Deus Irae

No offense intended here, but what you think he should take really doesn't matter, just as people thinking he should sign his first tender offer last year didn't matter.

It's not that I'm sure he won't sign the tag offer and play, because I've noted elsewhere that I expect he'll play. It's that he showed a willingness to pass up money last year, and we'd be fools to ignore that when we're looking at Patriots needs this year.

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crowell33

Mankins and Connolly, same starters as last year.

Dufflebagz

This was all assuming money is basically the only problem....If it's not most of what I said will be wiped out.

Yes, it's only my opinion but that's all I have to offer. If we weren't throwing our opinions around this would be an extremely boring forum.

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Deus Irae

This isn't about opinion. It's about the fact that the guy's unsigned. The only opinions being tossed around are yours and Andy's. I've actually avoided them.

Light - unsigned
Mankins - unsigned
Koppen - signed
Neal - retiring
Vollmer - signed

That's the reality of the team's starting offensive line as of right now, unless Mankins has signed without us knowing.

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Dufflebagz

My point exactly, if we didn't talk about the future (which obviously nobody knows what will happen) it would all be facts and the site would be boring.

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AndyJohnson

Thats different than saying Connolly and Wendell are the starting Gs.
I agree that Mankins tenuous future has to be part of the strategy of roster building, but it would be wrong to act as if he doesnt exist and isnt Patriot property for 2011.

No doubt the offensive line needs attention, but its been that way almost every season.
I can't remember dozens of your posts showing how bare the cupboard will be 1-2 hence if no one is resigned.
There are many ways to handle OL and particularly G.
Over the Brady years at interior OL we have:
Signed street FAs to start
Signed low level FAs to start
Converted a C to G
Started a 5th round rookie
Developed a wrestler who never played football into a starter
Used a first round pick
Developed 2 UDFAs who barely played elsewhere into starters

That doesnt include the T position where part of the story includes
A 4th rounder, 2 5th rounders, 2 2nd rounders and a 3rd rounder starting as rookies. 2 UDFAs starting. An uncountable number of OL developed from the practice squad.

Basically, we have gotten OL whereever we can find them, and the results have been pretty good.

AndyJohnson

How is stating that Mankins is Patriot propery an opinion?
If stating that the circumstances are different this year is an opinion then your stating otherwise is equally an opinion.

Because you choose to ignore the fact that Mankins is Patriot property does not make the fact that he is an opinion or your opinion of what may transpire a fact.

Deus Irae

The O.P. WAS talking about the future. The team's needs for the future. He was noting the current absence of signed starting quality OGs and opening up the discussion regarding the need to upgrade at the position as a result.

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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

Deus Irae

"Mankins is the starting LG" isn't opinion now? Funny, when I was noting that Connolly wasn't really a starter for the team since he was just replacing players ahead of him in Mankins/Kaczur/Neal, I was assailed for daring to take such a position. Interesting that the tables have now turned to the point where acknowledging that a player stayed away for a fair chunk of last year is now supposed to be an opinion.

Interesting theory. Also, When the discussion went further, you were clearly putting forth the opinion that he'd be starting day one, without actually saying it, by pointing to rights, circumstances and the like, in response to my pointing to the saying about counting one's chickens before they've hatched.

But you go ahead and pretend that you weren't taking that position, and I'll pretend that you aren't posting anymore in this thread.

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mgteich

Forgive me if I think that your head is placed firmly in the sand.

Yes, I have been discussing the OL for years. Specifically last year, I indicated that OG/OC was a serious issue since neither Neal or Mankins were likely to be here for very long, and we didn't expect Koppen to be here long-term either. I posited that I didn't think Ohrnberger, Wendell and Connolly were the answer for the need to develop THREE starters.

So, here we are one year later. We are HOPING that Mankins will play. We HOPING that Koppen will be better in his contract season. We are COUNTING on Connolly and Wendell for significant contributions.
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And just BTW, we are also HOPING that Light will re-sign. Most of us know that it is only a matter of where before pick 35 that we draft an OT. I do understand that there are those who see some 3rd or 4th rounder as next year's starting OT if Light doesn't re-sign. But that is NOT the way belichick operates. He will use his resources to have a genuine Plan B in case Light does not re-sign.
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THE TEAM HAS CHOICE
The team does NOT have to look for wrestlers, UDFA's and street free agents to play at LG, RG and center in 2011 and/or 2012. Instead, just maybe, we could decide, as we did in 2005, that OG is a critical need for this team, worthy of #28 or #33 and that we really need to find three starters for 2012.

The team will make do with a weak to average line if they must, and perhaps go the SB with such a line. But with 6 picks in the top 100, plus an additional pick in ther 4th, it is POSSIBLE to put a very high priority on developing a top-notch set of three interior linemen for 2012. That is in addition to dealing with the need at OT.