Zolak excited about Crable, thinks he can contribute immediately

[MrBigglesWorth]

Crable should contribute this is true.
I wanna know why people are sleeping on Woods still.
BB publicly praised the guy like he was talking about a special player not a guy on the bubble to make the 53.
BB knows that Woods is ready to take over the outside spot that Colvin held down with authority through his tenure.
At worst Woods will be a a beast on third down always pressuring th qb.
When he drafted Crable he said he reminds me of Woods.
That right there should let people know this Linebacker corps is gonna be more productive than people think.
Crable is a beast in the making he needs a year or two of seasoning I love the fact he came from Michigan I'm sure he will click up perfectly with Vrabel he already is friends with Woods.
BB is quickly gonna build chemistry between the mix of vets and the young guys.
As far as Mayo that man is a Seasoned vet inside the body of rookie incredible find, and trading down for him that is a move that needs to be given more attention.
As far as who's on the bubble i'm saying eric alexander he's nothing special.
As far as Redd and Guyton i'm still on record they both make the team maybe guyton on the practice squad but Redd will surprise people.

I think they had little confidence in Woods. I'll still say AD was huffing a puffing on that last drive in the SB. It makes me wonder why Woods wasn't in there. They should have had Vrabel, AD, and Woods in at the same time and maybe they would have actually gotten Eli. A fresh Woods could have meant a second quicker explosion.

 

[dhamz]

I wanna know why people are sleeping on Woods still.
BB publicly praised the guy like he was talking about a special player not a guy on the bubble to make the 53.

People are sleeping on Woods because he really did not make any contribution to the regular defesne last year after Colvin went down. We were playing 4 older LBs some of whom (Vrabel especially) were wearing down through the latter part of the year yet they did not go to Woods.

As for BB praising him - it is meaningless. Ignore what he says, watch who he puts on the field. He praises EVERY player publicly. It is his MO with the media. He even praised Duane Starks publicly. He praised Rohan Davey like he was Joe Montana a couple hours AFTER he cut him.

 

[signbabybrady]

No one has ever questioned Crables upper body frame and stregth. What he needs to work on is his lower body because he is still a bit thin through his legs. He has the possibility to be a great pass rusher but he needs to bulk up a bit in some areas before being completely relied upon in the game ala Colvin. Mayo OTOH is already at that stage where he could jump in and play if needed to.

Brady didn't have the greatest Frame either, must be something in the water up there at Michigan

 

[BradyManny]

Crable should contribute this is true.
I wanna know why people are sleeping on Woods still.
BB publicly praised the guy like he was talking about a special player not a guy on the bubble to make the 53.
BB knows that Woods is ready to take over the outside spot that Colvin held down with authority through his tenure.
At worst Woods will be a a beast on third down always pressuring th qb.
When he drafted Crable he said he reminds me of Woods.

I'd love for that to happen - we'll see, it'll be another interesting storyline to watch this upcoming season. This is a make or break season for Woods in a way - will he just be an STer? Or can he start to contribute on passing downs as a pass rusher? I think we'll find out as this season goes on.

 

[Kontradiction]

first im not your buddy, i have a right to question what Zolak really knows, and if his opinion is creditable, if you have a problem , just go away, you seem to have a problem mr. belichick fan of anybody who disagrees eith you, i suggest some anger management courses for yourself

Most of the best coaches were not the best football players. Or they weren't football players at all. Just ask BB.

 

[rusH1023]

People are sleeping on Woods because he really did not make any contribution to the regular defesne last year after Colvin went down. We were playing 4 older LBs some of whom (Vrabel especially) were wearing down through the latter part of the year yet they did not go to Woods.

As for BB praising him - it is meaningless. Ignore what he says, watch who he puts on the field. He praises EVERY player publicly. It is his MO with the media. He even praised Duane Starks publicly. He praised Rohan Davey like he was Joe Montana a couple hours AFTER he cut him.

Took the words out of my mouth. I forget about Woods because he hasn't been trusted to play at any level for the defense. That says something, regardless of what Belichick is telling the media. We're talking about 1st and 3rd round draft picks coming in during rookie campaign's and being contributors, but Woods is still sleeping? IMO, he's not going to ever see any playing time. And if it's a consideration down the line with retiring, etc., guys like Guyton or Redd or otherwise could be waiting in the wings.

