satz

Let me put this way

2 ILB postion

1 - Mayo

2 - Bru [run downs] , chung/tank [TE/Slot/4 WR package] , Guyton [3rd down coverage LB playing over a TE]

what am i missing you think we need another ILB to play the other LB then Mayo.

I can even see chung/tank and guyton inside for receving te packages.

34th PICK - Don`t tell me you did not see team run free in the middle .TE`s cost us games and we draft a pick to give us the range to cover TE and tackle them and you think its bad ? You want a TE faster than all our LB and Bigger than any CB/safety to run free ?

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AzPatsFan

I thoroughly disagree. My criticism is that the depth is questionable, not that we don't have four good starters. Even with Taylor signed, Woods starts and plays the strongside OLB position. He might be replaced on obvious passing downs but that is not clear, at all. Taylor and Thomas rotate at weak OLB, and it would help to keep these older guys fresh. But I am not sure that is appreciably better than Thomas and spelled by TBC.

tanked_as_usual

we don't have 4 good starters......woods has only proven to be depth and was relatively ineffective as a starter........maybe he will improve......maybe crable will improve.....maybe redd will improve, but at the end of last year, none of them had proven to be any kind of starting quality

mgteich

Ok, you agree that we needed an inside linebacker at #34 and you think we got him with Chung. You appear to believe that the best use of a linebacker roster spot is a safety. That's fine. I disagree. Four safeties is enough. We have Meriweather, Sanders, Chung and Tank Williams, with McGowan as camp compeitition (perhaps to replace Tank Williams).

Also, Chung might have lasted until the 40's or we could have drafted Will Moore. We also have McGowan competing for Tank's roster spot. As you point out, Tank has that role. Why did we need to use our 34th pick for someone to compete with Tank for this limited role?

Who do you think will start the game at ILB if Mayo is out for a game or two?
Who do you think will start the game at ILB when Bruschi is out?
================================

Deus Irae

You've made that claim repeatedly. Others have disagreed repeatedly. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

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Rob0729

With Thomas inside, the Pats starting OLBs would be Woods and TBC. Considering the lack of a pass rush was a big issue last season, how does this make the team better?

Woods only has 3 starts to his career and one career sack.

TBC had one decent year with the Pats and has been disapointing ever since. His career high for sacks is 5.5 in a season.

Crable hasn't played a down of football.

Seriously, how is it better to have two of these guys starting outside, move AD inside where he will be less effective, leave the CBs on an island again? Eventhough a Bruschi/Guyton rotation isn't optimum, it is far better than a Woods and TBC starting OLB tandem.

mayoclinic

Right now we have 2 pro-bowl caliber starters in Mayo and Thomas. The question is whether to use them both at ILB (which would be the best 3-4 ILB combo in the NFL), or use Thomas at OLB. I personally think that Thomas may eventually move inside to SILB, but right now we lack quality starters at OLB if we do that. Options that I see:

1. At least one of Crable, Wood or Redd emerges as a quality starter at OLB.
2. Jason Taylor is signed and starts at OLB.
3. Guyton emerges as a quality starter at SILB.
4. A veteran SILB is signed (Napoleon Harris being the most logical choice right now) or traded for. Karlos Dansby would be the best, but would be costly and it would take a miracle to get him from Arizona.

Any one of these 4 would probably result in an adequate LB corps. Two would essentially fix the problem for 2009. None would leave us thin and in danger.

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patsfan-1982

was there any one better then guyton at the 34th pick all the ILB that we could of had are the same size as guyton and slower then him he was one of the fastest LB in the draft last yer and he hes a yer under his belt with the pats the number 2 ILB dose not need to be a 200 tackles guy mayo is that guy guyton will get 70-80 tackles and he plays the pass realy good and thats what you realy need from the #2 ILB

AzPatsFan

"... we don't have four good starters..." sez YOU.

But that is NOT what the Coaches say; and more significantly, NOT the way BB drafted, and what his draft actions imply

You treat Guyton as is he was a 225 pound Safety playing out of position as a LB. Sort of like the LB/S (Dom Dixon?) that we picked up from the Rams a few years ago. In fact, Gary is bigger and faster than Mayo at 6-3 245 pounds. There is no reason that he can't be a three down ILB. He has the speed and coverage ability already, even you concede. He has the size to be a running down ILB too. The way BB drafted, even more than his words, certainly indicates that he thinks Guyton is more than a S/LB, specialist.

As for OLBs, I beg to differ with you. I reviewed the tapes of Wood's starting games. He is a good starter at Strong OLB, and fully earned his position. Even allowing/forcing Vrabel to move to the weak side OLB, and eventually off the Team. He sets the edge very fine. If they import a fading star OLB, (JT), he will compete with AD for playing time at Weak side OLB; while Woods continues to play Strong side OLB. I am disappointed as many others with McKenzie's IR, but he was drafted to take Tedy's position when Tedy hung them up. I thought it was very possible that Tedy would be forced into retirement this season, if McKenzie came on strong. Instead Tedy will probably play out his last year.

Everyone wanted the big thumper SILB. I didn't. apparently neither did Belichick, except as an afterthought. Well you now have one. Antonio Appleby is a better two-down thumper than Jasper Brinkley, trained as such by Al Groh, and we have him now. With your concerns, we could mini-rotate Guyton and Appleby for running/passing downs, next to Mayo, and still have Tedy in reserve.

In short y'all remind me of the catcalls against Matt Cassel , when the Coaches said he was ready, I agreed, but most fans said: "It can't be, Cassel, (Woods & Guyton) stinks"!

Wrong then. Wrong Now.

mgteich

If all that matters is size and speed, then Guyton and Redd should probably have been 1st or 2nd rounders.

If your asking whether there was anyone who could compete with Guyton for his starting spot and for reps in 2009 and 2010, I would say yes. Guyton played well, last year. However, it is a bit early to name him a starter and in no need of competition. Besides, what if one of the ILB's is injured. As has been pointed out, we have Chung and Tank Williams. Who kidding who? My position is not that the man who picked at 34 would ahve been an instant starter and Guyton would then be a scrub backup. Rather, I thought that we could use competition for ILB rosters spots, and injury protection as well.

I would have preferred Laurinitis as our #4 linebacker to Tank Williams. I was overruled!