A versatile playmaker who would be a great fit in the New England Patriots offense is Antonio Gibson of Memphis.
In a previous article a while ago, I highlighted several big running backs who would be solid fits for the New England Patriots.
While I still see all of them as solid fits, should the Patriots decide to swing their offense in a new direction, one might fit the bill better than the others. That would be Antonio Gibson of Memphis.
That article citing NFL.com outlines Gibson this way:
"Antonio Gibson is big back at 228 pounds. NFL.com says he might be tabbed as a “Big athlete with positional versatility.” Besides being big, he can also fly having run a 4.39 second 4-yard dash at the combine. Big and fast. Sounds good so far."
Versatility is the key to how Gibson might fit a newly reformulated New England Patriots offense.
In several posts, I have postulated that the Patriots now without their 2 decades stalwart No. 12 should change the dynamic of their offense completely, and move into the new era of NFL offensive football.
Phil Perry of NBCsports.com noted coach Bill Belichick’s comments about their 2-decade old offense this way,
"“Over the last two decades,” Belichick said in a conference call on Monday, “everything we did, every single decision we made in terms of major planning, was made with the idea of how to make things best for Tom Brady.”"
I’ve been banging the drum in support of a new Patriots offense that completely departs from the Tom Brady model and goes off in a new direction for the New England Patriots.
Could there actually be hope? Probably not. But … you never know with New England. It’s that unpredictability thing.
New England Patriots moving on from Tom Brady
As Bill Belichick said their offense was built around Tom Brady and was fashioned to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaker areas.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
It evolved over time with Brady and sought to provide assets around him (not always very successfully, I might add as in 2019) which would help capitalize on those strengths.
My view, Brady’s leaving makes it essential to refashion the offense and bring in the players who fit the new system to a T, not to try to fit players to an old system that has lost its central cog.
Jarrett Stidham, no matter what his skills are, is no Tom Brady. No one else is. I think it is futile to try to “Bradyize”, to coin a term, an offense without Tom Brady. It’s futile and destined to fail. It’s time to move on.
What better way for the grumpy coach to say, “How’d you like that, NFL” than by completely transforming the team’s offense into a new, modern more and dynamic juggernaut.
The change would be into a new twin turbo-charged model, sans-Brady, with 500 horsepower reformulating it from a grand coupee sedan with luxury and style to a speedy, versatile and totally unpredictable model sports car that can compete with any in the new NFL?
Yikes, I like that thought!
Antonio Gibson can run the ball and catch it for the New England Patriots
I’ve banged the gong about players in this draft who would indeed in my view fit this new, redesigned offensive system in New England. I think that system would indeed absolutely blow the minds of the rest of the NFL.
Why?
First, they won’t expect it from the set-in-his-ways grumpy Coach. About versatility, seems that being versatile is a feature that the New England Patriots have always appreciated. But this is a new dimension in offensive versatility.
And that’s where Gibson comes in.
Watching ESPN’s draft Combine, I found one thing about Gibson’s effort that was interesting if not comical. Gibson dropped about a 40-yard pass on a fly pattern.
So immediately, they commented that he was being projected as a running back. One pass. LOL. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s website had him slotted in as a Wide Receiver.
Perfect. Why not do both?
According to NFL.com, Gibson’s also a kick returner. With his speed, he could be a dangerous weapon in that special teams’ phase as well, one where hardly a semblance of a returner was evident from New England last season. Just abysmal.
Versatility is the key to how Gibson might fit a newly reformulated New England Patriots offense. In several posts, I have postulated that the Patriots now without their 2 decades stalwart No. 12 should change the dynamic of their offense completely, and move into the new era of NFL offensive football.
Antonio Gibson would provide a new multi-purpose weapon to the New England Patriots in 2020.
The question is, will Bill Belichick challenge and beat the entire NFL at their own game by developing a new, more dynamic and versatile offense post-Tom Brady, or not?
We’ll have a good idea next week when we see how he drafts.
My view, go for it Bill!