I thought McDaniels was fine, but he called three very low percentage third-down runs- which were annoying.
I think this is a bit harsh. Firstly, the stolen draft picks have finally come home to roost. Secondly, as you noted DK was the first WR off the board, so barring a trade he wasn't ending up in NE. That's not a BB/Caserio miss. Secondly, there's room for optimism with Harry. Yes, there's lots to improve, but he looks pretty solid. He won't blow the top off the defense, but if the catch and run talent shows, that's valuable in a McDaniels' offense. He definitely has better chemistry with Cam than Brady and he also won my respect taking that massive cheap shot and still producing. The "he needs to break tackles!" hot takes in the game thread were actually cracking me up. Yeah, super simple, kid, just break NFL tackles, duh. DK had four broken tackles in all of 2019 and has zero this year. Harry had one last year and has one this year. We're going to have to be patient with the kid.Goat is Bill, Caserio and scouting dept. I get that the draft is hard but too often recently an average dynasty FFB player would be better suited drafting skill position players than the NE FO and that was on full display last night as the #1 drafted receiver faced off vs the #6 drafted receiver. One is a beast and elite deep threat, the other is a possession receiver who makes tough catches but can't break a tackle and has no deep speed which they knew going into the draft.
In the sober light of day, agree with this. Wilson is just a tremendous player, and a few of those throws were unreal. Not as down on the secondary as I was in the heat of the game, though the front 7 really struggled to set an edge or apply much pressure. But the real encouraging take away for me was Cam. Healthy, he is such an electrifying, dynamic player. With his arm, and his legs. Putting up the numbers he did with that depleted receiving corps, and leading that drive at the end, despite not being able to punch it in, makes me hopeful they can hang with Baltimore or KC. Something I didn't think going into the season.Last nights game was phenomenal. I thought NE would get pounded but they came within a yard of winning. Hard to get much closer than that. I’m not going to give out a goat for the week. The run defense struggled and the run offense did as well. But giving up 35 points to Wilson when he’s playing as well as he did isn’t disastrous. Two of his TD passes were just unfathomably great plays in excellent coverage that were inches away from not being completions at all. Sometimes great players just make great plays. And the D did score a TD themselves too.
Offensively they couldn’t run but I thought Cam was awesome last night. And that gives me hope that if they fall behind, he has the ability to make a comeback. There’s almost nobody that expected a Pats win in Seattle last night. But they stood toe to toe with them and that’s encouraging. And they did so with one or their primary weapons suddenly and tragically unavailable, and had to rework things on the fly.
The Pats served notice last night that they’re going to be a handful for any opponent this season. As far as losses go, this was as good as it gets.
Harry was the first WR drafted in 2019...I think this is a bit harsh. Firstly, the stolen draft picks have finally come home to roost. Secondly, as you noted DK was the first WR off the board, so barring a trade he wasn't ending up in NE. That's not a BB/Caserio miss. Secondly, there's room for optimism with Harry. Yes, there's lots to improve, but he looks pretty solid. He won't blow the top off the defense, but if the catch and run talent shows, that's valuable in a McDaniels' offense. He definitely has better chemistry with Cam than Brady and he also won my respect taking that massive cheap shot and still producing. The "he needs to break tackles!" hot takes in the game thread were actually cracking me up. Yeah, super simple, kid, just break NFL tackles, duh. DK had four broken tackles in all of 2019 and has zero this year. Harry had one last year and has one this year. We're going to have to be patient with the kid.
Well, fuck me then. Yikes.Harry was the first WR drafted in 2019...
Hollywood Brown was first off the board.Harry was the first WR drafted in 2019...
He wasn't, but you were closer to the mark than @CoffeeNerdnessHarry was the first WR drafted in 2019...
He said as much in his post game interviews.I'm not a football guy but if you go back and look at the last play, Cam had the easy bounce out to the left pylon. He could've walked in. He has at times waited to see how the blocking unfolds but didn't in this case. The entire left side of the defense was hemmed in and pancaked. Anyway, not a football guy so not sure if he could ab lib there or what.
