Patriots sign former Colts RB Joseph Addai

[strngplyr]

Good point. Playing on the Manning offense probably made Addai look a lot better than he ever really was or is.

And he's coming into an offense even more prolific, so he should look better than he ever looked, no?

 

[patchick]

In your analysis,
who had the better Oline A or B?
who had the better QB A or B?

stats alone are not enough to judge. IMO

OK, how about this instead: if Danny Woodhead were a UDFA, do you think he'd linger on the market for months before finally landing a one-year deal with a team that might or might not have a spot for him on its final roster? No chance, IMO.

 

[JR4]

Good point. Playing on the Manning offense probably made Addai look a lot better than he ever really was or is.

Wrong conclusion. The stats given were for the last two years. Manning did not play last year. Without manning last year I bet defenses were
playing closer to the line making it hard to run.

Point I was trying to make is stats alone do not tell the story. The PATs'
decision I am quite sure was not based on STATS. They looked at film
to make an evaluation. Apparently they liked what they saw in Addai over the other RBs considered.

What is the role they want him for? I do not know but my guess is for passing downs. Maybe he can stay healthy if that is the case. Peyton
thinks he is a good fit in Pats offense. He is a pretty smart guy.
Maybe he doesn't make the team but isn't it a low risk high potential sort
of deal?

 

[PatsFan2]

I know there are very High expectations for both Ridley and Vereen. I will say this, come TC if Healthy Addai win the RB job Handily...it wont even be a contest. We can only hope Ridley turns into a poor mans Addai. I am begining to think the Pats wish they had taken Addai over you know who that year. I know its being played down at the moment by the masses but the Addai signing could be equavalent to Brandon LIyod's signing at WR...mark it down.

 

[JR4]

OK, how about this instead: if Danny Woodhead were a UDFA, do you think he'd linger on the market for months before finally landing a one-year deal with a team that might or might not have a spot for him on its final roster? No chance, IMO.

Probably not. But Woodhead is not Addai. Woodhead is a hot topic thanks
to Brady and the PATs offense. Remember Colts weren't getting a lot of spot
lights last year.

Also remember PATs have found gems in discards that others would pass by.
Was Woodhead a hot commodity when PATs picked him up?

 

[Jimke]

Probably not. But Woodhead is not Addai. Woodhead is a hot topic thanks
to Brady and the PATs offense. Remember Colts weren't getting a lot of spot
lights last year.

Also remember PATs have found gems in discards that others would pass by.
Was Woodhead a hot commodity when PATs picked him up?

If Addai is healthy, he will be the 3rd down back. He can catch a pass and is a good pass blocker. The latter skill is very important.

In 2008, Kevin Faulk, another good blocker, missed the first game of the
season. You know the disasterous end result.

 

[strngplyr]

I know there are very High expectations for both Ridley and Vereen. I will say this, come TC if Healthy Addai win the RB job Handily...it wont even be a contest. We can only hope Ridley turns into a poor mans Addai. I am begining to think the Pats wish they had taken Addai over you know who that year. I know its being played down at the moment by the masses but the Addai signing could be equavalent to Brandon LIyod's signing at WR...mark it down.

 

[NENGFAN]

I know there are very High expectations for both Ridley and Vereen. I will say this, come TC if Healthy Addai win the RB job Handily...it wont even be a contest. We can only hope Ridley turns into a poor mans Addai. I am begining to think the Pats wish they had taken Addai over you know who that year. I know its being played down at the moment by the masses but the Addai signing could be equavalent to Brandon LIyod's signing at WR...mark it down.

I agree 100% with you. I think Addai will be a major factor next year. He will have a huge impact IMHO.

 

[JMarr]

Ridley was better than Addai last season, so I'm not sure where you're getting that it's not even debatable.

Everything under the sun is "debatable," and you've turned meaningless debating into an art form. But you need to have coherent arguments on both sides to make it worthwhile.

Ridley: Too small of a sample size to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is.

Addai: Played on what may have been the worst and most dysfunctional NFL team in history (oh, and they weren't trying to even compete to boot).

To say that Ridley is a better back at this point, as some have done, is just absurd.

 

[strngplyr]

Everything under the sun is "debatable," and you've turned meaningless debating into an art form. But you need to have coherent arguments on both sides to make it worthwhile.

