In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we get into some good running back talk (and try and figure out whether or not James White can break a longstanding league record in 2019), hear from another offensive line coach as to what makes Dante Scarnecchia so special, and try and figure out where a Tom Brady-to-Ben Watson touchdown pass in 2019 would rank in terms of oldest ever quarterback-pass catcher scoring combinations. But first, the Patriots could have a group of wide receivers this year who are physically larger than they’ve been in past seasons. Is that a (no pun intended) big deal?
1. When it comes to the Patriots’ pass catchers, does size matter? Taking the average height and weight, this group of receivers has a chance to be the biggest in recent franchise history.
Keeping in mind things will change between now and the start of the regular season, the Patriots have 11 receivers on their roster (not counting special teams ace Matthew Slater, but figuring Josh Gordon into the mix). The average height of that group is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. That’s an increase from 2017, where the average Patriots receiver stood 5-foot-11 and weighed 194 pounds. (That group had the likes of Brandin Cooks, who’s 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds.) Not a seismic change, but certainly noticeable nonetheless.
For years, the Patriots have leaned on the smallish, make-you-miss guys like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Troy Brown. While Edelman is still around, when you think about a 2019 passing game that could have the 6-foot-2, 228-pound N'Keal Harry to go along with the likes of Gordon (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), Demaryius Thomas (6-foot-3, 229 pounds) and Dontrelle Inman (6-foot-3, 198 pounds), it’s hard not to think there isn’t at least some sort of minor shift in offensive philosophy.
“We look for the best available players,” explained wide receivers coach Joe Judge. “As far as the size, some guys might fit more into the specific role we’re looking for. We’ve never sat and had the tape measure out to make sure a guy fits a certain profile. You can go through the history here — we’ve had guys that have been tall, short, burners with speed, maybe a little speed-deficient at times, too. We’re going to work to use everyone’s skill-set to help our team the best we can.”
For Harry, a receiver who made his bones hauling in contested catches while at Arizona State, it’s more a case of strength and size over speed. His college coach Herm Edwards said Harry plays with his “cleats in the grass.” For the Patriots’ first-round pick, that means using every bit of his size and being as physical as he needs to be.
“For me, it definitely means playing with physicality," Harry said. "I play extremely hard and I’m a big receiver, so just playing with my cleats in the grass is definitely being a gritty, tough player and just playing hard at all times and giving my full effort.”
Of course, these acquisitions don’t exist in a vacuum. The Patriots lost their biggest target this offseason when Rob Gronkowski retired, which means their decision to add players like Harry and Thomas probably wasn’t completely coincidental. But at the end of the day, whether the pass catcher is big, small, fast, or slow. It doesn’t matter. The question is the same: Can you catch the ball? That’s what will define this year’s group of receivers.
“I don’t think by bringing in a bigger receiver or having maybe a traditional mid-size slot receiver, that doesn’t truly affect exactly what you do,” Judge said. “It all ties into the player’s knowledge and ability to execute the offense. We’re looking for smart, tough, dependable players and if you fit that category, five-nine or six-three isn’t the biggest factor.”
2. When Damien Harris was drafted by the Patriots late last month, because of the stacked backfield, I initially thought he’d get the same redshirt treatment as Shane Vereen and James White did when they were rookies. But multiple people around the league told me this week they wouldn’t be surprised to see Harris get significant snaps this season for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that New England really wants to pound the ball this year, and will go through as many running backs as possible to make that happen.
Part of it is because there’s no Gronkowski (at least right now), and the receivers depth chart is relatively thin compared to previous years, but some opponents are anticipating that the Patriots will use the same sort of ground and pound approach they did down the stretch as part of their continuing offensive evolution. They’ll remain flexible as needed, but if they want to run it as much as they can, they’ll want to offer as many different backs and that have as many different looks as possible in hopes of keeping those guys as fresh as possible.
Two other reasons came up: One, they want to see what sort of skills Sony Michel can bring to the passing game. Running backs coach Ivan Fears lamented late last season that they didn’t get Michel as involved in the passing game as they would have liked, and it’ll be interesting to see if that change this year. If it does, Harris could get some of those between-the-tackles touches. And two, as one other source close to the team told me, there’s always the danger of injury, referencing last year’s Chicago game where they had to make do with White and Kenjon Barner. “They’re going to need Harris,” they said. “He’s going to play.”
Grand Canyon University studied every active NFL roster ever. Colleges with most players? Notre Dame with 495, USC (479), Ohio St (426), Penn St (359), Nebraska and Michigan (346), Miami (341), Oklahoma (328), LSU (325), Alabama (319). In 2018, Bama had most with 53 then LSU 51.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) May 10, 2019