53 Man Predictions after Game 3

[PatsWickedPissah]

Wondering if Freeny could be the odd man out now with Mingo.

Freeny seems like he was getting a roster spot by default. Nothing really stands out about his game.

Hilarious!
BB just gave Freeny a 2 year extension
I'm as gobsmacked as you are

 

[DaBruinz]

For Week 1

QB (2) J.Garoppolo, J.Brissett (Dom Grady)
RB (6) L.Blount, J.White, B.Bolden, T.Gaffney, J.Develin, D.Foster
WR (5) J.Edelman, C.Hogan, M.Mitchell, A.Dobson, M.Slater
TE (4) R.Gronkowski, M.Bennett, A.Derby, C.Harbor
C (2) D.Andrews, T.Karras
G (4) J.Thuney, S.Mason, T.Jackson, J.Kline
T (3) N.Solder, M.Cannon, L.Waddle
DE (4) R.Ninkovich, J.Sheard, C.Long, T.Flowers
DT (6) M.Brown, A.Branch, T.Knighton, A.Johnson, M.Kuhn, V.Valentine
ILB(1) D.Hightower
OLB(3) J.Collins, B.Mingo, K.Grugier-Hill
CB (5) M.Butler, L.Ryan, C.Jones, C.LeBlanc, J.Coleman
SS (3) P.Chung, J.Richards, N.Ebner
FS (2) D.McCourty, D.Harmon
ST (3) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona
Total players: 53
Created with Pats Picker: Pats Picker 2015

Suspended - TFB
PUP - Seabass, Jonathan Cooper, Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola, Shea McClellin
Practice Squad - Chris Harper, DeAndre Carter, Devin Lucien, Chris Barker, Darryl Roberts, Jonathan Jones
Tough Cuts - Keshawn Martin, Cameron Flemming, Brandon King

I figure the RB, TE and DT situations will work themselves out by the time Brady and some PUP players get back. In the meantime I think a RB and TE heavy offense could suit Jimmy...quick passes, mismatches with linebackers, easy reads, screens, draws/trap plays etc. That said, nice to see Hogan get going tonight.

Would not be surprised to see Nink get some work at LB...Valentine maybe unimpressive enough to sneak onto practice squad? 3rd round pick but considered a sizable reach if I remember correctly.

OL remains my biggest concern. Question marks around every player except maybe David Andrews.

Thoughts?

A few things.
McClellin and Cooper are not eligible for the PUP as they both practiced.
Jonathan Jones won't make it to the practice squad.
Tre Jackson is probably starting the season on the PUP.
Brandon King was the teams 3rd best special teamer behind Slater and Ebner and you're cutting him?

 

[DaBruinz]

Are you allowed more than 1 IR designated to return?

There is no more (IR-DTR). You are now allowed to have 1 player come back from IR in a given season. You don't have to designate ahead of time.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

No offense but “Valentine may be unimpressive enough to sneak onto the practice squad” is one of the dumbest things I have heard on this board.

Obviously you have me on Ignore User

 

[DaBruinz]

QB (2) J.Garoppolo, J.Brissett (Dom Grady)
RB (4) L.Blount, T.Gaffney, J.Develin, D.Foster
WR (5) J.Edelman, C.Hogan, M.Mitchell, A.Dobson, D. Carter
TE (3) R.Gronkowski, M.Bennett, C. Harbor
C (2) D.Andrews, J. Kline
G (4) J.Thuney, S.Mason, T. Karras, Cooper
T (3) N.Solder, M.Cannon, L.Waddle

Offense: 23

DE (4) R.Ninkovich, J.Sheard, C.Long, T.Flowers
DT (4) M.Brown, A.Branch, A.Johnson, V.Valentine
ILB(3) D.Hightower, R. Humber, Freeny
OLB(4) J.Collins, B.Mingo, K.Grugier-Hill, McClellin
CB (5) M.Butler, L.Ryan, C.Jones, C.LeBlanc, J. Jones
SS (6) P.Chung, J.Richards, N.Ebner, D.McCourty, D.Harmon, B. King

Defense: 26

ST (4) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona, M. Slater

Tough Cuts: Bolden, White, E. Roberts, D. Roberts

PS: B. Williams, E. Roberts, D. Roberts, C. Harper,A. Derby, D. Lucien, K. Snyder, (?), (?), (?).

I think that Blount, Gaffney and Foster can provide pass-catching out of the backfield and Gaffney showed better blitz pick-up last night than either White or Bolden as he not only got to his man, but actually stopped him, unlike White and Bolden who just got plowed over.