LOL, what block?If Cam was Lamar or even Wilson, he bounces it outside the Johnson block and walks into the end zone untouched. But Cam, while a great athlete especially for someone his size, isn't that jitterbug kind of runner. He tried to cut inside the block and got dropped.
Huh? DK Was pick #64. N’Keal was #32.I think this is a bit harsh. Firstly, the stolen draft picks have finally come home to roost. Secondly, as you noted DK was the first WR off the board, so barring a trade he wasn't ending up in NE. That's not a BB/Caserio miss. Secondly, there's room for optimism with Harry. Yes, there's lots to improve, but he looks pretty solid. He won't blow the top off the defense, but if the catch and run talent shows, that's valuable in a McDaniels' offense. He definitely has better chemistry with Cam than Brady and he also won my respect taking that massive cheap shot and still producing. The "he needs to break tackles!" hot takes in the game thread were actually cracking me up. Yeah, super simple, kid, just break NFL tackles, duh. DK had four broken tackles in all of 2019 and has zero this year. Harry had one last year and has one this year. We're going to have to be patient with the kid.
It's been covered. I'm an idiot. Thanks.Huh? DK Was pick #64. was #32.
Kind of sad that 6 yards per target is his best game as a pro, and he really didn't do much until the last drive when the Seahawks played soft (FWIW, I'd put the Bengals game last year as his best). A step in the right direction though.At least they didn't draft Arcega-Whiteside seven spots in front of DK. Either way, it's odd to rail on Harry after his literal best game as a pro.
I should have put it in quotes. The point stands.LOL, what block?
Didn’t mean to pile on. Quite a few called you out on it in the 10 minutes it took me to write a post. It’s Monday.It's been covered. I'm an idiot. Thanks.
The 4th quarter catches count. On one play he was targeted, the ball sailed way over his head while he breaking into the middle; seemed like a Cam error. Edelman had a ball sail through his hands in the end zone that would have sealed a win. It's not Harry's fault he was drafted where he was drafted. He did what was asked of him against Seattle.Kind of sad that 6 yards per target is his best game as a pro, and he really didn't do much until the last drive when the Seahawks played soft (FWIW, I'd put the Bengals game last year as his best). A step in the right direction though.
Kind of sad that 6 yards per target is his best game as a pro, and he really didn't do much until the last drive when the Seahawks played soft (FWIW, I'd put the Bengals game last year as his best). A step in the right direction though.
The 4th quarter catches count. On one play he was targeted, the ball sailed way over his head while he breaking into the middle; seemed like a Cam error. Edelman had a ball sail through his hands in the end zone that would have sealed a win. It's not Harry's fault he was drafted where he was drafted. He did what was asked of him against Seattle.
I'm not calling Harry a goat. He was bad before the final drive, but he redeemed things there.So discount the fact he caught four balls for 8, 12, 13, and 17 yards- including the ball that set up the game winning attempt- all with less than 2 minutes on the clock? Yeesh. Yeah, 6 yards per catch looks bad on paper but so many of his routes were designed to be caught at or near the LOS. I'm excited to see how he grows with Cam at QB. Again, he's a weird player to target after he played a good game.
No worries, I didn't think you were and I wouldn't blame you. It was a dumb error on my part.Didn’t mean to pile on. Quite a few called you out on it in the 10 minutes it took me to write a post. It’s Monday.
I just don't fathom how anyone could be criticizing McDaniels too harshly when they put up that many points and almost came back from 12 points down with just over 4:00 remaining.I didn't like McD last night and pin some blame for the offense stalling out mid game on him, but the goal line play was the right call.
They came back and played well but the offense only put up 23 points after putting up 21 last week. The offensive success is getting overblown a bit because they finally figured things out with 4 mins left in the game. The 3rd quarter was particularly frustrating to watch.I just don't fathom how anyone could be criticizing McDaniels too harshly when they put up that many points and almost came back from 12 points down with just over 4:00 remaining.
