Patriots personnel czar Nick Caserio was made available to the media today. Among the topics breached was the depth and “versatility” of the wide receiver corps.
Caserio’s verdict? Things are looking up for Tom Brady’s targets.
“I think there are guys that have varying degrees of experience,” Caserio said. “Chad [Ochocinco] hasn’t played in our system, so he’s sort of getting up to speed. But he’s been a productive player in this league for a long time, and I think things are starting to come together for him a bit more.
“Wes [Welker], his track record sort of speaks for itself and he’s having a really strong camp to this point. Then you have some of the younger players, like the Julian Edelmans, the Taylor Prices, the Brandon Tates, who I’d say [are] different, but they’re all kind of [in] a similar stage of development. They’re all working hard, they’re trying to get better, [and] they’re trying to make the most of their opportunities when they’re on the field.”
The key for them? Consistency.
“I think the biggest thing is you’re looking for the consistency on a day-to-day basis, from one practice to the next, one game to the next,” Caserio said. “So, ‘OK, here’s how they played in one particular game — what is it going to look like moving forward?’ The most important thing is developing the consistency overall as a player. I think that’s the most important thing.”
Welker, even more than the youngsters, drew praise.
“He always competes, he always works hard,” Caserio said. “It looks like his quickness level — he’s regained some of that relative to where it was. Wes works hard; he’s been a productive player and he just looks confident. He just sort of catches your eye a little bit. He’s done some things that look real good.”
