mayoclinic

I don't think we're point the wrong fingers. I'm not "just" on Thomas. But he is a cancer at this point, and has to go.

I've said repeatedly in other threads that the team, and especially the defense, is suffering from a lack of leadership (other than BB) at multiple levels. The loss of Pioli from the FO, of McDaniels and Capers (and Weis and Romeo before them) from the coaching staff, and of Bruschi/Harrison/Vrabel from the roster has created a huge void.

Mayo and Wilfork are "quiet" captains. AD's crap would never have been tolerated under Rodney and Tedy. He would have been called out, and put into line. More likely, he never would have pulled that crap in the first place.

I think more than anything this offseason we need to rebuild the foundation of the defense with leaders who are on the same page. You get rid of the problem players before they spread to others, and you try to get foundation players to put in place. Not an easy job, but both things have to be done.

I expected growing pains, especially with the defense. I didn't expect to be questioning the heart of the team.

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BradyManny

Agreed.

Heck, it's too bad we didn't sign Willie Mac in the offseason to police these youngsters. He'd be a more useful spot on the roster than AD has become at this point.

MassPats38

If he knows he's a "dead man walking," wouldn't he attempt to play the good soldier to get a decent follow on salary? Wouldn't this be his contract year for his next deal, the type players play up for to show the former team was wrong in letting him go?

Right now, the only effect he appears to have on future earnings is negative, showing he is (1) unproductive and (2) disruptive to a team. That does not equate to dollar signs, and players tend to want more, even if handed $8 million for sitting on their keister for a year.This likely isn't a lottery winner figuring there will not be another pay day.

PatsWickedPissah

There's always a team dumb enough to overpay

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BradyManny

Never having been a part of a football locker room, I ask - is this something a defensive player would need to do, is the locker room divided in such a way? It feels like the veteran leaders on this team - Brady, Faulk, Welker - are on the offensive side of the ball, leaving essentially Vince or Ty as the only guys left on defense (Seau, aside) that know how to work and win in this league. That may be the problem.

ctpatsfan77

You're getting your concepts confused. "Dead money" is not money that has to be paid to the player when he's cut (à la Charlie Weis' ND buyout). Dead money is the money already paid to the player that was allocated to future years of the salary cap that has to be moved into earlier years.

As a matter of fact, the Pats could probably suspend Thomas for "conduct detrimental," which would cost him $100,000+ per game.

You can cut players with impunity, because there's no salary cap to account for.

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Tunescribe

All this nonsense just goes to show how pro athletes have never lived in the real world. Makes me sick to see it happening now on the Patriots, which was the one organization in all of sports that seemed to have a system in place precluding this kind of behavior. It's hard to believe that players like Brady, Faulk, Seau, Wilfork and Light can't throw some weight around the locker room and put an end to this crap. They should call a players-only meeting and rip into some people.

tanked_as_usual

right, but given the situation and whats at stake, the staff needs to work in a way that puts thomas in a situation to get as much out of him as possible. as bad as it is, the team still need him even if only for depth. there literally are no other options on the bench that will work well enough to get anywhere in the playoffs.

this reminds me of the TBC benching for the 2006 AFCC against the colts. the pats could have used him and his benching was something other than 'putting the pats in the best situation to win' as coach always puts it.

I mean mid-season is not the time to be making examples of 30-something dead men walking

MoLewisrocks

Perhaps AD was expending more time being the newly elected player rep than the player coaches expected him to be on the field. Maybe he was focused on being a union leader as opposed to a team leader. We needed veteran leaders to step on on and off the field this season. Some guys can lead on the field and even off it by example, but simply don't have the persona to be vocal leaders in the locker room. AD is certainly not one of them since he is proving to be tremendously vocal...

Whether or not he's lost a step (Felger thinks he's still fast on a line but he's lost his burst and that can be a matter of motivation as well as something physical) or not, Bill likely expected him to step up and fill a more vocal positive leadership role within the team, something he didn't have to do when Rodney and Tedy and Vrabel were still here. Guys like Vince and Ty Warren aren't necessarily inclined to be that guy although both appear to lead on the field and by example (work ethic and attitude). Mayo is the heir apparent but still just a second year player and he's had his own injury and rapid learning curve to deal with. AD could have emerged as a big man and go to guy and leader on this team this season, but he apparently chose not to for a variety of reasons including not being happy with a decision this organization made on the eve of the season. You can't always predict how a guy will perform when the chips are down until you've seen them placed in that situation. Amazingly some of the most talented and personally motivated players in this league morph into total jackasses under those circumstances.

tanked_as_usual

thomas' roster option bonus along with his signing bonus are spread out over the term of the contract which runs through 2011. so there are 2 years worth of guarantees payable to thomas the moment the contract is terminated.

the pats would have a hard time with the union justifying fines for conduct detrimental......what conduct exactly? being late for the meeting? then why aren't the other 3 being fined? for talking to the press? doubt it. you have to be a rabble-rouser in the locker room at a minimum and if he isn't than all BB can do is make him inactive and pay him anyway.

what needs to happen is conversation between the 2 about what they can do to get the most out of the situation until the end of the year and then keep it between them. it is the only thing that will work to the advantage of the rest of the team. you can't make an example of someone while giving him 8M on his way out the door