Ridley: Too small of a sample size to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is.

Addai: Played on what may have been the worst and most dysfunctional NFL team in history (oh, and they weren't trying to even compete to boot).

To say that Ridley is a better back at this point, as some have done, is just absurd.

He didn't say Ridley was a better RB, he said Ridley was better last season. If you are going to deny that, then I'm not really sure what to tell you.

Ridley had 8 more yards on 31 less carries.

 

[patchick]

Ridley: Too small of a sample size to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is.

Addai: Played on what may have been the worst and most dysfunctional NFL team in history (oh, and they weren't trying to even compete to boot).

To say that Ridley is a better back at this point, as some have done, is just absurd.

Curiously, the dysfunctional Colts offense didn't hold down Donald Brown's numbers, and the powerhouse Patriots offense didn't boost BJGE's....

Given that Ridley has just one year as a rookie backup -- in the infamous season without an offseason -- there's certainly no meaningful statistical comparison to be made. I will say, though, that if I had the choice between Ridley and Addai for my team today under identical contract terms, I'd choose Ridley in a heartbeat.

It's a matter of what my eyes tell me. Watching Ridley in college, preseason and NFL games, I've seen a guy with elite balance, which at 225 lbs makes him very hard to bring down. I've also seen him show natural hands as a receiver, and make some nice blitz pickups. I think that total package is a great fit for this offense.

I'm not calling Ridley any kind of superstar, but I'd definitely take him over the oft-injured vet who inspired Indy to spend a 1st-round pick on Brown.

 

[Deus Irae]

Everything under the sun is "debatable," and you've turned meaningless debating into an art form. But you need to have coherent arguments on both sides to make it worthwhile.

Ridley: Too small of a sample size to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is.

Addai: Played on what may have been the worst and most dysfunctional NFL team in history (oh, and they weren't trying to even compete to boot).

To say that Ridley is a better back at this point, as some have done, is just absurd.

Instead of taking the stupid personal shot at me, you should have looked at your own post.

If Ridley's sample size is too small to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is, and Vereen's sample size is even smaller (meaning his sample size is also too small to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is), then your comment:

I never said Addai is a stud at this point in his career--merely that as of this moment, with the information we have, he is the best running back on this team (and it's not even debatable). Ridley and Vereen have proven absolutely jack squat thus far--zilch. Hopefully that will change in 2012.

is one of the most moronic things ever posted on this website, particularly when Ridley's numbers were significantly better than Addai's, despite your claim of them being too small a sample size. Either you're going "with the information we have", in which case Ridley's numbers count and there's an obvious debate, or you're going with small sample size, in which case there's no ability to compare Addai to either Ridley or Vereen and your post is meaningless and, basically, gibberish. And, before you try for the "Woodhead..." portion of the argument, remember that Woodhead's put up better numbers than Addai, as well.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Yep, although naturally the few toads who insisted on denigrating Green-Ellis and his production will invariably point to him moving on to the Bengals as something more than what it really is.

Everything comes at a price. You don't warp your proven structure. That's how teams drop to the bottom quickly.

I agree man. BJGE was a soldier, had an excellent 2010 season and 2011 he had some toe issues that may have made him less effective. When everyone annointed Ridley the feature back down the stretch, it was BJGE who ended up getting the bulk of carries when it mattered. Hopefully this offseason Ridley improves in between the tackles and with his ball security, the 2 areas BJGE had the edge on him. Ridley/Vereen have potential to be alot better.

And you guys were right, BJGE's deal was around $3M per. I must have heard wrong information.

 

[JMarr]

Instead of taking the stupid personal shot at me, you should have looked at your own post.

If Ridley's sample size is too small to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is, and Vereen's sample size is even smaller (meaning his sample size is also too small to be able to meaningfully discuss how good he is), then your comment:



is one of the most moronic things ever posted on this website, particularly when Ridley's numbers were significantly better than Addai's, despite your claim of them being too small a sample size. Either you're going "with the information we have", in which case Ridley's numbers count and there's an obvious debate, or you're going with small sample size, in which case there's no ability to compare Addai to either Ridley or Vereen and your post is meaningless and, basically, gibberish. And, before you try for the "Woodhead..." portion of the argument, remember that Woodhead's put up better numbers than Addai, as well.

