Tag: Damiere Byrd

Damiere Byrd delivers the perfect Patriot response about his career-best game

Bill Belichick probably loves this answer.

New England Patriots receiver Damiere Byrd didn’t show much satisfaction in logging six catches, 132 yards and a touchdown in Week 11. It was his career-high in receiving yards. But the Houston Texans’ 27-20 win put a damper on Byrd’s individual success.

He was asked how he balances the disappointment of a loss and the pleasure of a huge game in the box score.

“It’s not really a balance,” Byrd told reporters Sunday after the game. “We lost the game. That’s really what I’m out there to play for. To win. If I had zero catches, if I had 15, it would still be a bad one for me.”

It’s the kind of answer Bill Belichick surely loves hearing.

Byrd’s season has been extremely up and down. He has played just about every snap during the season, and yet he’s had games where he recorded zero catches. That’s what happened in Week 1 and Week 10.

And then there’s this performance: a career-best which featured Cam Newton’s first touchdown pass to a Patriots receiver in 2020. And it was a highlight reel catch, with Byrd beating coverage for a 44-yard reception.

“Cam (Newton) made a great read and a great throw and I just tried to shield off the defender,” Byrd said of his touchdown.

Byrd is playing on a one-year contract, and will enter free agency in 2020. He’s one of the many players whose futures with the team are uncertain, but his performance may increase New England’s interest in retaining him.

“Damiere is doing exactly what he’s done all year,” Newton said postgame.

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Tunnel Vision of Week 11

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Deshaun Watson  344-36 3
 Justin Herbert 366-11 3
 Kirk Cousins 314-4 3
 Aaron Rodgers 311-13 3
 Ryan Tannehill 259-35 2
Running Backs Yards TD
Dalvin Cook 27-115
5-45		 1
Melvin Gordon 15-84 2
Derrick Henry 28-133
1-(-1)		 1
Clyde Edwards-Helaire 14-69
1-8		 2
J.K. Dobbins 15-70
2-15		 1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Keenan Allen 16-145 1
Adam Thielen 8-123 2
Damiere Byrd 6-132 1
Davante Adams 7-106 1
Tyreek Hill 11-102 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Mark Andrews 5-96 1
Dallas Goedert 5-77 1
Robert Tonyan 5-44 1
Darren Waller 7-88 1
Travis Kelce 8-127 1
Placekickers XP FG
Rodrigo Blankenship 2 4
Stephen Gostkowski 1 3
Justin Tucker 1 3
Mike Badgley 4 2
Chris Boswell 3 2
Defense Sck-TO TD
Steelers 2-4 0
Colts 1-4 0
Browns 5-3 1
Saints 8-2 0
Football Team 4-2 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Joe Burrow – Knee
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Benched
WR Randall Cobb – Foot
WR Kenny Stills – Leg
RB Rex Burkhead – Knee
TE Jonnu Smith – Ankle

Chasing Ambulances

Another tough week for quarterbacks.

QB Joe Burrow – Initial speculation was that he tore his ACL and likely did other damage. A tough ending for the first pick in the NFL draft who already proved why he was coveted. Now the Bengals revert to their fourth-round pick of 2019 in Ryan Finley.  He started three games as a rookie and all were losses with never more than 192 passing yards.  This downgrades all Bengals’ players, including Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. With Joe Mixon already on injured reserve, the rest of the season looks bleak.

QB Tua Tagovailoa – Benched in the loss to the Broncos, but he’s already been confirmed as the starter next week at the Jets. The rookie had a down game with only 11-of-23 for 83 yards and one score while being sacked six times. The Fins went with Fitzpatrick looking for a spark. Tagovailoa will  look much better this week in New York.

RB Rex Burkhead – Believed to have a serious, season-ending knee injury in the loss to the Texans. Rather than clearing up the Patriot’s backfield, Sony Michel is expected to become active for games and to maintain the maddening three-man rotation that limits each player.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

RB J.K. Dobbins – The rookie was the primary rusher for the Ravens in their loss to the Titans. He ran 15 times for 70 yards and a touchdown while Gus Edwards (3-6) and Mark Ingram (2-2) were mostly spectators. This remains a committee, but Dobbins success spells better things for the rest of the season and more so, next year.

