with this draft class. With the way teams are building their offenses, this would give the Patriots a huge advantage in being able to stop teams like Baltimore, Buffalo, and K.C. but teams like Tennessee would be an issue. 

The biggest mistake the NFL could do is let Jordan Davis fall to the Patriots at pick 21. In the defense I discussed, he's more valuable than any first round corner prospect. He's the ultimate combination of Barmore and Wilfork and requires triple teams. Some teams had to triple team Barmore last season. So if they got their hands on Davis, Godchaux or Guy could be all they need in the middle of that line. And the Patriots would have a top front seven unit.

It's fun to think about but honestly and I'd love to be right, however I do not believe Belichick is ready to abandon the nickle formation for the dime. He values having that thumper linebacker on the field for teams that run. Bill could find a way to get a thumper on the field in the dime but at the expense of speed at the edge which is why he won't.

Last season Bill showed how even in the modern NFL, an offense built right doesn't need to throw the ball every game to win. And with that Bill will always be worried about the running game, even if the league is predominantly setup for big passing attacks. And that's why I do not believe Belichick is willing to go to the dime. He's old school and knows the importance of a good run defense and being old school, Bill believes he needs linebackers to stop the run.

Spring Practice Shows Hawaii Is In Rebuild Mode.

Coach Chang has spring ball practice under way. Things are still not set in stone and it sounds like a chaotic mess on the islands. However it's to be expected when a team goes through a coaching change. Hawaii is no different from Boston College or Texas in that aspect.

Espn Honolulu's Hawaii Football Now said, "The defense looks good..." "The offense looks sloppy..." There's a transition going from Todd Graham's offense to Chang's modified run and shoot. It's kinda like a team going from the Jets and trying to learn the Patriots offense. 

Hawaii still has no starting quarterback. Supposedly there’s a quarterback competition but from reports, nobody is showing they want the job. They have a game on the 16th and hopefully they'll have someone showing the leadership and ability to take the helm of the offenses. Otherwise coach Chang is going to need to lay into his passers.

Coaches are reportedly taking Hawaii culture classes to avoid the errors and problems created or exposed by the Todd Graham era. This is the university or at least coach Chang taking accountability for what happened under the previous coaching regime. If a coach doesn't try to assimilate and instead has a colonizing attitude, they won't be accepted. Chang and the university knows that.

Hawaii Football Now talked about the program not just being about the Hawaii but all the Polynesian islands in the pacific and how they need to do a better job of including everyone. Polynesians have some good athletes and It's easier for those players to get to Hawaii. The university needs to do a better job at getting quality athletes from all the pacific islands and even Asia itself. 

Hawaii is still recruiting players do both be surprised if they have names on the roster that weren't added until June or July. Hawaii will be getting a 3 star pass rusher from Oregon over the summer. The thing with Hawaii is they need to remember there's more athletes outside the pacific ocean and to not focus soley on islanders or they can set themselves up for failure.

The thing with this season is to understand it's a building process. A bowl game in coach Chang's first year is not to be expected at the moment. We don't know how things are going to look for fall kickoff but for now keep expectations to a minimum. And keep the faith in the program. Coach Chang's vision may not start to take shape until the 2024 season. To steal a line from the Patriots, "In Chang we trust!" #Braddahood

There Over 1,000 Draft Prospects, Stop Getting Mad At People Who Look Outside The Top 100.

Prior to the 2020 nfl draft, the Patriots typically drafted between picks 29 and 32 most years. So I have been focusing on bottom end top 100 guys and day three guys for over a decade. Because I don't spend my time soley focused on big school guys or the top 100, people think I don't know anything about the draft and then are surprised when the Patriots draft a guy like Kyle Dugger. 

I am a Hawaii Rainbow Warrior fan. Sometimes I see more than there is but I'm also a New England Patriots Fan. So although I can be a homer just like the rest of Patriots nation, I also get to see what good talent looks like and can compare to what I see coming from Hawaii to the pro game. And the Patriots also, have a linebacker from the university of Hawaii on their roster. And have had players from Hawaii in the past.

The Patriots have the following draft picks in the up coming nfl draft.

