[vincesanity82]

Oh, how life changed for Benjamin Watson [stats] last year.
In 2005 the tight end caught a pair of touchdowns against the Dolphins by beating Jason Taylor in coverage.
Last year, his days of matching up one-on-one with defensive ends must have seemed like a dream. With the Patriots [team stats] lacking game-breaking threats at wide receiver, Watson earned more attention than a newborn.
On any particular pass route, he was likely to be chipped at the line, taken underneath by a linebacker, and then doubled downfield by a safety. He still posted career-best numbers of 49 catches for 643 yards, but it was a struggle, particularly after he was anointed the Next Great Tight End in the preseason.“It was a little bit different, that’s for sure,” Watson said. “I had to work a little bit harder. One thing I’ve definitely been trying to learn from the receivers we have now, guys that are experienced, is to learn from them as far as getting open and beating man-to-man coverage.”cw-2
The receivers group now includes such outside threats as Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth. There’s a school of thought that they’ll open things up for players like Watson against single coverage underneath.
After what Watson endured a year ago, that would be a welcome change.
“I don’t know if I’d say I was surprised,” Watson said. “It was definitely different than the year before, but that’s a good thing. It definitely helped me grow a little bit. I had to learn to beat coverages and work to get open. Those are all things that help you develop as a player. Last year was a challenge, and this year’s going to present new challenges.”
Watson believes learning to operate against double and triple coverage accelerated his maturation process.
“I think so,” he said. “You’ve got to get thrown in the fire in order to grow to some extent. There were some good things I did last year, as well as some bad things I need to keep working on and need to grow on. This is a whole new season and it’s exciting.”
As for how he’ll be used and what kind of attention he’ll receive from opposing defenses this year, he’s taking a wait-and-see approach.
“The new additions, they’re great players, and they’re definitely going to make plays for us, or else the coaches wouldn’t have brought them in here,” he said. “I’ll do my best to get open like I did last year. If I get the ball, great.”

Open season for Watson? - N.E. Patriots - BostonHerald.com