Tim Wright's Learning Curve

[Buffalo Head]

I haven't watched any of Tim Wright, but I don't think this should be a focus of concern. We saw a few rookie WR's last year catch on pretty quickly with Thompkins & Dobson,  the latter of which played at least 75% of snaps before getting injured, culminating in his beastly performance against the Steelers.
 
I also wouldn't be surprised if the learning curve for Wright was minimal. Mike Sullivan was his offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, and Sullivan made his bones with the Giants, who run a variation of the same Erhardt-Perkins system that the Patriots use. I don't know what scheme the Buc's ran, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was a EP variation. Wright could very well be stepping into a comfortable situation.
 
 
 
Discuss.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Stop stealing my shit!

 

[dcmissle]

Good Lord, it's word for word theft.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Not exactly.
 
He wants to "discuss", I just like to stand on my pulpit.
 
I'm still suing. 

 

[Stitch01]

Dobson and Thompkins played a lot of snaps out of necessity early in the year.  Brady threw some temper tantrums about in when the guys weren't where they were supposed to be, but ultimately there weren't really a lot of options so they kept getting the ball.  Pats have more options this year so, thankfully, we don't have to live through as many growing pains on the field. 
 
Wright not being a rookie and his coaching staff in TB (and the Schiano/BB connection as well) are all fair and good points and factors that work in Wright's favor.  Personally, I given the precision the Pats require/strive for from their pass catchers, I expect Wright to be a bigger factor in '15 than in '14 if he is able to assimilate into this offense.  If his numbers are like 75% of what they were in TB last year I will be absolutely ecstatic.

 

[Buffalo Head]

Hey now, I did a lot of research to come up with that post! Specifically by looking in the Mankins trade thread.

 

[dcmissle]

Right, this obviously a joke by BH, and IMO a good one.

 

[Tony C]

He stole that joke, though!

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

We can't just Mencia our way through life.

 

[lambeau]

Red Zone pass patterns seem limited in number. I like Gronk, Dobson, LaFell, and Wright all looking for the ball as Develin trickles past scrimmage to the goal line as target #5.

 

[MainerInExile]

Red Zone pass patterns seem limited in number. I like Gronk, Dobson, LaFell, and Wright all looking for the ball as Develin trickles past scrimmage to the goal line as target #5.

 
Develin as the lone setback with 2TE?  Strange package.

 

[FelixMantilla]

No surprise here. He probably cribbed his baseball stuff from Cafardo. :rolling:

 

[Saints Rest]

Red Zone pass patterns seem limited in number. I like Gronk, Dobson, LaFell, and Wright all looking for the ball as Develin trickles past scrimmage to the goal line as target #5.

When does Rob Ninkovich take over the Mike Vrabel role of TD-catching TE?  (IIRC, at one point, Crabel had 9 career receptions and all 9 were for TDs.)

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

When does Rob Ninkovich take over the Mike Vrabel role of TD-catching TE?  (IIRC, at one point, Crabel had 9 career receptions and all 9 were for TDs.)

 
Shawn Crable and Mike Vrabel had a love child?

 

[soxfan121]

 
Shawn Crable and Mike Vrabel had a love child?

 
Edna Krabappel was the surrogate.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

 
Edna Krabappel was the surrogate.

 
Looks like I found another person (besides me) that has been spending too much time watching FXX the past few days.

 

[caesarbear]

(IIRC, at one point, [V]rabel had 9 career receptions and all 9 were for TDs.)

10 for 10 for his career. 8 with the Pats.

 

[RedOctober3829]

I asked Field Yates if the smooth transition into the Pats offense would have to do with being in Mike Sullivan's system. He said it would be a smooth transition but not because of Sullivan's offense. They aren't similar according to him.

 

[soxfan121]

I asked Field Yates if the smooth transition into the Pats offense would have to do with being in Mike Sullivan's system. He said it would be a smooth transition but not because of Sullivan's offense. They aren't similar according to him.

 
Did he say why he thought that then?

 

[RedOctober3829]

 
Did he say why he thought that then?

He did not respond to my follow-up.

 

[axx]

He played quite a bit in the game last night. I liked what I saw, but yeah, he's not really a TE.

