Big Bubba Ventrone: I'm sold

[bradmahn]

Ray Ventrone has shown some promising abilities as a slot receiver. He has a quick shake and runs very well after the catch. I won't pretend like I've scouted a substantial number of slot receivers, but last night (and in earlier flashes) he showed ability on crossing routes that I haven't seen from very many receivers.... besides Wes Welker. He showed good control of his body and balance (there was one play in particular on the C.J. Jones TD drive where Ventrone stopped on a dime, made a defender miss, and scooched forward for an extra 4 yards or so).

He's had solid showings in the first few games and a good camp in addition to last night's work. Last season, when he was signed to the fifty-three, he was a damn good player on special teams and is versatile and willing as a defender (although we haven't seen that translated to success as a defender on the field) . All this and the potential as a slot receiver make me confident that he will make the roster out of camp and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he contributes on offense for this team this year.

 

[Mainefan]

I felt exactly the same way. His exceptional versatility is going to earn him a spot on the 53, and if Welker is injured for any length of time, we're going to be damn glad we have him.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

If they keep him I hope they actually use him as a wr.

 

[JSn]

How about RBV as the #5 by mid-season? Could happen.

 

[wdkantro2]

I love Ventrone as a player, and he will always be one of my favorites because he graduated from my school. I would absolutely love to see him make the team...but where does he fit? I really just don't think there is an open roster spot for him.

 

[bradmahn]

I love Ventrone as a player, and he will always be one of my favorites because he graduated from my school. I would absolutely love to see him make the team...but where does he fit? I really just don't think there is an open roster spot for him.

As a WR, special teams standout, depth at DB (emergency safety and "Oh my god, call an ambulance"-emergency depth at corner).

Hypothetically speaking, ignore the hype surrounding Aikens for a minute, i.e., the reputation as a special teams ace: we have a guy who won't do much at WR unless there are injuries, hasn't been able to practice the last two weeks and doesn't offer depth at DB. Has he shown he can be a special teams stud for us? No (injuries are a part of the game; you don't win a roster spot from the trainer's room).

Is that more valuable than Ventrone right now? I don't think so.

Bubba has a place on this team.

 

[alvinnf]

Beating up on the future Bartenders of America does'nt earn you a spot on the roster, bye Bubba.

 

[bradmahn]

Beating up on the future Bartenders of America does'nt earn you a spot on the roster, bye Bubba.

Hey thanks for bringing this to the discussion. Real insightful.

 

[Mack Herron]

They are obviously hoping that Aiken can return or they would have IR'd him already. Moss, Welker, and Gaf are in, leaving Washington, Aiken, Chad Jackson, CJ Jones, Ventrone and Slater fighting for 3-4 spots. Each brings unique attributes making it one of the most competitive slots on the team.

 

[wdkantro2]

As a WR, special teams standout, depth at DB (emergency safety and "Oh my god, call an ambulance"-emergency depth at corner).

Hypothetically speaking, ignore the hype surrounding Aikens for a minute, i.e., the reputation as a special teams ace: we have a guy who won't do much at WR unless there are injuries, hasn't been able to practice the last two weeks and doesn't offer depth at DB. Has he shown he can be a special teams stud for us? No (injuries are a part of the game; you don't win a roster spot from the trainer's room).

Is that more valuable than Ventrone right now? I don't think so.

Bubba has a place on this team.

I personally don't care for the Aiken hype and I'd love to see a guy like Ventrone make the team for his versatility. But we need to look at numbers here.
QB- 3 Brady, Gutz, KOC
RB- 4/5 Maroney Morris Faulk Evans Jordan
WR- 5 Moss Gaffney Welker Jackson Washington
TE- 2 Watson Thomas
LT- 2 Light Britt
LG- 2 Mankins Hochstein
C- 1/2 Koppen Connolly
RG- 1/2 (3 when Neal returns) Flynn Yates Welbourn?
RT- 2 Kaczur O'Callahan

DL- 5/6 Seymour Warren Wilfork Wright Green (LK Smith?)
OLB- 4 Adalius Vrabel Woods Crable
ILB- 5 Bruschi Mayo Alexander Izzo Guyton
S- 5 Harrison Lynch Meriweather Spann Sanders
CB- 3 Hobbs Bryant Wheatley
plus K, P, LS
That's just a rough estimate but that comes to 51 guys. The limit is 53 and it doesn't include Aiken, or draft picks like Wilhite, Slater etc. It'll be very close, RV could easily be player #53, but on that top 51 list (give or take a Guyton/Alexander) I don't see anyone who would be cut in favor of Ray.
Like I said, I hope he makes it but it's really a number crunch at this point.

