Tag: Eric Decker

Eric Decker Announces Retirement. Who is Going to Catch Passes for the Patriots?

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Okay, now I’m officially nervous. Eric Decker announced his retirement last night and posted the following message on Instagram.

All training camp and preseason I’ve been saying don’t worry about the receiver depth and that the Patriots will figure out a way to patch everything together for the first month until Julian Edelman returns. Then Malcolm Mitchell got cut. Then Jordan Matthews got cut. Then Kenny Britt got cut. Then Eric Decker retired.

Shit.

People obviously weren’t as high on Decker as I was, but I viewed him as a proven veteran who could catch the ball, no more no less. He definitely struggled in his short stint with the Patriots though as he was dropping lots of passes.

I still think Decker would have been able to right the ship. Maybe he’s not blowing by guys off the line anymore, but you don’t just lose the ability to catch the ball overnight. And for a guy that had four 80+ catch seasons I would have given him the benefit of the doubt. But maybe the Pats saw the writing on the wall. With all the drops it looked like Decker may have been on the outside looking in on Brady’s circle of trust. Once that happens its hard to get back in.

Former players were saying that Decker was thinking too much as he was trying to digest the Patriots playbook and was thinking more about where he was supposed to be rather than just catching the ball. Well it would seem like Belichick was over it and was going to cut Decker, but gave him the option to “go out on his own terms” and retire instead, which is exactly what Decker did.

Well now the Patriots receiving corps looks like this:

  • Chris Hogan
  • Phillip Dorsett
  • Cordarrelle Patterson
  • Braxton Berrios
  • Devin Lucien
  • Riley McCarron
  • Paul Turner (aka Paul Turner the IT Guy, or “something called Paul Turner” as Big Jim Murray nicknamed him)
  • Matthew Slater

That is not exactly confidence inspiring. And no, bringing in Dez Bryant is not the solution here, but hell if I know what that answer is.

Not all these guys are even a lock to make the roster and Doug Kyed over at NESN thinks the Pats might only keep 4 receivers total, which includes special teams captain Matthew Slater, and just try to stay above water until Edelman returns from suspension.

I can’t say I’m okay with the Pats slotting in Matthew Slater as the No. 4 WR as we’ve all seen what Slater can(not) do as a pure receiver.

The Pats may just lean on the deep RB group that they have, but even half of those guys are dealing with injuries. Rex Burkhead has missed some time with a tear in his knee, although reports have said he’ll be able to play through it. First round pick Sony Michel remains sidelined with his own knee injury too. Suddenly the RB depth isn’t what it appeared to be a few weeks ago.

Belichick and co. seem to like what they have at the TE position with Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, and Jacob Hollister has made headlines this preseason for his play. So the Madden expert that I am would not be surprised to see a lot of James White screens and 2 and 3TE sets to start the season for the Patriots.

I honestly doubt the Pats bring in anyone from the FA scrap heap at this point in the season. They’re more likely to see who may be available on the trade block as they did last year with Phillip Dorsett. The hot rumor this past week has the Patriots eyeing Denver’s Demaryius Targaryen, er, Thomas. I would be fine with that if the price is right, plus he’s a big dude at 6’3″, but at $8.5M I can’t see Belichick taking that on as is.

We’ll see what the Patriots do, but either way its time to start battening down the hatches as the regular season kicks off Sunday, Sept. 9th at 1 pm.

Patriots “System” Strikes Again; Is it Time to Call Old Friend Brandon LaFell?

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Image result for brandon lafell

It seems like every few years the Patriots are desperately “thin” at wide receiver and Brady is forced to make something out of a whole lot of nothing.

Brady built the early part of his career off of solid-but-unspectacular guys like Deion Branch, David Givens, David Patten, Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Christian Fauria, and, of course, my all-time-favorite Patriot Troy Brown. But in all honesty, while each of them had their moments, none of them could ever really be considered a stud, and they should all thank TB12 for giving them the notoriety they never would have had – and were never able to obtain again – without him behind center.

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Don’t worry, Troy. You’re still my boy.

Then, in 2006, Brady got to the AFC Championship with Reche Caldwell and a 35-year-old Brown leading the way (before watching the defense blow a 21-point lead in vomit-inducing fashion, ultimately handing Peyton Manning his first ring.)

He finally got some pretty insane help at the age of 30 with the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welker in 2007, before seeing the team draft players like Gronk, Aaron Hernandez (yeah, I know, but he was really good), and Julian Edelman over the next couple of years thereafter. But, again, before that Brady was always able to get it done no matter who was on the field.

There should be no doubt that Brady can always work with what’s in front of him, but over the years we’ve also seen plenty of highly-touted guys who simply can’t handle the Patriots “system” and flame out in a flash. Whether they were high draft picks or former standouts with other teams, here’s a short list of guys who came in with high expectations but just couldn’t hack it in Foxborough: Aaron Dobson; Joey Galloway; Bethel Johnson; Chad Ochocino; Brandon Tate; Reggie Wayne.

If you’ve been reading any Patriots news over the past week or two, it looks like Eric Decker might be the next guy to make that list.

After signing with the team two weeks ago, Decker has been having trouble just catching and holding on to the ball in camp, and a lot are starting to wonder if he’ll even make the team. Patriots Wire posted a story today highlighting Decker’s struggles while also offering some insight – via another free-agent wide-out addition that didn’t work out – as to why he’s been having such a tough time:

So apparently, as some have alluded to over the years, Bill just asks too much of his receivers, and some guys can handle it more than others. I guess it’s as simple as that.

