ESPN’s Mike Reiss is a good sport about his 61-catch prediction for former Patriots wide receiver Greg Salas. Reiss is not alone in buying into the hype of some players during the offseason, but it’s a reminder that even the best of us can get an evaluation very, very wrong.
So WEEI’s Chris Price decided to create an award called "The Zach Sudfeld Award", after the star of the 2013 training camp, who ultimately did jack squat for the Patriots. Our own Daniel Connolly actually named Sudfeld to the Patriots Training Camp Hall of Fame, which is a fair distinction.
The idea is to give the award to a player that received plenty of hype, made a few nice plays in the preseason, and then ultimately vanished into thin air or to the Jets (I’m unsure which is worse).
Price gave this year’s award to running back Tyler Gaffney.
"This isn’t a knock on the running back, who has done very well with the opportunities he’s been given," Price writes in his weekly notes. "Before it’s all said and done, he could end up pushing his way toward the middle of the depth chart. It’s only to say that he seems to be the people’s choice at this stage of the summer based on a relatively small sample size."
So my question to you all is whether or not this is a fair nomination. Is Gaffney truly the most deserving?
There are cornerbacks Darryl Roberts, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and Jonathan Jones, all of whom have been touted as potential quality players, but it’s highly improbable that more than one will make the squad.
There’s tight end AJ Derby, who has made highlight grab after highlight grab, but he’s in a clogged depth chart at the position.
There’s linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and I am personally conducting this hype train.
There’s edge defender Trey Flowers and left guard Joe Thuney, but I am hoping that they are both for real because they’re expected to be key contributors.
I did not include D.J. Foster because he has yet to perform on the field.
Of these players, who do you believe will be the ultimate disappointment and winner of the Zach Sudfeld Award?