Grading the 2007 offseason acquisitions...

[PATRIOT64]

Here is my take and grade on our 2007 acquisitions.....

WES WELKER A+ Near perfect all season long performance from a guy many thought was only going to be a 3rd and long or ST return specialist,Instead he turned out to be the guy that made most of the hard to catch plays and somehow got open when Brady got into trouble or could not find an open guy,Welker nearly always found an opening down the seam or across the field and was IMO the BEST acquisition in 2007

RANDY MOSS A I put Randy in 2nd even though he broke records and was Brady's main guy because although he was near impossible to stop early in the season, once teams found a way to contain him by being a bit more physical and double teaming him he was no longer a big threat in the game and was more of a decoy from the latter part of the season and right through the playoffs,While our other receivers benefitted from the fear he put in defenders minds it still does not take away the fact that Randy was not a factor when it counted most and it does show that Randy is definately a finesse receiver and not a very physical one,if you put your hands on Randy he will struggle to get open and that is what was evident when teams started getting rough in coverage,Nevertheless Randy was a huge reason why we went 18-1 and I would love to see him come back and still gets an A grading but I cannot say he was a better acqusition than Welker and I may be in the minority but thats the way I see it.

KELLY WASHINGTON A How can you not give an A to what have might have been the best STs player on the 2007 team? - Kelly was always one of the first to get down the field to make a tackle and never complained that he was not on the field all season to catch passes like he was expected to contribute somewhat,This guy is T-E-A-M player and would be foolish not to resign him if not for his STs play than to be a quality backup should injuries occur to the WR corps or maybe even as a 3rd or 4th receiver as well if we lose someone to FA.

DONTE STALLWORTH C+ I thought his 2007 performance was a bit dissapointing when you think of all the speed he has but never seemed to be the breakout WR even when teams were doubling Moss,I think he has had trouble fitting into this system and did not ever get in synch with Brady all year with the exception of a few decent games and primarily the Dallas game where he played like we were expecting him to,He may have a better season next year once he gets more accustomed to the way Brady runs the offense but I am not worried about whether he stays or goes,I think that if we lose Stallworth to FA it would not be a big loss,I think Jabar Gaffney and/or Chad Jackson would fit into the role of 2nd WR perfectly.

ADALIUS THOMAS C- I think we all thought that this guy was going to be an immediate impact player and have 11 or 12 sacks at least and shut down the run but never fully was a big factor in most of the season,While he did show signs of his days in Baltimore like in the 2nd week SD game where he was great,most games you barely heard his name mentioned and when Colvin went down with injury he never seemed to pick up the slack or truly help the huge hole that opened up in the middle of the defense when Colvin was gone.
I think we need to see another season to see if maybe he is a bit slow to get adjusted to this defense or maybe he ends up like so many Ravens defenders did since they left Baltimore and the ex-Ravens jinx as they call it or maybe its the fact that he is 31 and slowing down,We will see in 2008.

KYLE BRADY D Seems like a wasted acquisition and looked his age,was slow and was not as impressive in blocking as Graham was despite the fact that he was considered a better blocker which the team signed him for,We missed Graham's presence in the playoffs for sure,A near non factor much of the year and he was also injured on and off,He must be cut this offseason and hopefully Dave Thomas is not injury prone and takes his place on the TE roster.

BRANDON MERRIWEATHER D Can't really know what he will be like until he gets even more playing time next season,As from what I saw was a unspectacular effort but a determined guy when he did get on the field and made some plays but at times was a bit too aggressive,too emotional and made mistakes as a rookie usually does and did drop some interceptions that made me pull my hair out,However he does look to fit well in the system and if he can mature into a starter may be good enough to take Wilson's job and start next year - you can only give a D for short,sporadic,nothing too good to remember play from this rookie.

Whats your grades on these 7 new guys 2007 performances?

 

[patsgo]

Re: Grading the 2007 offseason acquisitions....

Here is my take and grade on our 2007 acquisitions.....

WES WELKER A+ Near perfect all season long performance from a guy many thought was only going to be a 3rd and long or ST return specialist,Instead he turned out to be the guy that made most of the hard to catch plays and somehow got open when Brady got into trouble or could not find an open guy,Welker nearly always found an opening down the seam or across the field and was IMO the BEST acquisition in 2007

RANDY MOSS A I put Randy in 2nd even though he broke records and was Brady's main guy because although he was near impossible to stop early in the season, once teams found a way to contain him by being a bit more physical and double teaming him he was no longer a big threat in the game and was more of a decoy from the latter part of the season and right through the playoffs,While our other receivers benefitted from the fear he put in defenders minds it still does not take away the fact that Randy was not a factor when it counted most and it does show that Randy is definately a finesse receiver and not a very physical one,if you put your hands on Randy he will struggle to get open and that is what was evident when teams started getting rough in coverage,Nevertheless Randy was a huge reason why we went 18-1 and I would love to see him come back and still gets an A grading but I cannot say he was a better acqusition than Welker and I may be in the minority but thats the way I see it.