 

[DaBruinz]

QB (3) J.Garoppolo, J.Brissett,Brady
RB (5) L.Blount, J.Develin, D.Foster, J.White, D.Lewis
WR (5) J.Edelman, M.Mitchell, D.Amendola, A.Dobson, C.Hogan
TE (3) R.Gronkowski, M.Bennett, C.Harbor
C (1) D.Andrews
G (5) S.Mason, J.Thuney, J.Cooper, T.Karras, J.Kline
T (3) N.Solder, L.Waddle, M.Cannon
DE (5) R.Ninkovich, J.Sheard, T.Flowers, C.Long, Shea McClein
DT (4) M.Brown, M.Kuhn, V.Valentine, A.Branch
ILB(2) E.Roberts, D.Hightower
OLB(3) J.Collins, K.Grugier-Hill, B.Mingo
CB (5) M.Butler, C.Jones, C.LeBlanc, J.Coleman, L.Ryan
SS (3) N.Ebner, B.King, P.Chung
FS (2) D.McCourty, D.Harmon
ST (4) S.Gostkowski, R.Allen, J.Cardona, M.Slater

Total players: 53

Lewis won't be ready until Mid-season.
Amendola may not be ready until mid-season.
Not sure how you can have Kuhn making the team over Anthony Johnson.
Brady starts the season on the Suspension List and doesn't count against the 53.

The Pats just gave Freeny an extension. They aren't cutting him.

 

[DaBruinz]

Brandon Bolden is here for two reasons : Hes arguably the best RB I'm Pass Protection (highly coveted by BB) and ST play (he's really good).

The good thing for him.. our RBs minus him right now are pretty meh in pass protection...

Bad side : there's a bunch of athletic freaks on defense who's only hope of sticking to the team is ST, competition is fierce.

Point: If DJ Foster and Tyler Gaffney can become adequate pass protectors (something probably being monitored closely in practice now) and offer more to the offense (in terms of rushing and receiving )... there's a good chance bolden will be a casualty.
At that point then, you have a new competition going on as the season starts.

Bolden failed miserably at his job last night whereas Gaffney picked up the blitz and stonewalled his man.

 

[DaBruinz]

While it has been a gr8 TC and we are all enjoying the deep roster and young talented players vying for roster spots, we are going to hate the final cut down.

It will be like an inverse draft for the Pats.....

"With the first priority waiver claim of the final cut down, the L.A, Rams have claimed Jonathan Jones corner back from Auburn via the New England Patriots"

"With the second priority waiver claim of the final cut down, the Cleveland Browns have claimed Ted Karras, offensive guard from Illinois via the New England Patriots"......

This is gonna suck!

hopefully BB is working the phones to get some value before we have to cut guys for nothing in return.

Neither J. Jones nor T. Karras are getting cut, imho. Both did more than enough to earn a spot on the team.

 

[The Gr8est]

Neither J. Jones nor T. Karras are getting cut, imho. Both did more than enough to earn a spot on the team.

Agreed, I just needed a couple of names to make the point.

 

[BobDigital]

No way White is cut at least for now. While he is not a good runner his ability to catch out of the back field is not easy to reproduce. It is not just his quickness or speed but his reliable hands and route running and familiarity with the system. He doesn't run the wrong route and those 2 years of experience can not easily be replaced. Foster has more upside but he still does not know much of what he is doing out there and we can not forget that. And I say this as the president of the Foster fan club.

Keep both for now. I had us keeping 6 RBs (counting Develin) cause I see us running the ball 40 times a game for the first 4 weeks and rotating a lot of throws to RBs. Only White and Foster have the skill set to catch a pass and make yards after. If we cut one and the other gets injured then we lose that till Lewis is back.

If you keep all 6 you wait on Brady and PUP guys returning. When you need to make a choice you can at that point after 4 more weeks. Depending on STs you might be able to let Bolden walk. Also in 4 weeks maybe you can more easily slip a guy to the PS or an injury opens up a spot.

 

[Deus Irae]

I assume Malcolm Mitchell was just one that you forgot

No, I figured the injury clouded the "lock" percentage. We can add Freeny to the list, getting the "locks" to 25, though.

 

[jah]

QB (2): Garoppolo, Brissett
RB (5): Blount, White, Gaffney, Bolden, Develin
WR (6): Edelman, Hogan, Dobson, Martin, Mitchell, Slater
TE (3): Gronkowski, Bennett, Derby
OL (9): Solder, Thuney, Andrews, Kline, Cannon, Mason, Cooper, Waddle, Karras
DL (4): Brown, Branch, Valentine, Johnson
DL/LB (6): Sheard, Ninkovich, McClellin, Long, Flowers, Mingo
LB (4): Hightower, Collins, Freeny, Grugier-Hill
CB (5): Butler, Ryan, C. Jones, Roberts, J. Jones
S (6): McCourty, Chung, Harmon, Richards, Ebner, King
ST (3): Gostkowski, Allen, Cardona
PS (10): RB Foster, TE Williams, WR Carter, WR Harper, CB Coleman, CB LeBlanc, LB Roberts, DL/LB Johnson, T Fleming, DL/LB Grissom