TE Mark Andrews – After marginal use this season, Andrews  caught seven passes for 61 yards in Week 10 and then led the Ravens with five receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.

QB Matt Stafford – Troublesome that he plays with a damaged thumb on his throwing hand and then only managed 178 yards and no scores on the Panthers No. 27 defense versus quarterbacks. Kenny Golladay was out, as he is often this year, but Stafford couldn’t connect for any points in their shutout loss.

QB P.J. Walker – First NFL start for the former XFL star produced a shutout win for the Panthers but the results were mixed. He threw for 258 yards and two scores with the three wideouts all leading the team. D.J. Moore (7-127) and Curtis Samuel (8-70, TD) were top fantasy players, and Robby Anderson (7-46) ended a bit lighter than usual in yardage. Walker also tossed two interceptions and it was a home game against the Lions who trailed the entire time.

RB Rodney Smith – The Panthers’ undrafted rookie out of Minnesota saw his first action in Week 10 when he ran for 13 yards on three carries and caught a two-yard pass against the Buccaneers. Against the Lions, he ran eight times for 29 yards. Notable that he was the only other back besides Mike Davis.

WR Damiere Byrd – The Patriot’s very fast wideout turned in a team high 132 yards and a score on six catches in the loss to the Texans this week. He recorded five receptions for 65 yards in Week 9 versus the Jets but was blanked against the Ravens in Week 10. At least he shows up when the Patriots face weak defenses.

QB Taysom Hill /Alvin Kamara – Hill beat the Falcons, so Jameis Winston can get used to the clipboard for now. Hill was efficient completing 18-of-23 passes for 233 yards, and he led the Saints in rushing with 51 yards and two scores on ten carries. Based solely on the one start, Michael Thomas (9-104) will be fine with the change in quarterback while Alvin Kamara’s (13-45, TD rush) fantasy value takes a huge hit since he was only thrown one target and ended with no catches. Kamara leads the Saints with 67 catches, which is 18 more than any other NFL running back. And the No. 1 fantasy running back had zero catches.

RB Salvon Ahmed – Matt Brieda returned but only ran twice to gain four yards and never had a target. Ahmed’s second start only saw  him with 12 carries for 43 yards in the loss to the Broncos, but he added five receptions for 31 yards.

Colts Backfield – Nyheim Hines blew up for 70 yards on 12 runs and five catches for 45 yards with two touchdowns in Week 10. That was not the start of something new. Against the Packers, Jonathan Taylor was back to being the primary back with 22 runs for 90 yards while Hines only gained two yards on six carries. Hines caught three passes for 31 yards but Taylor ended with four receptions for 24 yards. This committee can go with the hot hand, but in most cases leans on Taylor for whatever that produces.

RB Ezekiel Elliott – Finally broke 100 rushing yards when he gained 103 on 21 rushes and added two catches for 11 yards with one touchdown. This was the first time that Elliott looked like he could return to form since Dak Prescott was injured.

QB Andy Dalton – Over his concussion and COVID-19, the Cowboys quarterback threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Vikings.  Encouraging that his top receivers were all wideouts – Amari Cooper (6-81), CeeDee Lamb (4-34, TD) and Michael Gallup (2-29). The Cowboys chances of representing the NFC East in their playoff loss just got better.

Huddle player of the week

WR Keenan Allen  –  If Allen had any reservations about playing with a rookie quarterback, they are long gone. Allen turned in 16 catches for 145 yards and one score against the Jets for the highest fantasy points in most leagues. And to think he was the No. 24 wideout in Average Draft Position this summer.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Philip Rivers 288 3 QB Matt Ryan 232 0
RB J.K. Dobbins 15-70
2-15		 1 RB Todd Gurley 8-16
1-3		 0
RB Carlos Hyde 14-79
2-16		 1 RB Nyheim Hines 6-2
3-31		 0
WR Damiere Byrd 6-132
1-11		 1 WR Julio Jones 2-39 0
WR Tim Patrick 5-119 0 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 4-19 0
WR Corey Davis 5-113 0 WR DeAndre Hopkins 5-51 0
TE Richard Rodgers 2-48 1 TE Hayden Hurst 0 0
PK Rodrigo Blankenship 2  XP   4 FG PK Matt Prater   0 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 144 Huddle Fantasy Points = 39

Now get back to work…

Damiere Byrd’s huge game vs. Texans was the Patriots’ only silver lining

Damiere Byrd was unquestionably the best Patriot on the field.