KELLY WASHINGTON A How can you not give an A to what have might have been the best STs player on the 2007 team? - Kelly was always one of the first to get down the field to make a tackle and never complained that he was not on the field all season to catch passes like he was expected to contribute somewhat,This guy is T-E-A-M player and would be foolish not to resign him if not for his STs play than to be a quality backup should injuries occur to the WR corps or maybe even as a 3rd or 4th receiver as well if we lose someone to FA.

DONTE STALLWORTH C+ I thought his 2007 performance was a bit dissapointing when you think of all the speed he has but never seemed to be the breakout WR even when teams were doubling Moss,I think he has had trouble fitting into this system and did not ever get in synch with Brady all year with the exception of a few decent games and primarily the Dallas game where he played like we were expecting him to,He may have a better season next year once he gets more accustomed to the way Brady runs the offense but I am not worried about whether he stays or goes,I think that if we lose Stallworth to FA it would not be a big loss,I think Jabar Gaffney and/or Chad Jackson would fit into the role of 2nd WR perfectly.

ADALIUS THOMAS C- I think we all thought that this guy was going to be an immediate impact player and have 11 or 12 sacks at least and shut down the run but never fully was a big factor in most of the season,While he did show signs of his days in Baltimore like in the 2nd week SD game where he was great,most games you barely heard his name mentioned and when Colvin went down with injury he never seemed to pick up the slack or truly help the huge hole that opened up in the middle of the defense when Colvin was gone.
I think we need to see another season to see if maybe he is a bit slow to get adjusted to this defense or maybe he ends up like so many Ravens defenders did since they left Baltimore and the ex-Ravens jinx as they call it or maybe its the fact that he is 31 and slowing down,We will see in 2008.

KYLE BRADY D Seems like a wasted acquisition and looked his age,was slow and was not as impressive in blocking as Graham was despite the fact that he was considered a better blocker which the team signed him for,We missed Graham's presence in the playoffs for sure,A near non factor much of the year and he was also injured on and off,He must be cut this offseason and hopefully Dave Thomas is not injury prone and takes his place on the TE roster.

BRANDON MERRIWEATHER D Can't really know what he will be like until he gets even more playing time next season,As from what I saw was a unspectacular effort but a determined guy when he did get on the field and made some plays but at times was a bit too aggressive,too emotional and made mistakes as a rookie usually does and did drop some interceptions that made me pull my hair out,However he does look to fit well in the system and if he can mature into a starter may be good enough to take Wilson's job and start next year - you can only give a D for short,sporadic,nothing too good to remember play from this rookie.

Whats your grades on these 7 new guys 2007 performances?

brady did what was asked of him a solid b

 

[nittanylions52]

Re: Grading the 2007 offseason acquisitions....

Welker was definitely the most important receiver on this team. However, even though Moss disappeared at times, his presence alone did what was needed - change the other team's game plan. How many people think that if Moss wasn't on the Pats, Welker would have had as good of a season as he did?

Teams just can't focus on both of them, and they'd rather not give up the big play. IMO, even though Randy Moss didn't have any decent stats in the postseason, his very presence changed the opposition's game plan enough to make the offense as potent as it was. I'd give him an A+, too, if only for the price he cost.

I'd also give Adalius Thomas better than a C-, though I didn't watch him that much. He seemed to do well pressuring the QB.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Re: Grading the 2007 offseason acquisitions....

Here is my take and grade on our 2007 acquisitions.....

WES WELKER A+ Near perfect all season long performance from a guy many thought was only going to be a 3rd and long or ST return specialist,Instead he turned out to be the guy that made most of the hard to catch plays and somehow got open when Brady got into trouble or could not find an open guy,Welker nearly always found an opening down the seam or across the field and was IMO the BEST acquisition in 2007

RANDY MOSS A I put Randy in 2nd even though he broke records and was Brady's main guy because although he was near impossible to stop early in the season, once teams found a way to contain him by being a bit more physical and double teaming him he was no longer a big threat in the game and was more of a decoy from the latter part of the season and right through the playoffs,While our other receivers benefitted from the fear he put in defenders minds it still does not take away the fact that Randy was not a factor when it counted most and it does show that Randy is definately a finesse receiver and not a very physical one,if you put your hands on Randy he will struggle to get open and that is what was evident when teams started getting rough in coverage,Nevertheless Randy was a huge reason why we went 18-1 and I would love to see him come back and still gets an A grading but I cannot say he was a better acqusition than Welker and I may be in the minority but thats the way I see it.

