So Peter King tell us how you really feel

[Rob0729]

Apparently King didn't like the Pat's draft:

I think the Patriots' draft was ... well, uninspired. Keep in mind, we all said the same thing about Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Matt Light and Logan Mankins. But it was almost like the Patriots lost a guy (Percy Harvin? Brandon Pettigrew? Larry English?) they liked right above their first-round pick, then just started dumping, and by the time they picked, they were down to the Patrick Chungs of the world at 34.

That pick was odd. They've got a pair of 25-year-old safeties, James Sanders and Brandon Meriweather, they like very much. Is it possible they picked Chung to be mostly a special-teams demon for a year or two?
Except for well-regarded cornerback Darius Butler, the Patriots four second-rounders were greeted with shoulder shrugs around the league. I really like Brandon Tate, warts and all, because he's probably the best returner in the draft, and if he screw up one time with his poor personal track record, the Patriots can just cut him. But the upside on him -- as it might have been with Harvin -- is big when you've got such a big cushion because of all the extra draft picks. I think what I liked most about New England's draft is that the Patriots, for the second year in a row in 2010, are scheduled to have four picks in the first two rounds.

Abram Elam key to New York Jets-Cleveland Browns NFL draft deal - Peter King - SI.com

A few things:

1.) If was well publicized that the Pats looked to get into the top 10 (King reported it and may be feeling burned because his scoop didn't coem true), but either they couldn't, the player they were targetting were gone, or they weren't trying that hard. All the other reports said the Pats didn't like the quality of players in the late first round. He told the NFL Network that he didn't like the draft. So why wouldn't he trade down.
2.) My guess is that Patrick Chung is starting over Sanders by the end of the year. I don't remember who said it, but someone on the TV this weekend said he could be the next Troy Polumalu. Granted that is setting high expectations, but I don't think the Pats feel that James Sanders is the guy they want starting at SS for the next 5 years and they always like to have three solid safeties.
3.) Considering how both ESPN and the NFL Network seemed to be gushing over the Patriots picks and even scanning the message boards of our league competitor's site were praising most of the Pats' second round picks, I really doubt the picks were met with shrugs around the league.

I think King was expecting the Pats to make a huge splash in this draft by trading into the top 10 and possibly trading into the first round for a second time. When the Pats clearly showed they weren't thrilled with this draft, I think King was shocked. That is the only thing I can think of because he seems to mischaracterize several things.

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

What King is forgetting when saying that Chung won't be a starter is that we had no open positions. SS, OT, ILB were the closest to having a guy who could compete for playing time but we took care of our needs a month ago with Galloway, Springs, Bodden, et al.

I also think Chung and Meriweather will be the long term starters at Safety.

 

[Rob0729]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

What King is forgetting when saying that Chung won't be a starter is that we had no open positions. SS, OT, ILB were the closest to having a guy who could compete for playing time but we took care of our needs a month ago with Galloway, Springs, Bodden, et al.

I also think Chung and Meriweather will be the long term starters at Safety.

The funny thing is that other than ILB, I felt SS was the Pats biggest need going into the draft over CB or ILB or O-line. I like Sanders, but I am not sold on him as Harrison's replacement. He is more of a good rotational guy who can play both safety position and can start if he has to.

 

[PatsDparty]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

What King is forgetting when saying that Chung won't be a starter is that we had no open positions. SS, OT, ILB were the closest to having a guy who could compete for playing time but we took care of our needs a month ago with Galloway, Springs, Bodden, et al.

I also think Chung and Meriweather will be the long term starters at Safety.

I like Chung a lot. In each video I have seen of him, when he comes up to make a tackle, that's it, there's no more forward movement. If Chung hit Keller in the Jets game instead of Meriweather, he doesn't pick up the first down last year

 

[mayoclinic]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

I think that's why Peter King is an analyst and BB is the best coach in the NFL.

