TriplecHamp

EXACTLY, Yes I wanted E.Brown but we didnt get him and Im fine with that... for now. I think the team is in some of the best hands in the NFL but at the same time I know they are not perfect and Im just stating my opinion.

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patchick

Hmm. You've managed to find one highly touted slow, undersized LB out of the many candidates (Buster Davis? Abdul Hodge? Jon Abbate? H.B. Blades? Rufus Alexander? Lance Mitchell? Ali Highsmith? A.J. Nicholson? Mark Zalewski?) who's done well. In a 4-3 defense. At MLB. And that's supposed to prove that a small, unathletic guy is a smart pick for a 3-4 OLB? I'm not buying.

I was firmly in the draft-an-OLB camp too, but I never regretted passing on Brown. The Pats have had better luck at LB with UDFAs with prototype measurables (Woods, Guyton, Redd) than with drafted guys without the raw physical tools (Mincey, Lua, Ruud).

Beyond that, when you find yourself making two precisely opposite arguments for the same conclusion -- they should have taken him because of his great size and speed! they pay too much attention to size and speed, they should have taken him because he's small and slow! -- you might want to consider whether you're approaching this with an open mind.

jays52

The logic is really quite simple. Everette Brown is not a 34 OLB. Man, this slow time really brings out the slow people, doesn't it?

PS, watch out, BradyFTW, I think someone intends to tap you out!

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ctpatsfan77

Not to be facetious, but why, then, do they keep drafting the latter and not the former?

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patchick

Now THERE is a fine question. Don't ask me, I wanted Barwin.

(To be fair, Mayo and Crable last year were pretty nice physical specimens.)

DaBruinz

First off, Brown is going to be lining up as a 4-3 DE and not a 3-4 OLB. He wasn't stellar in the drills at the combine and, from what I saw, he didn't actually listen to the coaches running the drills. He just did them his own way.

Next, Brown does NOT fit the typical mold of a Patriots 3-4 OLB. He's only 6'1.5". The Pats look for 6'3 minimum.

Brown is lousy against the run and isn't great in space. So he'd have trouble covering guys coming out of the backfield or the TE position. So he'd be a one trick pony. Patriots look for their LBers to be able to do all 3. Set the edge against the run, Rush the passer and drop into coverage. And yes, even Vrabel and McGinest would drop into coverage.

The key to the Patriots pass rush in the SB years was being able to bring the rush from ANY of the 4 LB positions. And to do that, they need OLBs who can drop into coverage at times.. Brown can't do that.

So its plainly understandable why the Patriots didn't bother with an undersized DE like Brown.

jays52

It's got to have something to do with risk management. I would assume that within the time frame of TC and preseason, the coaching staff can evaluate if a player has the je ne sais quoi to make it. Taking a flier on a UDFA with high level measurables is a fairly minimal risk. If the kid pans out, awesome. If not, cut the player to make room for the less risky, less rewarding players.

Ultimately, I think that a player's ability to fit the NE profile is having that je ne sais quoi to be a baller. Guys with outstanding measurables who go high (ie, Mayo) also have high level leadership attributes and unmitigated passion for football.

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DaBruinz

Beason is playing MLB in the 4-3. A totally different position than either ILB or OLB in the 3-4.

Mike Reiss is not the be all end all. In fact, he's pretty horrible when it comes to whom the Patriots will draft.

Michael Vick was NEVER the future of the NFL. Ever.. Some thought he might be until they realized that he was a horrible passer and relied too much on his legs.

While the games are played by the players, the players have to be able to perform in the system. And I really hope you aren't obtuse enough to believe that there are teams that don't have systems. Every team has one and they do require certain skill sets to succeed.

Deus Irae

To follow up on what Jay was posting, there's also the issue of draftability, and a secondary aspect of that: whether or not the team thinks it would have a chance to sign the player if he went undrafted. After all, we're talking about guys going in round 6 or 7 as opposed to slipping through.

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patchick

But how much riskier does it get than being a poor physical specimen draftee at LB for the Patriots? The only way those guys last out of training camp is on IR.

I would seriously pay money to know what BB's thinking on the OLB prospects was this year. I'm not in panic mode by any means (I'm higher on Woods than most), but the whole process -- dumping Vrabel then not drafting OLB at all after devoting a ton of visits and workouts to the position -- has me downright baffled.