Melifonwu Preview
“Quite honestly, they’re using him way better than we did.”
--Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer about WR Cordarrelle Patterson during a conference call
The honesty is greatly appreciated. Wish more coaches would be this candid about their former players flourishing with new teams.
Patterson played four years with the Vikings, the last three being coached by Zimmer. Patterson was a great returner, but didn’t work out as a receiver in Minnesota.
This off-season, the New England Patriots traded a fifth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Patterson and a sixth-round pick, and optimize Patterson as a receiver, returner and running back.
Leave it to the Patriots coaching staff to get the most out of a player that wasn’t living up to expectations.
Again.
LB Mike Vrabel barely saw the field with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rob Ninkovich couldn’t stick with neither the New Orleans Saints nor Miami Dolphins. But the Patriots found their strengths, coached them up, and turned them into starters.
Obi Melifonwu might get added to the list. The Raiders used a 2017 second round pick on the physical freak out of UConn. But barely into his second year, Oakland gave up on Melifonwu and released him.
And now New England is attempting another trash-to-treasure conversion.
Melifonwu quickly caught the attention of safety Devin McCourty.
“Man, he’s freaking huge,” McCourty said about his new 6-4 224-pound teammate.
“[He’s] a very athletic guy and, like I said, he’s able to go up there and match up on some tight ends,” McCourty said. “When we talk about being undersized against them, he lines up and it’s like ‘mano a mano,’ same size. Like you see him standing next to Gronk and you’re like, “Dang. Gronk doesn’t make this guy look little.”
“…Match up on some tight ends,” McCourty said. Hmm…Melifonwu’s NFL.com scouting report said the same thing about him. Seems like that is what New England has in mind for the local kid (raised in Grafton, MA).
The tight end position has fared well against the Patriots in 2018. Jacksonville’s duo combined for four receptions for 40 yards and a score. Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron torched New England for nine receptions, 105 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had a solid 5-61.The Buffalo Bills duo totaled 4-50. The Green Bay Packers combined for 5-60-1. And the Tennessee Titans tag team amassed 4-56-1.
With Melifonwu on the field against the Vikings, Kyle Rudolph was limited to just three catches for 38 yards and no score. According to The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride, Melifonwu was, “…frequently charged with covering Rudolph.” Safety Duron Harmon told the Globe Melifonwu, “did a tremendous job.”
The Globe’s Nora Princiotti backed up McBride’s analysis, saying Melifonwu, “played 12 snaps on defense and did a good job covering Kyle Rudolph on passing downs.”
Melifonwu didn’t play against the Dolphins, likely because Miami doesn’t feature tight ends as receivers. New England’s coaching staff should consider Melifonwu in place of Rob Gronkowski on the defense’s Hail Mary package. His length and 44” vertical enable Melifonwu to compete for any jump ball and experience on defense makes him a better tackler in space.
Expect Melifonwu on the field Sunday. The Steelers have TEs Vance McDonald and Jesse James. They’ve combined for 73 receptions, 923 yards and five touchdowns. Melifonwu and the secondary will have their hands full (just don’t get caught holding).
And with the playoffs starting in January, the Patriots could see Pittsburgh’s duo again, Kelce or future hall of famer Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers. If these match-ups are what the Patriots had in mind when they acquired Melifonwu, he will have his name called often.
By the end of the season, we might have reason to get a word about Melifonwu from Raiders coach Jon Gruden. But Gruden is probably still busy explaining Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper producing elsewhere.
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