Pats sign Brown WR Buddy Farnham (Andover, MA) after minicamp tryout

[BradyManny]

I hope you didn't break your keyboard when you typed that, you muscleman. I'd love for you to explain how you came to the conclusion that he "didn't care". Please explain in detail. This should be hilarious.

One of the beat guys (Curran or Reiss?) said Galloway had a poor work ethic, and was typically the first one to leave practice, even if other guys were hanging around to work more.

As for Brady's outburst, I don't see the big deal. Half the fans complain he doesn't look fired up anymore, now when he shows fire, that's a problem, too?

The bottom line is, the fact that Brady had to throw the ball to trash like Galloway and Aiken cost us a shot at the Super Bowl - period. Brady busted his ass for a year to rehab to get in the position to win a Super Bowl - wouldn't you be pissed if you had receivers, on back to back plays, stop running their routes on what would've been a TD?

 

[PatsChamp88]

Screw Galloway this threads about our Buddy, Buddy.

 

[sbpatfan]

One of the beat guys (Curran or Reiss?) said Galloway had a poor work ethic, and was typically the first one to leave practice, even if other guys were hanging around to work more.

As for Brady's outburst, I don't see the big deal. Half the fans complain he doesn't look fired up anymore, now when he shows fire, that's a problem, too?

The bottom line is, the fact that Brady had to throw the ball to trash like Galloway and Aiken cost us a shot at the Super Bowl - period. Brady busted his ass for a year to rehab to get in the position to win a Super Bowl - wouldn't you be pissed if you had receivers, on back to back plays, stop running their routes on what would've been a TD?

No.. Our receivers were fine for the playoffs, we might not of had the best core but it was far better than anything the Jets or Ravens could put together, who both made it farther. Welker's injury was just unfortunate and some players are just impossible to replace.

Main reason the Patriots didn't make the Superbowl? Defense.

 

[Bostonian1962]

BB is great in that, if somebody like Farnham stands out, he'll make the team. Don't Farnham and Taylor Price seem like the types Brady is going to LOVE? They do to me. These "outwork everybody" types, that also seem to have great skill sets are the types Brady will be pumped to have on the team!

We, as fans, have seen the Watson's of the world drop so many balls in recent years, that the Price's, Hernandez', Farnhams, and Gronkowskis that have the glue hands are going to be very welcome in these parts.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Buddy is my new Binky. I was hoping for Freddie Barnes on draft day (and I still hope that he sticks with the Bears) but Buddy would be a nice substitute as a practice squad guy to stick and then next year make it on the 53 over Stanbeck and/or Aiken, if he can also show some special teams skills.

4.5 speed in the 40, shiftiness, and 6'1" frame to go with Ivy league smarts and solid work ethic is a nice place to start. Hopefully he runs low ala Welker, or can learn to. It's fun to root for the underdogs!

 

[Bostonian1962]

Buddy is my new Binky. I was hoping for Freddie Barnes on draft day (and I still hope that he sticks with the Bears) but Buddy would be a nice substitute as a practice squad guy to stick and then next year make it on the 53 over Stanbeck and/or Aiken, if he can also show some special teams skills.

4.5 speed in the 40, shiftiness, and 6'1" frame to go with Ivy league smarts and solid work ethic is a nice place to start. Hopefully he runs low ala Welker, or can learn to. It's fun to root for the underdogs!

He's a legit binky, because he's not a lower level star that is 5'9" 175. He's THE Ivy League standout that has an NFL skill set. Size, speed, hands, workout numbers. Somebody tell me why a WR from FLA, Bama, or USC that didn't produce like this guy, but have similar skills should be better than this guy? I don't see it. This guy is a great binky!

 

[BelichickFan]

No.. Our receivers were fine for the playoffs

Moss had a bad back, Welker was gone and there was no decent WR on the other side. A hurt Moss and Edelman was playable but certainly was not "fine".

 

[sbpatfan]

Moss had a bad back, Welker was gone and there was no decent WR on the other side. A hurt Moss and Edelman was playable but certainly was not "fine".

Moss had a bad back all season and he still had 1000+ yards, he was fine. Every playoff team had a star player battling the injury bug. The fact of the matter was our receivers would have been fine if they weren't injured. Was the receiving core that bad or did injuries make them bad? I say the latter.

The problem was not our receivers. It was primarily the defense coupled with some unlucky offensive injuries that sealed the deal.

 

[BelichickFan]

Moss had a bad back all season and he still had 1000+ yards, he was fine. Every playoff team had a star player battling the injury bug. The fact of the matter was our receivers would have been fine if they weren't injured. Are the receivers that bad or did injuries make them bad?

The problem was not our receivers.

Our receivers were one of many problems. They weren't "the reason" we lost but they were not fine, they weren't close to fine from playoff standards.