There’s still plenty of time for Decker to get it together, and the story even mentions that he made some nice plays at the end of yesterday’s practice, but there’s definitely reason for concern. Add that to the fact that Phillip Dorsett left practice due to injury on Tuesday afternoon (fortunately, it doesn’t look too bad from the sounds of it), and the Patriots current wide receiver situation looks potentially the worst it ever has throughout Brady’s entire career.

At this point, it looks like Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson are going to be the team’s top two receivers when the team kicks off the season against the Texans on September 9, and that can’t be giving anyone the warm and fuzzies.

Is it time to give Brandon LaFell a call?

Now, before Pats fans jump down my throat, let’s take another look at how it all really went down during his short two-year stint with the Pats.

LaFell finished his first season in New England with 74 catches, 953 yards, and seven touchdowns. Those are some very solid numbers, especially considering the previously mentioned issues with many of the team’s other free-agent additions. LaFell also caught the game-winning touchdown against the Ravens in the 2014 AFC Divisional Round playoff game. He was a really big part of the offense that year.

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But something changed at the start of the 2015 season. LaFell started the year on the PUP list, and he was never able to overcome his nagging foot injury. He eventually finished the season with just 37 catches, before being cut by the Pats in the offseason.

It was a sad end to what looked like a promising career turnaround for the then-29-year-old, but he was fortunately able to catch on with Cincinnati only about a month after his release from the Patriots in March 2016. Over the past two seasons, he’s compiled a combined 116 receptions for 1,410 yards and nine scores – and all of that came while playing with Andy “Inconsistency is My Middle Name” Dalton.

Image result for andy dalton meme

I know I said last week that signing Dez Bryant would be a bad move for the Pats at this point, but that was solely because of Dez’s selfish attitude. LaFell has been nothing but a stand-up guy throughout his career, and the only reason he was cut by the Bengals this offseason is because he asked to be:

(Why? I’m unsure. But again…Andy Dalton.)

(OK. Fine. Dalton’s not entirely terrible, but still.)

Taking a cheap flier on a guy who knows the “system” and has proven success with Brady can’t hurt. And as much as the team continues to say they’re impressed with some of what they’ve seen from the under-the-radar guys at camp, let’s not kid ourselves: this team needs some pass-catching help in a desperate way.

I, for one, would welcome LaFell back with open arms. Here’s to hoping Belichick and McDaniels will consider doing the same.

BREAKING: Patriots Sign WR Eric Decker to 1-Year Deal

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After playing grab ass for the past few months with reported interest from Decker on signing with New England and with the team officially working him out this week, it all came to ahead when Jordan Matthews blew a hammy and the Pats cut him. The Patriots were looking pretty damn barren at receiver with Edelman out for the first month of the season. They would have been relying on Chris Hogan, Philip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, Kenny Britt, and whoever else winds up actually making the roster. Can’t have that. Can’t pretend its 2006 again and give Brady a bunch of scrubs and expect him to carry the entire team.

So I love the move, I’ve always been a big Eric Decker guy. Only had 1 TD last year, but he caught 54 balls for 563 yards. Not bad with a mobile QB in Marcus Mariota throwing you the ball. Cut out 2016 when he was limited to just 3 games because of injury and Decker had 4 straight years of 74+ catches.

Not to mention Josh McDaniels drafted him in Denver and knows Decker’s strengths inside and out so I would expect him to be a great fit. He’s always been solid, he’s got good hands, he’s handsome AF and his wife is an absolute must follow on twitter.

Jessie James Decker is a true ride or die that you don’t see the likes of these days and I for one am psyched to have the Deckers in my life once again.

I say once again because I have watched multiple, multiple episodes of Eric and Jessie while hungover on the coach and it is an excellent show. I suggest you all catch up so you know what we’re dealing with here.

Plus it would be an added bonus to take a guy the Jets couldn’t get much out of and make him a stud again as the Patriots tend to do.

Travis Kelce is Bizarro Ben Watson After Big Timing His Own Team

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In another edition of Thank God I’m a Patriots fan, we have Travis Kelce completely big timing his own team after another shitty Alex Smith interception.

Listen it must be enraging to play with Alex Smith. The guy sucks, then he doesn’t, then he plays at an MVP level at the beginning of this season, but it seems like he’s finally turned back into a pumpkin. And for a really good tight end like Kelce thats gotta be a pain in the ass to deal with, but you’re also a captain my man so being a massive dickhead by throwing your arms up in the air and giving up on a play is not a good look.

In contrast lets take a look at the classic play by Ben Watson against the Broncos years ago when Brady threw an absolute back breaker of an interception.

Unlike Kelce, Watson busts his balls, running from the other side of the field and sprinting around defenders to chase down All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey at the Patriots goal line. Watson runs at least 110 yards full speed to catch one of the best athletes of our generation and fucking SMOKE Bailey to force the fumble. Didn’t win us the game, but was an all effort play that basically gave Watson a free pass in my brain for all those passes he dropped over the years. Hell I used to joke with my brother that I wonder if Ben Watson’s wife lets him hold the baby. But after that play, I’ll let it slide. Not to mention he’s STILL in the league, playing for the Ravens now. So, long story short, Travis Kelce is bizarro Ben Watson.

PS – In the interest of full disclosure I must confess to having watched several episodes of Catching Kelce while hungover on the couch. Goddamn VH1 just makes such awesomely bad shows I binge watch the shit out of while nursing a hangover.

I also have seen many episodes of Eric Decker’s VH1 show Eric & Jessie.

Okay, now I feel better.