How the players we let go are doing...

[Patriot_in_NY]

Wilhite seems to be playing very well. He has two sacks and an INT so far. He has more sacks that any of our D-linemen (I believe). That's just pathetic.

Is this the same Wilhite that we spend several years yelling at BB about that he didn't deserve a roster spot on this team. Now, we're sad he's gone and pining back to the good ole' "Wilhite days".

Jesus crips are we a fickle fan base.

 

[Deus Irae]

defensively, who's doing quite well?

butler can't crack the lineup in one of the worst secondaries in the NFL

merriweather is playing due to injury, he is what he is

sanders isn't seeing the field

wilhite's numbers look good when he plays, but i haven't seen enough of denver to say

seems like the Pats were right to let sanders & butler walk......merri was a decision that appears to have been made on multiple factors.....wilhite isn't bad, but simply wasn't as good as the guys they kept (bodden, mccourty, dowling, arrington)

interesting with tate.....but they didn't see the need to keep a strictly return guy.....

as for the OL/TE....well, there was depth there.....i'd love to have lee smith back

I don't have an issue with the OL moves, or with the CB moves. But, to say that the Patriots were right about the safeties, at this point, is insane.

 

[JackBauer]

Backup CB with Molden and Adams is a problem right now. When Bodden and Dowling get back, it will be less of a problem.

I actually think Molden is going to be a decent player, so I'd disagree with that.

 

[yukon cornelius]

meri was not just a straight safety play issue......i think off the field issues and too much free lancing came into play.....was he a more skilled safety than what we have? yes.....but at the same time, he couldn't be counted on to at least be near where he was supposed to be all the time......i am very frustrated with the safety play (aside from chung) right now, that is the biggest downfall of this defense, and as times has made the CB's look bad.....but meri played for meri


i have to assume sanders has just begun to drop off.....this move did surprise me, but he also doesn't seem to be doing much there, either.....perhaps the end of the line for a career over achiever was in sight, and it made more sense to try and play up a youngster rather than squeeze the last remaining juice out of a sanders at this point

hard to say....i am still ok with the meri move, guess 4 games is tough to say on the sanders move, but right now S play is my #1 defensive concern

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I would have kept Meriwether and Butler.

Sanders and Butler for me.
And right now I think I'd would have liked Wilhite here over Molden as the 5th CB.

 

[condon84]

We should have kept Merriweather. We had Sergio and Barrett as replacements and I don't know what Belichick sees in those guys.

With CBs, our top 4 being McCourty, Bodden, Arrington, and Ras I, I understand why we let Wilhite and Butler go.

 

[yukon cornelius]

We should have kept Merriweather. We had Sergio and Barrett as replacements and I don't know what Belichick sees in those guys.

With CBs, our top 4 being McCourty, Bodden, Arrington, and Ras I, I understand why we let Wilhite and Butler go.

i think he sees guys that will at least play the system, and not their own thing

S needs an upgrade, that is for sure......but was meri really an upgrade?

he made plays, but he also blew a heck of a lot of plays doing his own thing

all i can remember last year was *****ing about his play

if chung can provide some stability, we just need barrett/brown to be where they need to be.....i also wouldn't be surprised to see a little more creativity if we get the CB's all healthy

 

[mcsully]

I would have kept Meriwether and Butler.

+1




I'm still scratching my head on why we dumped these two.. The replacements haven't been any better, actually worse..

 

[yukon cornelius]

+1




I'm still scratching my head on why we dumped these two.. The replacements haven't been any better, actually worse..

who's been worse than butler (discounting injury)?

 

[condon84]

i think he sees guys that will at least play the system, and not their own thing

S needs an upgrade, that is for sure......but was meri really an upgrade?

he made plays, but he also blew a heck of a lot of plays doing his own thing

all i can remember last year was *****ing about his play

if chung can provide some stability, we just need barrett/brown to be where they need to be.....i also wouldn't be surprised to see a little more creativity if we get the CB's all healthy

I guess the question right now is what's better?

Guys who know the system but aren't good enough to make plays (Barrett/Brown) or Merriweather who didn't know the system as well as he should but still made some big plays along with boneheaded plays.

