Targets have been compiled by the NFL since the start of the 2009 season, and while it remains an imperfect stat — a badly thrown ball from a quarterback can often go against the record of the receiver as opposed to the quarterback — it remains a good indication of the confidence level a passer might have in his pass catcher. After 11 games, here’s a look at the target breakdown in the New England passing game for the 2011 season:

Kevin Faulk: 5 catches on 5 targets (100 percent)
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 6 catches on 8 targets (75 percent)
Stevan Ridley: 3 catches on 4 targets (75 percent)
Wes Welker: 82 catches on 115 targets (71 percent)
Rob Gronkowski: 60 catches on 84 targets (71 percent)
Aaron Hernandez: 47 catches on 69 targets (68 percent)
Deion Branch: 45 catches on 73 targets (61 percent)
Danny Woodhead: 14 catches on 24 targets (58 percent)
Chad Ochocinco: 11 catches on 23 targets (48 percent)
Julian Edelman: 3 catches on 7 targets (43 percent)
Matthew Slater: 1 catch on 3 targets (33 percent)
Taylor Price: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)
Dane Fletcher: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)
Tiquan Underwood: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)

By position:
Tight end: 107 catches on 153 targets (70 percent)
Running back: 28 catches on 41 targets (68 percent)
Wide receiver: 142 catches on 224 targets (63 percent)
Other: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)

Every week over the course of the 2011 NFL season, we’ll present a list of the Patriots’ “offensive touches,” a running tally of which one of the offensive skill position players is getting the most looks. Like our weekly look at targets, it can occasionally be an inexact stat, but it remains a good barometer of how confident the coaches (and quarterback) are when it comes to the skill position players at their disposal. Ten games into the season, here’s a breakdown of the New England offense for 2011:

BenJarvus Green Ellis: 142 (136 carries, six receptions) five touchdowns — nine negative plays
Wes Welker: 76 (2 carries, 74 receptions) six touchdowns — one negative play
Danny Woodhead: 63 (49 carries, 14 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Rob Gronkowski: 52 (0 carries, 56 receptions), 10 touchdowns
Aaron Hernandez: 42 (1 carry, 41 receptions), five touchdowns
Stevan Ridley: 39 (36 carries, 3 reception), one touchdown — three negative plays
Deion Branch: 39 (0 carries, 39 receptions), four touchdowns
Kevin Faulk: 16 (11 carries, 5 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Tom Brady: 14 (16 carries, 0 receptions) 25 passing touchdowns, zero rushing touchdowns — 19 negative plays (all sacks)
Chad Ochocinco: 11 (0 carries, 11 receptions), zero touchdowns
Shane Vereen: 8 (8 carries, 0 receptions), one negative play
Julian Edelman: 6 (3 carries, 3 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays, both runs
Matthew Slater: 1 (0 carries, 1 reception) zero touchdowns
TOTAL: 510 touches (257 carries, 253 receptions) — 39 negative plays (excluding kneeldowns).

Antuwan Molden, seen here knocking a pass away from Santonio Holmes earlier this month, will likely see plenty of time Sunday with Devin McCourty sidelined again. (AP)

The Patriots announced Saturday night that safety Patrick Chung, center Dan Connolly, cornerback Devin McCourty and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco have all been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. The foursome joins linebackers Dane Fletcher (thumb) and Brandon Spikes (knee), who were already announced as out on Friday and already have missed the last couple of weeks.

Chung has been struggling with a foot injury he suffered in the waning moments of the Nov. 6 loss to the Giants, and had missed the last two games as a result. Connolly was on the injury list this week with a groin injury, while McCourty suffered a shoulder injury on Nov. 13 against the Jets when he collided with teammate Sterling Moore and has been out since then. And Ochocinco made his first appearance of the season on the injury list this week with a hamstring problem.

As for what this means for the rest of the roster, let’s start in the secondary: First, look for more responsibilities to be placed on the shoulders of James Ihedigbo at safety, while fellow safeties Sergio Brown and Moore will see plenty of snaps. (In an interesting twist, safety Ross Ventrone, who has bounced on and off the roster several times this season because of various personnel moves, will not be part of the active roster for Sunday’s game.)

And no McCourty this week likely means another busy week for Antuwan Molden, who went wire-to-wire at left corner last week for New England on its win over the Chiefs. The Patriots could also give more snaps to Julian Edelman on the defensive side of the football — the former college quarterback has seen some quality snaps on defense the last two games, and could be in line for more on Sunday in hopes of providing depth at the position.

Up front, Connolly’s absence means one thing — Ryan Wendell will see the bulk of the reps in his place. Wendell has stepped in occasionally as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman, and played well last week when Connolly went down. However, without Dan Koppen and Connolly, the Patriots are now very thin at the center spot.

At wide receiver, Ochocinco’s absence should provide an opportunity for second-year receiver Taylor Price to at least more snaps — however, even when healthy, Price has struggled to see the field in his relatively short time in Foxboro, and so this could instead mean more targets for other pass catchers like Edelman and Matthew Slater. (At the same time, it’s important to remember that it’s not like Ochocinco was an integral part of the offense to this point in the season, so the change on the final scoresheet should be relatively negligible.)

