Will Brinson On Adam Jones Show: How Long Is The Leash For Patriots' Rookie Receivers?
BOSTON (CBS) - The 2-0 Patriots host the 0-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but it's unclear which offensive weapons Tom Brady will have at his disposal for the game.
It wasn't pretty on offense for the Patriots in their Week 2 win over the Jets, with their rookie receivers playing like rookie receivers. They dropped passes, ran the wrong routes, and caught the wrath of Brady.
Will Brinson of CBS Sports joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show to talk about the rookie wide-outs, and whether the Patriots need to find some veteran options.
For now, Brinson said let the rookies learn with Brady, because they might not get the same chances later in the season.
"I think they need to give them a long leash," said Brinson. "It's tough to let the rookies keep struggling and Tom Brady isn't going to be any happier than he was in the Jets game. But they're undefeated right now in a division they should easily win, though Miami looks a little scary. They have a very beatable team in the Bucs... so if the Patriots I want to get these young guys acclimated to life in the NFL with Tom Brady, and get them built up. Once Gronk, Amendola and Vereen come back, they could have some really good depth at he position."
READ: Gronk, Amendola Limited On Wednesday
"You suffer through it, knowing that you're 2-0 and have a little leeway from that perspective. If it gets really ugly they might go out and try to bring some veterans in, and I'm sure they wish they had some of the weapons they thought they had, but those are the breaks," he said.
Brinson also touched on the trade of running back Trent Richardson to Colts. Are the Browns tanking with this move?
"You don't want your top value guy to be a running back, and I think they realized they could be better off if they had a second or third round running back," said Brinson. "I think they want to do whatever they can to get a high-end quarterback."
READ: Patriots-Buccaneers Tale of the Tape
"I don't think they're tanking. I think they're being realistic," he said.
