Florio thinks we will re-load

[BPF]

The 2008 season is here, let's put the SB L behind us.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=348983

9. Patriots will reload

Last year, the New England Patriots came up short in their quest for a Lombardi Trophy. So they identified their biggest weakness -- the receiving corps -- and bolstered it with Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth and Moss.

This offseason, the secondary needs help. Cornerback Asante Samuel is free to leave as a free agent, and he most certainly will depart. Cornerback Randall Gay is due to become a free agent as well, and the team is unlikely to use the franchise tag on him. Safety Rodney Harrison might retire.

So look for the Patriots to address this area aggressively via free agency and the draft. It's the team's only real weakness. Based on the Giants' last drive in the Super Bowl, it's a big one.

 

[Maroney's Dreads]

After last season, I didn't think the Pats had the room to make the team significantly better, and we got Thomas, Welker, Stallworth, and Moss.

Anything Bill does in the offseason doesn't surprise me anymore. The way this team is set up, there has to be a run this year though

 

[BelichickFan]

Safety actually interests me more than CB; because we know we need CB unless Samuel stays.

Safety we have Harrison, Sanders, Meriweather and could save $3M by realeasing an aging Harrison. I would keep Harrison and draft another young Safety in the 3rd round or so. That would give us a good foursome and a good transition from Harrison. With the cap savings, though, I don't think it's clear that we will bring him back for sure.

 

[Rocky]

I still think that LB is just as much conern as the secondary.

 

[RayClay]

The 2008 season is here, let's put the SB L behind us.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=348983

9. Patriots will reload

Last year, the New England Patriots came up short in their quest for a Lombardi Trophy. So they identified their biggest weakness -- the receiving corps -- and bolstered it with Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth and Moss.

This offseason, the secondary needs help. Cornerback Asante Samuel is free to leave as a free agent, and he most certainly will depart. Cornerback Randall Gay is due to become a free agent as well, and the team is unlikely to use the franchise tag on him. Safety Rodney Harrison might retire.

So look for the Patriots to address this area aggressively via free agency and the draft. It's the team's only real weakness. Based on the Giants' last drive in the Super Bowl, it's a big one.

I must have missed the column where we acquired the two young LBs.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Need to reload on defense. Get younger faster and more athletic. We're fine on offense. Lose Moss keep Stallworth or keep Moss and lose Stallworth. Either way we're fine. Sammy Morris shores up the run game and having David Thomas back upgrades the TE slot in the passing game a 1000%.
Look for the Pats to draft defense....defense .....and more defense with an O-lineman thrown in the mix. Look for a D-lineman to be drafted high. Easy to say the secondary is the problem when not looking at the lack of QB pressure generated from the D-line all season long. Wilfork is THE man inside, Ty Warren is good but Big Seyesta has been a Big Nonfactor for 2 years running and Jarvis is a nice player but not high impact. Colvin helps the pass rush but never stays healthy and Mike Vrabel is terrific but if he has an off game (see Super Bowl) who fills the pass rush void and gets to the QB? If the D front is getting pressure that frees up the LB's and safeties to stay in coverage. Just amazing how much better the secondary gets when the D-line can put pressure on the QB all by themselves.
Think defense with free agency and the draft.

 

[BPF]

Need to reload on defense. Get younger faster and more athletic. We're fine on offense. Lose Moss keep Stallworth or keep Moss and lose Stallworth. Either way we're fine. Sammy Morris shores up the run game and having David Thomas back upgrades the TE slot in the passing game a 1000%.
Look for the Pats to draft defense....defense .....and more defense with an O-lineman thrown in the mix. Look for a D-lineman to be drafted high. Easy to say the secondary is the problem when not looking at the lack of QB pressure generated from the D-line all season long. Wilfork is THE man inside, Ty Warren is good but Big Seyesta has been a Big Nonfactor for 2 years running and Jarvis is a nice player but not high impact. Colvin helps the pass rush but never stays healthy and Mike Vrabel is terrific but if he has an off game (see Super Bowl) who fills the pass rush void and gets to the QB? If the D front is getting pressure that frees up the LB's and safeties to stay in coverage. Just amazing how much better the secondary gets when the D-line can put pressure on the QB all by themselves.
Think defense with free agency and the draft.