KELLY WASHINGTON A How can you not give an A to what have might have been the best STs player on the 2007 team? - Kelly was always one of the first to get down the field to make a tackle and never complained that he was not on the field all season to catch passes like he was expected to contribute somewhat,This guy is T-E-A-M player and would be foolish not to resign him if not for his STs play than to be a quality backup should injuries occur to the WR corps or maybe even as a 3rd or 4th receiver as well if we lose someone to FA.

DONTE STALLWORTH C+ I thought his 2007 performance was a bit dissapointing when you think of all the speed he has but never seemed to be the breakout WR even when teams were doubling Moss,I think he has had trouble fitting into this system and did not ever get in synch with Brady all year with the exception of a few decent games and primarily the Dallas game where he played like we were expecting him to,He may have a better season next year once he gets more accustomed to the way Brady runs the offense but I am not worried about whether he stays or goes,I think that if we lose Stallworth to FA it would not be a big loss,I think Jabar Gaffney and/or Chad Jackson would fit into the role of 2nd WR perfectly.

ADALIUS THOMAS C- I think we all thought that this guy was going to be an immediate impact player and have 11 or 12 sacks at least and shut down the run but never fully was a big factor in most of the season,While he did show signs of his days in Baltimore like in the 2nd week SD game where he was great,most games you barely heard his name mentioned and when Colvin went down with injury he never seemed to pick up the slack or truly help the huge hole that opened up in the middle of the defense when Colvin was gone.
I think we need to see another season to see if maybe he is a bit slow to get adjusted to this defense or maybe he ends up like so many Ravens defenders did since they left Baltimore and the ex-Ravens jinx as they call it or maybe its the fact that he is 31 and slowing down,We will see in 2008.

KYLE BRADY D Seems like a wasted acquisition and looked his age,was slow and was not as impressive in blocking as Graham was despite the fact that he was considered a better blocker which the team signed him for,We missed Graham's presence in the playoffs for sure,A near non factor much of the year and he was also injured on and off,He must be cut this offseason and hopefully Dave Thomas is not injury prone and takes his place on the TE roster.

BRANDON MERRIWEATHER D Can't really know what he will be like until he gets even more playing time next season,As from what I saw was a unspectacular effort but a determined guy when he did get on the field and made some plays but at times was a bit too aggressive,too emotional and made mistakes as a rookie usually does and did drop some interceptions that made me pull my hair out,However he does look to fit well in the system and if he can mature into a starter may be good enough to take Wilson's job and start next year - you can only give a D for short,sporadic,nothing too good to remember play from this rookie.

Whats your grades on these 7 new guys 2007 performances?

I disagree with almost every single one of your grades.

 

[LoganMankinsPancakeBlocks]

Welker is awesome. A+.

I don't see how Randy Moss can possibly be anything but an A+. He just had a record setting season and was the best WR in football, was acquired for a 4th round pick and only made $5M ($2M in incentives). Just a joy to watch, too.

Adalius would get a B- to me. He was good and at times, very good (like in our biggest game all year), but we spent a lot on him and he didn't have quite the impact I expected.

A C+ for Stallworth looks good to me, and an A or a B+ for Washington is fine with me as well considering how awesome he was on ST's.

I'd give Kyle Brady a B or B- as well. He was relatively cheap, a great blocker and I'll disagree that he was a wasted signing. His play did decline as the year went on, though, likely due to injury.

It's tough to grade Meriweather since it took a while for him to get on the field, but he looked like a solid safety at the end of the year and I'm very happy with the progress he showed at the end of the year. I'll go with a C+, as he didn't have a real big impact, but clearly showed signs of being a solid draft pick and player by the end of the year.

 

[sieglo]

Welker - A+
Moss - A-
Washington - A-
Stallworth - B-
Thomas - B-
Brady - C+
Meriweather - C-

 

[mgteich]

These grades look much better to me, except for the comment that Kle Brady was cheap. He cost $3.2M. He will cost $2M this year. That's pretty high for a blocking TE. HOWEVER, he did a reasonable job for 18 games.

BTW, no love for MORRIS B

Welker is awesome. A+.

I don't see how Randy Moss can possibly be anything but an A+. He just had a record setting season and was the best WR in football, was acquired for a 4th round pick and only made $5M ($2M in incentives). Just a joy to watch, too.

