Ehh.... Slater being used, just for those couple of plays, actually plays into the arguments of those who want a deep speed guy that's actually good.
This is an interesting point. How good do you have to be when his main job is to take the CB deep to open up lanes for the TEs. All he has to have is the the speed to make the the route a threat, and all the Pats have to do is throw the ball twice a game to make the threat legitimate. Slater fills THAT specific role as well as Moss could (though Moss would have probably made the 2nd catch)
So, while having a TRUE #1 type deep threat on the outside would be ideal, in the meantime Slater fills the need to do the specific task necessary to fulfill the needs of the formation
Butler's struggles were enough to explain why he was expendable.
He also could be a victim of BB's transition to a bigger and stronger secondary
Solder played against a tailor made opponent, and he still had moments of difficulty, which many have ignored. He played well, but he's not getting into the Pro Bowl based upon his performance.
I too will object to you depiction of Wake as a "tailor made" opponent. In fact I would opine that Solder was "tailor made" for Wake.
There is no question that Wake IS a premier pass rusher. He is a very high motor, very quick, relentless rusher. His PRIMARY skill is his ability to get lower than his bigger stronger adversary (a la James Harrison, and Elvis Dummerville) What better foe could Wake possible hope for than than the TALLEST OT in the league, playing his first game, out of position....on the road, On the surface it must have looked like he was being served up a slow pitch softball.
I would also disagree with your depiction of Wake's sack as having Solder "beaten clean". That can't be further from the truth. IIRC Wake made a great inside move and Solder recovered to drive him down the LOS and past Brady who was now moving to the outside. Then it was WAKE who made a superb second effort to spin out and track down Brady who had moved outside the pocket and was now close to the LOS.
You make it sound like he simply blew by Solder for the sack, instead of acknowledging on that play, Brady had 5 or 6 seconds to throw the ball before the sack. BTW Wake DID blow by Solder once, for one of the hurries.
As for your remark that Solder didn't have to face a bigger opponent. That doesn't jibe with the fact of Bedard's article. He mentioned that he faced Wake 16 times on Monday. Brady dropped back 48 times. Would you have us believe that Miami was sending THEIR version of Kyle Arrington those other THIRTY TWO time they rushed.
DI. what Solder did on Monday was a REMARKABLE effort, especially under the conditions he was thrust into. I can only think that you feel its YOUR job to contain the euphoria and over hype that often runs rampant on this board. That is a noble, important and often THANKLESS job. However while we all need to cool our jets from time to time, you shouldn't feel you have to embellish stuff in order to fulfill your mandate.
In THIS case, Solder's effort, though no perfect (like EVERY offensive lineman in the league, even the all pros) is deserving of ALL the "euphoria and over hype". Given the circumstances and who he was playing against, he played well above the level we had a right to expect. One COVERAGE sack and 2 hurries in 48 drop backs is a great day for ANY offensive lineman, not to mention run blocking for backs who averaged almost 5ypc
