Jakobi Meyers Emerging as Tom Brady's 'Favorite Target' in Camp

A rookie wide receiver has made a significant impact during the New England Patriots’ training camp. Undrafted free agent Jakobi Meyers—not first-round selection N'Keal Harry—has emerged as the “favorite target” for quarterback Tom Brady.

Julian Edelman is sidelined with a thumb injury, allowing other receivers the chance to shine. Meyers has taken advantage of the opportunity. He has earned reps with the first team offense and could carve a role in the Patriots’ offense in 2019 if Josh Gordon remains suspended indefinitely.

Meyers has made a name for himself in training camp. (Mandy Lane/Boston Herald)

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound former North Carolina State wideout has been the talk of the town during most of the team’s practices. He grabbed 14-of-18 targets in 11-on-11 drills on Monday.

Meyers is a converted quarterback who switched to wide receiver before his sophomore year at N.C. State. He hauled in 92 receptions in 2018—the seventh-most in college football—for the Wolfpack during his senior season.

Not enough people are talking about NC State's Jakobi Meyers (@jkbmyrs5).

He isn't a big separator, but he catches everything. He's a top-5 WR in this class in drop rate and contested catch %.

He's a Jason Avant clone, IMO. Chain mover, sneaky red-zone threat and SO consistent. pic.twitter.com/XuAPGnCz3V

— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) March 30, 2019

Brady praised Meyers for seizing the moment during training camp.

                          

“He’s done a great job and he’s taken advantage of his opportunities,” Brady said. “I think that’s really what we try to stress to anybody. It really doesn’t matter — the football doesn’t care how old you are, whether you were drafted or not. The football doesn’t care how much experience you have. It just knows that when I let that ball go, it’s got to be in the hands of the guy who it’s intended for. If that happens to be him, it’s him. If it’s Julian, it’s Julian. Whoever it is, it doesn’t matter in football.”

Panthers Sign Chris Hogan

The Carolina Panthers have signed veteran free-agent receiver Chris Hogan to a one-year deal, according to multiple reports. Hogan spent the previous three years with the New England Patriots, reaching the Super Bowl in each season and winning the Lombardi Trophy twice.

Hogan struggled as the Patriots' featured wideout in 2018 when Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Having trouble breaking through the Patriots' undermanned receiver corps all year, Hogan caught just 35 passes and three TDs. He did turn those catches into 532 yards (15.2 yards per reception) and remained a deep-threat option because of his physical frame. The 6'1"/215 lb wideout could provide a red zone option for Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Turning 32 in October, Hogan will be the oldest wide receiver on Carolina's roster. D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are the featured wideouts for the Panthers, while Hogan and 30-year-old Torrey Smith will play complementary roles.

Hogan accumulated 107 receptions for 1,651 yards and 12 touchdowns in 40 regular-season games for the Patriots from 2016-18 . 

Hogan will be best remembered for his incredible performance in the 2016 AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the Patriots' victory over the Steelers, Hogan registered nine receptions for 180 yards—a single-game playoff franchise record for receiving yards—with two touchdowns.

15 Best Performances of Super Bowl LIII

Highlighting the 15 best performances from the New England Patriots' 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

15. Jason McCourty
McCourty made one of the most crucial plays in the Patriots' Super Bowl LIII victory when he chased down a pass from Rams quarterback Jared Goff, knocking the ball away from the intended target Brandin Cooks, who was open in the back of the end zone.

Per @NextGenStats Jason McCourty was 19.2 (!!!) yards away from Brandin Cooks when Jared Goff released this pass pic.twitter.com/krJDeZoNtV

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 5, 2019

14. Johnny Hekker
Hekker, a Pro Bowler for the Rams in 2018, set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt and had five punts inside the 20-yard line.
13. Dont'a Hightower
The Patriots linebacker recorded a game-best two sacks.
12. Stephen Gostkowski
The Patriots kicker sealed the deal with a 41-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 10 with a little over a minute remaining. He missed a field goal in the first quarter, but made a 42-yard kick in the second quarter and converted his only PAT.