Targets have been compiled by the NFL since the start of the 2009 season, and while it remains an imperfect stat — a badly thrown ball from a quarterback can often go against the record of the receiver as opposed to the quarterback — it remains a good indication of the confidence level a passer might have in his pass catcher. After ten games, here’s a look at the target breakdown in the New England passing game for the 2011 season:

Kevin Faulk: 5 catches on 5 targets (100 percent)
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 6 catches on 8 targets (75 percent)
Stevan Ridley: 3 catches on 4 targets (75 percent)
Wes Welker: 74 catches on 103 targets (72 percent)
Rob Gronkowski: 56 catches on 80 targets (70 percent)
Aaron Hernandez: 41 catches on 62 targets (66 percent)
Deion Branch: 39 catches on 63 targets (62 percent)
Danny Woodhead: 14 catches on 24 targets (58 percent)
Chad Ochocinco: 11 catches on 23 targets (48 percent)
Julian Edelman: 3 catches on 7 targets (43 percent)
Matthew Slater: 1 catch on 3 targets (33 percent)
Taylor Price: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)
Dane Fletcher: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)

By position:
Running back: 28 catches on 41 targets (68 percent)
Tight end: 97 catches on 142 targets (68 percent)
Wide receiver: 128 catches on 201 targets (64 percent)
Other: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)

DeSean Jackson making one of the most famous punt returns in NFL history against the Giants in 2010. (AP)

FOXBORO — Matthew Slater knows all too well just how dangerous DeSean Jackson is on a football field with the ball in his hands.

The highlight everyone remembers came in 2010 when he ended a game between the Giants and Eagles at the Meadowlands with an electrifying punt return for a touchdown, a return that began with a bobble and a fumble.

“I think we all saw that play,” Slater said. “The guy has amazing talent and tremendous ability. He’s going to be a challenge for us.”

On the that play, Giants punter Matt Dodge punted the ball with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter of a 31-31 game. Jackson fumbled the ball at his 35-yard line, retreated back to his 27 then darted up the middle for the “Miracle of the Meadowlands II.”

When Slater played at UCLA, Jackson played at Cal, and the two had many encounters on special teams in their Pac-10 rivalry.

“I’ve been dealing with him since college so I’m seen him at the college level and the pro level and he’s gotten the better of me a couple of times, and our unit so hopefully we can go out there and prepare for him and be ready for him come Sunday,” Slater said.

This year, Jackson has been battling distractions he caused himself in holding out for a new contract and then injuring his foot on Sunday night when he had it stepped on. Jackson did not practice on Wednesday but he was not wearing a boot and was showing no limp, leading to speculation he’ll play Sunday against the Pats.

Jackson, who has been a symbol of Philly’s inconsistent season, was even a healthy scratch during the team’s stunning home loss to the Cardinals on Nov. 13. Still, the Patriots are wary.

“The guy is a very special talent,” Slater said. “He can change the game in one play so we’re very well aware of that. We know we have a lot to do as far as preparation is concerned. We know we have to have a sense of urgency when dealing with a guy like this.”

Is it his speed, shiftiness or vision that impresses the most?

“All of the above, shiftiness, speed, he’s not afraid to field the ball and take chances,” Slater said. “He wants the ball in his hands. He wants to make plays. The speed, that’s just something you can’t coach. Either you have it or you don’t and he has plenty of it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Every week over the course of the 2011 NFL season, we’ll present a list of the Patriots’ “offensive touches,” a running tally of which one of the offensive skill position players is getting the most looks. Like our weekly look at targets, it can occasionally be an inexact stat, but it remains a good barometer of how confident the coaches (and quarterback) are when it comes to the skill position players at their disposal. Nine games into the season, here’s a breakdown of the New England offense for 2011:

BenJarvus Green Ellis: 121 (116 carries, 5 receptions) five touchdowns — nine negative plays
Wes Welker: 74 (2 carries, 72 receptions) six touchdowns — one negative play
Danny Woodhead: 56 (44 carries, 12 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Rob Gronkowski: 52 (0 carries, 52 receptions), eight touchdowns
Stevan Ridley: 39 (36 carries, 3 reception), one touchdown — three negative plays
Aaron Hernandez: 38 (1 carry, 37 receptions), five touchdowns
Deion Branch: 37 (0 carries, 37 receptions), four touchdowns
Kevin Faulk: 16 (11 carries, 5 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays
Tom Brady: 14 (14 carries, 0 receptions) 23 passing touchdowns, zero rushing touchdowns — 16 negative plays (all sacks)
Chad Ochocinco: 11 (0 carries, 11 receptions), zero touchdowns
Julian Edelman: 6 (3 carries, 3 receptions) zero touchdowns — two negative plays, both runs
Matthew Slater: 1 (0 carries, 1 reception) zero touchdowns
TOTAL: 465 touches (227 carries, 238 receptions) — 35 negative plays (excluding kneeldowns).

Targets have been compiled by the NFL since the start of the 2009 season, and while it remains an imperfect stat — a badly thrown ball from a quarterback can often go against the record of the receiver as opposed to the quarterback — it remains a good indication of the confidence level a passer might have in his pass catcher. After nine games, here’s a look at the target breakdown in the New England passing game for the 2011 season:

Kevin Faulk: 5 catches on 5 targets (100 percent)
BenJarvus Green-Ellis: 5 catches on 6 targets (83 percent)
Stevan Ridley: 3 catches on 4 targets (75 percent)
Wes Welker: 72 catches on 101 targets (71 percent)
Rob Gronkowski: 52 catches on 73 targets (71 percent)
Aaron Hernandez: 37 catches on 55 targets (67 percent)
Deion Branch: 37 catches on 60 targets (62 percent)
Danny Woodhead: 12 catches on 20 targets (60 percent)
Chad Ochocinco: 11 catches on 23 targets (48 percent)
Julian Edelman: 3 catches on 7 targets (43 percent)
Matthew Slater: 1 catch on 3 targets (33 percent)
Taylor Price: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)
Dane Fletcher: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)
TOTAL: 238 catches on 360 targets (66 percent)

By position:
Running back: 25 catches on 35 targets (71 percent)
Tight end: 89 catches on 129 targets (69 percent)
Wide receiver: 124 catches on 195 targets (64 percent)
Other: 0 catches on 1 target (0 percent)