 

[IdiotKicker]

He played quite a bit in the game last night. I liked what I saw, but yeah, he's not really a TE.

Neither was Hernandez. Where this really helps is with personnel matchups and forcing the other team into the look you want.

 

[ivanvamp]

He might not be able to block linebackers, but he sure can get open against LBs.  The key is whether he can block DBs.  Let's assume he can do that at least.  And so if they decide to play fast, you put he and Gronk out there.  If the defense puts a LB on him, they can throw.  If they put a DB on him, they can run.
 
Hence the beauty of the 2 TE set.

 

[TheoShmeo]

Yup, that a player is not really a certain position is not very important in the end.  Guys like Develin, Wright and Hernandez play hybrid roles.  Vereen too.  And with those hybrid roles come match-up problems.  True, you need some players who fit into the traditional roles -- and I still worry about the lack of an outside speed receiver to prevent defenses from bunching up in the middle on the Pats, but I digress -- but several having guys who don't fit a mold seems only positive.
 
I also liked what I saw from Wright last night.  And having heard interviews with Tampa media members Rick Stroud and Anthony Becht, the picture that emerges of Wright is of a hard working, coachable kid with good hands and a nice knack for getting open.  He's not really a burner and he doesn't have Hernandez's quickness, but his skill set is seemingly along the same lines.

 

[nighthob]

Stop stealing my shit!

This wouldn't happen if you remembered to flush.

 

[Super Nomario]

He might not be able to block linebackers, but he sure can get open against LBs.  The key is whether he can block DBs.  Let's assume he can do that at least.  And so if they decide to play fast, you put he and Gronk out there.  If the defense puts a LB on him, they can throw.  If they put a DB on him, they can run.
 
Hence the beauty of the 2 TE set.

Agree on the bolded. Hernandez was small for a TE, but at 6'2" 245 or so he was really stocky and heavy for a WR, and thus a mismatch for DBs in the run-blocking game. Wright is built more like Marques Colston or Brandon LaFell than Hernandez. I don't think it's clear that he'll be an asset in the running game, even against DBs.
 
EDIT: One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that Wright cut teammates' hair at Rutgers. If he's good I think we call him "The Barber." Sal Maglie was like 60 years ago and a different sport, and Brutus Beefcake was like 30 years ago and a fake sporter.

 

[dcmissle]

JG said Wright is very smart. BB said he absorbed a lot of information quickly and, although Wright did not know a lot of plays, he was able to process what he had learned on the field at game speed.

That's impressive. There have been a few guys brought in here to catch the ball who never got it.

 

[Stitch01]

I thought he acquitted himself really well under the circumstances last night. Was very encouraging.

 

[lambeau]

Reiss says Wright has bulked up to close to 230, so at 6'4" he's about the same as the 6'4" Colston (225) and Riley Cooper (230) and 6'3" 230 Demarius Thomas.
Whether or not he can use it to run-block, it should help him screen, outposition, and outmuscle DB's. Still WR size, but one up from LaFell and Dobson.

 

[Eric Ampersand]

I asked Field Yates if the smooth transition into the Pats offense would have to do with being in Mike Sullivan's system. He said it would be a smooth transition but not because of Sullivan's offense. They aren't similar according to him.

 
When people talk about an offense or offensive system or playbook they aren't really considering the big picture. Mike Sullivan has a playbook that is likely very different from Josh McDaniels' playbook. Nevertheless, within the plays in his playbook there are passing concepts. Those concepts have a name. Naming the concept instead of the routes helps receivers see the field like a QB. This is especially true when there are route adjustments or option routes. This is the heart of the Erhardt-Perkins offense. Tim Wright should have a smooth transition because he's already familiar with a concept based system. 

 

[bakahump]

SO uhh after the way the season ended...I wanted to bitch about the coaching Staff and why they refused to use more Wright down the stretch. t obviously would have helped and maybe we would be celebrating a Championship had they utilized him more....
 
Seriously....what do we have? 
 
The "2nd TE option Hernandez replacement" we saw in weeks 5,8 and 12 (17 catches in 18 Targets, 182 Yards, 4 tds against Cin, Chi and Det)
 
or the "Less Blocking Hooman" who racked up 9 catches in 15 targets for 77 yards and 2 TDs that he racked up in the other 10 games.
 