Stephen Gostkowski puts the Patriots up 10! #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/hbBrW2zHPm

— Sports Daily (@SportsDGI) February 4, 2019

11. Jonathan Jones
Jones led the Patriots in tackles (eight) and had one sack.
10. New England's Offensive Line
The Patriots' O-line dominated throughout the playoffs. They paved the way for their running backs to run wild in their Super Bowl win.
9. Brandin Cooks
The former Patriot, Cooks was the only Rams player to produce on the offensive end. He caught eight passes for 120 yards.
8. Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski's 29-yard reception, which set up Sony Michel's decisive fourth-quarter TD, was the game's longest play from scrimmage. He had six catches for 87 yards. Gronkowski holds Super Bowl records among tight ends in catches (23) and receiving yards (297).
7. Tom Brady
Brady was far from great—throwing an interception on his first pass and finishing with a 71.4 passer rating—but considerably outplayed Goff. He finished with 262 passing yards in the win to claim his sixth Super Bowl title.
6. Sony Michel
Michel rushed for 94 yards and the lone TD of the game. He extended his rookie record with his sixth TD of these playoffs.

Sony Michel scored the only TD of Super Bowl LIII. (Image via Boston Globe)

5. Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy was all over the field on Super Sunday, totaling four tackles, a pass defended, three QB hits and a critical sack. 
4. Brian Flores
Flores, set to be the newest coach of the Miami Dolphins after serving as the linebackers coach of the Patriots and the team's defensive play-caller, put forth a great scheme on Sunday. While it may be Belichick's defense, Flores deserves a lot of credit for holding the Rams, the No. 2 scoring offense in 2018, to three points.
3. Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore had the biggest defensive play of the night, intercepting an errant Goff pass. Gilmore, one of two Patriots players to earn a Pro Bowl nod, had five tackles and three passes defended.
2. Bill Belichick
The greatest coach in NFL history won his sixth Super Bowl title with New England, stiffing the Rams' high-powered offense. The Rams gained just 260 yards (4.3 per play), their second-lowest total of the season and finished 3-for-13 on third downs. The Rams tied the 1971 Dolphins for fewest points in a Super Bowl. LA ran zero plays in the red zone.
1. Julian Edelman
The Super Bowl MVP finished with 10 catches for 141 yards, accounting for more than half of the Patriots' total receiving yardage (262). 

Julian Edelman holds his Super Bowl MVP trophy. (David J. Phillip/AP)

Edelman routinely came up with big plays in huge moments, converting on critical third downs and helping to spark an otherwise ineffective offense. Edelman has 115 career postseason catches for 1,412 yards, ranking second only to Jerry Rice all time in both playoff categories.

New England Patriots' Road Dominance Defines Triumphant 2016 Regular Season

            In another season in which New England (14-2) captured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and dominated its conference—posting an 11-1 mark versus AFC opponents—the most impressive part of the Patriots’ 2016 campaign was their road perfection.

            Finishing the season with an impeccable 8-0 mark away from Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots are just the seventh team in NFL history to win all eight road contests. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick accomplished this feat in 2007 in the Patriots’ flawless 16-0 regular season. The San Francisco 49ers went undefeated on the road in 1984, 1989 and 1990, dido for the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

            Of the aforementioned teams (not including New England's current team) to go 8-0 in away contests in the regular season, only the 2014 Cowboys failed to reach the Super Bowl. The Rams won it all in 1999, while the 49ers captured Lombardi trophies in 1984 and 1989—but came up short in the Super Bowl following the 1990 season, just as the 2007 Patriots did.

            Much of the talk surrounding the Patriots in recent weeks has been about capturing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Last season, the Patriots lost in Week 16 (at New York Jets) and 17 (at Miami Dolphins) and, as a result, surrendered the conference’s top seed to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos.

            In the eyes of many Patriots fans, Brady and Co. would have defeated the Broncos had the AFC title game been played in Foxborough. The notion of New England beating Denver if the AFC Championship was played in a different venue is, of course, nothing more than (pointless) speculation. But there is no denying the Patriots made their path to the Super Bowl a lot harder by botching the chance to grab the conference's top seed a year ago—in part due to their decision to rest some of their starters in the season-finale.

            The Patriots' quest for their fifth championship should (theoretically) be less challenging this postseason, given that the AFC's path to Super Bowl LI runs through New England. The Patriots secured home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with their 35-14 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday, spearheaded by a three-touchdown performance from Brady.

            New England jumped out to a 20-0 lead, and at that point had advantages of 238-to-30 in yards, and 17-to-zero in first downs. Miami scored consecutive touchdowns to cut the deficit to 20-14, before Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman caught a short pass and broke free for a 77-yard TD. Wideout Michael Floyd, playing in his second game for the Patriots, had a crumpling block on the play that paved a clear road for Edelman to the end zone.