Things that BB did that Peter King doesn't give him credit for:

1. Had a very cap-friendly draft, and freed up room by trading out of the 1st round and by trading Ellis Hobbs.
2. Build flexibility for 2010 or for trades by adding 2 additional 2nd round players.
3. Rebuilding the secondary, which was the weakest part of the team last year. Butler, Bodden and Springs are all likely to be better than our starting CBs last year, with Wheatley and Wilhite improved as the nickel/dime. Chung will probably complement Meriweather as our starting SS by the end of the year, with Sanders terrific as a 3rd guy in a rotation instead of as a marginal starter.
4. Added depth on the OL, where we have multiple FAs after 2009.
5. Signed a solid 3rd ILB to complement Mayo and Guyton.

Those were obviously the priorities. Plus Ron Brace for DL depth and a backup/insurance policy for Wilfork. Obviously, signing a big name or a 3-4 pass rusher wasn't a big priority for BB.

The man knows what he's doing. Peter King doesn't.

 

[hwc]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

And, all this from a football "journalist" who spends a full paragraph in is post-draft article telling us about flushing the toilet in an airport stall after taking a dump.

And I thought reading his reviews of coffee drinks was annoying....

 

[yopats]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

I think that's why Peter King is an analyst and BB is the best coach in the NFL.

Things that BB did that Peter King doesn't give him credit for:

1. Had a very cap-friendly draft, and freed up room by trading out of the 1st round and by trading Ellis Hobbs.
2. Build flexibility for 2010 or for trades by adding 2 additional 2nd round players.
3. Rebuilding the secondary, which was the weakest part of the team last year. Butler, Bodden and Springs are all likely to be better than our starting CBs last year, with Wheatley and Wilhite improved as the nickel/dime. Chung will probably complement Meriweather as our starting SS by the end of the year, with Sanders terrific as a 3rd guy in a rotation instead of as a marginal starter.
4. Added depth on the OL, where we have multiple FAs after 2009.
5. Signed a solid 3rd ILB to complement Mayo and Guyton.

Those were obviously the priorities. Plus Ron Brace for DL depth and a backup/insurance policy for Wilfork. Obviously, signing a big name or a 3-4 pass rusher wasn't a big priority for BB.

The man knows what he's doing. Peter King doesn't.

Amen! .. BB is showing us what it takes to keep a 10+ year run of excellence going on the FA era

 

[hwc]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

...and they always like to have three solid safeties.

The concept of depth on a team appears to escape Mr. King. It sounds like he thinks that you pencil in two "starters" at safety and that's all you need. Why would you even consider needing a third safety actually capable of playing in the NFL on your roster?

 

[BelichickFan]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

More from King :

I was told last night the Patriots loved Eric Wood, the Louisville center who projected to center or guard in the NFL, but if that's the case, they could have had him at 26 instead of trading out of the round for yet more picks. So I remain mystified about the continued trading rather than picking

Value, Peter, value. We could have drafted Wood. Instead we got Butler and two 2010 #2s. Which would you take ?

 

[Ricey]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

I like Chung a lot. In each video I have seen of him, when he comes up to make a tackle, that's it, there's no more forward movement. If Chung hit Keller in the Jets game instead of Meriweather, he doesn't pick up the first down last year

I was thinking the same thing when I viewed his highlight clips. When he tackles they either get stopped in their tracks or they go back.

 

[letekro]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

I think that's why Peter King is an analyst and BB is the best coach in the NFL.

Peter King is not an "analyst", he is a gossip mongerer no different from the secretary in your office that spends her day digging up dirt and spreading rumors around the office. I think "twit" is a word that better sums him up.

 

[Ungeheuer]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

Well, wait a minute, none of this is fair. King is very good at what he does. Unlike like a lot of "sports journalists," King actually picks up the phone and talks to people in the league. He breaks stories and has sources. Contrast him to someone like Ron Borges, for instance. Borges hasn't made a phone call since the Reagan administration.

