mgteich

I think we have four weeks to develop the "final" roster.

We'll see a veteran lineman after Week 1. We have an obvious need with Neal and Ross on the PUP. Faulk will be back, presumably at the expense of Jones (although it could Slater or Ventrone who is the odd man out). And, Belichick has promised more moves, upgrading a position or two.

Upgrades are one thing. But is there is there anywhere you see a crying NEED that might be filled?

My candidates ar ILB and SS, Seau and Lynch, unless Belichick has someone else in mind.

Pats726

Agreed...unless a D lineman could upgrade over LSmith....I k
now someone will say it...Cassel....BUT really...

HEY BRO! WHAT UP?

Haahaa! Your joking right? The DB's still suck, the O-Line needs help everywhere and the D-Line needs a backup NT. Last but not least, the backup QB's are joke. It's beyond me how Matt Cassel is still a New England Patriot. He should thank God everyday. He is the Scott Zolak of this era.

Frezo

ILB...Thomas may be a natural outside, but he is also very good inside. His play inside has been replaced by a rookie. Mayo has stellar abilities many of which he has translated into talents, but he has zero regular season experience. There will likely be certain coach/QB/receiver combos that will give him issues. Like you said, the only way to squash that is to put Thomas inside for a bit. Mayo will eventually get it, but there will be some stumbles along the way. Did Green line up at OLB last year? I don't recall.

mgteich

I'm thinking of pass-rushing situations with Green as a rusher, either with his hand down or not.

D-cleater

with the O line slowly getting back to health, I like the way the offense is looking. I'd like to see a 1st day pick used on the right side of the line, but I think we get through this year with what we have there, with the following caveat regarding TE:

TE - little concerned that we don't have a proven blocking specialist. Without a true "road grader" type lineman in our front five, especially with Neal out, our running game is a question mark, even with the talent in the backfield. Still, we are very solid at the position if you look around the league.

RB - no 2004 Cory Dillon or 2005 Curtin Martin, but assuming Jordan pans out perhaps more depth than we've seen in a few decades.

QB - I have high hopes for O' Connell as our #2 by end of season, so I see this as an upgrade from last year.

D Line - It'd be nice to get an upgrade on the second team, over Smith or Wright, but barring the unthinkable we're fine here. Titas Adams is not a bad practice squad player from what he showed ( IMO) .

LB - Totally depends on where the injuries happen. I'm personally very high on the rookies, so I like the depth at those positions. I'm pessimistic on Woods and Alexander. An injury to Thomas or Bruschi could have major impact , depending on severity.

I think we cut it very close waiting until 2008 to add depth to the LB corps...lets hope we didn't cut it too close. A Seau return would be a welcome sight, but other than him I think we roll with the current group.

Safety - Would love to see an upgrade at SS next year, I think we get one more year tops from Rodney and while Sanders is solid, he'll never be spectacular. In other words, he'll save the big play, but not the third down conversion, at least with any consistency. Merrieweather may be solid if he softens up those stone hands.

CB - We're fine. I for one an relieved we cut Bryant and believe O'neal is going to shine with a fresh start and good coaching. The rookies provide solid depth....they will both get burnt on occasion but they are learning from the best in the business and will be very solid in time.

I do'nt know why I answer in such a long winded fashion but it was fun..... in summary, I 'm happy with the depth we have, especially with the addition of O'neal.

Fencer

We have two very reliable LBs overall, in Vrabel and Thomas. The rest have limitations or question marks of various sorts.

NT depth behind Wilfork has always been questionable, but since almost all the DEs started at NT before moving outside, it can probably continue to be handled on a patchwork basis.

Pure hand-down rushing is not a worry.

OT is a clear concern. Neither of our starting tackles is a pillar of durability, and the depth behind them is shudderworthy.

spacecrime

Mayo will only get it if he plays. All vets are not better than all rookies. If you want to sit Mayo in favor of a vet, you would have to find a vet so good, it is worth not letting Mayo learn the position. Otherwise, better to let Mayo work into the job so that by playoffs he's a one-year vet, not a rookie who has played very little.

spacecrime

Yep, we are all very well aware of this.

Pats726

You're the joke you should thank God everyday you are following the Patriots and NOT some other mediocre team.. YOU have no perspective at all.. It's frontrunners like you who would never stay with a team in the bad times.. and you are critical now?? How pathetic..