Yeah, I actually thought that throw was the worst call of the night. A run pass option with Russ rolling out would’ve been fine, for example, but I think the risk-reward calculus got lopsided for Seattle on that play. I’d be curious if that was Russ’ first read, it seemed like it.They came back and played well but the offense only put up 23 points after putting up 21 last week. The offensive success is getting overblown a bit because they finally figured things out with 4 mins left in the game. The 3rd quarter was particularly frustrating to watch.
Unrelated, but Carroll should be getting destroyed today for that decision to throw deep on 3rd and 2 on Seattle's final drive. His defense bailed him out of a week's worth of questions. That was unbelievably stupid of him.
100% on Carroll. Russ is great on those but you have Russ and Carson. Run the ball.They came back and played well but the offense only put up 23 points after putting up 21 last week. The offensive success is getting overblown a bit because they finally figured things out with 4 mins left in the game. The 3rd quarter was particularly frustrating to watch.
Unrelated, but Carroll should be getting destroyed today for that decision to throw deep on 3rd and 2 on Seattle's final drive. His defense bailed him out of a week's worth of questions. That was unbelievably stupid of him.
I think all-in-all he called an very good game, but I thought they telegraphed things on the last play. They had no passing options, and no running options other than Cam.I just don't fathom how anyone could be criticizing McDaniels too harshly when they put up that many points and almost came back from 12 points down with just over 4:00 remaining.
23 points but they lost a drive with the pick-six, and they ran out of time at the end of both halves. So it was 23 points on like 8 real drives, which is excellent. (Seattle also had just 10 drives compared to normal 11-12, so the D was even worse than 35 points indicates)They came back and played well but the offense only put up 23 points after putting up 21 last week. The offensive success is getting overblown a bit because they finally figured things out with 4 mins left in the game. The 3rd quarter was particularly frustrating to watch.
Yes, Brown was the first WR off the board. But Harry went 32nd and Deebo when 36th, AJ Brown went 52st, Mecole Hardman went 56th, Parris Campbell went 59th, DK Metcalf went 64th, and Diontae Johnson went 66th.Hollywood Brown was first off the board.
He's played 9 career games. Come on now.Yes, Brown was the first WR off the board. But Harry went 32nd and Deebo when 36th, AJ Brown went 52st, Mecole Hardman went 56th, Parris Campbell went 59th, DK Metcalf went 64th, and Diontae Johnson went 66th.
So that's a colossal miss. Frankly, Harry is much worse than all of those players in every way. He's miles away from Brown, Metcalf, and Johnson. It's a killer. AND the worst part is Harry being picked isn't even close to as bad as the Sony Michel debacle.
Running out of time in both halves is likely a sign that the offense could do better and be more efficient. Some of that is due to lack of preseason and roster turnover, some of that is due to less than ideal playcalling. I can't criticize the final play call too much except to say that everyone knew what was coming. In a perfect world they'd have saved the toss to Johnson play for then but that's far too much to ask for, you can't possibly criticize them for using that play to score a TD earlier in the game.23 points but they lost a drive with the pick-six, and they ran out of time at the end of both halves. So it was 23 points on like 8 real drives, which is excellent. (Seattle also had just 10 drives compared to normal 11-12, so the D was even worse than 35 points indicates)
And Metcalf gets to play with arguably the best QB in the game today (I think Wilson is better than Lamar and Mahomes and it's not particularly close). Harry got hurt last year, and is in a different system than Metcalf and is a different type of player.It's not a "colossal miss"....yet. Harry very much still has tons of time to improve to WR1 status, which is really all you can ask even of a 1st round pick. Go back and read the scouting reports on Metcalf. Athletic freak for his size, but huge route-running questions, not a good high-pointer of the ball (despite his great size), and just not that productive in college despite his obvious athletic gifts. He was a boom-or-bust type of pick.