The Patriots announced late yesterday afternoon the signing of free agent tight end Visanthe Shiancoe to a one year deal worth up to 1.2 million with only 400k guaranteed. Shiancoe was unexpected to sign on with New England after leaving without a deal in place after he worked out last week. I thought a deal was unlikely after Shiancoe left New England to work out with the Eagles, but he declined the Eagles offer and decided to sign on with the Patriots! Smart man! Don't over look this signing people for this could prove to pay dividends for the Patriots this upcoming season. Many of you might think what does it matter who the 3rd string tight end is. This is big for multiple reasons.
1.Insurance: Last season the Patriots only carried two tight ends on the 53 man roster. Both Gronkowski and Hernandez were utilized the Patriots heavily in the passing attack last season. Both were also banged up sporadically throughout the season putting limitations on what the Patriots could do offensively. With the signing of Shiancoe this will allow there to be more of a rotation and give Gronkowski and Hernandez a breather instead of the constant weekly grind and should keep Gronkowski and Hernandez healthier throughout the season. Also if one of the tight ends is to go down in injury there is an actual backup that can step up and make plays for the offense so there won't be any limitations for the Patriots offense this season.
2.Flexibility: So what impact could the #3 tight end on the depth chart possibly have if Gronkowski and Hernandez are both on the field ahead of him? Well, last season the Patriots tried running a 3 tight end set and the Patriots were successful however can anyone guess who lined up as their third tight end last season? Starting left tackle Nate Solder who played some tight end in college at Colorado. With Solder stepping into the left tackle spot following Matt Light's retirement it is only logical the Patriots wont want to risk injury to the Patriots franchise left tackle going forward. Having a legitimate starting caliber tight end as the Patriots #3 will allow the Patriots to have that much more flexibility both in the running game and in the Passing game. This will keep defenses on their heels because in a 3 tight end set the Pats could run the ball or pass it to any of their 3 receiving weapons at tight end. Football is all about matchups and it will be virtually unstoppable to stop all 3 tight ends. The NFL had trouble just stopping Gronkowski and Hernandez- Now New England kicks it up a notch and adds a third tight end into the mix and will cause tons of matchup problems for the NFL this season. Flexibility is key.
3.Adding Another Weapon: As if the Patriots need it the Patriots add yet another receiving weapon at 6'4 , 240 lbs. Adding Shiancoe at this point is a luxury for the Patriots offense. The Patriots had the top offense in the league last season and they look to continue that by adding even more weapons this offseason. Daniel Fells was seen as more of a blocker than a receiving tight end so adding another pass catcher will only add another dynamic wrinkle to the Patriots offense in 2012. Shiancoe will easily be the best 3rd string tight end in football this season. Lets see how opposing defenses try to contain the Patriots offense this season. They will have their work cut our for them as it will be almost impossible to shut down all of Brady's new receiving targets.
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