What is the collective outlook on TW and his future with more experience in the offense?

 

[soxfan121]

Seriously....what do we have? 

 
A guy who can be used in favorable matchups. 

 

[bakahump]

Well wasnt that the key to the AH/RG TE combo?
 
Both together created Favorable matchups for one or the other or the running game?
 
Why could we not use TW the same way?  What exactly made him so hit or miss?
 
Did teams match up LBers? or Safeties on him?

 

[DJnVa]

 What exactly made him so hit or miss?

 

Probably acquiring him in late August.
 
I'm excited about him with a full offseason and training camp to learn everything.

 

[Stitch01]

Wright contributed more than I expected.  Ideally he'd have built more momentum as the year went on, but matchups favored Amendola or heavy sets down the stretch and its hard to argue with the results.  Hopefully he builds on '14 in the offseason and is ready for a bigger role in '15.  He's a nice young player to have on the cheap.

 

[Super Nomario]

Well wasnt that the key to the AH/RG TE combo?
 
Both together created Favorable matchups for one or the other or the running game?
 
Why could we not use TW the same way?  What exactly made him so hit or miss?
 
Did teams match up LBers? or Safeties on him?

Almost all of his production was against zone coverage. The big difference between him and Hernandez is short-area quickness, which helped Hernandez get open against man-to-man coverage. Maybe he gets a little more route-running savvy or trust with Brady given another year in the system.

 

[Stitch01]

The comparisons with Hernandez were always sort of silly IMO, Aaron was a really unique player.  I think its unfair to Wright to expect him to be able to play the same sort of role.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Amendola is a more productive receiver that's been on the team for a few years, and Hooman is the far superior blocker.
 
Wright isn't a good enough two-way player at this point in time to warrant taking many snaps from either.  He is not a guy who is going to burn a LB or a S in man coverage left and right.
 
Baka, you're asking for the Pats to shoehorn into an outsized role.

 

[soxfan121]

The comparisons with Hernandez were always sort of silly IMO, Aaron was a really unique player.  I think its unfair to Wright to expect him to be able to play the same sort of role.

 
Exactly. There are probably a half-dozen guys in the NFL or college with AH's skillset, Jimmy Graham being the king of that specific group. The reason Tim Wright can't do AH things is because he's not AH. He was productive in a role this season that largely limited him to playing against teams that played some variant of a base 4-3, Cover 2 (Minnesota, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit) with particular sub package matchups that could be exploited. 
 
Schofield wrote prolifically about CIN's defense and why Develin/Wright were going to be big against them; similarly, other matchups on the schedule favored the use of a third traditional WR (Amendola) or whatever.
 
Wright is a matchup guy; he can provide value against some defenses as a zone/seam buster. He's not a good blocker, he's not terrifically athletic, he's not going to beat a S in man-to-man...he is what he is - a guy who can catch the ball and has use as a 3rd TE. 
 
If anything, I hope upgrading the #2 (Hooman) roster slot is on the agenda. They can certainly find a more effective blocker who might be able to contribute minorly in the passing game. Lee Smith...we hardly knew ye.

 

[Saints Rest]

Tim Wright:  6'-3", 219
Aaron Hernandez:  6'-2.5", 245
Brandon LaFell: 6'-2", 215
 
I think the main issue with Wright is that he is a really a WR, playing TE.  He doesn't have the size or skills to block like a true TE.  AH was no Gronk as a blocker (who is??), but he definitely was viable.  I think LaFell is a better blocker than Wright.
 
I would say that 2nd (and 3rd) TE is the spot that probably would be easiest for this team to upgrade in the offseason.
 
EDIT:  To follow on Soxfan's comment (which came in as I was typing), I think that Hooman, in many ways was the backup to Gronk as a blocker; while Wright is more the backup as a catcher of passes.  The beauty of AH was that he (as with Gronk) offered both skillsets and thus allowed the Pats to run or pass without having to change personnel.  Finding another TE who allows that (as well as potentially finding a RB who is more of a true 2-way threat) would greatly minimize some of the personnel-specific play-calling predictability that this season's team occasionally suffered with.
 
2nd EDIT: </first-world problems>