 

[Sicilian]

Assuming Moss, Holt, and Edelman are locks (which I believe they are), this creates a seven way competition for the 4 and 5 WR spots:

Tate
Price
Patten
Farnham
Anderson
Stanback
Aiken

That's a healthy group to try to find a couple gems from, while still having some veteran presences as insurance.

And there's two bits of good news here. One, seeing as we often use Faulk or a TE as the 5th receiver in 5-receiver sets, only ONE of the above seven needs to really excel to make a difference (when everyone is healthy of course). Two, the return of Welker, whenever that may be, only augments this group.

 

[BelichickFan]

Assuming Moss, Holt, and Edelman are locks (which I believe they are), this creates a seven way competition for the 4 and 5 WR spots:

Tate
Price
Patten
Farnham
Anderson
Stanback
Aiken

That's a healthy group to try to find a couple gems from, while still having some veteran presences as insurance.

And there's two bits of good news here. One, seeing as we often use Faulk or a TE as the 5th receiver in 5-receiver sets, only ONE of the above seven needs to really excel to make a difference (when everyone is healthy of course). Two, the return of Welker, whenever that may be, only augments this group.

Moss
Welker
Edelman
Holt
Price
Tate

Those 6 are virtual locks IMO. Farnham looks like a strong contender for the PS. And that's a wrap on my receiving corps for Week 1 as of now.

 

[spacecrime]

Here is some more on Farnham from Ian Rapoport. I think he is going to make the team. We have a need at the position, and he sounds like the kind of player BB would love.

BB will love him if he is one of the five best WRs in training camp. Possible, not not likely. I don't see the need at the position, myself. We generally carry five WRs. Not counting Welker, we have Moss, Edelman, Holt, Price, and Tate. Farnahm will be competing with David Patten, Matt Slater, Aiken, Stanback and Jenkins for a chance to unseat one of the five. Not likely to happen.

I really like the guy, but I liked that tall guy (Chas Gessner) from Brown even more. I liked Sean Morey and Bam Childress. All were the "kind" of players BB loved. But none could quite beat out the incumbent WRs for a roster spot. Well, Bam did for a few games, and Morey played with the Iggles for a years.

Good luck, Farnham.

 

[patchick]

Assuming Moss, Holt, and Edelman are locks (which I believe they are), this creates a seven way competition for the 4 and 5 WR spots:

Tate
Price
Patten
Farnham
Anderson
Stanback
Aiken

That's a healthy group to try to find a couple gems from, while still having some veteran presences as insurance.

And there's two bits of good news here. One, seeing as we often use Faulk or a TE as the 5th receiver in 5-receiver sets, only ONE of the above seven needs to really excel to make a difference (when everyone is healthy of course). Two, the return of Welker, whenever that may be, only augments this group.

A similar spin: Out of the trio of Holt, Tate and Price we're looking for one solid performer and one serviceable contributor to start the season. That doesn't seem like too much of a stretch. Add in the new-look TE corps and there should be plenty of targets.

 

[Kontradiction]

So let me get this straight, you get your panties in a bunch because Brady goes to the sidelines and yells at a wide receiver who just completely blew a play because he was either, to lazy, to stupid, or to incompetent to make it. A player who was soon cut.

Then you somehow connect that to Manning going to a press conference and throwing his team under the bus after a playoff loss, while taking no responsibility for his own play?

I guess Tom should have hugged him and told him to try harder, it will be all right, then perhaps sing him a little song to raise his spirits.

Galloway's issues last year seemed to have more to do with old age than anything. The fact that he couldn't get playing time while with the Steelers only reinforces that belief/logic. Secondly, I challenge you to point out where I mentioned Manning press conferences. It's a well known fact that Manning has been repeatedly trashed for yelling at his O-Line on the field or on the sidelines during gameday. There was even, I believe, a thread about it on here when he did it to Jeff Saturday back in 2006. Of course, the resident homers are quick to trash him and then turn around and don't hold Brady to the same candle when he's screaming (behind the guy's back no less) at a nearly 40 year old receiver who was, pretty clearly, on his last legs. It's also a fact that Brady still wasn't playing that well in Week 3 of this past season. I personally don't see the point in trashing Galloway when you're not holding up your end of the bargain, which should be been excellent play at that point. Like I said, I love Tommy. But I was one of the people that trashed Manning for throwing his O-Line and receivers under the bus in game situations when his play was less than stellar. I think I'll continue to at least be consistent and hold Brady to the same token.

One of the beat guys (Curran or Reiss?) said Galloway had a poor work ethic, and was typically the first one to leave practice, even if other guys were hanging around to work more.

As for Brady's outburst, I don't see the big deal. Half the fans complain he doesn't look fired up anymore, now when he shows fire, that's a problem, too?

The bottom line is, the fact that Brady had to throw the ball to trash like Galloway and Aiken cost us a shot at the Super Bowl - period. Brady busted his ass for a year to rehab to get in the position to win a Super Bowl - wouldn't you be pissed if you had receivers, on back to back plays, stop running their routes on what would've been a TD?

