Justin Rogers

[RobertWeathers]

From The Sporting News War Room (dated Aug 2nd)

BEST LOOKING ROOKIE

"Inside linebacker Justin Rogers, a sixth-round pick out of SMU, has been impressive in the early days of camp. Rogers (6-4, 265) is big and versatile. He has the skills and athletic ability to play any of the four linebacker spots in the Patriots' defense and also could put his hand down and be a pass-rush end in certain situations. And he is sure to be a major special teams contributor."

I haven't heard anything one way or the other about this guy until now. I view him as a PQ guy at this point. I was at practice and I barely knew he was there (wasnt really looking too hard at him).

Anybody else have feedback on this kid that corroberates with this report or is this some staff-flunkie filling web space with BS?

 

[patsgo]

From The Sporting News War Room (dated Aug 2nd)

BEST LOOKING ROOKIE

"Inside linebacker Justin Rogers, a sixth-round pick out of SMU, has been impressive in the early days of camp. Rogers (6-4, 265) is big and versatile. He has the skills and athletic ability to play any of the four linebacker spots in the Patriots' defense and also could put his hand down and be a pass-rush end in certain situations. And he is sure to be a major special teams contributor."

I haven't heard anything one way or the other about this guy until now. I view him as a PQ guy at this point. I was at practice and I barely knew he was there (wasnt really looking too hard at him).

Anybody else have feedback on this kid that corroberates with this report or is this some staff-flunkie filling web space with BS?

As the old saying goes you can't believe everything you read, let's hope it's right.

 

[Seymour93]

I haven't heard anything one way or the other about this guy until now. I view him as a PQ guy at this point. I was at practice and I barely knew he was there (wasnt really looking too hard at him).

Hopefully that's the deal. While everyone's predicting big things out of Lua, Rogers flys under the radar.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Well, there was a first day report discussing how Kyle Brady buried him on one play/drill, and he bounced back on the next to make Kyle work his tail off to keep in front of him.

 

[PonyExpress]

Wow. I would be totally shocked, and ecstatic if this kid pans out. Let's hope this report is accurate, and not like the rest of the junk the Sporting News has been been putting out since Paul Allen started pulling the plug.

 

[patriot lifer]

Well, there was a first day report discussing how Kyle Brady buried him on one play/drill, and he bounced back on the next to make Kyle work his tail off to keep in front of him.

That's pretty good against Kyle. That guy pretty much blocks out the sun. He's as big as Atlas.

 

[stinkypete]

Well, there was a first day report discussing how Kyle Brady buried him on one play/drill, and he bounced back on the next to make Kyle work his tail off to keep in front of him.

Wow, like the way he plays.

 

[zippo59]

First I've heard of him.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Well, a Herald article after the draft pointed out that as a 200-lb(!) freshman DE, Rogers had to go up against a TE and a tackle. Needless to say, you can do the math and figure out how that ended up.

But the point is--Rogers didn't give up, he got better. And given that he was playing at SMU, I think BB understands (A) Rogers can battle adversity, (B) Rogers understands the value of hard work. Add in versatility, and I can understand why BB picked him. Now I just hope Rogers proves BB right.

 

[Urgent]

First of all, the category apparently was "Best Looking Rookie" and it mentions "the early days of camp."

Meriweather wasn't there the first day. Maybe that's when they were there? Meriweather, since then, has been prominent, so either it was early or the writer just totally missed him.

Second, there really aren't that many rookies out there to choose from. Pats traded away a first (SF), second (Miami), third (forgot who), fourth (Oakland), etc. Kareem Brown was suspended and is now buried on the depth charts behind Mike Wright and Santonio Holmes, not to mention Warren, Seymour, and Green. Lua is on the second team ILB, and you might not notice them so much in non-tackling drills.

However, the statement 'sure to contribute on special teams' is a stretch. By all accounts, Pierre Woods is well ahead of Justin Rogers. And with Vrabel, Colvin, Thomas, and Woods, there's not a lot more space on the roster.

 

[FarScapeR]

Bump.

In light of the first pre-season game, how's Roger's stock doing?

