Ninkovich and Crable

[mgteich]

I'm all for hoping that these two will be major contributers for the 2010 season. However, I also would like to see Belichick sign or trade for a couple additions to compete for their roster spots.

Three of the OLB roster spots seem to be Banta-Cain, Cunningham and Woods.

Of course, NONE of these players is a lock to be the core three with the majority of the defensive reps. There will be lots of competition for reps. The OLB's who were in for more than 50% of the defensive reps in 2009 were Banta-Cain, Thomas and Burgess.

 

[bucky]

I'm willing to bet a significant amount of money that the number of threads started by mgteich with the word "Crable" in the title will be higher than the number of regular season snaps Shawn Crable takes for the Patriots in his career. Any takers?

 

[spacecrime]

I'm willing to bet a significant amount of money that the number of threads started by mgteich with the word "Crable" in the title will be higher than the number of regular season snaps Shawn Crable takes for the Patriots in his career. Any takers?

Definitely. I'll take that bet. How much is a significant amount of money?

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I'm willing to bet a significant amount of money that the number of threads started by mgteich with the word "Crable" in the title will be higher than the number of regular season snaps Shawn Crable takes for the Patriots in his career. Any takers?

I'm with you, I'd be shocked if Crable plays this season.

But to answer mgtech's post, there isn't anybody significant to sign or trade for. The Pats are going to have to live with what they've got.

As for Ninkovich, he's in his 5th season and still hasn't done anything. I hope your not holding your breath on this guy. He's become this boards Pierre Woods.

 

[BradyManny]

I think you, at some point, have to stop worrying about stopgaps and just develop players.

As I said in another thread, we have the ability to generate an interior rush and blitz effectively, so that mitigates our lack of OLB depth. I guess I'd rather just see what Cunningham or Crable can do. Ninkovich I don't think has a very high ceiling, he's just a high motor guy. If he contributes on ST, maybe he makes the team, if not, he's not a guy you need to have sticking around the roster.

 

[JSn]

Maybe we need to play a 2-5 with 3 ILB's. We have a lot more/better ones than we have OLB's.

 

[Kontradiction]

I'd be absolutely shocked if Crable even makes it through training camp. He'll either get cut, or he'll literally get cut (by a piece of paper) and get IR'ed.

 

[Sicilian]

Maybe we need to play a 2-5 with 3 ILB's. We have a lot more/better ones than we have OLB's.

We'd still have two OLBs on the field in that case...

 

[Patspsycho]

Maybe we need to play a 2-5 with 3 ILB's. We have a lot more/better ones than we have OLB's.

Don't forget the 0-5 front we threw in a few games this past season. We were in dime with all LB's.

 

[wcpatsfan]

I'd be pretty surprised if either Crable or Ninkovich does anything of consequence this season. Crable has some serious injury issues that will probably prevent him from ever spending a significant amount of time on the field. Ninkovich is an also-ran--he's been waived at least four times already in his career.

OLB is still a significant problem for this team. Hopefully Cunningham will pan out, but he's making the move from DE to OLB so I don't think he will make a significant contribution early in the season. I wouldn't be surprised if we play a lot of 4-3 this year because of how thin we are at OLB.

 

[ALP]

it seems that our OLB corps this year will be very specialized....

Cain will be in there to primarily rush the QB, so passing downs
Ninkovich sets the edge well, hell be in there on obvious running downs (hes better at this than woods i believe)
Woods will fill in when one of these two is out

Hopefully Cunningham can see the field, i assume 1st on passing downs, so alongside Cain...Crable i do not see setting the edge, and dont see him supassingCunningham either

if the kid doesnt prove something this TC, i think hes gone....

Ideally, by the end of the season, Crable and Cunningham are beast OLB's, who can set the edge, rush the passer and play coverage, with Cain coming in on passing downs and Ninkovich on running downs, making woods only injury insurence

the chances of the above happening however are slim to none, but its our best situation atm considering the cieling for guys like Cain, Woods and Ninkovich isnt very high, but the cieling for Crable and Cunningham are complete unknowns

 

[nickw308810]

While our OLB is nowhere near where we would hope it to be, I think there are some interesting prospects on our roster.

We know what we are getting with TBC and Woods, Ninkovich is still young at only 26, Crable has looked great in preseason action, Cunningham has some potential. Bruce Davis was a 3rd round pick in 08 by the Steelers and very productive at UCLA, and Dane Fletcher and Marques Murrell were very productive at smaller schools.

A lot of question marks, but at least some room for hope for once.

 

[mgteich]

Let's see. Crable isn't playing and Ninkovich doesn't have much to add. It seems that there are two roster spots that will give us little, if any production.

Yet, you say that no one is available that it better than the nothing that Crable gives us, and the little that Ninkovich gives us.

It is clear to me that Burgess (or another JAG) should be able to beat out at least one of them.

With regard to trades, how do you know that no one significant is available to trade for?

I'm with you, I'd be shocked if Crable plays this season.

But to answer mgtech's post, there isn't anybody significant to sign or trade for. The Pats are going to have to live with what they've got.

As for Ninkovich, he's in his 5th season and still hasn't done anything. I hope your not holding your breath on this guy. He's become this boards Pierre Woods.

 

[emoney_33]

Cain will be in there to primarily rush the QB, so passing downs

I don't get why people keep saying this. TBC was NOT a pass-rush specialist last year. He played the run and set the edge pretty well last year, much better than people around here give him credit for. TBC will continue to play a lot of snaps and is a solid all around OLB. The question is what to do with the other OLB slot.

 

[bucky]

Definitely. I'll take that bet. How much is a significant amount of money?

Don't underestimate MG's ability to throw up Crable-related threads. I can count 3 off the top of my head in the last couple of weeks - all having some sort of "Crable and Woods", "Crable, Ninkovich and Woods", "Crable and McKenzie", "Crable vs. Vrabel", etc.

Right now, mg is waay ahead of Crable already. And Crable's been around for 2 years!

 

[Marqui]

I don't get why people keep saying this. TBC was NOT a pass-rush specialist last year. He played the run and set the edge pretty well last year, much better than people around here give him credit for. TBC will continue to play a lot of snaps and is a solid all around OLB. The question is what to do with the other OLB slot.

Or maybe you're the one that's way overrating him.

 

[emoney_33]

Or maybe you're the one that's way overrating him.

BB as well I guess.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Let's see. Crable isn't playing and Ninkovich doesn't have much to add. It seems that there are two roster spots that will give us little, if any production.

But who is there to sign?

Yet, you say that no one is available that it better than the nothing that Crable gives us, and the little that Ninkovich gives us.

It won't shock me if Crable doesn't make the team. However, the Pats didn't sign anybody significant and drafted only one potential OLB.

It is clear to me that Burgess (or another JAG) should be able to beat out at least one of them.

Burgess is pretty worthless. One of the worst trades since Duane Starks.

With regard to trades, how do you know that no one significant is available to trade for?

I don't know, it's just a guess. It rarely happens.

 

[JackBauer]

Or maybe you're the one that's way overrating him.

While I agree with a lot of the posts you make, you're the one who called him "useless on the field 90 percent of the time." So I'm not sure how much credibility you have on this particular evaluation.

 

[mgteich]

The patriots usually engage in at least a couple of player trades a year. Last year, we traded for Burgess and Smith and traded away Seymour.

But who is there to sign?

It won't shock me if Crable doesn't make the team. However, the Pats didn't sign anybody significant and drafted only one potential OLB.
Burgess is pretty worthless. One of the worst trades since Duane Starks.

I don't know, it's just a guess. It rarely happens.