It all comes down to having an X receiver that is a threat on the outside. The Patriots are certainly hoping the Aaron Dobson develops into this kind of player.
Even when they don’t have that guy, they still take shots (see the deep throw to Matthew Slater in the AFCCG that Brady underthrew), but there’s a big difference between those to keep a defense honest and having a real target on the outside with the speed to get deep.
Tom Brady’s strengths are obvious. He makes the right read and is deadly accurate within 15 yards. He’s not going to launch an aerial assault twenty yards down the field with every pass.
They want to attack the perimeter and they need to be able to, but not at the expense of putting a one-trick pony, ala Ochocinco, into the offense. What makes the offense go are receivers who can read defenses and get open quickly. As long as they have a couple of those guys, they’ll be a top-10 offense with Brady at the helm.
But if they truly want to be explosive they need that X. We saw it against the Broncos in the AFCCG. The Pats moved the ball but it was tedious and they had just three 20+ plays, and none over 30 yards. The Broncos had eight, including two that went 30+.
That’s the difference Demaryius Thomas makes on the outside (he had four 20+ plays). The Patriots need that element to their offense.
An X will only make it easier to do what Brady does best and allow the inside receivers to deal with less coverage because at least one safety and probably two would have to be deep.
So let’s hope Dobson has a big offseason and takes a big step forward in 2014. Or maybe even second-year player Mark Harrison, a dark horse who has elite size and speed.