Laurence Maroney and Richard Seymour - healthy again...

[Patjew]

While PatSox and PatJew continue their lovefest, I guess I'll add my two cents:

There's always room for a third.

 

[JoePats]

Seymour could approach this from a contract year perspective. While technically it's not, it basically is. Another reason to anticipate a return to form.

 

[PatsDeb]

There's always room for a third.

Are you sending us plane tickets to Hong Kong?

 

[PatsDeb]

Seymour could approach this from a contract year perspective. While technically it's not, it basically is. Another reason to anticipate a return to form.

I have no doubt that Seymour has the drive to return to form, but if the legs won't work, they won't work, no matter how hard he tries. Some people on here questioned whether he was dogging it last year. Seymour's not a dog; he's just developed an old dog's pair of knees. If he can't return to form, I wonder what will happen. Even if he is just okay, he still anchored a defense that went 18-1 last year.

 

[dryheat44]

The chance of him pulling a Full Monty are small, IMO, as Belichick has seen him playing in a defense similar to ours for two years.

However - as long as Seymour is his old self, Thomas kicks butt in his second year and Mayo does what we expect from a #10 rookie (flashes of brilliance with a few whoopsies mixed in) and we have no more than average injuries, all the stuff related to Hobson, Woods, Crable , etc, is basically moot. However we need one to come through as we'll almost certainly have one LB miss some time.

I'll go on record as saying Hobson will be miles better than Beisel, because he's probably not a coward.

True story from last season: I was watching a Cardinals game, and I saw a linebacker square up with a running back in perfect position to make a tackle, and then intentionally take himself out of the play. I said to my buddy "Jesus, I haven't seen anything like that since the Monty Beisel experiment." About two plays later he whiffed on a tackle and I was able to see the nameplate on his jersey "BEISEL". I laughed my ass off. I sh!t you not, I had no idea he was on Arizona, or even in the league.

 

[PatsDeb]

I didn't really have a problem with Thomas' play last season. He had flashes of brilliance, and he was getting better as he went along, particularly after his ankle seemed to heal. Even though there were no dominating players per se, they all worked pretty well together to put out a consistently good D, making stops (except for just one) when they really had to. With the infusion of some younger talent and the return of players like Thomas, who now has a year in a complicated system under his belt, I have high hopes for a good year on D, and of course, on O. Unforseen injuries are always an equalizer, but I'm thinking the Pats will be right up there again this year.

 

[patsox23]

I think Adalius will have a much better season in 2008. He had the system "in his bones" by the end of last year and was the most dominant N.E. player in the Super Bowl.

 

[JoePats]

I think Adalius will have a much better season in 2008. He had the system "in his bones" by the end of last year and was the most dominant N.E. player in the Super Bowl.

I agree and think keeping AD on the outside all year will be one of Mayo's biggest contributions.

 

[PatsFan37]

I'm with most of your post except the Hobson part. I think he could be anywhere from total JAG SCRUB (think: Beisel/Brown with a bit more knowledge of the system) to good depth/spot starter.

I'm torn on Hobson. At first I was pretty excited, thinking he might be a solid starter like Morris since Hobson has been a tough opponent, like Morris, for a long time and the Pats have a good track record with opposing players they've scouted over a long period.

Lately, I've tempered my optimism, thinking that, unlike Morris, they didn't target Hobson at the start of FA and didn't give him a multi-year contract. Maybe because they were intending all along to use their high first-round on an ILB. But they couldn't count on that.

I think they were cautious because they've been burned before on players who couldn't make the transition to ILB. Hobson may have a lot more potential than Chad Brown or Beisel, but the Pats are now more cautious.

OTOH, I really don't think he'll be a JAG. They had plenty of time to scout this guy, they've now had practice converting guys to their system so the coaches have learned from their mistakes (we hope). I'm anticipating he'll become the Jarvis Green of the LB rotation, which is no JAG position.

Okay, a twisted argument, and not about Maroney or Seymour, but at least it's about football.

 

[patsox23]

I'm torn on Hobson. At first I was pretty excited, thinking he might be a solid starter like Morris since Hobson has been a tough opponent, like Morris, for a long time and the Pats have a good track record with opposing players they've scouted over a long period.

Lately, I've tempered my optimism, thinking that, unlike Morris, they didn't target Hobson at the start of FA and didn't give him a multi-year contract. Maybe because they were intending all along to use their high first-round on an ILB. But they couldn't count on that.

I think they were cautious because they've been burned before on players who couldn't make the transition to ILB. Hobson may have a lot more potential than Chad Brown or Beisel, but the Pats are now more cautious.

OTOH, I really don't think he'll be a JAG. They had plenty of time to scout this guy, they've now had practice converting guys to their system so the coaches have learned from their mistakes (we hope). I'm anticipating he'll become the Jarvis Green of the LB rotation, which is no JAG position.

Okay, a twisted argument, and not about Maroney or Seymour, but at least it's about football.

Good post. I'm not sure about "I really don't think he'll be a JAG." He's a JAG now. He's rarely been much more than anything but. I certainly hope you're right, though.

 

[signbabybrady]

I'm torn on Hobson. At first I was pretty excited, thinking he might be a solid starter like Morris since Hobson has been a tough opponent, like Morris, for a long time and the Pats have a good track record with opposing players they've scouted over a long period.

Lately, I've tempered my optimism, thinking that, unlike Morris, they didn't target Hobson at the start of FA and didn't give him a multi-year contract. Maybe because they were intending all along to use their high first-round on an ILB. But they couldn't count on that.

I think they were cautious because they've been burned before on players who couldn't make the transition to ILB. Hobson may have a lot more potential than Chad Brown or Beisel, but the Pats are now more cautious.

OTOH, I really don't think he'll be a JAG. They had plenty of time to scout this guy, they've now had practice converting guys to their system so the coaches have learned from their mistakes (we hope). I'm anticipating he'll become the Jarvis Green of the LB rotation, which is no JAG position.

Okay, a twisted argument, and not about Maroney or Seymour, but at least it's about football.

I wouldn't take to much stock into the timing of things....you don't know how much intrest we may have had early in the process it just may have taken a few weeks for his price to come to our range.

Something that I key on as a reason to be real optimistic about him is that supposedly we are moving him to a more natural postion for his size and skill set. When you figure he has had some pretty good years playing "out of position" what can he do in the right position.

Another key here is that Beisel was thrown right into the fire having to replace a puped Bruschi (who most thought would not be back) and a concussed Teddy who was supposed to be there to help him. Hobson Will not be thrown to the wolves like that....Bru will be there from day one as will Mayo though he is learning too and Seau may come back too.

 

[patsox23]

Meant to mention Sammy Morris in the original post. That'll help, too.

 

[juny]

Meant to mention Sammy Morris in the original post. That'll help, too.

Hopefully he is fully healed. I remember reading somewhere where he said he won't know for sure until he starts getting hit again.