For his rookie season and most of 2011, Hernandez was part of the secondary group of weapons Tom Brady had at his disposal. But as the regular season finishes, Hernandez is on a par with Welker and Gronkowski.
Hernandez, despite turning only 22 in November, is light-years ahead of where he was as the playoffs beckoned in 2010. He’ll be hard-pressed to ever be the complete tight end Gronkowski is, but he has matured into a well-rounded player.
And that looms as a very big development for the Patriots.
As 2010 closed, it was evident that the coaches and Brady didn’t have total confidence in Hernandez’s grasp of the game. You could almost take it to the bank that if a team played primarily zone, Hernandez wouldn’t see the ball. He just didn’t have a feel for the dead spots in coverages where Brady would know he would be if Brady looked him off initially.
Against man coverage, the Patriots did go to Hernandez because he could let his natural playmaking ability take over.
Hernandez also couldn’t block his way out of a paper bag.
Now, he can do it all. Even Hernandez’s blocking has become an asset. Give a large amount of credit to tight ends coach Brian Ferentz for the job he’s done with both of the young tight ends - especially after valuable veteran Alge Crumpler departed.
How the Patriots used Hernandez against the Bills illustrates the weapon he has become.
On the 39 pass plays he was in for, and two runs where he got the ball, Hernandez lined up as a receiver near or outside the numbers 26 times. Six times he was alone in the slot, on eight occasions he was in line as a tight end, and he was the fullback on the first pass he caught. He had passes thrown his way in each of the positions he lined up in.
Here’s a look at his seven receptions, which went for a career-high 138 yards.
First: Lined up as the fullback and released out of the backfield to be covered by a linebacker. Gained 4 yards after the catch.
Second: Lined up as the “Z’’ receiver on the numbers. Strong safety George Wilson watched him underneath while cornerback Aaron Williams was faked by the route. Hernandez cut across the middle against zone coverage, made the first guy miss, and picked up another 10 yards.