Adalius would get a B- to me. He was good and at times, very good (like in our biggest game all year), but we spent a lot on him and he didn't have quite the impact I expected.

A C+ for Stallworth looks good to me, and an A or a B+ for Washington is fine with me as well considering how awesome he was on ST's.

I'd give Kyle Brady a B or B- as well. He was relatively cheap, a great blocker and I'll disagree that he was a wasted signing. His play did decline as the year went on, though, likely due to injury.

It's tough to grade Meriweather since it took a while for him to get on the field, but he looked like a solid safety at the end of the year and I'm very happy with the progress he showed at the end of the year. I'll go with a C+, as he didn't have a real big impact, but clearly showed signs of being a solid draft pick and player by the end of the year.

 

[Carpentier]

I don't think you can give Moss an A. He totally disappeared in the playoffs.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I was totally disapointed with Adalius Thomas. Putting him at inside LB was a joke. He did most of his damage in Baltimore when he was playing on the outside. He was payed way too much money to be such a non factor throughout the season. I hope his contract gets reworked because he's not getting any younger at 31. C-

Welker A+
Moss A+
Morris A+
Brady D
Stallworth C
Washington A
Merriweather incomplete

 

[Remix 6]

your seriously giving Thomas a C-? You realize all the success on D had a lot do do with him. Running @ Wilfork and Thomas in middle was never good. Teams ran outside on us a few times..but not inside really unless @ Bruschi. You wonder why our pass D was so good? He shutdown the short zones in coverage. Put him outside..struggled a bit early but got a lot better and had a great game in Arizona.

Thomas is an A easily imo. You cant look @ stats and say "dissappointment" which seems like u did because all the bad grades seem to be from poor stats

his sacks didnt come until we put him outside where hes a great blitzer.

6 sacks 7 games at OLB. He got better as year went on because you noticed him more at OLB instead of ILB due to fact he didnt need to be run at to put stats. His coverage was great btw. Not what we expected because we expected him to man up every time with great TEs but Harrison did well with that while Thomas played zone like the rest of the LBs. \

he played the role of Ted Johnson. when did Ted ever make sacks from ILB? rarely because we blitz Vrabel or Colvin. Thomas doubled his(TJ's best) in passes defended in his first year. You guys severely underestimate guys on this D and need to look @ the roles of players. We've heard it..your not gonna stand out and be the STAR of the team in New England. Only Brady will. Why? because everyone has a role and if you do your part, the team will succeed. Like Seymour said a year or 2 ago. You guys can call out players all you want but you wont understand what they try to do because sometimes, a guys job is to open up a hole for another player. Guys are supposed to be in position. I was against putting AD at ILB because the fact he wouldnt make a huge impact. Why? Because hes basically gonna be stopping run and not being able to showcase his his attribute, pass rushing.

Brady deserves better..he came to be a blocker and he did that . Besides the Giants game, hes been very effective as blocker.

Meriweather is an incomplete but if you split season in half.

First half: D+. He was a very good STer..didnt get in at all
Second half: B played a lot and looked very good. He never got caught out of position, made quiet a few big hits, communicated well. Dropped balls but thats fixable. Grade isnt higher because he wasnt a starter but looked good when he was in

 

[Xzibit23]

Wait a second, Randy Moss was BY FAR the best WR in football, had one of the 2 best seasons from a WR EVER, was obtained for less than Wes Welker...but Welker was the better acquisition?? Am I reading that right?? Welker was great this year, but it isnt really even close who the best acquisition was. And Moss disappeared at times for a reason, he was the focus of defenses, he was the player DCs viewed was the key to the offense. That in itself should tell you the level of importance. At least they should both be A+, but no '07 acquisition can be higher than Moss.

 

[Mr.Muhozi]

Welker A+
Moss A+
Morris -C
Brady C
Stallworth B
Washington A
Merriweather C-

 

[rabthepat]

your seriously giving Thomas a C-? You realize all the success on D had a lot do do with him. Running @ Wilfork and Thomas in middle was never good. Teams ran outside on us a few times..but not inside really unless @ Bruschi. You wonder why our pass D was so good? He shutdown the short zones in coverage. Put him outside..struggled a bit early but got a lot better and had a great game in Arizona.

Thomas is an A easily imo. You cant look @ stats and say "dissappointment" which seems like u did because all the bad grades seem to be from poor stats

his sacks didnt come until we put him outside where hes a great blitzer.

