Vinny
shiny happy fan
The Patriots look to use more two TE sets next year along with the Colts and us it seems. They have the great hands of Christian Fauria and two first-round Tight Ends in Benjamin Watson and Daniel Graham. Put Cory Dillion back there and this offense is starting too look pretty physical. Some around here have questioned why we took Joppru early and signed Bruenner but the NFL is trending to multiple TE sets it seems. The Colts sure are explosive out of theirs.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2004/07/04/small_role_may_produce_star/Graham primarily played the "Y" position, the standard tight end alignment, as a rookie. Last year, he was asked to play both Y and H-back (the in-motion blocking fullback/tight end in single-back sets), known as the "F" position in the Patriots' offense. Because the F involves more responsibility, the Patriots believe the shift of position may have led to hesitation by Graham and contributed to his inconsistency.
Enter Benjamin Watson. When, for the second time in three years, the Patriots used a first-round pick on a tight end, some saw it as an indictment of Graham. (It wasn't; New England often employs two or three tight ends at once.) Others wondered if Watson's presence would motivate Graham. Perhaps it has or will, but at the very least it should emancipate Graham from the mental stress of having to play two complex positions. Watson, with his size and speed, appears to be a good fit for the F, allowing Graham, who is a solid blocker, to focus on the Y, with veteran Christian Fauria playing in both spots.