Merriweather was a better run supporter IMO. His cover skills were also better when he knew who to cover. Barrett/Brown, they just don't have the ability to make plays even though they know their assignment. The good thing with Brown/Barrett is that they're not going to blow their assignments, but it hasn't really stopped opposing teams from making big plays.

We'll see how this plays out. I'm hoping for one of our CBs to be switched to FS when they're all healthy. We need someone back there to stabilize our pass defense.

 

[upstater1]

defensively, who's doing quite well?

butler can't crack the lineup in one of the worst secondaries in the NFL

Butler started on Sunday and he didn't give up a reception on any guy he was covering. Whether that was his doing or Jay Cutler's ineptitude is unknown.

 

[upstater1]

I actually think Molden is going to be a decent player, so I'd disagree with that.

But based on what? I'll have to believe it to see it simply because he was cut by the team with the worst defensive backfield in the NFL.

 

[upstater1]

We should have kept Merriweather. We had Sergio and Barrett as replacements and I don't know what Belichick sees in those guys.

With CBs, our top 4 being McCourty, Bodden, Arrington, and Ras I, I understand why we let Wilhite and Butler go.

Barrett and Brown are whiffing on tackles. Maybe Meriwether is all over the place and takes bad angles, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have whiffed on tackles. yes I know he doesn't wrap up, but even just getting a lick in would be an improvement. So I agree.

 

[upstater1]

i think he sees guys that will at least play the system, and not their own thing

S needs an upgrade, that is for sure......but was meri really an upgrade?

Yes, Meriwether is better than Barrett and Brown.

 

[patfanken]

Its hard to think that the safety situation wouldn't be better if Merriweather was still here, but I understand why BB would let him go (though it still pisses me off that we couldn't have gotten at least a 7th rounder for him).

As far as Whilhite and Butler go, those are easier. BB is clearly trying to get bigger and stronger in the secondary. So far it hasn't worked out. Chung and Barrett are both impaired and Brown just had a HORRENDOUS game vs Oakland both against the pass an run. No question, even the geographically impaired Merriweather would have been a huge improvement.

I'm happy Tate is doing OK, but he's not cracking their WR corps and he'd have been redundant as a returner here

None of the OLmen we let go are playing, nor would they for us.

Its a shame Yeatman and Smith are languishing on the inactive list. One of them would have had a chance to play for us. But who know BOTH would be grabbed.

Bottom line: by and large the Pats made the right decisions on who they kept. But you can't be right on all of them. Just think how KC is feeling about letting Waters go.

 

[JackBauer]

But based on what? I'll have to believe it to see it simply because he was cut by the team with the worst defensive backfield in the NFL.

Just a hunch. He hasn't looked bad when he's played so far, other than poor technique on the ball to (IIRC) DHB.

I have a hard time believing he'd be any worse than Wilhite, and it wouldn't have been the first time we found gold off another team's cut pile.

 

[Christopher Patriot]

President of the Josh Barrett fan club here, he has been injury plagued has freakish skills, think a less polished Kenny Phillips.
Josh was pushing for major playing time in a very good Denver secondary, the injury bug gave laid it's ugly bite,
Denver tried to stash him Belichick Intercepted him give him some time i'm seeing improvement every week, He will be a mainstay in this secondary by week 8, then we will be praising BB they allowed him to blitz quite a bit in Denver, I have a feeling we're going to see a new defensive wrinkle or two this week.

 

[PatsFanJess]

President of the Josh Barrett fan club here, he has been injury plagued has freakish skills, think a less polished Kenny Phillips.
Josh was pushing for major playing time in a very good Denver secondary, the injury bug gave laid it's ugly bite,
Denver tried to stash him Belichick Intercepted him give him some time i'm seeing improvement every week, He will be a mainstay in this secondary by week 8, then we will be praising BB they allowed him to blitz quite a bit in Denver, I have a feeling we're going to see a new defensive wrinkle or two this week.

I hope you're right. He hasn't looked very good thus far.

 

[upstater1]

Barrett does not have the instincts to play the position. It's not a matter of physical ability or injury.

 

[RayClay]

Wilhite seems to be playing very well. He has two sacks and an INT so far. He has more sacks that any of our D-linemen (I believe). That's just pathetic.

But less interceptions.