The time to respect Damiere Byrd’s contributions for the New England Patriots is here.

Jakobi Meyers, Damien Harris and Rex Burkhead are all players that have deservingly received praise at different points in the season. Cam Newton will garner credit for the wins, but he’s equally as responsible for every loss from the average critic’s viewpoint.

Byrd has flown under the radar and his ability to make plays on a consistent basis has been overlooked. In a difficult 27-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 11, the 5-foot-9 speedster accrued six receptions, 132 yards (career high) and a touchdown. He made the clutch plays when needed and Newton relied on him heavily in the fourth quarter.

Byrd’s touchdown came when the Patriots needed it most.

Byrd humbly spoke about the win after the game.

“I always think every game is a day for me. Whatever happens, you never know what game you’ll get called up to be that impact on the offense. Today was my lucky day. Cam trusted me and we were able to make a few plays,” Byrd said, transcribed by MassLive. “I’m proving to myself that I can be consistent that I can continue to improve gam- in and game-out. It’s a long season as well all know. My goal is to continue to get better as the season progresses and to play my best football in November and December and continue to find ways to help our team win games and score touchdowns.”

Newton, who spent time with Byrd in Carolina, spoke about his teammate’s contributions.

“Damiere was just doing exactly what he’s been doing all year in practice. For it to show up, is exactly what coach has been talking about. Practice preparation and execution turns into in-game reality,” Newton said. “Damiere has been doing a great job on those routes. It just showed what he’s capable of doing today.”

Byrd now leads the team in yards (485) through ten games and he hasn’t went without a reception after Week 1. The Patriots learned they can rely on Meyers and Byrd — which is tough to swallow considering the talent throughout the league.

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Patriots react to disheartening injury Rex Burkhead sustained against Texans

Rex Burkhead’s teammates are devastated from the injury.

The New England Patriots left their Week 11 matchup with a bitter taste.

Cam Newton failed to take the team up for a game-winning drive (fourth time this season) and New England fell 27-20 to the Houston Texans. The defense couldn’t handle Deshaun Watson throughout the entire game and the offense was held together solely by Damiere Byrd.

In addition to the difficult loss, the Patriots lost running back Rex Burkhead to an injury that’s reportedly season-ending. Burkhead has the team’s second-most rushing touchdowns (3) and the most receiving touchdowns (3). He’s become an invaluable piece in the Patriots’ offense and his teammates spoke about the injury following the game.

James White

I’m hurt for him. I’m still hurting for him. (He’s) a good friend of mine — not just a teammate, but a guy I call my friend. To see him go down like that is never good. He was having a great year, as well, making huge plays for us. It’s just tough, man. You just hate to see it.

Whenever anybody’s not really moving too much, it’s just kind of scary. I was just hoping for nothing serious. They’re going to do more (tests) on him, I guess.

But I hope he can come back better than ever, and I’ll miss my guy, man. He’s been making huge plays for us — special teams, offense — ever since he’s been here. It’s just tough to see, man. I don’t know.

Cam Newton

Knowing how great of a teammate he is, knowing how great of a leader he is, knowing what he brings to this team. But he’s a warrior, and I know he’ll be back stronger. His influence will be missed.

Damiere Byrd

You never want to lose your brother or your teammate. Obviously, Rex has been great for us throughout the season, and it was very tough to see him go down. We’re praying for him and hoping that he makes a speedy recovery and that the injury isn’t too bad.

Sony Michel was just activated off the injury reserve list and he’ll join the running back crew that currently carries White and Damien Harris.

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Cam Newton and Damiere Byrd connected for an absolutely electric TD

Newton and Byrd connected on a beautiful pass play in the third quarter.

The Patriots were looking for a spark on offense, and they got it in a big way with a deep passing play from Cam Newton.

Om a  first down play in the third quarter, Newton recorded a deep pass to Byrd, who was just able to slip by the coverage of the Houston Texans.  He was able to use his speed to get ahead of the cornerback, and zoom in for a touchdown.

To this point, it was Byrd’s longest play of the day, as it was a 42-yard grab. Not only that, it inched the New England Patriots closer to getting back into the ballgame.