Julian Edelman's 77-yard TD catch-and-run helped New England defeat Miami for the second time this season, completing its first season-sweep of its division rivals since 2012. (AP Image)

            Floyd had added a 14-yard score of his own earlier in the contest, which then gave the Patriots a 14-0 lead. Floyd finished with three receptions on four targets for 36 yards and a TD, second in the team in receiving to Edelman, who caught eight passes for 151 yards and a score.

            Brady lauded Floyd’s effort in his postgame interview, noting the challenge it takes to join a team this late in the season.

            “To come in at this point is very tough,” Brady said. “There’s not really the time to make the mistakes any more. But he’s a veteran, he has played for a long time.”

            On a day in which Brady completed 25 of his 33 passes for 276 yards without a single turnover, he savored winning the regular-season finale against a Dolphins team that he is just 7-8 against in contests played in Miami.

            “This has always been a challenging place for us, for one reason or another,” Brady said. “But we just found a way to beat a good football team.”

            Brady—who went 11-1 as a starter this season following his four-game suspension resulting from the DeflateGate saga and set a new record for touchdown-to-interception ratio by throwing 28 TDs with just two picks—said he is “most proud” of his team’s road supremacy.

            Visiting teams went just 107-147 (.405) this season, adding credence to Brady’s gratification of his team’s unblemished road mark.

New England Patriots' Offseason Analysis: Wide Receiver

With the 2014 NFL Draft just over a month away, here is a quick review of the Patriots’ offseason, beginning with an analysis of the wide receiver position.

Key Moves:

Re-Signing Julian Edelman

After checking out the free agent market, Julian Edelman ultimately decided to return to New England, where he has spent the first five years of his career. Edelman had a coming-out-party in 2013, leading the Patriots with 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. The Patriots rewarded his breakout season with a four-year deal with a base salary of $17 million overall and $6 million guaranteed. Edelman got the long-term security he was seeking in free agency from the Patriots, making his decision to stay in New England, rather than defect to his hometown San Francisco 49ers, much easier.

"You know, I got to go home and see the Niners, and I grew up a huge Niners fan,” Edelman said, via ESPNBoston.com. “But being in New England the last five years, that's just home, I mean, that's just home for me right now and just the way the mentality of the team, how everything's done -- the scheme, the players, the locker room, the fans."

A year after Tom Brady saw Wes Welker leave via free agency, the Patriots made sure to keep the QB’s go-to wideout from this past season. Injuries were a concern with Edelman throughout his first four seasons as the wideout played in just 48 of a possible 64 games. But after the versatile slot WR suited up for all 16 regular-season contests and both playoff games in 2013, New England felt safe to lock up Edelman for the next four seasons.

Julian Edelman returns to the Patriots, a season after emerging as the focal point of the offense. (David Silverman/AP)

 

Adding WR Brandon LaFell

The Patriots signed Brandon LaFell, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, to a three-year, $9 million contract in March to add experience to their wide receiver corps. The fifth-year WR started all 16 regular-season games in 2013 and finished with a career-high 49 catches for 627 yards and five touchdowns. LaFell had a particularly strong game versus the Patriots in the “Monday Night Football” clash, registering a season-high seven receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers' 24-20 upset win in Week 11.

LaFell is an inside/outside receiver that has excellent size for the position. His blocking skills were praised by his former coach Ron Rivera, who also gushed about the wideout’s intelligence and versatility. The reviews for LaFell are not all kind, however. According to Dan Bompei of Bleacher Reporter, two-front office executives were highly critical of LaFell and his shortcomings, one asserting LaFell isn't a starting-caliber player, with the other referring to the WR as “stiff” and “mechanical” with inconsistent hands.

Brandon LaFell is the newest member of the Patriots' wide receiver core. (Al Bello/ Getty Images)

There is no telling how productive LaFell will be in New England. The wideout has posted three straight seasons of between 600 and 700 yards. However, his lack of big playmaking ability could make him an afterthought in New England. LaFell will have to prove himself in training camp.

Key Question Marks

How will Second-Year WR’s fare in 2014?

The Patriots will need Aaron Dobson to build on his success from his rookie season. The 59^th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Dobson hauled in 37 passes for 519 yards and four touchdowns last season. Injuries limited Dobson to 12 games, however, and health will be a critical determinant for his role in the offense for the upcoming season. Unfortunately for Dobson, he underwent surgery in March to treat a stress fracture in his left foot and will not be ready to participate in the Patriots’ offseason activities beginning in May.