• I believe in Gaffney, after all my doubting. He at least passes the eye test.
• Insane how much hate White gets after one bad game. He runs routes and makes catches like a WR.
• I missed all of Foster's snaps except the first couple, going to have to watch closely when I have time. Looked lightning fast even in 2 mediocre plays, though.
• Blount had a good game, but he has those sometimes. His detractors have never denied that. It's the consistency, as well as the fact that he sucks at the role he should excel at (short yardage).
• Wouldn't be terribly surprised to see Bolden cut but I don't see why he's not one of the best 53.
• I think all of these WRs except Martin just about have week 1 locked up (unless Amendola comes back). Yes, that includes Dobson.
• Derby is cooling down but Harbor was absolutely horrid. I saw one play where he should have been run blocking but instead walked toward the bench.
• What can I say about the OL that hasn't been said?
• Finally feeling confident enough in the young DTs to knock off Knighton and Kuhn from the roster. One of them will probably stick over someone we love.
• I wonder how the hell Mingo will be used here. Fits in with Ninkovich and McClellin as guys who could potentially be 4-3 DEs or 4-3 OLBs. Those 3 make it easier to carry fewer pure LBs.
• Well, I was going to cut Freeny until BB went and extended him today. Turns out he's everyone on the team's best friend. Ok, sure. Not like the other options are that much better (although I really have preferred Humber, and Roberts is coming along too).
• I mentioned that Elandon Roberts is starting to show what he can do. Still keeping KGH just because of ST, and his much higher ceiling (which may never matter). If I had the balls, as well as a player I really wanted to sneak on the team (perhaps a 6th CB?), this may be where I make the room. The other 2 players I consider to be on the bottom of the 53 are Derby and King.
• I really have no idea what's going to happen with the CBs. By almost all accounts, Coleman has been the worst of them, and so I have him being a cut with the intent of signing to the PS. If it's pick 2 of Jones, LeBlanc, Roberts, I currently leave LeBlanc out but he actually popped off the screen the most from what I saw last night.
• Safeties are easy. Richards really doesn't deserve his spot but he's going to make the team. King could be a surprise cut, as I said, but I won't go so far as to actually predict it.
• This Gostkowski business better be nothing. We JUST made him one of the highest paid kickers of all time.

 

[50-yard-line]

The 30-yard miss by Gost was on Cardona. The snap was way inside and low and Allen barely got the ball in place (and almost lying on its side).

 

[Deus Irae]

Insane how much hate White gets after one bad game. He runs routes and makes catches like a WR.

• Blount had a good game, but he has those sometimes. His detractors have never denied that. It's the consistency, as well as the fact that he sucks at the role he should excel at (short yardage).

Irony noted.

 

[jefmblrd]

If pressed to pick two of the remaining CBs today, I'd go with J.Jones and LeBlanc over Coleman and Roberts. Jones has the ability to also be a stellar STer and LeBlanc seems to always be in the right position, challenges for the ball and plays tough.

 

[jah]

Irony noted.

I'm not one of Blount's detractors. How badly did you want that "gotcha"?

 

[Deus Irae]

I'm not one of Blount's detractors. How badly did you want that "gotcha"?

What "gotcha"? You don't see the irony with your two statements?

 

[Brady6]

QB - Garoppolo, Brissett (2)
RB - Blount, White, Gaffney, Bolden (4)
FB - Develin (1)
WR - Edelman, Hogan, Mitchell, Dobson, Martin, Slater (6)
TE - Gronkowski, Bennett, Derby (3)
OT - Solder, Cannon, Waddle (3)
OG/C - Andrews, Thuney, Mason, Kline, Karras (5)

DL - Brown, Valentine, Branch, Kuhn, A Johnson (5)
ED - Sheard, Ninkovich, Long, Flowers, McClellin, Mingo (6)
LB - Collins, Hightower, Freeney, Grugier-Hill (4)
CB - Butler, Ryan, C Jones, Coleman, LeBlanc J Jones (6)
SAF - McCourty, Chung, Harmon, Richards, Ebner (5)

K - Gostkowski (1)
P - Allen (1)
LS - Cardona (1)

SUSP - Brady (1)
IRDTR - Cooper (1)
IR - B Williams
PUP - Amendola, Lewis, Vollmer, Jackson (4)

PS - D Roberts, E Roberts, King, Grissom, R Johnson, Foster, Lucien, Fleming, Carter, Barker (10)