The type of 3-4 we play is geared for LB's to pressure. I don't think pass rush is our problem being that we finished 2nd in the league to the Giants in sacks with 47: http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...nType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=true&Submit=Find

We may need some youth at LB but the secondary is our real weakness. If we had physical corners ala Ty Law and Otis Smith along with more playmaking abiltity and speed in the safety position we would be able to open up the blitz playbook and create more negative plays along with more turnovers. Hobbs can be a solid 3rd CB and Asante is solid but a finesse player.

 

[SVN]

Florio thinks a lot of things and puts on his website.just whatever comes to his mind on the day.its amazing how he has managed to make a biz out of it.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Pressure wasn't the problem in that last drive, muffing the play was.

Samuel's missed int was pressure induced duck.

Rodney's missed play was a pressure induced duck.

We had 3 guys right there on Manning- Tackle Him!!!!!!

Pressure just doesn't mean sacks. It's all about disrupting the offense. That means hurries/ tips/ bat downs/ interception/ fumbles.

 

[fumbrunner]

The D line is the strength of the D. There is no reason to update there. We need height at CB because our current CBs are smurfs and dont match up well against tall receivers. We have a good blitzing, pressuirng LB group when Vrabel and Rosie are in there. Seau and Bruschi are good run stoppers. Our BIG weakness there is in coverage. AD as an ILB could help to solve it, but we need depth there.

So, I think we are two CBs and a coverage LB away from being the most dominant team ever. 2 CBs assuming Asante leaves, and Hobbs moves to nickel. Unfortunately there isnt alot in FA for CBs. The draft has some interesting options, but I doubt BB would start 2 rookies at corner.

 

[Keegs]

Florio thinks a lot of things and puts on his website.just whatever comes to his mind on the day.its amazing how he has managed to make a biz out of it.

florio also litters his blog with comments like "i feel a pick coming"
"i think this or that may happen"

"i have a feeling someone's going to drop the ball"

"i have a feeling someone may score a td"

"i'm going to criticize everyone for not being a nice person while i behave like the biggest jerk i possibly can"

 

[MassPats38]

After that muffed catch by Samuel, I just can't stomache him claiming he has underpaid. All I could think reading the Globe article in which he said he thought it was a 10 on a 1-10 scale he would return with big money was he should be drug tested on the spot. I think he is a good corner, but I believe the shutdown corner designation is limited to the likes of Champ Bailey. I think Ty Law was better than Samuel when he left.

I would like to see the existing linebacker rotation remain (Colvin (with a possible rework of his deal), Thomas, Vrabel, Bruschi/Seau) but add a veteran 3-4 linebacker (3-4 is tough for rookies and that does not seem to be our strength in development).

I hope Chad Scott returns as a servicable corner and we add a veteran and decent rookie.

I like Sanders and Harrison (veteran presence) but would like to see a decent veteran added for Wilson (he showed promise but it is time to go) and Merriweather should continue to develop into his role.

I think we keep Moss and Washington and lose Donte (he will be missed with his YAC numbers). I am still not sure what to think about Chad Jackson.

I will not hold my breath on a Chad Johnson trade, although you just know the Pats do not want to pay for an unproven #7. The pick might be traded for a decent veteran player if the trade is worth the Pats' while, but I put superstar receiver possibilities this year in the realm of fantasy. Brady can dream about getting Johnson if Donte leaves, but Palmer would likely have a seizure if he lost that target, regardless of how disgruntled he may be.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

The type of 3-4 we play is geared for LB's to pressure. I don't think pass rush is our problem being that we finished 2nd in the league to the Giants in sacks with 47: http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...nType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=true&Submit=Find

The entire Defensive front had a grand total of 14 sacks in a 16 game schedule. FOURTEEN!!!
Highest paid d-lineman in the game Big Seyesta had a whopping 2, Wilfork 2, Warren 4 and Green 6.
In the playoffs the Dfront accounted for 2 sacks in 3 games. TWO!
Big Seyesta accounted for ZERO!
That is PATHETIC QB pressure from your D-line no matter what defense you are running. Mike Vrabel almost matched the sack output of the entire Dfront all by himself with his 12 sacks.
If you want to know why all those second string QB's like Boller and Lemon and Jay Feeley were looking like Johnny Unitas against us this year you can start with this group up front. My eyes weren't lying when they routinely saw a non-existent Dfront pass rush this year.
14 sacks in 16 games by the D-front??? Ugh!!!

