1:05 PM Wed, Sep 13, 2006 | Permalink
By Kevin McNamara  Email this author | Email this entry |
With Deion Branch gone to Seattle, the Patriots' number one need clearly is better play at wide receiver. Building depth in that position is the first way to get things moving and after lining up with only three WR's last week (Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell, Bam Childress) the Pats need help. Childress was waived on Tuesday, showing how valuable the team thinks he is.
The candidates to help out at WR include Jonathan Smith, Doug Gabriel and rookie Chad Jackson. Asked about Gabriel, coach Bill Belichick said the big (6-2, 210) four-year veteran is working up to speed after being acquired via a trade with Oakland on Sept. 2.
``He's a smart guy,'' the coach said. ``He spent a lot of time with our coaching staff (last week). In terms of learning it and understanding it, we do a lot of things different than other teams but he's getting it. He understands how to get open.''
Tom Brady was asked about the WR position as well.
“The more guys we can have out there healthy, the better it’s going to be. So the more guys that are out there who are able to contribute, especially (Gabriel and Chad Jackson) guys who can really do some things for this offense, that's good. When I look at last week’s game, we didn’t perform as well in the passing game as we would have liked, and there were a lot of factors that went into it. Certainly, it starts with me. I have to play better. I have to make better reads and better decisions and throw the ball more accurately. I think it will show up a lot better if I do those things better than I did last week.”
Finally, Brady was asked about building a relationship with a key receiver like he did with Branch.
``That takes a lot of time. It doesn’t happen overnight,'' he said. ``Even with a guy like Ben [Watson], we’re continuing to develop that. Kevin Faulk. Troy Brown, it's going on my seventh year. There’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not as easy as a guy showing up and learning his plays and saying ‘all right, this is how we’re going to do it.’ You have to go out and read his body language, see how he runs certain routes and the timing coming in and out of breaks. That’s what we go out and practice for every day. The more we can practice together, the more these situations come up in practice, hopefully the better we’ll do in the game.”
KEVIN McNAMARA
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