FOXBOROUGH - For some receivers in the Weis/McDaniels/O’Brien offense, it all comes together quickly. Deion Branch seemed to have it down about 30 minutes into his first practice, and Wes Welker came over in that trade with Miami, immediately understood the nuances, and was always open.
For others - does anyone remember the disaster that was Chad Ochocinco, or young pass catchers like Josh Boyce and Taylor Price? - they not only failed to get it quickly, but failed period.
Romeo Doubs has been a fixture with the first-team dating back to the spring, but the times when he looked like the player we saw on tape in Green Bay were few and far between. That is, until last week. If you go back over the voluminous practice reports we produce here at BSJ, you’ll notice Doubs’ name coming up more and more as he started stringing one good practice after another. Isn’t that right, Mike Vrabel?*
“Yeah. I saw it the same way, Mike [Giardi].”
Now there’s no truth to the rumor that I’ll be the offensive coordinator in waiting - who needs Bedard ripping my play calls? - but bottom line is that I could see Doubs moving faster and thinking less than at any point since arriving in Foxborough. It’s coming.
“I think just new offense, new year, figuring out the player, getting to know him. Really, a lot of positive things, I think, trending in the right direction,” Vrabel said. “Todd [Downing] is very conscientious about each one of his players, what each of them needs to learn the offense, where they need to be, what routes are going to be really good for them and the decisions that they need to make.
“And I think he’s just working through some of that stuff with those guys, and I think he found where Rome can really help us - be big, fast and aggressive- and I think that showed up in some practices that you saw. It’s just figuring out what they do best, seeing what you can realistically improve, and then putting them in those spots to help build their own confidence, and then also a place where they can help the football team.”
Doubs continued his stretch of elevated play, shining in the low red area, a place where he thrived in Green Bay as well. During 7-on-7s, he beat Carlton Davis to the back corner of the end zone and toe-tapped to get his feet in bounds on a perfectly arced ball from Drake Maye.
That theme continued in 11-on-11s. Doubs leaped over Charles Woods to cap a one-minute drill with a touchdown, then, on the next series, he Moss’d Woods, cleanly climbing the CB’s back and plucking the ball out of the defender’s hands. Doubs has had some gems recently, but that might have been the creme de la creme.
“I’m just seeing a dude float to the moon,” Kyle Williams colorfully observed. “It's so special to watch. You know, a guy that doesn't really talk too much, but his game does all the talking.”
Williams is right. Doubs hasn’t proven to be much of a quote. When I asked him about the game/scheme slowing down for him, he told me, “It's**premium*** a day-to-day league. You know, I appreciate this team. I appreciate the effort that these guys come out with, the culture day-to-day. And like I said, I know tomorrow will be a new day.”
That didn’t actually answer the question. Perhaps Doubs will open up the longer he’s here and the more he gets to know us. But for now, he’s intently focused on his process, which he said includes post-practice body work (to stay healthy) and film study. Whatever he’s been doing is proving beneficial, and we should see more of #87 moving forward, including in the joint practices against a talented Eagles secondary on Wednesday and Thursday.
MEANWHILE
As you saw above, we also heard from Williams today about performance in Thursday night’s preseason opener (2 catches, 1 TD). Unlike Doubs, the second-year pro has never met a microphone he didn’t like to talk into.
“For me, I finally felt like I got my groove back,” he said of where his game is at right now. “Finally having fun. Not really worried about what I can’t control, so just maxxing every opportunity I get.”
Those opportunities for Williams with Maye and the top offense have been limited, and not always successful. As I mentioned in the post-game report, he remains very much a work in progress and has some limitations (middle-of-the-field route running was something Vrabel pointed at) that don’t match what he’s capable of doing outside the numbers. But man, some of that stuff is eye-opening, especially when it comes to his release package.
“I have dreams about releases," Williams said (and I don’t think he was joking). “It's something that I just do in my sleep. So, I mean, man-to-man and off the line is something that I really pride myself on. I've been priding myself on that from the jump.
“You know, watching a lot of guys, Davante (Adams), Keenan (Allen), Doug Baldwin, Stevie Johnson (editor’s note, great shoutout. Elite release game), like people like that that are really good off the line. I've always tried to model my game after that. Makes life a lot easier.”
Williams made poor Johnathan Edwards look incompetent on his touchdown catch, hitting the second-year player with a killer crossover move. I asked if that’s something he’s setting up, or more reactionary.
“It's a mind game,” he told me. “You set it up from the beginning and everything. You kind of know what's going to work, but it's also a little bit of a reaction thing. When the ball is snapped, I kind of understand what his technique and his leverage are, and then I'm able to make my move based off him.”
There’s no question that part of Williams’ game is advanced, and if he can add other elements, he’ll have the chance to go from niche player to legit starter. But, for now, that’s a ways off, and a lot more work ahead. However, I’ll say this: he doesn’t lack for confidence, even when it comes to his weaknesses (again, middle-of-the-field work).
“Getting open is pretty easy, but it's a lot of decision-making, you know?” Williams said. “You’ve got to be able to think on the fly and feel certain things. So, I mean, that's probably the biggest challenge.”