It will  be interesting to see if this touchdown old any significance as the game nears its completion.

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Here’s a look at the Patriots’ tricky double passing play from Week 11

The Patriots got crafty with a passing trick play.

As the New England Patriots are in a battle with the Houston Texans, New England has pulled out some trick plays in order to keep drives alive.

One of those plays involved a flea flicker of sorts, as Rex Burkhead tossed the football back to Cam Newton. Newton then threw a nicely-placed ball to wide receiver Damiere Byrd.

Although the drive itself ended in a field goal, it made life a bit easier for kicker Nick Folk. With the Houston Texans defense looking strong to this point, trick plays may be what the Patriots need to get things rolling.

Time will tell what else Josh McDaniels will bring out of his bag of tricks. He has not disappointed so far.

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It’s ‘hard not to have a good relationship’ with Cam Newton, Jakobi Meyers explains

“He lights up every room he walks in. He’s a pretty genuine guy.”

[jwplayer VrRu4Za7-ThvAeFxT]

Cam Newton is the definition of a leader.

He walks the walk and talks the talk, no matter the situation. In his first season with the New England Patriots, Newton went through many ups and downs, while still lighting up every room with his smile. From MVP talks in the beginning of the season to a four-game losing streak following a positive COVID-19 test, Newton is still remaining positive.

The Patriots had a 2-5 record with little to no hope for the playoffs a couple weeks ago and now they’re 4-5 with a chance to defeat the Houston Texans this weekend for a .500 record. Newton went from seven interceptions and two touchdowns in the prior four games to zero turnovers in the last two games.

One of the main reasons for Newton’s confidence is Jakobi Meyers, the 2019 undrafted receiver that’s making a name for himself. Meyers’ and Newton’s relationship goes back to the receiver’s high school years. He was motivated by Newton’s ability to bounce back from adversity this season.

“Not too many people in the world could handle going from the top to the bottom, then working your way back,” Meyers said on Thursday, transcribed by NESN. “I mean, if you look at his life, honestly. He was a Heisman winner, the No. 1 pick. He did everything he set out to do. Just seeing him do that, get back, get hated on for his personality, for his injuries, everything.

“Even when he got here, he wasn’t playing his best. Now, he has definitely gotten better. To see him go through that and stay the same guy every day, be one of the first in the building and last to leave, it’s inspirational. It sets a good standard for a lot of young guys to look up to.”

Meyers is the team’s leading receiver with 38 catches for 353 yards and it’s mostly due to his connection with Newton.

“(It’s) definitely grown over time,” Meyers said. “It’s hard not to have a good relationship with Cam. He lights up every room he walks in. He’s a pretty genuine guy. Honestly, just getting reps with him, and being in the offense, finding my way, finding my fit in the offense took time to grow.”

Their connection will be the most important going forward with little help at the receiver and tight end positions.

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Cam Newton talks Damiere Byrd, who leads the Patriots in most receiving categories

“I think he still has his best football still set ahead of him.”

After eight weeks for the New England Patriots in 2020 — Damiere Byrd is the team’s leading receiver.

Not Julian Edelman or N’Keal Harry, but the 5-foot-9 speedster that hasn’t surpassed 400 receiving yards in his previous four NFL seasons. Fortunately for Byrd, the Patriots brought in his former quarterback with the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton and Byrd spent three seasons as teammates and that’s translated into this year.

Byrd leads the team in targets (41), receptions (26), receiving yards (337) and he has the second-most first downs (17). While speaking with reporters on Friday, Newton talked about his former teammate.

“Man, when I first got here, I had to just take a moment to just chat, just like I’ve done with a lot of people here. But for Damiere, to have known him and where he came from and his journey to where he is now,” Newton said, transcribed by NESN. “Man, I just wanted to appreciate his professionalism and his evolving of a player, a football player that is, and he’s just been great. A guy who understands this offense, a guy who has been learning so much, a guy who has just taken an opportunity and tried to make the most of it.”

Newton’s just happy to see his friend progress.

“Like I said, I seen when Damiere first stepped in the locker room as a wide-eyed rookie not knowing who to kind of cling on to. But for him, the moment is never too big for him and every year he’s gotten better and I think he still has his best football still set ahead of him,” Newton said.