 

[AzPatsFan]

Off the first prerseason game, it would appear that Bill and Scott have found another gemstone.

One that still needs polishing but appears to be a fine jewel....

One sack, another pressure, one fumble recovery, four solo tackles and two assists. He set the edge on a coupleof wide runs to his side too. One of the tackles was a nice ST takedown as well; showing he can contriibute on ST there as well.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

Gotta love the attitude too:

Rogers tough on self
Rookie linebacker Justin Rogers, making the transition from college defensive end, took a very Patriots [team stats]-like approach to his debut. Though he recorded a sack and recovered a fumble, Rogers chose instead to focus on what he didn’t do.
“I made a lot of mistakes on the field, and I’m not satisfied with that performance at all,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep working.”
One area of concern for Rogers was setting the edge in the running game, a key responsibility for outside linebackers in the Patriots’ 3-4. He blamed himself for a 20-yard run late in the game.
“I should have set the edge on that play,” Rogers said. “That was one of the things I messed up. I really need to work on that.”

(From Tomase : http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1016914&format=&page=2 )

 

[SeanBruschi54]

This is all good news. I havent been around in about a week i missed the preseason game and had a ton of personal issues to attend to.

But Rogers is always being taught something at camp its good to know hes in the right state of mind and likes to work hard.

 

[Krazy Koz]

I just watched the game thanks to the torrents post from one of our new members and I thought JR looked good. I was able to pick him out and notice him during plays and you can check his stat line in the box score. It's all good news, but I have a feeling the story may be different when starters get in there. We will see.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I just watched the game thanks to the torrents post from one of our new members and I thought JR looked good. I was able to pick him out and notice him during plays and you can check his stat line in the box score. It's all good news, but I have a feeling the story may be different when starters get in there. We will see.

Tom Brady aside, do we really expect sixth-round draft picks to play like Pro Bowlers from day one?

Personally, I'm just hoping BB et al. see enough to make this DE-to-OLB experiment worth continuing.

[BTW, is it just me, or is there anyone else hoping he makes it, just so we can see "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" signs at Foxboro in a couple of years? ]

 

[ClevTrev]

First of all, the category apparently was "Best Looking Rookie" and it mentions "the early days of camp."

Meriweather wasn't there the first day. Maybe that's when they were there? Meriweather, since then, has been prominent, so either it was early or the writer just totally missed him.

Second, there really aren't that many rookies out there to choose from. Pats traded away a first (SF), second (Miami), third (forgot who), fourth (Oakland), etc. Kareem Brown was suspended and is now buried on the depth charts behind Mike Wright and Santonio Holmes, not to mention Warren, Seymour, and Green. Lua is on the second team ILB, and you might not notice them so much in non-tackling drills.

Understand your point. However, regarding the LBs and the number of veterans filling those roles, Rogers' play at this point has been a strong positive. It takes time for the Pats to trust a starting LB job to a rookie, however, most on this board will agree that the Pats need to get younger in a hurry at all LB positions. If he shows the drive and intelligence to improve at the OLB position, he'll be on the roster. While he made some rookie mistakes on Friday night, he was active and showed guts. I've been watching this guy since he's been on the team and feel that if he shows steady improvement, he'll be one of the 53 when the season starts.

 

[Krazy Koz]

Tom Brady aside, do we really expect sixth-round draft picks to play like Pro Bowlers from day one?

Personally, I'm just hoping BB et al. see enough to make this DE-to-OLB experiment worth continuing.

[BTW, is it just me, or is there anyone else hoping he makes it, just so we can see "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" signs at Foxboro in a couple of years? ]

I would love the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood signs. Great Idea. But, I wasn't saying I expected him to play like a Pro Bowler from day one. I was saying that he made some good play against 2nd string players, take his efforts for what they were. If you look at my post I did praise him and liked what he did out there, but just keep in mind who he was going against.

 

[Brownfan80]

I'm pulling for Rogers, he's got the size and the attitude. I like him.

 

[Stokes]

I thought Rogers really looked good on Friday, I think probably he or Gutierrez (sp?) has to be the best rookie performer from that game. Merriweather had some good moments as well, though I think he's better suited to stay at safety than move to corner.