Patriot vs. Patriot - Who will have a better career?

[MrNathanDrake]

Barring major injuries, who do you think will have a better NFL career?


1. Jerod Mayo vs. Brandon Spikes

2. Pat Chung vs. Brandon Meriweather

3. Aaron Hernandez vs. Rob Gronkowski


___________________________________

my opinion..

1. Spikes. He's more of a play maker. Mayo has shown he doesnt make INTs, Sacks, or force fumbles. Spikes has great instincts, better size for the 3-4, and has a knack for making INT's. Spikes is also much more of a leader, which IMO is exactly what the team needs on our pathetic defense. Someone to step up and get in everyones face when the chips are down. You might not see it yet because he's still earning his wings so to speak, but he will undoubtedly emerge as a vocal leader on the field and in the locker room. He has that personality. Mayo is obviously faster, but he lacks the fire to ignite a defense that most great ILB's have.

2. Chung. All around better player. Tackling machine, better personality for the Pats, reminds me somewhat of Laron Landry. Meriweather is already disappearing and getting benched and its only his 4th year in the league. Not a good sign. I think Meriweather can turn it around, but I pick Chung because I think he has the potential to be the best player on our entire defense.

3. Hernandez. They both look like good players so far, but Gronk's a stronger blocker. Unfortunately, our team doesnt run that often so one of the positives Gronk has over Hernandez wont be fully utilized. I see Hernandez being a Wes Welker-type pass catching machine in our system. His run after the catch ability is amazing for someone his size. One of the analyst on NFL Network said he reminds them of Shannan Sharpe today. I think Gronk will be a big redzone target, but Hernandez will be the star and could maybe even go over 1,000+ yards in his Rookie year.

 

[The_Riddler]

my opinion..

1. Spikes. He's more of a play maker. Mayo has shown he doesnt make INTs, Sacks, or force fumbles. Spikes has great instincts, better size for the 3-4, and has a knack for making INT's. Spikes is also much more of a leader, which IMO is exactly what the team needs on our pathetic defense. Someone to step up and get in everyones face when the chips are down. You might not see it yet because he's still earning his wings so to speak, but he will undoubtedly emerge as a vocal leader on the field and in the locker room. He has that personality. Mayo is obviously faster, but he lacks the fire to ignite a defense that most great ILB's have.

The only plays that Mayo is making are plays 5-10 yards downfield and even those are getting few and far between, this guy can't cover a TE or shed a guard to make a play, been going on for a while now, this is tough to swallow for fans when you were the 10th overall pick in the draft.

2. Chung. All around better player. Tackling machine, better personality for the Pats, reminds me somewhat of Laron Landry. Meriweather is already disappearing and getting benched and its only his 4th year in the league. Not a good sign. I think Meriweather can turn it around, but I pick Chung because I think he has the potential to be the best player on our entire defense.

I agree, Meriweather will turn it around, but Chung def has the higher upside and will end up being the better overall player in the end.

3. Hernandez. They both look like good players so far, but Gronk's a stronger blocker. Unfortunately, our team doesnt run that often so one of the positives Gronk has over Hernandez wont be fully utilized. I see Hernandez being a Wes Welker-type pass catching machine in our system. His run after the catch ability is amazing for someone his size. One of the analyst on NFL Network said he reminds them of Shannan Sharpe today. I think Gronk will be a big redzone target, but Hernandez will be the star and could maybe even go over 1,000+ yards in his Rookie year.

Love them both obviously, tough call here as it's an apples/oranges situation, I'm calling a straight draw on this one, both will be great in my eyes.

 

[BradyFTW!]

1. No idea
2. Probably Chung
3. No idea

Not saying that to be facetious or anything; I just really couldn't even begin to guess. I like the premise, though.

 

[Coach42]

Spikes
Chung
Gronk

for absolutely no reason.

 

[Miguel]

Great thread
1.) Spikes
2.) Chung
3.) Gronk

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Cool thread.

Injuries will probably determine these questions more than any other factor, but assuming they stay healthy...

1. Mayo. He's already a great player. While Spikes has sexy upside, I'll take the proven commodity. I do wish Mayo would become more of a play maker, though.

2. Chung. This guy loves to play football and you can see his energy on the field. He's all over the place. If he fails, it won't for lack of effort and determination. Meriweather is off to a rough start, but it's early and he's coming off a pro-bowl season. Still the Pats are making a youth movement, and if he can't get playing time with his talent, there are probably underlying issues greater than we think.

3. Tie. Gronkowski is a terrific blocker and probably a better short yardage receiver with four extra inches on Hernandez. Hernandez is a hybrid tight end/ wide receiver with incredible speed and hands. I just can't put either guy below the other, as right now they both look to be forces to be reckoned with. I think people will look back at the NFL five years from now and ask how the Patriots got this two-headed monster in the same draft, without even using a first round pick.

No team has had two pro bowl tight ends in the same year, and very rarely do you even see two in the same game. I expect both of these guys will eventually earn this honor at some point. Maybe my expectations are too high, but this talent seems too good to fail.

 

[The_Riddler]

Cool thread.

Injuries will probably determine these questions more than any other factor, but assuming they stay healthy...

