I'm curious how this will work. If the outside WRs aren't threats, then teams can still pack the middle of the field. Granted, the Pats have a great OL, but their offense is already very compressed with a Gronk. Danny can get deep better than Welker, but he's not exactly a deep threat, and can't be trusted to be healthy
Gronk and Danny allow them to stretch teams horizontally, Gronk can get vertical as well. Speed outs, stick, whip routes, all game long. You're right that they'll have to constrain a D by hitting them over the top, but I really think they're going to try and run out of the spread sets instead of just passing when spread out.
If a team brings a safety down to get a numbers advantage in the run game then they're going to leave Danny or Gronk isolated. Still no idea what the new receivers can do, but I think they're going to try and run out of spread sets. You don't need to go deep too many times, just enough, question is can old man Brady hit it?
Last year they would just match personnel, if you went base they would flex the TEs and pass, if you went Nickel they would try to run. Amazing how simple it was at times, but teams couldn't match up. Some teams were actually able to stop the run out of Nickel, those that couldn't had long days.
I might be dead wrong, just a feeling I get looking at their personnel, players chose, and some of their comments. Dobson's a big boy, should be able to adjust and outjump guys, but that's easy to say now, he has to actually do it.