The Importance of Taylor Price

by Patriots12 on Sep 12, 2011 1:32 AM EDT

Now I'm going to say right off that it is unfair for anyone to think that one man can become a Hall of Fame player overnight. But my gut feeling is that the New England Patriots will need a wide receiver who can make an impact catching the football. I'm not certain that it is going to be Chad Ochocinco. Mike Reiss has said that he has had trouble separating for defensive backs. And he is still learning the system. Some fans I have spoken to, and that have watched Chad say that he chooses the wrong time to drop the ball. I won't rule Chad out. But I do have my concerns. More after the jump.

I looked at the list of top ten Patriot receivers by Bleacher Report. And the list isn't promising. Harold Jackson and Irving Fryar have had more productive seasons in other places. Terry Glenn did that somewhat. While Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Troy Brown are for me the key figures on this list. Randy Moss was of course no 1. Jim Colclough, Gino Cappalletti, and Stanley Morgan also round out the list. But the reason I'm bringing this up at all is because the Patriots have had trouble through out their history of finding quality wide outs. Some teams have had this issue. I'm sure a lot of fans were happy that the team let Brandon Tate go. I wanted to keep him. I thought he had a lot of potential. But that is neither here nor there now.

Its not that teams aren't afraid of our wide receivers. Our guys just need to pull in the ball. I know the Patriots have what they have. And are happy to have the guys they have. But having a guy who can come down with the ball in big situations is important. Really it could be the tight ends as far as I'm concerned. It is a team game. That man used to be Deion Branch. I don't know that it isn't anymore. But I feel like a guy like Taylor can step right in and help out. I'd like to think that he could have maybe 5 touchdowns this season. I still think he could be much better than Chad. But only time will tell.

The other man that no one is talking about is Matthew Slater. He did well during the preseason. And really he is the same kind of receiver that I felt Tate would have been. I think he can catch the slants, quick screens, and crossing routes. But can he come up with the ball? Right now no one knows. But with age and expiring contracts, the Patriots will need capable pass catchers who can make a difference. My gut tells me that one or both of these two young players will have to make a big difference at some point and time this season.

The views expressed in these FanPosts are not necessarily those of the writers or SBNation.

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Comments

The value of vintage Moss was two-fold.

1. One on one he was uncoverable. (Sometimes even two to four on one….)

2. Because of #1, he occupied two defenders nearly all the time leaving 10 on 9 for the rest of the team.

If we can get an emerging threat (Slater, Price, Ocho) that can do the first one, the second one comes with the territory.

The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Sep 12, 2011 10:49 AM EDT reply actions

Scary to think about TB12 with a Megatron or Andre Johnson.

Spend a draft pick on a true number 1? or continue to take shots in the later rounds? Seems like we get last gas in the tank of veteran wide outs.

by Lastminheroics on Sep 12, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

I would love it if we could get Michael Floyd from Notre Dame.

It matters not how strait the gate, nor charged with punishments the scroll:
I am the Master of my fate. I am the Captain of my soul.

by BigRussNovak on Sep 12, 2011 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d love to have a guy who can do more than just body up someone. Floyd is good. But I really want a Jerry Rice type receiver. But those guys are rare.

by Patriots12 on Sep 12, 2011 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions

So rare there's only been 1.

But I really want a Jerry Rice type receiver. But those guys are rare.

by UtopianAverage on Sep 12, 2011 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Randy Moss has been the only receiver that I can think of

in the Brady era that legitimately will go up for a ball. Also, he’s one of the only true deep threat receivers we’ve had. Sure, there have been other guys, but no one notable. What I like about Taylor Price is that he is the first “true” receiver to join the team in a long time.

By that, I mean he wasn’t a college QB, a kick returner-turned-WR, or a purely a slot receiver. He can run slants, go over the middle, go deep, and everything else. He has decent size and excellent speed, good hands and good body control and is a very good route runner. His only real limitation is that he and Brady aren’t familiar enough with one another yet for him to get on the field.

If I had to pick a current receiver in the league to compare his potential role to, it would probably be Reggie Wayne. If Price can be half the player Wayne is I’d have to think he’ll have an impact for us.

Deep in enemy territory

by JeffyB on Sep 12, 2011 4:08 PM EDT reply actions

I hope like most here do that Taylor Price breaks out this year.

The only thing that makes me take a step back is even with Price’s good showing in the preseason he didn’t really do much with Brady and never has. The only time he has seemed to shine is with our backup qb in the game. Hopefully he can bet enough first team reps to finally feel comfortable with TB.

by Oughat on Sep 12, 2011 4:26 PM EDT reply actions