1. Mayo. He's already a great player.

Yikes, this homerim fever is more catchy than I thought, get this young man some medication and get it quick !

 

[IcyPatriot]

Good thread but I do not think Hernandez and Gronk can be compared in our system. Gronk could be more valuable overall because he can do more different things. hernandez is a chain mover it seems. I have a hard time comparing them knowing how much bill loves blockers. If hernandez bulks up a bit and becomes a lethal blocker then I say the comparison is fine.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Good thread but I do not think Hernandez and Gronk can be compared in our system. Gronk could be more valuable overall because he can do more different things. hernandez is a chain mover it seems. I have a hard time comparing them knowing how much bill loves blockers. If hernandez bulks up a bit and becomes a lethal blocker then I say the comparison is fine.

Gronk's blocking will be valuable for screen passes. Right now Hernandez is a horrible blocker from what I've seen so far but I think BB will get him to block better (even Moss is blocking on our team).

and whoever said Mayo is already "great". You're an example of how overused that term is. Mayo's decent... not great.

 

[mgteich]

We call such medication "koolaid"

Yikes, this homerim fever is more catchy than I thought, get this young man some medication and get it quick !

 

[Bill B.]

Spikes-He is much more vocal and animated whereas Mayo seems more cerebral. Spikes will be a vocal leader where Mayo leads by example. I think they will be a very good ILB tandem as their strengths seem to complement each other.

Chung-He seems to be the big hitter we have needed since Rodney retired.

Tie- I love both these guys and they both bring different skill sets to the table.

I would also add McCourty vs. Butler. I would go with McCourty. I think Butler will be a good CB. but still seems to be struggling at the position. McCourty has shown a lot of skill for a rookie.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

I would also add McCourty vs. Butler. I would go with McCourty. I think Butler will be a good CB. but still seems to be struggling at the position. McCourty has shown a lot of skill for a rookie.

I thought about adding that one, but after weeks 1 and 2, It's obvious that everyone would pick McCourtey so it would be an irrelevant question right now.

 

[condon84]

Spikes - Better football player and has something you can't teach: instinct. Mayo's got a lot of apologists because he somehow won ROY making tackles 5 yards down the field, but he's not as great as a lot of people think he is. Reminds me of Ben Watson. He looks the part and has the athletic ability, but it doesn't really translate to being great at what he's supposed to be doing.

Chung - Wired to strive to be a great football player. Question is, can he? Merriweather, like Mayo, has got all the physical tools and will be a really good football player for us, but I think Chung COULD be great. Merriweather won't be too far behind though, he just needs to mature.

Hernandez/Gronk - Toss up. Yeah it's a copout, but they'll be successful in their own ways. Hernandez will be great as a pass catching TE and he's already shown that in limited time. But I also believe Gronk is going to be just as vital as a blocker and red zone threat. Hernandez will have all the flashy highlights, while Gronk's shine will be evident when the coaches watch the films. Big fan of both.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Gronk's blocking will be valuable for screen passes. Right now Hernandez is a horrible blocker from what I've seen so far but I think BB will get him to block better (even Moss is blocking on our team).

and whoever said Mayo is already "great". You're an example of how overused that term is. Mayo's decent... not great.

I agree that Hernandez is a pretty bad blocker. He stands to improve considerably, but he'll never be the monster that Gronk has the potential to be. If I had to choose between the two of them, I'd probably go with Gronk, just because I think his ceiling is considerably higher.

And I agree that Mayo isn't 'great', but I'd also say that he's a fair bit better than 'decent'. Somewhere in between, although with those being completely subjective terms it's kinda arbitrary anyways.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

I agree that Hernandez is a pretty bad blocker. He stands to improve considerably, but he'll never be the monster that Gronk has the potential to be. If I had to choose between the two of them, I'd probably go with Gronk, just because I think his ceiling is considerably higher.

And I agree that Mayo isn't 'great', but I'd also say that he's a fair bit better than 'decent'. Somewhere in between, although with those being completely subjective terms it's kinda arbitrary anyways.

what has Mayo done to prove he's more than just decent?

the only game he looked more than decent to me was the 2nd game against the Jets in his rookie season when we had Cassell at QB.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Okay, in 600+ posts I've never been called a homer. So, after review, I amend my statement that Mayo is "great." However, I would still say that he is "good." My point was that, yes, Spikes looks like he could be a very solid player, or perhaps a star in this league, but a lot of rookies show flashes of brilliance and he has a lot to prove.

Yes, I realize you are going to turn this around and talk about how Mayo had a great rookie year and hasn't done much since then. This is true. Still, I think Mayo is underrated if he's just being called decent, and apparently even that value is being questioned; I think Mayo is a very solid player and if he went down the defense would suffer more than most people think. Obviously with his playing time and captainship, Bill Belichick views him as one of the most important defenders on the field.

 

[eagle eye]

Mayo
Draw
Gronk

 

[Born_a_Patriot]

Is toooooo early to tell... I just hope Mayo doesnt go the way of Chris Slade

 

[mcgraw_wv]

I think Spikes is going to be a Legendary style player in Patriot Lore...

 

[MrNathanDrake]

I think Spikes is going to be a Legendary style player in Patriot Lore...

his passion and leadership reminds me of Tedy Bruschi