 

[Robdude]

I have seen pictures of Crable just like everyone else and I understand he has skinny legs. But, with that said I do not see any numbers that support the idea that he has poor lower body strength. I am willing to admit that there are others here that know more about him then I do (and others that know more about football then I do).

Can someone show me some example that shows he has poor lower body strength. Some game he constantly got over powered or poor results at the combine?

Until then I would have to agree that he does not have the ideal looking body but not that he lacks strength.

 

[PromisedLand]

has zolak ever coached defense??? his opinion is about as worthless as any other ex jock whos been out of football for years, soory to bust your bubble but he is nothing but a meaningless piece of the media, did he have any stock tips to???

I never thought that highly of Zo's opinions - for example he was still saying Bledsoe was a better QB than Brady for years after Drew was traded. Still, he's more likely to be right than wrong.

 

[tombonneau]

Crable should contribute this is true.
I wanna know why people are sleeping on Woods still.
BB publicly praised the guy like he was talking about a special player not a guy on the bubble to make the 53.
BB knows that Woods is ready to take over the outside spot that Colvin held down with authority through his tenure.
At worst Woods will be a a beast on third down always pressuring th qb.
When he drafted Crable he said he reminds me of Woods.
That right there should let people know this Linebacker corps is gonna be more productive than people think.
Crable is a beast in the making he needs a year or two of seasoning I love the fact he came from Michigan I'm sure he will click up perfectly with Vrabel he already is friends with Woods.
BB is quickly gonna build chemistry between the mix of vets and the young guys.
As far as Mayo that man is a Seasoned vet inside the body of rookie incredible find, and trading down for him that is a move that needs to be given more attention.
As far as who's on the bubble i'm saying eric alexander he's nothing special.
As far as Redd and Guyton i'm still on record they both make the team maybe guyton on the practice squad but Redd will surprise people.

Where is this "praise" of Woods I keep hearing about? I've yet to hear or read anything from BB that praises Woods. All I know is he compared Crable to Woods in a post-draft press conference; that's about I'll I've publicly read.

If someone could supply links I'd appreciate it.

But people are "sleeping" on Woods because he hasn't even shown a flash of any sort of starter potential in two years. There is no reason for optimism; only slight pessimism.

 

[Lampshade]

People are sleeping on Woods because he really did not make any contribution to the regular defesne last year after Colvin went down. We were playing 4 older LBs some of whom (Vrabel especially) were wearing down through the latter part of the year yet they did not go to Woods.

As for BB praising him - it is meaningless. Ignore what he says, watch who he puts on the field. He praises EVERY player publicly. It is his MO with the media. He even praised Duane Starks publicly. He praised Rohan Davey like he was Joe Montana a couple hours AFTER he cut him.

What's most interesting about BBs comments regarding Woods is precisely that they weren't made publicly. He told Crable pre-draft that if taken he would be expected to learn by following Woods. IMO that's more meaningful than podium talk.

Of course it could be that BB simply values him highly as a STer and someone to learn professionalism from.

 

[tombonneau]

What's most interesting about BBs comments regarding Woods is precisely that they weren't made publicly. He told Crable pre-draft that if taken he would be expected to learn by following Woods. IMO that's more meaningful than podium talk.

Of course it could be that BB simply values him highly as a STer and someone to learn professionalism from.

I don't know about that ... I see it more as warming up a potential prospect by talking about a former college teammate he is familiar with. It might speak to Woods strong work ethic as well, but I think you'd have to be really reading into things to say anything more than that.

Actions speak louder than words. It's not what you say, it's what you do. Etc.

When Woods starts seeing legit reps at LB, then I'll start believing in his potential. Until then, he is a ST guy who occasionally gets on the field on D.

 

[bradmahn]

There are a lot of ass-holes -- err, I mean opinions, in this thread that are relying heavily on assumptions, or simply ignorance.

Assumption one: Crable can't contribute (or contribute effectively) unless he thickens his legs.