That said, King is wrong on this one, and really I'm very puzzled by his reaction. If you look at the Patriots' roster, they had a dire need at safety. Even at OLB, a position we're all freaking out about, they have some bodies they can put in there -- Woods, Banta-Cain, Crable, Redd. But who's behind Sanders and Meriweather? Spann? They're five deep at corner but only two deep at safety. And neither of their safeties is a lay-the-wood, box safety type. They're one injury to Sanders away from relying on a converted corner like Spann to man centerfield. And Sanders isn't a really exciting player -- you'd have to bet they picked Chung thinking he'll eventually be the starter.

Likewise the Brace pick makes perfect sense given the Wilfork and Seymour contract situations. The Pats' draft starts to get a little odd later on, but those first two rounds look like a great job to me.

 

[fair catch fryar]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

Um.....hey Peter.....the NFL is a rough league and injuries are common, especially safeties who have to defend against the run as well as covering receivers. BB went on record saying how impressed he was with Chung and obviously didn't think anyone else was worthier of a higher draft pick. Sheesh, you'd think this guy would learn something after covering the NFL for so many years.

 

[Cramden]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

King generally is a big fan of the way the Pats operate. I'm willing to cut him some slack. That said though he admitted on Sirius this morning when talking about Dr Z how he really appreciates how hard Dr Z worked at his draft preparation. King admitted in years past he only spent about 15 minutes putting together his mock and this year he spent a little more time on it so he understands how much effort Dr Z put into it. Admitting how lazy he generally is in his draft preparation doesn't make me put too much stock in his opinion in this instance.

 

[Sicilian]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

Most of my opinions have already been touched upon, but just to throw my hat in the ring...

Chung doesn't have to be a starter or a "special teams demon" (though I'm willing to bet BB will use him in multiple ST packages) in order to be a big contributor to this team the next couple years. Even assuming he doesn't win the SS job from Sanders, there are 3-safety packages we use on occasion, which may also free up Meriweather for more of those safety blitzes that were so effective at the end of last year.

Aside from Chung, a lot of reports had BB very high on Butler, enough so that some had him picking him at 23. Due to draft savvy, they were able to get him 18 spots later, while picking up additional 3rd round picks, which allowed the flexibility to get extra 2nd rounders next year.

Really, the only need we didn't address in this draft was pass rushing linebackers, and let's be honest... would any player outside of the top 10-15 have stepped in and made a difference to the pass rush this year? More than likely that answer is no.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

A few things:

1.) If was well publicized that the Pats looked to get into the top 10 (King reported it and may be feeling burned because his scoop didn't coem true), but either they couldn't, the player they were targetting were gone, or they weren't trying that hard. All the other reports said the Pats didn't like the quality of players in the late first round. He told the NFL Network that he didn't like the draft. So why wouldn't he trade down.

The problem is that he conflated something that apparently did happen with something that he thought would happen.

Let's assume for the sake of argument, that the Patriots did make the reported offers. As someone said, they could be summarized as relative dogs— offers, designed to see if anyone in the 8-10 range was truly desperate to move down.

Somehow, though, this seemed to almost immediately mutate into the idea that the Patriots were desperate to move into the top 10 for some player, and that's where King went off the rails.

 

[ausbacker]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

The thoughts I have about us liking Sanders can easily be shot down. If you see a point where you can upgrade and attribute a great value-cost for a positional pick, then why wouldn't you upgrade at that position?

You can always make something better.

 

[jarnhestur]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

I didn't have a problem with his opinion when you read the whole article. Did everyone miss this statement:

The one reason you can never kill this team about drafting is they've taken a lot of no-name guys high over the years and many have become cornerstones.

Basically, he says he doesn't understand the Pats draft. I don't have much of a problem with that. Personally, I'm happy with it assuming the 2nd rounders make good contributions to this team over the next few years.

 

[Synovia]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

Well, wait a minute, none of this is fair. King is very good at what he does. Unlike like a lot of "sports journalists," King actually picks up the phone and talks to people in the league. He breaks stories and has sources.

King has great sources, but very rarely uses them for anything useful. I can't think of the last real story he broke. Too many stories of how he had coffee with some GM, but no actual text from the interview.

 

[Dirk3601215]

Re: So Peter King tell us how you really feel.

King should go back to drinking his soy rasberry latte.