MalaysiaPatsFan

The offseason is too long. Hopefully this will help keep us sane until training camp starts. I am inspired by Box O Rocks’s Build Your Own Draft Board Position By Position thread (Building your draft board position by position - week 1: 3-4 Defensive Linemen) to start a Build Your Own Patriots’ Roster Depth Chart Position By Position thread. I hope this will create some interesting arguments (er - I mean discussions) about the roster.

Here's the project: Using the current Patriots’ roster as your starting point, put together a roster depth chart for each position. Please explain why the player is ranked ahead and/or behind the other players at that position. You may rank some players the same as long as you generally show your view of the depth chart at that position. Since there are likely to be a few roster changes you may include players not currently on the Patriots’ roster, but please try be realistic by choosing players who are 1) currently available, 2) might reasonably be acquired by trade or 3) are likely to be cut by their current team.

Current Roster:
http://www.patriots.com/team/index.c...ters&Print=yes

Free Agent Listings:
http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=211&p=9...nid=83&yr=2006
http://www.kffl.com/static/nfl/featu.../fa.php?y=2006
http://www.nfl.com/freeagency/afc-unrestricted
http://www.nfl.com/freeagency/nfc-unrestricted

(Please feel free to let us know about other good links for free agent information)

You may update your posts as the Patriots’ current roster changes and there are changes in players who are available to be acquired. For no particular reason, I am starting with the offense.

Week 1: QB
Week 2: RB/FB
Week 3: WR
Week 4: TE
Week 5: OL
Week 6: DL
Week 7: LB
Week 8: CB
Week 9: S
Week 10: ST
Week 11: Put together a final 53 player roster based on your position boards. You may include some extra players who would be added to the roster if some of your 53 players get injured.

Let the discussion begin.

MalaysiaPatsFan

Current Roster: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Corey Bramlet, Todd Mortenson
Some FA’s available: Doug Flutie (he is currently an FA), Jay Fiedler, Shane Matthews

1. Tom Brady (I don’t think I need to list my arguments for this one)

2. Shane Matthews
Just to shake things up a bit I am predicting that Flutie does retire. If Flutie does stay on for another year, then I think this spot is his for the taking. I am hesitant to say Cassel is ready to make the jump to #2 until next year. Even if Cassel was ready to be the #2 QB, I think the Pat’s need a vet QB to run the scout team. I expect BB to get a journeyman QB with a lot of experience. Kerry Collins (I don’t want him anyway because he has too many turnovers) and Jay Fiedler probably want to go to a team where they have a better chance to get playing time, though I wouldn’t mind getting Fiedler. None of the vet QB FA's available really excites me. Though I admit that Shane Matthews isn’t too exciting either, I think he may be a serviceable option.

3. Matt Cassel
He needs another year to learn the system and get valuable experience. I expect him to go to NFLE next year.

4. Corey Bramlet and Todd Mortenson
They will battle it out for a chance to stick on the Practice Squad. I have not seen either one play so I am looking for some interesting information and discussion from you. I don’t see the Pat’s keeping 4 QBs or either of these players moving ahead of Cassel and a vet QB (as yet to be determined).

spacecrime

Bardy goes down in week one, and you would rather see Shame Matthews playing QB instead of Matt Cassel?

And why would Matt Cassel need a another year to learn the system? Does he have Alzheimers? He knew the system okay against Miami.

1. Brady
2. Cassel
3. some vet or rookie or Kevin Faulk who cares because if Brady and Cassel go down our season is in the toilet anyway

PatsFanInVa

You guys haven't heard Brady is overrated?

1. Matt Cassel
2. Tom Brady (if necessary)
3. Flutie/[your favorite veteran here] (only in case of dire emergency)

I base this order on the following facts:
1. We didn't win the super bowl last year, although Brady was still playing quarterback. So obviously he wasn't that good in the first place.
2. He's not Brett Favre, which according to TO was Donovan McNabb's problem last year. Since Brady's not Brett Favre either, pretty clearly he shares this trait with McNabb. I bet both of them together didn't have Favre's 29 interceptions, so obviously they didn't have that "gunslinger mentality" you need at the position.
3. Adam Vinatieri won all three of the Patriots' super bowls. Duh.
4. Last year Brady threw for 4000+ yards, but only 20 odd touchdowns (again.) So obviously he has a weak arm and cannot throw the long ball.
5. Matt Cassel almost won a meaningless game against the Miami Dolphins. Since he's young and untested, that counts as a win. He's therefore never lost a game for us.
6. Since everybody always hopes any QB we pick up is the next Tom Brady, overrated as he may be, the only way for it to happen is for the current QB - Tom Brady - to be shuffled out of the way and for the new guy to come out of nowhere. I still have no idea why we got rid of Cliff Klingsbury and Rohan Davey.

Now, if any of you bozos don't see the logic behind this, it's your misfortune. Matt Cassel WILL be our #1 QB in 2006!



PFnV

bucky

That's pretty stupid. Cassell was a 7th round draft choice. Brady was a 6th rounder. So obviously, Brady is better!

On a serious note, there is no QB help out there. Let's hope Cassell is ready to be the #2 guy. Call me crazy (which I know many of you will), but I wouldn't mind it if the vet 3rd stringer is Vinny Testaverde.

tatepatsfan

I'm going with:

1. Brady
2. Cassell
3. Fiedler

I think Cassell and Fiedler go into TC fighting for the backup spot and Cassell wins it.

pats1

Re-ti-red.

MalaysiaPatsFan

Maybe saying "another year to learn the system" was a bad way to put it. I like Cassel and think he shows good potential, but how many real games has he played in since high school? I don't care that he was just a 7th round draft pick, but I do care that he has very little real game experience. I hope he is ready to be the #2, but I do have doubts and am not ready to anoint him as our #2 QB just yet. Maybe sometime during the season. (Besides, it generates more discussion if I say something controversial )

I am also not just looking at the QB depth in case (God forbid) that Brady gets hurt. I am looking at the value of a developmental QB that could have trade value and a vet QB for the scout team and general QB "coaching" assistance.

spacecrime

What will cause you to change your mind during the season? By mid-season he will have played exactly as many games as he played today.

As far as how may games he play since high school (by which I guess you mean in college), it was a lot less that Akili Smith, Tim Couch, and other notables. How many NCAA QBs were good enough to almost beat out Leinart to replace Palmer?

Think of it as NFL experience. Cassel has thrown more NFL passes that Leinart, Young and Cutler combined. And he has thrown more NFL TDs and fewer INTs that last year's first round pick.

Kdo5

HES KIDDING!

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