Why not wait until he's at least wearing pads before proclaiming this? His leg strength could be perfectly suitable for him to have an impact this year.

Assumption two: the praise of Woods in the post-draft presser. This means very little other than that BB feels Woods has/had talent/potential (but he wouldn't be on the team if BB didn't feel that way). One can also speculate that Belichick isn't too fond of the program up in Michigan.

Assumption three: Woods's production (or lack thereof) in the past is predictive of what he will do in the future. It's his third year in the NFL after not playing very much his senior year in college. On top of that (or as a result of that), he was an UDFA. These players are undrafted because they either have red flags, suck, or need development. Woods needed development, undoubtedly. This does not mean that what we have seen from Woods is all we will get. He has the potential to be a solid back up/nickel rusher. Forgive us if we feel he could show that this year. Playing time is earned in training camp and preseason, not by what players did or did not do last year.

And patsgo, Mike Reiss never played in the NFL, does that mean his opinion is worthless?

I'd bank on Zo having been at the minicamps this past spring, that's significantly more exposure than you or I have experienced. His opinion should not be dismissed purely based on cynicism.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'd bank on Zo having been at the minicamps this past spring, that's significantly more exposure than you or I have experienced. His opinion should not be dismissed purely based on cynicism.

Nor should his opinion be heralded purely based upon his career as an NFL player who's pimping a Patriots' prospect. You know as well as I do that if this were, say, Sorgi commenting after watching the minicamps, and his comments were that Crable was going to be a cut, people would on here screaming about "what the hell does he know?".

Zolak is either a good judge of talent transitioning from college to the NFL or he's not. Whether he's played in the NFL or not doesn't change that basic truth.

 

[signbabybrady]

Nor should his opinion be heralded purely based upon his career as an NFL player who's pimping a Patriots' prospect. You know as well as I do that if this were, say, Sorgi commenting after watching the minicamps, and his comments were that Crable was going to be a cut, people would on here screaming about "what the hell does he know?".

Zolak is either a good judge of talent transitioning from college to the NFL or he's not. Whether he's played in the NFL or not doesn't change that basic truth.

If Sorgi were to have said something like that sure there would be some people saying what the hell does he know but some might have a little concern over anyone (football player or not) saying a guy stinks that they watched.

I know some people who are excited about Redd based soley on what they have read on here from some random psoters opinions who said they watched him play and think he will fit in.

I still am not sure what your problem with people being excited to hear good things about a player from someone who actually watched him.
Seems to me your problem is with Zolak and seems to me you think everyone should have the same opinion of him. Do you have a reason we shouldn't trust his opinion?

 

[WhiZa]

I thought this thread was good, but it turned great

I think Crable will be a solid ST with his speed and ability to work through blocks. He will need a few years to become a finished product.

 

[Deus Irae]

I still am not sure what your problem with people being excited to hear good things about a player from someone who actually watched him.
Seems to me your problem is with Zolak and seems to me you think everyone should have the same opinion of him. Do you have a reason we shouldn't trust his opinion?

I've got no problem with Zolak at all. Patsgo is the one who made the statement about Zolak. I'm just pointing out that Zolak's experience as an NFL player doesn't mean that he's any better at evaluating the ability of a college player to transition to the NFL than a non-player.

 

[363839]

with the way zolak performed in his career id take nothing from his comments

You should have seen Belichick play.

 

[RayClay]

Most of the best coaches were not the best football players. Or they weren't football players at all. Just ask BB.

The most knowledgeable experts are not ex players or coaches, they are anonymous messageboard posters.

Take that to the bank.

 

[RayClay]

You should have seen Belichick play.

BB played offensive line. He couldn't know anything about defense.

Do you think Bledsoe and Zolak watched a little film on pass rushers?

 

[signbabybrady]

I've got no problem with Zolak at all. Patsgo is the one who made the statement about Zolak. I'm just pointing out that Zolak's experience as an NFL player doesn't mean that he's any better at evaluating the ability of a college player to transition to the NFL than a non-player.

But what does that have anything to do with it. Zolak is the one that saw him and commented not a non-player. Do have any reason we shouldn't trust Zolaks opinion? other than that he may or may not be any more equipped to evaluate talent than a non-player.