Tim Wright's presence changes the dynamic of this offense
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| Tim Wright celebrates, via Zimbio |
At 6'4", 220 pounds, with 4.6 speed, he's that athletic receiver/tight end to complement Rob Gronkowski that the Patriots have been missing since Aaron Hernandez got into some trouble.
With Wright and Gronk on the field, it allows Tom Brady to do what he does best, which is shred the middle of the field on short to intermediate throws. Take a look at these numbers on throws to the middle of the field between 0-19 yards.
-0-9 yards: 5 for 7, 73 yards, 1 TD, 144.6 Rating
-10-19 yards: 7 for 9, 136, 1 TD, 155.8 Rating
Not bad for a quarterback in decline.
Wright caught 5 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. I'd have to go back and watch the game to confirm, but if I remember right most, if not all, of those catches came in the middle of the field, specifically in the hole between the linebackers and safeties. Tom Brady had a 158.3 passer rating when targeting Wright, higher than any other receiver he targeted.
Wright and Gronk help each other out, one will open up space for the other. They're styles complement each other perfectly too. Wright is no Hernandez on the field when it comes to evading players, but he's still different from Gronk. The offensive line deserves a ton of credit for coming together and giving Brady time to throw. That, combined with Wright and Gronk, and this offense is completely different. It's no coincidence Gronk had his best game of the season the same night Wright emerged as a threat. Brady had a combined passer rating of 137 when targeting those two.
I got on Josh McDaniels in a blog earlier this week, saying he needed to make a serious change. Well change happened Sunday night. If a writer like me can see the difference Tim Wright made for Brady, Gronk, and the offense, I'm sure him and the coaching staff can too. Tim Wright should, and I believe will, see more and more snaps as the season goes on and become an integral part to the success of this offense. He certainly was on Sunday night.
All stats via Pro Football Focus
-Brian Thibodeau
Follow me on Twitter - @b_thibs34
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