Undrafted wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins was a pleasant surprise for the Patriots in 2013, recording 32 receptions for 466 yards and four touchdowns. He was also hampered by nagging injuries, and just like Dobson, appeared in 12 contests last year. Thompkins had some big moments last season, most notably hauling in the game-winning TD versus the New Orleans Saints, but he also was inconsistent catching the ball and looked lost on routes at various points of the year.

Will Aaron Dobson (left) and Kenbrell Thompkins (right) become a formidable WR tandem in 2014? (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Fourth-round wideout Josh Boyce was an afterthought in the offense in his rookie season. He struggled to find playing time behind the other receivers on the club. He saw his most action via special-teams as a result. Boyce had nine catches for 121 yards in 2013.

Will Danny Amendola produce more in his second season in New England?

 Danny Amendola had a rocky start to his Patriot-career. After signing a five-year, $28.5 million contract last offseason, Amendola was only able to muster 54 receptions for just 633 yards and a mere two touchdowns. He disappeared in the AFC Championship loss to the Denver Broncos, capping off an underwhelming first season in New England.

The Patriots explored trade options for Amendola, before eventually deciding to hold onto the sixth-year receiver. Injuries have plagued Amendola, who has yet to record a 1,000 yard season in his career.

Danny Amendola did not live up to expectations in his first season with the Patriots. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

With Rob Gronkowski likely sidelined for roughly half of the 2014 season, Amendola needs to be a bigger factor in the offense. Edelman shouldered the majority of the load last season, but the Patriots cannot rely solely on him, given his injury history. At the bare minimum, Amendola needs to be a strong locker room presence for the young wide receivers in the Patriots’ offense.

Other Notables

Emmanuel Sanders, who the Patriots signed to a one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet last offseason, before the Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately decided to match the Patriots’ offer and hold onto their restricted WR for one last year, signed with the Broncos in March. The deal is worth $15 million over three years. Sanders, who caught a career-best 67 receptions in 2013, will be used to fill the void in the Broncos’ offense left by Eric Decker, who departed to the New York Jets via free agency.

The Patriots had interest in Steve Smith following his release from the Panthers, but the wideout opted to sign with the rival Baltimore Ravens on a three-year, $11.5 million contract. Before Smith landed a deal with Baltimore, he had a visit set up with the Patriots. 

2014 Pro Bowl Unconferenced Ballot: Offensive Players

The NFL Pro Bowl will no longer be played between the AFC and NFC. Instead, players will be chosen  regardless of their respective conference. Each position has a certain amount of players that will be selected, with the hope that the best players will make the game, no what conference they play in.

"The NFL's top two vote-getters on offense and defense become team captains for Deion Sanders' team and Jerry Rice's team. In a fantasy draft style setting, the captains pick from the voted all-stars to form the teams. And when the stars are realigned, it's teammate versus teammate in the new Pro Bowl: Unconferenced." 

With further ado, here is my 2014 Pro Bowl Ballot by position (and number of players in parenthesis allowed per position) for offensive players.

Offense:

Quarterback (6)

Peyton Manning, Broncos

Drew Brees, Saints

Philip Rivers, Chargers

Tom Brady, Patriots

Russell Wilson, Seahawks

Nick Foles, Eagles

Running Back (6)

Jamaal Charles, Chiefs

LeSean McCoy, Eagles

Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks

Matt Forte, Bears

Frank Gore, 49ers

Wide Receiver (8)

 Calvin Johnson, Lions

Josh Gordon, Browns

Dez Bryant, Cowboys

Antonio Brown, Steelers

Alshon Jeffery, Bears

DeMaryius Thomas, Broncos

Andre Johnson, Texans

Julian Edelman, Patriots

Fullback (2)

Mike Tolbert, Panthers

Marcel Reece, Raiders

Tight End (4)

Jimmy Graham, Saints

Julius Thomas, Broncos

Vernon Davis, 49ers

Jordan Cameron, Browns

Tackle (6)

Joe Thomas, Browns

Trent Williams, Redskins

Tyron Smith, Cowboys

Nate Solder, Patriots

Jason Peters, Eagles

Joe Staley, 49ers

Guard (6)

Ben Grubbs, Saints

David DeCastro, Steelers

Evan Mathis, Eagles

Josh Sitton, Packers

Louis Vasquez, Broncos

Larry Warford, Lions

Center (4)

Ryan Kalil, Panthers

Chris Myers, Texans

Manny Ramirez, Broncos

Alex Mack, Browns