A warning to Ben Watson owners this week? (1 Viewer)

[JayMan]

From SSOG's thread warning owners of Tony Gonzalez last week against the Broncos and particularly Champ Bailey's coverage... can we expect the same for this week - with Ben Watson?

I'm asking since the argument for that great analysis from SSOG was that Gonzo never had much success against the Broncos because he's their primary target in the receiving game... There were other instances where the opposing TE was the 1st option in the passing game - and the Broncos (with Bailey covering him) had held the TE in check...

Looking at the Pats lineup - unless the Broncos fears Chad Jackson and put Bailey on him to shut him down... I would guess that his assignment will be on Watson this sunday (I don't think Caldwell / Gabriel / Brown / Graham warrant that kind of coverage)...

I don't think we can look at the two games Watson played against the Broncos last year to gauge this week's performance since he was only coming along (at the beginning of the year) and was obviously not the primary target with Branch and Givens in the lineup in the Playoffs...

(I hope this is not seen as a Should I Start Watson thread - because I don't plan to do so (only have him in one of my [DYNASTY] leagues and I have better options))

Thoughts?

 

[the spanker]

From SSOG's thread warning owners of Tony Gonzalez last week against the Broncos and particularly Champ Bailey's coverage... can we expect the same for this week - with Ben Watson?

I'm asking since the argument for that great analysis from SSOG was that Gonzo never had much success against the Broncos because he's their primary target in the receiving game... There were other instances where the opposing TE was the 1st option in the passing game - and the Broncos (with Bailey covering him) had held the TE in check...

Looking at the Pats lineup - unless the Broncos fears Chad Jackson and put Bailey on him to shut him down... I would guess that his assignment will be on Watson this sunday (I don't think Caldwell / Gabriel / Brown / Graham warrant that kind of coverage)...

I don't think we can look at the two games Watson played against the Broncos last year to gauge this week's performance since he was only coming along (at the beginning of the year) and was obviously not the primary target with Branch and Givens in the lineup in the Playoffs...

(I hope this is not seen as a Should I Start Watson thread - because I don't plan to do so (only have him in one of my [DYNASTY] leagues and I have better options))

Thoughts?

Interesting. I'm not sure if Bailey would be assigned to Watson. The Pats do spread the ball around so much. I wonder if Bailey would just roam the field and then match up against the player that might get hot?

 

[TD Ryan]

Well, we already know that

 

[Fantaholic]

Well, we already know that

 

[flapgreen]

Well, we already know that

I made a big mistake drafting this guy.

 

[JayMan]

Well, we already know that

I am amazed every time I see that play... even if Bailey led up a bit at the end... it just shows Watson's freakish abilities (and to some extend his desire)...

 

[Pipes]

Well, we already know that

Relax it's only been two weeks. Watson will be just fine.

 

[menobrown]

Well, we already know that

Right. Brady does not underthrow him last week and Watson is a top 5 TE right now. Meanwhile guys like Cooley are doing very little and guys like LJ Smith, Heap and Shockey are already starting to show up on injury reports. If Bailey covers Watson like he usually does with Tony G this won't me a marquee matchup for Watson either. But as the season progresses and Brady builds enough of a rapport with Jackson and Gabriel then I think things are going to pick up for Watson as he will see more open space.

 

[hammerd]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

 

[Whizzinator]

Geez, if the correct call had been made on that play it would be considered one of the best hustle plays of all time. Still a great play, though.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

 

[Warpig]

I don't think they put Bailey on Watson. Brady has the ability to kill you with a plethera of receivers unlike in KC where Gonzo is the only one you have to keep an eye on and Trent Green is no Brady. If I were Denver I'd concentrate on stopping Brady. Stack the line and blitz and stunt and get as much pressure on him as possible. Denver has one of the best and deepest secondary and they have young fast linebackers that can cover as well. I'd take my chances staying in the nickel and blitz the crap out of Brady.

 

[jon_mx]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Yes, but I am still benching Watson for Desmond Clark. Don't believe I was the only guy to go in for him last week.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

 

[Raiders]

Does this mean that we can upgrade D Grahm for the game?

 

[Sabertooth]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

I did not need to know about this. Along with the Lee Evans PI call, and the Chester Taylor run in OT to the 4 and the Jon Kitna 1 yard TD, I thought I was all shoulda coulda woulda'd out.

 

[diesel7982]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

Hes on pace for 720 yards this year....what 12 TEs do you think are worth starting over him?

 

[Sheriff66]

Geez, if the correct call had been made on that play it would be considered one of the best hustle plays of all time. Still a great play, though.

I can't think of a better one off the top of my head, watching that game I was like

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

Hes on pace for 720 yards this year....what 12 TEs do you think are worth starting over him?

exactly - Watson is actually doing quite well for a TE - Brady has only completed 26 passes thus far this year, and Watson has still managed 44.5 yards a game. We have seen his floor these past few weeks, and he's still 5th among TEs in receiving yards. He's only going up from here.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

Hes on pace for 720 yards this year....what 12 TEs do you think are worth starting over him?

not my point. I've got him and LJ smith in one league, and I want to move Ben, but he has done anything decent yet, 3 catches and 40 yards a game is not enough, especially considering that he should be the #1 option in that passing attack.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

Hes on pace for 720 yards this year....what 12 TEs do you think are worth starting over him?

exactly - Watson is actually doing quite well for a TE - Brady has only completed 26 passes thus far this year, and Watson has still managed 44.5 yards a game. We have seen his floor these past few weeks, and he's still 5th among TEs in receiving yards. He's only going up from here.

