Scouse Patriot

We've hardly seen him and thats no reason to label a player a "bust" when you take into acount the complex nature of football and the jump up. Some players can come out of college and get it done and some need a little time, Brace obviously needs a little time for now and the Patriots can afford to give it to him.

Time will soon tell.

Frezo

The stats say he's a 2nd round pick and FF people will grab him based on that and then complain that he must be a bust because a 6th rounder is playing instead.

patchick

Yep, even as veterans fall to injury on the Pittsburgh DL, other JAG vets get the call ahead of Hood. And you know what? Steelers fan are seriously pissed and think it's a very bad sign. (But psst...even Hood has managed to make the active roster for every game.)

There's plenty of time yet for Brace, but the string of inactive games certainly isn't a GOOD sign.

Here's an honest question: can you think of any BB-era Pats rookie, at any position except QB & OL, who spend a significant chunk of his rookie year as a healthy scratch but ended up a starter?

BradyManny

Ron Brace is a run stuffing guy they want to mold into Big Vince's potential replacement as a two-gap NT. Myron Pryor is a penetrating DT they have used primarily as a 1-gap 4-3 DT, mostly to rush the passer.

They aren't playing the same position and they aren't fighting for the same playing time.

Pryor is getting PT b/c we traded Big Sey and we need a guy with a good motor for some interior pass rush, like Mike Wright. If Wilfork walks this offseason, Brace will have to step in for him.

patchick

FF? You think people are concerned about Brace because they drafted a run-stuffing backup NT for their fantasy teams?

JSn

Good points, actually. It would be nice to see Brace get snaps and get up to speed, but who do you bench? Consider the amount of sub-packages and I think it becomes clear he's a game-plan casualty - or that is at least part of it.

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mgteich

The pats took some flack for drafting one of the three slowest players in the entire draft. We then have our top draft choice inactive in almost every game. When help is needed, we bring in a street free agent to be active instead of our healthy top pick. Some have suggested that our top pick be good enough to be an emergency backup?

The comparisons to Meriweather and Warren are misplaced. They were active and took time to develop. They were deemed to at least be available in emergency situations and roles in their rookie years.

Having said all this, being slow to develop does not mean that a player is a bust. There is nothing wrong with a team with 12 draft picks using one or two of its picks for players not expected to produce for a year or two. USUALLY, this is not a high second rounder. However, given Wilfork's contract situation, this was the path Belichick chose to go. There is no reason to believe that he had made an unreasonable choice until we find that Brace is a non-contributer at this point in the 2011 season.

ctpatsfan77

Is it at least possible that Brace was, in an almost literal sense, an insurance policy for Wilfork (i.e., if the Pats extend Wilfork this offseason, then Brace will find himself on the trading block)?

And, of course, Brace was their second pick of the draft, not their first.

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PatsWickedPissah

Continuing off topic a bit here...I can't conceive how this could be, but this may come as a rude shock to you, Belichick and therefore the Patriots do not give out detailed information on injuries or updates. Really, they don't.

Now, you may decide to look for 'information' from noted sports medicine writers like Tom Curran who gave us status, details and prognosis on Tom Brady's injury. That would be your decision.

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Patspsycho

Wilfork did. I believe he had a few scratches.

I would say that if he continues to be inactive this Sunday, that would not be a good sign (because Green will be inactive). However, I do not think his consecutive inactives is necessarily indicative of anything.