Deeper look at the Emmanuel Sanders deal

The Patriots made some moves today by extending an offer sheet to Pittsburgh RFA Emmanuel Sanders, and resigning oft-injured but clearly talented slot receiver Julian Edelman. Should the Sanders signing stand, the moves will add depth to a position where the team had some glaring needs.

Looking at the Sanders signing specifically, initially it was surprising to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, it came after weeks of silence following his initial visit with the teams. Many, including myself, speculated the team was looking towards the draft to add a talented pass catcher. But apparently the Patriots are aware of the fact that they have a terrible track record doing so.

Mike Reiss raised an excellent point in his own analysis of the Sanders deal today regarding the Patriots history of selecting receivers in the draft, bringing to light a recent quote from Belichick that makes more sense of the Sanders signing:

“As I’ve said many times before, I think the college passing game is a lot different than the [pro] passing game -- pass protection, pass rush, pass execution and pass defense. We all look at the same film. We’re all trying to evaluate the same players. But it’s a lot easier to watch a guy in the NFL perform and translate his skills for your team than watch a guy in college perform because of the discrepancy in the passing game. It’s nobody’s fault. That’s just the way it is.’’

When you take into account the fundamental differences Bill is discussing here between the college and pro passing game, and combine it with the complexity of the Patriot's system in particular; it seems to make more sense that the team would pursue a somewhat proven NFL receiver over what seems to be a shot in the dark position to draft.

So for these reasons- the Sanders signing was a solid move by the Patriots. But the question I raise is: Is he any good? His career statistics would not suggest he is not the stand out player that some seem to be portraying him as. Furthermore, I would view him as a downgrade from Brandon Lloyd. Despite Lloyd's erratic behavior, it seems to be getting thrown under the rug that he had a 74 catch, 911 yard season last year, in an offensive system that receivers often cannot handle. Sanders is an upgrade from what was on the Patriots roster at the beginning of the week; but that's not saying much.

Last year was Sanders best season, one in which he had 44 catches for 626 yards and 1 touchdown. Not exactly eye-popping numbers. And if we look at numbers alone, it's clear that he is yet to match the production levels of Lloyd. But he is five years younger than Lloyd, and a player who is still developing his talent. In this sense the situation here is reminiscent of Welker/Amendola. A downgrade in terms of current on-field production, but an upgrade when looking at potential for the future.

But perhaps the most puzzling piece of the deal is that the Patriots are sacrificing a third round pick and only signing Sanders to a one-year deal. Sacrificing the pick for such a short-term deal to a talented but unproven player is very uncharacteristic of Belichick and the team as a whole, especially taking into account how the real weakness in the team lies on the defensive side of the ball. Sanders must have really impressed during his visit for the team to make a sacrifice like they did.

Boston Globe Patriot's writer Greg Bedard posted some interesting analysis today after watching "the better part of four games" worth of Sanders game tape. From this film study, he reached the following conclusions regarding Sanders as a player:

• Average intellignece
• Excellent blocking skills
• Good at beating press coverage
• Possesses versatility, can play inside and outside receiver positons
• 4.4 speed 
• Solid, tough all-around reciever, but has had some shoulder and back issues
• "Can do alot of things Brandon Lloyd did, but better and faster."