Ben's currently 9th TE in my ppr league. His numbers hould be better but NE looks to run run run

 

[Whizzinator]

I can't think of a better one off the top of my head, watching that game I was like jawdrop.gif

There's an angle CBS had that iso'd Watson the entire play. It's really amazing---you see him stop at the goal-line, seeing the int, and take off. He goes by all the linemen and then kicks it into gear, passing everyone else while covering more ground because he's cutting diagonally and they are running straight. Truly amazing.The other thing to watch is that Troy Brown is the only guy in the place---including the refs---who recognizes the touchback issue right away. Immediately after the ball lands, you see him trailling the play tapping his head to signal 'touchback' That is one smart football player because the announcers, the Pats sideline, and the refs didn't see that issue until well later.

 

[Bad_Mo]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

Not worried. A would be TD pass to a wide open Watson was barely tipped away by a diving defender last week. Watson still is one of the best 2 or 3 TEs in the league after the catch. He'll be fine.

Watson is underperforming to say the least. I hope be blows up soon so I can move him.He will not be consistent enough to start every week

Hes on pace for 720 yards this year....what 12 TEs do you think are worth starting over him?

And he hasn't had a blow up game which he will have. In fact, I am confident that Watson will make his owners very happy many weeks.

 

[TD Ryan]

just to reiterate what's been said:

Watson isn't underperforming, Tom Brady is underperforming.

Week 1, Watson was over/under thrown on a couple of deeper balls; passes the Brady usually throws accurately (in fact, I believe the Brady INT was intended for Watson... not to mention the 5 passes batted at the line)

Week 2, Watson was wide open in the endzone and Brady under threw him.

He's 2 Tom Brady miscues away from being the #1 TE right now.

He's getting targeted. He's getting looks. The stats and results will follow.

And maybe more importantly, Daniel Graham isn't getting targetted a whole lot.

 

[mektarus]

I love Watson's ability and potential, however, I too am concerned about the amount of looks he will get. Brady is one of the best QB's in the league at spreading the ball around which potentially means a different "hot" receiver each week. I am actually thinking of going with Colston (TE in my Yahoo league) over Watson, not just for this week but for the year.

 

[SteelerMurf]

I love Watson's ability and potential, however, I too am concerned about the amount of looks he will get. Brady is one of the best QB's in the league at spreading the ball around which potentially means a different "hot" receiver each week. I am actually thinking of going with Colston (TE in my Yahoo league) over Watson, not just for this week but for the year.

Brady has stunk so far this season, that is what is wrong with Watson, nothing more

 

[gruecd]

I love Watson's ability and potential, however, I too am concerned about the amount of looks he will get. Brady is one of the best QB's in the league at spreading the ball around which potentially means a different "hot" receiver each week. I am actually thinking of going with Colston (TE in my Yahoo league) over Watson, not just for this week but for the year.

Brady has stunk so far this season, that is what is wrong with Watson, nothing more

I agree, but can you justify keeping him rostered in a non-TE-required league when guys like Colston, Cotchery, and Berrian are available on waivers??

 

[The Jacket]

Watson might have a game.

Gonzalez didn't, as I said he wouldn't, because of the quarterback.

No problem with Brady at the helm.

 

[The Jerk]

I can't think of a better one off the top of my head, watching that game I was like jawdrop.gif

There's an angle CBS had that iso'd Watson the entire play. It's really amazing---you see him stop at the goal-line, seeing the int, and take off. He goes by all the linemen and then kicks it into gear, passing everyone else while covering more ground because he's cutting diagonally and they are running straight. Truly amazing.The other thing to watch is that Troy Brown is the only guy in the place---including the refs---who recognizes the touchback issue right away. Immediately after the ball lands, you see him trailling the play tapping his head to signal 'touchback' That is one smart football player because the announcers, the Pats sideline, and the refs didn't see that issue until well later.

If Troy Brown is such a smart football player, why is he using the signal for ineligible receiver downfield to communicate that it should be a touchback?

 

[hammerd]

For those of us drinking the Watson , is Brady's inclination to spread the ball around starting to concern you and Watson's ability to be an intregal part of that offense?

After 3 games, I'm officially a 'concerned' Watson owner. They showed a graphic during the game last night that showed 5 or 6 different Pats' receivers having 4 or 5 catches on the night. Couple that with Brady and the Pats' offensive struggles, and there's no way he'll end up a top-5 TE like he was touted before the season started.Talk to me about targets all you want. He might have a blow-up game now and again, but I think he'll have more games like last night where he's more of a decoy for the other receivers.

 

[intrinsic]

so for those that watched the game, who covered him mostly?

 

[Judge Smails]

dumping him this week. 3 weeks is a trend...

 

[Limp Ditka]

dumping him this week. 3 weeks is a trend...

What in the hell do you want out of your TE?If you don't have Gates / Gonzo / Heap, 6 for 66 is ideal

 

[hammerd]

dumping him this week. 3 weeks is a trend...

huh?

 

[Stealthycat]

Watson had 6 catches for 66 yards

over a 16 game season ya'll are dissappointed with those numbers for a TE ?

5th in the NFL in catches

4th in yards

ya'll are a hard crowd to please

 

[SSOG]

so for those that watched the game, who covered him mostly?

Not Bailey. Denver generally had its coverages fixed (Bailey stayed on the defensive left side all day, Darrent Williams/Dominique Foxworth/Karl Paymah all stayed on the defensive right). I'm pretty sure that there weren't more than 1 or 2 passes thrown to Bailey's side of the field all game long.Watson spent the vast majority of the game covered by the LBs, and even on a couple of plays the DEs in the zone blitz. He saw very little action against the CBs.