Going forward, it’s likely that Jakobi Meyers takes over and has the primary role in the Patriots’ offense. Isaiah Ford was added to the mix after being traded from the Miami Dolphins, but these factors will only help get Byrd more open.

The Patriots (3-5) have a huge AFC matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) on Sunday night.

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Bill Belichick seems happy with WR Damiere Byrd’s production, which is weird

Bill Belichick praised Damiere Byrd, who has been wildly inefficient this year.

Efficiency hasn’t been Damiere Byrd’s game in 2020.

The New England Patriots receiver has gotten the third most offensive snaps on the team with 312 (93%). And yet he’s barely showing up in the stat sheet, with 17 catches for 217 yards. That would be a paltry 694 receiving yards on the season. In Week 1, he got the most snaps among receivers, just like he gets every week, and yet he failed to get a target, let alone a catch. For a team that prides itself upon making the most of players and highlighting a players strengths, New England been OK putting Byrd on the field as a placeholder, with N’Keal Harry getting the second-most snaps and Julian Edelman getting the third most.

“Damiere’s a smart kid that has good route-running ability and has done a good job picking up our offense. He’s been productive,” Bill Belichick said on Wednesday.

That’s weird, because as we just mentioned, Byrd has not been productive. His grade for 2020 is 59.3 on Pro Football Focus, a digital scouting service. (That’s pretty darn bad.) Harry got a 64.5 and Edelman got a 70. (Not great either.)

Edelman’s lack of snaps — and production (300 receiving yards, which are boosted enormously by his 179 yards against the Seahawks) — seems to be a product of the knee injury that has limited him in every practice during the 2020 regular season. Harry’s lack of snaps probably stems from the work he needs to do on “fundamentals, awareness and anticipation,” per Belichick. In other words, he occasionally doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing on the field.

All the receivers might have better production if it wasn’t for poor quarterback play for the last three games. Cam Newton has sandwiched Brian Hoyer’s failed start against the Chiefs with a pair of duds against the Raiders and the Broncos. Though the quarterbacks have been missing open receivers for weeks, Belichick isn’t going to praise Byrd for the catches he could have had.

“I don’t know. It is what it is. I mean, I’m not going to try to create something that’s not there. So, whatever it is, it is,” Belichick said.

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Should the Patriots attempt to trade for Bengals WR A.J. Green?

The Patriots do need some help.

After five weeks of football, it’s pretty obvious the New England Patriots could use some help at the wide receiver position.

Bill Belichick’s team isn’t desperate for help on the outside because of Cam Newton’s impact, but the need is still there. Through four games, the second-best receiver has been Damiere Byrd, with N’Keal Harry trailing for a close third. Julian Edelman’s numbers are inflated, considering the fact that more than half of his yards came from one game.

Newton’s ability to rush, along with the team’s ability to pound the ball has opened up opportunities for receivers and keeps the offense more unpredictable than a pocket quarterback could. But, at the end of the day, the Patriots could still use some help.

Options are slim with free agents, but A.J. Green is a name that could realistically find himself in New England. The Patriots should pursue a trade with the unhappy 32-year-old veteran.

Though this isn’t a clear depiction of what Green is saying, he appears to say “just trade me” in this clip during his matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.

Green has played all five games this season after spending last season on the injured reserve list. He went from a prolific superstar to the guy with the fifth-most receiving yards on the team through five games. Tyler Boyd is emerging as the star receiver and Tee Higgins is gaining love from the first overall pick, Joe Burrow.

Green has 14 receptions, 119 yards and zero touchdowns on 34 targets thus far. Despite the fact he’s overcoming a lingering ankle injury, Green still has potential to make plays for the Patriots. In any season he’s played 13 games or more, Green hasn’t recorded less than 1,000 receiving yards. He’d become an immediate redzone threat and at the very least, he’d be a distraction to open up the offense.

The issue comes financially, because Green was franchise-tagged and is owed $18 million this season. If Belichick is going to sign an aging player who had star status in the league, he’s typically going to try and do it on a veteran minimum contract. Given this information, it’d be tough to see Belichick pull the trigger — especially after Mohamed Sanu.

The trade deadline is on Nov. 3 time will tell if the Patriots actually make the move to collect the star wide out. Belichick’s done crazier things before, and this could just change the completion of the offense.

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