Round 1 | Pick 21

Round 2 | Pick 54

Round 3 | Pick 85

Round 4 | Pick 126

Round 5 | Pick 158 (from MIA)

Round 5 | Pick 175

Round 6 | Pick 200 (from TB)

Round 6 | Pick 209

That's five picks outside of the top 100. Do anyone really think that many top 100 prospects are going to fall that far? How about falling to UDFAs? And where does Belichick do his most damage? Rounds 3-5 and in the UDFA period. The people who focus solely on the top 100 are the same fans that focus on big names in free agency and then scream fire Belichick because he doesn't spend three years of salary on one name.

They're also the people who get mad when Alex Barth and Evan Lazar do a mock draft and the draft Simulator has every big name fans want, go in the first 20 picks. Other teams aren't that bad at drafting just because they cannot figure out how to stay at the top of the mountain. Good players are going to go early. There are 105 picks in the first three rounds and 85% to 87% of the top 100 players will be gone after pick 105. Does anyone think the remaining 13 to 15 picks are going to slide to pick 158? I don't think so. So please get off my back for looking at day three prospects.

Understand there are more guys of value then who played at Michigan, Alabama, LSU, or Notre Dame. And remember college scouts get it wrong just as often as NFL scouts do. You don't have to care about the draft after round three but no one can deny that prospects 101 to 320 go largely unknown to most fans by choice and lack of media coverage. Emory Hunt Jr. scouted 1000 draft prospects for this draft. 1000! I bet many didn't know there were that many eligible players for this draft.

Parker Will Not Be Extremely Productive With The Patriots. Expect Agholor's 2021 Nunbers At Best.

The Patriots traded for DeVante Parker and every and their grandaddy is talking about how Parker is their number one. However, if anyonr has listened to Evan Lazar over on Patriots Press Pass, then the breaks maybe getting pumped. And quickly I might add.

Lazar today said that Parker wasn't a burner and doesn't get seperation. I'll leave a link so that y'all can hear his exact word. Lazar also said that Parker is a guy who's going to be covered and the quarterback will have to throw into coverage for him to be successful.

Early this off season, I compared Parker to two of the Patriots receivers. Jakobi Meyers hands with N'keal Harry's legs. Meaning he can catch the ball but he's never open. He's always gonna have a guy on him, exactly what Lazar has just said today in so many words. Production wise I said Bourne was the best case scenario and Agholor was the worst, Agholor is the best case scenario and Harry is the worst.

The Patriots offense is about avoiding those throws when possible. Mac Jones is a quarterback who doesn't like throwing into coverage because he values ball security. There were comparisons to Fitzpatrick and either Barth or Lazar called Fitzpatrick a "Yolo" quarterback. Meaning Fitzpatrick is aggressive and doesn't care if 11 guys are on a receiver. If that's where Fitzpatrick wants to throw the ball, he's going to go there. 

Mac Jones is not that type of quarterback. If what Lazar said is true, Parker will not have a great deal of productivity in New England. In fact his production maybe closer to Agholor than what people orginally expected. The difference is Agholor was getting double covered due to speed. Parker will be covered because the opposing team has a decent coverage corner. 

In 2019 and in 2020 fans bitched that the Patriots receivers couldn't get seperation. Fans bitched that Harry wasn't being used right because he was a contested catch guy that wasn't getting 50-50 throws. They bitched because Cam was an aggressive passer and wasn't being allowed to make those aggressive downfield throws into double and triple coverage that they became accustomed to with him. That's never been Belichick's Patriots offense. And we all know that.

The Patriots like intelligence and ball security at the quarterback position. Which is why they pass on gunslingers. It's why Tyrod Taylor as much as people hate him for not throwing 50 downfield interceptions a season, would do better with his safe dink and dunk style of mobile quarterback then what the Patriots got from Cam Newton. It's why the Patriots went with a Mac Jones over Justin Fields. 

If the Patriots wanted Fields they could've traded up a few spots. And I They didn't. They value accuracy and ball security too much. With all that, there are going to be a lot of fans disappointed with Parker. The lack of O.C. may get the blame but anyone who pays attention to how the Patriots do things, now knows to expect a less productive season from Parker if they didn't already. 

Have hope for production but keep expectations low. You maybe consider a hater but it's better to live in reality, then to set yourself up for disappointment. Contested catch guys that cannot get seperation, will not have a lot of success in New England. 

Here's the link to the Patriots press pass podcast. https://youtu.be/3Vh9WEt2jwo