 

[fumbrunner]

The entire Defensive front had a grand total of 14 sacks in a 16 game schedule. FOURTEEN!!!
Highest paid d-lineman in the game Big Seyesta had a whopping 2, Wilfork 2, Warren 4 and Green 6.
In the playoffs the Dfront accounted for 2 sacks in 3 games. TWO!
Big Seyesta accounted for ZERO!
That is PATHETIC QB pressure from your D-line no matter what defense you are running. Mike Vrabel almost matched the sack output of the entire Dfront all by himself with his 12 sacks.
If you want to know why all those second string QB's like Boller and Lemon and Jay Feeley were looking like Johnny Unitas against us this year you can start with this group up front. My eyes weren't lying when they routinely saw a non-existent Dfront pass rush this year.
14 sacks in 16 games by the D-front??? Ugh!!!

How did we do stuffing the run? Exactly. This 3-4, at least this year was designed to stuff the run and blitz and get pressure from the OLB.

 

[#12]

The entire Defensive front had a grand total of 14 sacks in a 16 game schedule. FOURTEEN!!!
Highest paid d-lineman in the game Big Seyesta had a whopping 2, Wilfork 2, Warren 4 and Green 6.
In the playoffs the Dfront accounted for 2 sacks in 3 games. TWO!
Big Seyesta accounted for ZERO!
That is PATHETIC QB pressure from your D-line no matter what defense you are running. Mike Vrabel almost matched the sack output of the entire Dfront all by himself with his 12 sacks.
If you want to know why all those second string QB's like Boller and Lemon and Jay Feeley were looking like Johnny Unitas against us this year you can start with this group up front. My eyes weren't lying when they routinely saw a non-existent Dfront pass rush this year.
14 sacks in 16 games by the D-front??? Ugh!!!

Wow, thats a great point. And how many times did we see our dlineman seemingly wrap up the QB only to have him escape (painfully)? I want dlineman that when wrapping up the QB can bring him DOWN!

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Rhody let's review the BB 3-4 scheme.

The line is stop the run first. "Pressure" sacks in the 3-4 is from the OLB. The line in the 3-4 is suppose to collapse the pocket. They have contain on the mobile QB's

 

[Hamtown]

Keep Rodney Harrison. If "HE" chooses to retire let him. He has embodied being a NEW ENGLAND PATRIOT, he is a legend and still one of the most feared and hard hitting SS in the NFL. How would you like to be PLAXICO BURRESS next year going high over the middle with Rodney closing in. DUH NUH NUH DUH NUH NUH! Yeah Baby! GO PATS! Keep #37!

 

[JoeSixPat]

Not that the secondary isn't an area of need, with Samuel likely gone and Harrison getting older - but if you had told me going into the game that our D would hold the Giants to 17 points, I'd have liked our chances.

A D and secondary that can do that isn't all that bad - but again, I assume we're losing Samuel... I'd just say Florio's analysis basing his statement on one play is pretty shallow.

 

[letekro]

The draft has some interesting options, but I doubt BB would start 2 rookies at corner.

I agree with the general principle that BB prefers experience on D, but I think CB and DL are two positions where athleticism takes primacy over experience. This has been backed up by history. Samuel and Hobbs became starters very early on in their careers, as well as Seymour, Wilfork, and Warren. Generally, it happens later in the 1st year (Seymour, Hobbs), or in the second year, but I see no reason why two talented rookies couldn't start next year (actually, one would probably be the third corner - Hobbs is fine against all but the tallest receivers).

I think BB will start the two best corners, rookie or not.

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Rhody let's review the BB 3-4 scheme.

The line is stop the run first. "Pressure" sacks in the 3-4 is from the OLB. The line in the 3-4 is suppose to collapse the pocket. They have contain on the mobile QB's

Would you consider Philip Rivers on one leg a mobile QB? With no Tomlinson to worry about in the backfield and with Rivers attempting 35 + passes on one leg he was sacked a grand total of one time and that was by Junior Seau. This was symptomatic of the entire year. I understand the concept of the 3 - 4. What I'm telling you is the D-front did not have a great season or a great playoff. They held the line but did little to push forward into enemy territory hence the sack totals. Numbers stand out even more when considering how often the opponents fell behind and were forced to throw the ball. Sorry but there are times when these guys needed to step up, win their individual battles and makes plays in the backfield. That rarely happened with this D-line this season. Our brilliant offense covered up for a lot of soft areas on this team this season. The problems of this defense always gets put on the secondary but I maintain if the D-front is pushing it and bringing pressure like they're capable it would have taken a great deal of pressure off the secondary.