• I think Grugier-Hill can give us what King does on special teams and contribute more on defense. I already have Bolden, Slater, J Jones, Ebner, and Freeney primarily for special teams reasons. My belief is that King will clear waivers because he will not be as valuable to other teams, therefore he can start the season on practice squad as he did last year.
• I know many people think we would not cut Grissom because he was picked in the 3rd round, well he actually was a compensatory pick so he was not an early third or even a middle, he was pick #96. Unless a player like Ninkovich is traded I cannot see Grissom on this 53 man roster to start the year.
• People are all about DJ Foster, and while I am optimistic about him I am not going to give him a roster spot because he played 9 snaps against players who will mostly be out of the NFL by September 15th.
• I see no reason to rush Amendola back, he has not practiced with Garoppolo and if we leave him on PUP he only misses 2 games that Brady will play. Amendola is going to be 31 years old in November so having him play a 13 game season would probably benefit his effectiveness (10 regular season/3 postseason).

 

[mgteich]

I prefer King to J Jones for a ST roster spot (he is our #3 after Slater and Ebner). YOU may have Freeny for ST reasons. He was just given an extension as our #3 ILB.

QB - Garoppolo, Brissett (2)
RB - Blount, White, Gaffney, Bolden (4)
FB - Develin (1)
WR - Edelman, Hogan, Mitchell, Dobson, Martin, Slater (6)
TE - Gronkowski, Bennett, Derby (3)
OT - Solder, Cannon, Waddle (3)
OG/C - Andrews, Thuney, Mason, Kline, Karras (5)

DL - Brown, Valentine, Branch, Kuhn, A Johnson (5)
ED - Sheard, Ninkovich, Long, Flowers, McClellin, Mingo (6)
LB - Collins, Hightower, Freeney, Grugier-Hill (4)
CB - Butler, Ryan, C Jones, Coleman, LeBlanc J Jones (6)
SAF - McCourty, Chung, Harmon, Richards, Ebner (5)

K - Gostkowski (1)
P - Allen (1)
LS - Cardona (1)

SUSP - Brady (1)
IRDTR - Cooper (1)
IR - B Williams
PUP - Amendola, Lewis, Vollmer, Jackson (4)

PS - D Roberts, E Roberts, King, Grissom, R Johnson, Foster, Lucien, Fleming, Carter, Barker (10)

• 
  
  
  • I think Grugier-Hill can give us what King does on special teams and contribute more on defense. I already have Bolden, Slater, J Jones, Ebner, and Freeney primarily for special teams reasons. My belief is that King will clear waivers because he will not be as valuable to other teams, therefore he can start the season on practice squad as he did last year.
  • I know many people think we would not cut Grissom because he was picked in the 3rd round, well he actually was a compensatory pick so he was not an early third or even a middle, he was pick #96. Unless a player like Ninkovich is traded I cannot see Grissom on this 53 man roster to start the year.
  • People are all about DJ Foster, and while I am optimistic about him I am not going to give him a roster spot because he played 9 snaps against players who will mostly be out of the NFL by September 15th.
  • I see no reason to rush Amendola back, he has not practiced with Garoppolo and if we leave him on PUP he only misses 2 games that Brady will play. Amendola is going to be 31 years old in November so having him play a 13 game season would probably benefit his effectiveness (10 regular season/3 postseason).

 

[mgteich]

Roster After 3rd Preseason Game

OFFENSE (23) -
2 QB - (Brady), Garapollo, Brissett
5 WR - Edelman, Mitchell, Hogan, Martin, Dobson (Dobson has done enough to be here for 4 weeks)
3 TE - Gronkowski, Bennett, Derby (Derby has done enough to be here for 4 weeks)
3 RB - Blount, Gaffney, White (I moved Bolden to special teams)
1 FB - Develin
4 OG - Thuney, Kline, Mason, Karras
3 OT - Solder, Cannon, Waddle, (Fleming or a 4th OT or an OT/RG from another team)
1 C - Andrews

DEFENSE (24)
6 EDGE - Ninlovich, Sheard, Long, Flowers, McClellan, Mingo
4 DT - Brown, Branch, Valentine, open (my choice here is Kuhn)
4 LB - Hightower, Collins, Freeny, KGH
5 CB - Butler, Ryan, Jones, Coleman, LeBlanc
5 S - McCourty, Chung, Harmon, Richards, Ebner

SPECIAL TEAMS (6)
6 ST - Gostkowski, Allen, Cardona, Slater, King, Bolden

PUP
4 PUP - Amendola, Jackson, Lewis, Vollmer

IR - Cooper

NOTE
The offense has 6 players who will or might come back, 1 on suspension, 4 on PUP and 1 likely on IR, plus potential Practice Squad players like Foster, Harper and Carter.
======
I moved Bolden to special teams where is a clear roster player. His ability to backup at both RB positions makes him a perfect Belichick type player.