BionicPatriot

Yeah, lets address our most glaring weakness with a guy we HOPE gets it done. People seriously wanted him anyway?

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Defense, defense, defense

PATSYLICIOUS

Good, I'd rather address our issues through draft, no more high priced OLB's. AD was a disaster. Rosie was solid for us but not for that contract, 2 years on the IR too.

mcmurtry86

They already re-signed Banta-Cain. Remember? They released him and signed him back the next day to an extension?

Deus Irae

You mustn't have heard about the fly in the ointment.

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"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
- Marcus Aurelius

Rob0729

Seriously, how can you judge Colvin's deal without acknowledging that he had a freak injury that could have ended his career in his second game of his contract? Without that injury, Colvin may have outplayed his contract.

I don't have a problem with them spending money on the LB position. It is the most important group on this defense and it needs to be upgraded. Belichick doesn't typically like rookies in those positions. I welcome them spending money on that position. Rather see them spend money on a good passrushing OLB than many other positions.

Rob0729

Well, that deal was nullified by the league offices. I still think if they want him, TBC will be back as a Patriot. I think they are exploring their options though, but will probably resign him before free agency begins.

muzz

I was laughing earlier when you said Dansby AND Peppers...now you want to add Dumerville too?

What's happened to you?
I'm assuming you just had surgery, and are on a Morphine drip.

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I guess drafting BUMS like "I never play cuz I suck" Wheatley,"see the back of my Jersey as I get burned...AGAIN" Wilhiite, and "maybe my knee will let me play by my 4th year" Tate, wasn't good enough,we've got a guy that is giving Matt Millen a run for his $ by drafting a mediocre special teams player and giving him 1st Rd. cake.
Pass rush? Uneccessary when you have 72 CBS playing.
Lbs? What for, we have no pass rush, they gonna chuck it at our lousy CBS...all 72 of them bums

MoLewisrocks

This team has to be more careful than ever about the kind of players it brings into a locker room that is short on veteran leadership and basically devoid of it on defense. The concern now is not just with off field issues, it's that they can't afford to have guys onboard who aren't team first players to whom winning football games matters more than not just money but ego. AD apparently had some concerns with his use and role from day one here. We never saw or heard that because veterans on this team sat on him and brought him into line. Holley got that from Colvin, who was one of the guys who was on AD the most. Even Richard, who was a proponent of the talent wins mantra, said in his interview last week that what wins isn't talent, it's a combination of coaching and players with the attitude that winning matters. Said that too many players coming into the league lately want the trimmings of being an NFL player rather than wanting to win. He said if he were starting a team as a GM, he would first go after the less talented guys who are driven to win.

Everybody wants to win. Unfortunately not everybody is willing to commit to it. You learn more about a guy's committment to football by watching what he does on a struggling or losing team than you do on a winning team. Guys who don't show up consistently, guys who don't take responsibity or point fingers, guys who don't honor their committment, not just to the guy writing their checks but to the guys lining up next to them, their talent is worthless because you can't count on it.

Pioli was fond of saying that this system narrows the talent pool. Never moreso than now with a defense in transition and an offense that sputtered inconsistently before it lost a guy like Welker, who was born getting it, for much if not all of the upcoming season. The offense is down to Brady and Light as three ring veterans who know what it took, and Light is in his last season. Faulk if he's extended as most assume he will be. On defense there isn't really anyone. Warren and Wilfork landed here after the system was well established and they never had to lead because they were surrounded by veteran leaders. Neither will ever be a problem and both will take care of their own business, but neither has the personality to lead by other than example. Mayo may emerge but he isn't there yet and his own injury likely impacted his development as a player and leader in 2009.

Because of Brady and Welker and Edleman who appears to have that same DNA and Faulk, I think the offense just needs to adapt the scheme to the talent level of most units and add some complimentary talent. That can be done via draft or trade or FA. The defense needs more than talent, it may need leadership more than so called elite talent. That will be the harder trick to pull off. It cannot afford to dabble in even remotely questionable charcter (or motor) guys for the forseeable future. Hopefully they have the scouting capacity to weed out the chafe and identify guys who are available not because they lack talent or drive but because they've been misused or misevaluated.

ForThoseAboutToRock

I love the idea of Dansby wearing the Flying Elvis. I'm very guarded in building up any hopes that they'll get him though, because it just seems pie in the sky to me right now. Even with the 2x franchise tag he's been hit with in Arizona, I have a feeling they'll get him something long term. Anything's possible though.


As for Peppers, Dumerville and Dansby... THAT would be fun to watch.

vyrago

He sounds exactly like the kind of "character" guy the Patriots need to shape up that locker room--NOT!