Bear's wire training camp report

JABF
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Bear's wire training camp report Aug 23, 2020 20:02:10 GMT -6

Post by JABF on Aug 23, 2020 20:02:10 GMT -6

Aug 23, 2020 17:55:51 GMT -6 brasilbear said:

I still remain leery of thinking players can become something they have not shown before.

We saw this with Bellamy--he was never going to learn how to catch. AP special teamer, terrible WR.
We saw with with Dion Sims--he was never going to become a receiving TE AND he forgot how to block, which was his calling card.

Patterson is known for not being great at catching or route running. At Tenn they used him on jet sweeps and screens rather than push him into patterns. I don't believe that catch rate is a good stat as it ignores things like depth of route, contested catches and poor QB throws. Maybe I'm cherry picking stats. Could be.

I just don't want to hold out hope that a player let go by NE would suddenly develop into more than just the gadget player he has been in the past.

I'm interested in getting him more touches, but he isn't suddenly going to turn into Kareen Hunt, McCoy or pre-terrible-knees Gurley. I'd like to see him get about 80-100 touches this season. Barring injury I think that would be a good goal, somewhere between 5 and 7 touches a game.

I'd rather Montgomery gets more carries, I'd rather Cohen see more routes from the backfield, and I'd rather Robinson/Miller/Ridley/Mahoney/Ginn/Grahan/Kmet each get more receptions.

I agree that a lot of times these things don't pan out. I just like the idea they're giving it a try. If he isn't any good then at least they gave it a shot.

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paytonisgod
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Bear's wire training camp report Aug 23, 2020 20:27:44 GMT -6

Post by paytonisgod on Aug 23, 2020 20:27:44 GMT -6

Aug 23, 2020 11:37:03 GMT -6 JABF said:

Actually CP's catch percentage last season was better than Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Wims & Gabriel (LINK). I'm not (at all) saying he's a great receiver (he's not) but he's not a stone hands guy either. Unless you categorize Allen Robinson as a stone hands guy. Anyway I like the idea of seeing what he can do as RB depth. His Wiki says of his Tennessee stint, "Primarily used as a wide receiver, he also excelled as a return specialist and all-purpose running back." (LINK). As a runner he averaged over 12 yards per carry. I'm not saying he is a great runner. But I wouldn't classify him as only a gadget player.

Not to deflate you or anything but where did you find that 12 yards per carry stat? He had 17 rushes last year and had 103 yards which comes out to 6.1 per carry. Not bad but that's a small sample and IIRC he had a big run one game which likely inflated his other numbers given the small sample size. Even when he was at New England on 43 carries (also a fairly small number) he averaged only 5.4 yards per carry.

He's a gadget player because he only can be in a limited number of plays. You can't trust that he can do all the things an experienced regular at that position can do. He can't block like a RB or TE and he can't run certain routes better WRs can. When he's on the field he's either getting the ball or being used as a decoy. Good defenses can often capitalize on that knowledge given the limited options. You might get a big play here or there but it's not something you can do on a continuing basis.

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Bear's wire training camp report Aug 23, 2020 21:37:37 GMT -6 shark86 and butkus3595 like this

Post by JABF on Aug 23, 2020 21:37:37 GMT -6

Aug 23, 2020 20:27:44 GMT -6 paytonisgod said:

Aug 23, 2020 11:37:03 GMT -6 JABF said:

Actually CP's catch percentage last season was better than Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Wims & Gabriel (LINK). I'm not (at all) saying he's a great receiver (he's not) but he's not a stone hands guy either. Unless you categorize Allen Robinson as a stone hands guy. Anyway I like the idea of seeing what he can do as RB depth. His Wiki says of his Tennessee stint, "Primarily used as a wide receiver, he also excelled as a return specialist and all-purpose running back." (LINK). As a runner he averaged over 12 yards per carry. I'm not saying he is a great runner. But I wouldn't classify him as only a gadget player.

Not to deflate you or anything but where did you find that 12 yards per carry stat? He had 17 rushes last year and had 103 yards which comes out to 6.1 per carry. Not bad but that's a small sample and IIRC he had a big run one game which likely inflated his other numbers given the small sample size. Even when he was at New England on 43 carries (also a fairly small number) he averaged only 5.4 yards per carry.

He's a gadget player because he only can be in a limited number of plays. You can't trust that he can do all the things an experienced regular at that position can do. He can't block like a RB or TE and he can't run certain routes better WRs can. When he's on the field he's either getting the ball or being used as a decoy. Good defenses can often capitalize on that knowledge given the limited options. You might get a big play here or there but it's not something you can do on a continuing basis.

He averaged 12.3 yards per carry at Tennessee. He was only there 1 year and turned pro... he was a 1st round draft pick. He has been an All-Pro 6 times as a return man & is on the NFL All-Decade Team - so he knows what to do with the ball in his hands. I totally agree that he needs to learn more than just running with the ball... he'll need work. His coach has said this. He has said this, and stated he is going to work hard to learn the RB role. He will give it his best shot because he wants this to work out.

I just grabbed that 12.3 ypc stat from his Wiki (LINK): "Patterson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee, where he played for Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Volunteers football team in 2012.[17] He made an immediate impact with his athletic ability and offensive versatility. Primarily used as a wide receiver, he also excelled as a return specialist and all-purpose running back."

My only point is that I like the fact that the Bears are kicking the tires on him being a help at RB. Not saying he will be the end-all RB, or even a starter. But why on earth would anyone question giving the guy a try there in summer training camp? Let's see what he can do for us. Worst case is he doesn't cut it and we just move on.

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Last Edit: Aug 24, 2020 11:50:37 GMT -6 by JABF

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butkus3595
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Bear's wire training camp report Aug 24, 2020 11:33:05 GMT -6 riczaj01, JABF, and 1 more like this

Post by butkus3595 on Aug 24, 2020 11:33:05 GMT -6

I think the more ways you can get the ball into an electric player like Patterson's hands the better. It's one of the reasons I wanted him to move to TE last season. At the least moving him around gives the defense something to think about and helps create mismatches for him as well as others on offense.

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