The New England Patriots have brought offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels back into the fold and he has been trying to incorporate the fullback position into the offense for the entire off-season. The Patriots have tried Spencer Larsen, Tony Fiammetta, Eric Kettani, James Develin, and now Lex Hilliard. They've historically utilized linemen, like Dan Connolly, Donald Thomas, and Ryan Wendell, at fullback, and even defenders like Dane Fletcher. Last year, they tried one of the better fullbacks of the past decade, Lousaka Polite. The Patriots have been churning through players at the position and it leads to the question: Why the heck do the Patriots, a pass-first team, want a fullback so badly?
Showing posts with label Value. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Value. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Defending the Jaguars and Anger
The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised the public when they grabbed punter Bryan Anger in the third round. Anger was considered the best punting prospect, so it wasn’t a shock that he was the first one taken, but the fact he was taken so early earned the scorn of the general public. Specialists are typically left until the end of the draft due to their perceived limited every-down contribution. Well, the pick isn’t a bad one, if he’s as good as he’s expected to be. In fact, it’s actually a very good one.
Very few punters are taken so early in the draft- the most recent being the successful Dustin Colquitt. More recently, Anger has drawn comparisons to Zoltan Mesko. Should Anger live up to those comparisons, he could develop into a top 10 punter in the league. That’s a considerable improvement when the Jaguars ranked in the bottom 5 of punting statistics last season (31st in average punting yards, 28th in net punting yards, 3rd in total punts).
Anger averaged 45 yards/punt in college and has great skill in placing the ball away from the returnman. He’s still growing and can continue to add strength to his leg. As he stands, he would add 3-4 yards/punt over the Jaguars’ last season average. If he continues to grow to match Colquitt or Mesko, his benefit to the Jaguars should roughly be 5 yards/punt and should bring the Jaguars punting unit into the top 10 of the league. Should.
Very few punters are taken so early in the draft- the most recent being the successful Dustin Colquitt. More recently, Anger has drawn comparisons to Zoltan Mesko. Should Anger live up to those comparisons, he could develop into a top 10 punter in the league. That’s a considerable improvement when the Jaguars ranked in the bottom 5 of punting statistics last season (31st in average punting yards, 28th in net punting yards, 3rd in total punts).
Anger averaged 45 yards/punt in college and has great skill in placing the ball away from the returnman. He’s still growing and can continue to add strength to his leg. As he stands, he would add 3-4 yards/punt over the Jaguars’ last season average. If he continues to grow to match Colquitt or Mesko, his benefit to the Jaguars should roughly be 5 yards/punt and should bring the Jaguars punting unit into the top 10 of the league. Should.
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