6 sacks 7 games at OLB. He got better as year went on because you noticed him more at OLB instead of ILB due to fact he didnt need to be run at to put stats. His coverage was great btw. Not what we expected because we expected him to man up every time with great TEs but Harrison did well with that while Thomas played zone like the rest of the LBs. \

he played the role of Ted Johnson. when did Ted ever make sacks from ILB? rarely because we blitz Vrabel or Colvin. Thomas doubled his(TJ's best) in passes defended in his first year. You guys severely underestimate guys on this D and need to look @ the roles of players. We've heard it..your not gonna stand out and be the STAR of the team in New England. Only Brady will. Why? because everyone has a role and if you do your part, the team will succeed. Like Seymour said a year or 2 ago. You guys can call out players all you want but you wont understand what they try to do because sometimes, a guys job is to open up a hole for another player. Guys are supposed to be in position. I was against putting AD at ILB because the fact he wouldnt make a huge impact. Why? Because hes basically gonna be stopping run and not being able to showcase his his attribute, pass rushing.

Brady deserves better..he came to be a blocker and he did that . Besides the Giants game, hes been very effective as blocker.

Meriweather is an incomplete but if you split season in half.

First half: D+. He was a very good STer..didnt get in at all
Second half: B played a lot and looked very good. He never got caught out of position, made quiet a few big hits, communicated well. Dropped balls but thats fixable. Grade isnt higher because he wasnt a starter but looked good when he was in

Adalius deserves a solid "D". Watch the game against the Colts. He developed a pattern of allowing smaller weaker players to come up and take out his legs. For the money we paid him he way underachieved. Colvin is better than AD.

 

[Truck]

How can Moss not be an A+? What else could he have done --- he had the best (or second best) season all time and played for 60% of his market value.
If you say he goes from A+ to A because he doesn't like getting hit; well then you could also say that Welker is an A instead of an A+ because he doesn't go downfield; everyone has a weakness.
I also don't think you can blame the lack of throws in his direction on Moss. Early in the year, he was getting thrown to even though he was covered. The Patriots simply decided to go away from that (and I still believe something is wrong with Brady that kept him from throwing deep; he's just looked off from even before the past two games started).

 

[Remix 6]

Adalius deserves a solid "D". Watch the game against the Colts. He developed a pattern of allowing smaller weaker players to come up and take out his legs. For the money we paid him he way underachieved. Colvin is better than AD.

watch what? he barely played that game if u dont remember. we were in a nickel D most of the game

 

[stcjones]

Welker A+
Moss A+
Morris -C
Brady C
Stallworth B
Washington A
Merriweather C-

How can you possibly give Morris a C? The guy was kick a## early on before he got injured ....and had he not gotten injured our running game would have been much more effective and productive.......He'll be back next year and will be a very good player......needs to stay healthy though....

Welker A++.....nuff said

Moss A++......was awesome this season.....set a NEW record for TD's.....made for a VERY EXCITING year for us fans....once teams started KEYING on him and double and triple covering him (with alot of holding of Moss as well)......he did start to disappear....and in playoffs and SB....couldn't give him much more than a B......was a good decoy.....but the truly great receivers FIND a way to beat the coverages.......Also of course my favorite punching bag Josh "The boy blunder" did little to shake it up to free moss.......so it is not all Randy's fault.......He was gracious in being a decoy however........

Kyle Brady......C+.....injured a fair amount, did very little in the SB to help keep Brady protected......He is not really worth keeping IMHO......

Stallworth.....I would give him a B-.......Early on ....HE COULDN'T get involved in the offense because it was the Randy Moss show.....and they did not NEED him........Then when Moss started getting double and triple teamed....I expected him to step up ....and he did not......Wes Welker did......Maybe it was Tom B's comfort level with Welker and Moss that did not allow for him to get involved ....maybe it was the Boy Blunder's schemes.....But I don't really blame Donte for that....and he did make some HUGE catches for this team.....I would love to see him here next year....but there is no way they keep both Moss and Donte.....

Washington.....A .....i agree..took the "demotion" to special teams like a true class act....played beautifully for us on ST.....wish he could have gotten more active as WR....but we were too loaded........Doubt they will be able to keep him this coming year.......unless no one else shows interest in him as WR......

Thomas.......C.......Not great....had several good games....but not the DEVESTATING, GAME CHANGING player we were all expecting......I think he was a disappointment overall....hopefully next year he will improve.......

Merriweather......C+......He showed flashes of brilliance.....but still a bit green or raw.....will need some more work.....but I do see him being a HUGE player for us....starting next year.......

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Merriweather should be given an incomplete as he was just learning as compared to the others who were veterans. In fact the last few drafts have a little bit on the light side.