This argument is what is meaningless. I shouldn't have said "Addai is better, end of story" because there really is no way of knowing at this point. Plus it doesn't even matter because it will be a RBBC anyway. People saying that Ridley and especially Vareen are better than anyone is premature and about as ridiculous is saying Addai sucks based on his production his last two years with the Colts.

 

[pdangle]

I'm not a big fan of Addai, but if he's healthy, and until Ridley or Vereen prove they are capable, I understand the signing.

It's about play disguise. No other ONE back allows the Pats to do all that a healthy Addai can provide. This prevents the D from guessing or reading the play based on which RB is in. Addai should be able to do the following:

Catch to the flat
Catch underneath
Run outside
Run between tackles
Pass protect

 

[Rob0729]

Curiously, the dysfunctional Colts offense didn't hold down Donald Brown's numbers, and the powerhouse Patriots offense didn't boost BJGE's....

Given that Ridley has just one year as a rookie backup -- in the infamous season without an offseason -- there's certainly no meaningful statistical comparison to be made. I will say, though, that if I had the choice between Ridley and Addai for my team today under identical contract terms, I'd choose Ridley in a heartbeat.

It's a matter of what my eyes tell me. Watching Ridley in college, preseason and NFL games, I've seen a guy with elite balance, which at 225 lbs makes him very hard to bring down. I've also seen him show natural hands as a receiver, and make some nice blitz pickups. I think that total package is a great fit for this offense.

I'm not calling Ridley any kind of superstar, but I'd definitely take him over the oft-injured vet who inspired Indy to spend a 1st-round pick on Brown.

I am not a big fan of the Addai move, but Donald Brown?!? No, the Colts' dysfunctional offense didn't hold back Brown's production, Brown's mediocre skills held back Brown's production.

Donald Brown is a mediocre RB. He had 645 yards last year and 161 of them came from one game. He had a good YPC average, but if you look at his production per game, he was well under 4.0 YPC most of the year and three games helped his average.

 

[patchick]

I am not a big fan of the Addai move, but Donald Brown?!? No, the Colts' dysfunctional offense didn't hold back Brown's production, Brown's mediocre skills held back Brown's production.

Donald Brown is a mediocre RB. He had 645 yards last year and 161 of them came from one game. He had a good YPC average, but if you look at his production per game, he was well under 4.0 YPC most of the year and three games helped his average.

Honestly, I agree with you. I was pretty tickled when the Colts spent a first on him, I didn't think he was anything special. But if anything, doesn't Brown's mediocrity make the Colts' choice to jettison Addai and not look back seem even more damning?

Of course, I'd love nothing better than for Addai to get a new lease on life and tear up the field as a Patriot. But I'd be pretty shocked if it happened, AND I'm not as concerned about the Ridley/Vereen/Woodhead combo as many seem to be.

 

[Why?PJ]

This is an extremely important move, not because Addai will be some superstar, but he will be another person Ridley and Vereen can learn from.

I'd be shocked if Faulk doesn't retire before training camp. And even if he does not, he was never there during the games last year to help the rookies. And I doubt he would be this year as well. Addai is a much better back than BJGE, with much better experience. I am sure he can help the coach's mold Ridley and Vereen into good pros.

As far as Ridley's sample size, he's shown he has all the talent. He made some flat out sensational runs. He's easily the most talented back the Pats have had since Dillon. If he can improve on the non ball-handling skills I think he can be a star.

 

[PatsDeb]

I remember when the big debate was Addai or Maroney in the draft. Addai has turned out a little better, but only a little. He's too injury prone. I am not too excited by this signing.

 

[PatsFan2]

I'm not a big fan of Addai, but if he's healthy, and until Ridley or Vereen prove they are capable, I understand the signing.

It's about play disguise. No other ONE back allows the Pats to do all that a healthy Addai can provide. This prevents the D from guessing or reading the play based on which RB is in. Addai should be able to do the following:

Catch to the flat
Catch underneath
Run outside
Run between tackles
Pass protect

Exactly when was the last time the Pats had A RB who could do all you mentioned in one body. Addai if healthy gives us that dimension.