Showing fire is one thing. Berating a 40 year old wide receiver, who got open enough to possibly win the Jets game for us only to have his quarterback miss him by a mile, is another. And if Brady was pissed and believed (like many of us) that not having a viable WR3 cost us a Super Bowl, than that's an issue that he should have taken up with management and BB. Not something that he should have been screaming at Galloway about on the sidelines in front of national television.

 

[Kontradiction]

No.. Our receivers were fine for the playoffs, we might not of had the best core but it was far better than anything the Jets or Ravens could put together, who both made it farther. Welker's injury was just unfortunate and some players are just impossible to replace.

Main reason the Patriots didn't make the Superbowl? Defense.

The fact that we drafted three new receiving threats, two of which should see significant snaps lined up at WR, seems to disagree with your analysis on our receiving corps. They were not "fine". If they were, you wouldn't have seen Hernandez, Gronk, and Price drafted (granted Gronk was drafted because we only had Crumpler at the TE position at the time).

 

[PowerRunRevival]

I am excited about this guy. I think he comes in and makes the practice squad unless he is a great special teamer in which case he could vie for a spot.

I don't think you should add Welker on the list of wideouts to start the season. I expect to see him put on the pup list that allows players to come back after a certain number of games (like Tate did last year). Not sure what the official name for it is.

About the Brady yelling at Galloway thing, I always thought it was evidence that Brady was frustrated with his own abilities at that point in the season. Brady is not one to normally crush a teammates confidence. However, in this case I believe he was frustrated with his own play which contributed to him losing his composure.

Could not agree more that should be taken to task just like Manning was on this board. However, it's the offseason, we should be talking about how excited we are for next year not the mistakes of the past.

 

[Deus Irae]

Galloway's issues last year seemed to have more to do with old age than anything. The fact that he couldn't get playing time while with the Steelers only reinforces that belief/logic.

Just to clarify, Galloway wasn't signed by Pittsburgh until on, or about, December 22.

 

[Schmo]

Does anyone know the statistics as far as how many tryout players in the NFL:

a)have been signed before training camps?
b)have made the PS?
c)have made the final 53?

It just seems like a fairly rare occurance... maybe I just have a terrible memory.

 

[BradyManny]

Showing fire is one thing. Berating a 40 year old wide receiver, who got open enough to possibly win the Jets game for us only to have his quarterback miss him by a mile, is another. And if Brady was pissed and believed (like many of us) that not having a viable WR3 cost us a Super Bowl, than that's an issue that he should have taken up with management and BB. Not something that he should have been screaming at Galloway about on the sidelines in front of national television.

Brady never once screamed at Galloway - or even directed his ire at him - and it wasn't until Aiken's piss-poor route that Brady went off. In fact, if you remember, the majority of his outburst was an exchange with Belichick (a pretty one-sided exchange, as BB pretty much ignored it).

Joey Galloway earned over a million bucks from the Pats and he reportedly never put in the effort. I'm not exactly feeling too sorry for the guy!

There is a difference between calling out your teammate in order to make them avoid future mistakes and throwing them under the bus to excuse oneself of personal responsibility. For example, Larry Bird called out his teammates during games, plenty. It made him a good leader. Peyton Manning throws them under the bus in post-game press conferences, that makes him a bad leader.

The main difference being, Peyton Manning is concerned about his reputation and wants to make sure the media knows he didn't F up, but some poor shmuck on his O-Line did. Larry Bird couldn't have given a crap about his reputation and just wanted to win games. I think Brady is more in the Bird category when it comes to that, and always has been.

 

[BradyManny]

No.. Our receivers were fine for the playoffs, we might not of had the best core but it was far better than anything the Jets or Ravens could put together, who both made it farther. Welker's injury was just unfortunate and some players are just impossible to replace.

Main reason the Patriots didn't make the Superbowl? Defense.

The Patriots 2009 offense averaged about 11 less points than it did when Brady last led them in 2007.

The Patriots 2009 defense on average gave up less than a point more per game than in 2007, when it was inches from a perfect season.

Now, I know the Patriots offense faced some great pass defenses, and the Patriots defense faced some terrible offenses - but the point remains - if the Patriots offense were clicking like in 2007, the team probably steamrolls the whole NFL again.

Sam Aiken is not a sufficient WR, never has been, and never will. He has never been intended to be used as a WR on this team out of anything other than necessity. When healthy, Edelman immediately leapfrogged him in the depth chart, even playing through a broken arm. We have added 2 WRs this offseason (Holt, Price), and we have 2 more returning to full health (Tate, Edelman). The guy who was starting opposite Moss last season is now pushed 4 spots down the depth chart.

So, yes, I do think the WR3 position was a main problem last year.