CanadianPat'sFan
Rotational Player and Threatening Starter's Job
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
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Well, if you get really technical, Seymour, Warren, Mankins, and Mayo all changed positions. Graham and Watson both had to learn to be blocking TEs. BB tried to use Meriweather at CB - I think part of the need to Franchise Asante happened because BB had projected Meriweather to ballhawking CB in his place.
I've come to believe the issue isn't so much changing positions, it's learning to do what you were doing in college in a new role for NE. I'm not going to bet that BB is gunshy after Meriweather didn't work out at CB, he's getting good value out of him for the pick.
Let's look at Barwin not as an OLB which he's never played, but as a TE which he played well for Cincinnati:"Clutch," we don't hear that very often about Ben Watson. So here's a kid Watson's size, with Watson's hustle and Watson's kind of athleticism who is getting called "clutch." What could he have done at TE if he'd stayed at the position last season? Might he be worth a first round pick with another year like his Junior year? Watson had 73 receptions in his college career at Duke and Georgia, Barwin has 53 in one less year, would he have been good for 20 more catches? So as fans do we say, "NO" to another athletic TE? I guess some do. But if he was in this draft and BB drafted him at #23 as a TE we might grumble, but we'd say BB is consistent.
If BB tried to make Meriweather a CB and failed, his failure wasn't irredeemable; I can see taking a late first gamble on a kid who is showing all the things you want to see in a NE OLB, especially if you can always plug him in as a TE when Watson hits Free Agency after this season - by then you'll know if he's going to make the transition, just like you knew about Meriweather and CB. Just a different way to look at "BPA."
And another good point This is great debate boys I am glad I came home early from work