 

[alvinnf]

As a WR, special teams standout, depth at DB (emergency safety and "Oh my god, call an ambulance"-emergency depth at corner).

Hypothetically speaking, ignore the hype surrounding Aikens for a minute, i.e., the reputation as a special teams ace: we have a guy who won't do much at WR unless there are injuries, hasn't been able to practice the last two weeks and doesn't offer depth at DB. Has he shown he can be a special teams stud for us? No (injuries are a part of the game; you don't win a roster spot from the trainer's room).

Is that more valuable than Ventrone right now? I don't think so.

Bubba has a place on this team.

Yeah, we definately don't need a special teams ace, our coverage units have looked so good this year. Having a player that can play multiple positions is a nice luxury to have, we have had those players in the past (troy brown, Don davis etc.), but having a player that has not distinguished himself at any one spot does'nt warrant a roster spot. They don't look at it like "hey he plays a few positions pretty well, let's keep him around", more like "hey let's put him on the practice squad and develop him at a position." I hope that's insightful enough.

 

[Metaphors]

LT- 2 Light Britt
LG- 2 Mankins Hochstein
C- 1/2 Koppen Connolly
RG- 1/2 (3 when Neal returns) Flynn Yates Welbourn?
RT- 2 Kaczur O'Callahan

That's just a rough estimate but that comes to 51 guys. The limit is 53 and it doesn't include Aiken, or draft picks like Wilhite, Slater etc. It'll be very close, RV could easily be player #53, but on that top 51 list (give or take a Guyton/Alexander) I don't see anyone who would be cut in favor of Ray.
Like I said, I hope he makes it but it's really a number crunch at this point.

Agree that Ventrone is a 52/53 type player. In fact, he is the perfect type of player for that spot.

As for your roster, the ILB are still up in the air but your guess is as good as any. I can't see the Pats keeping 10 OL. The 7 active/2 inactive seems like a natural number for them. Hochstein, Connolly and Flynn are redundant so only one of them would be necessary unless the other OG candidates implode.

Slater makes the 53 and should be active most of the time. Kick return duties and speed as a gunner. Very valuable skill set.

I don't know how you can keep Aiken without seeing him healthy. Hard to evaluate Wilhite at this point so he could be making a trip to IR.

The interesting decisions could be with Guyton and Redd. Great talent but too raw to count on for much this year. Guyton's speed may get him claimed off waivers so I wouldn't count on him making the PS. Redd has shown enough in preseason to be the 53rd player on one of the 3-4 teams out there.

 

[SVN]

remember bam childress...everyone loved him the preseason but for some reason BB wouldnt play him in the REG season.

 

[Ichiro]

Ray Ventrone has shown some promising abilities as a slot receiver. He has a quick shake and runs very well after the catch. I won't pretend like I've scouted a substantial number of slot receivers, but last night (and in earlier flashes) he showed ability on crossing routes that I haven't seen from very many receivers.... besides Wes Welker. He showed good control of his body and balance (there was one play in particular on the C.J. Jones TD drive where Ventrone stopped on a dime, made a defender miss, and scooched forward for an extra 4 yards or so).

He's had solid showings in the first few games and a good camp in addition to last night's work. Last season, when he was signed to the fifty-three, he was a damn good player on special teams and is versatile and willing as a defender (although we haven't seen that translated to success as a defender on the field) . All this and the potential as a slot receiver make me confident that he will make the roster out of camp and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he contributes on offense for this team this year.

I really agree, ray has really shown excellent hands and great short yardage quickness as a WR. Its unbelievable that he looks so polished playing a new position.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I really agree, ray has really shown excellent hands and great short yardage quickness as a WR. Its unbelievable that he looks so polished playing a new position.

Ventrone, like Slater, was a track star in HS:

Owns three high school records in track and field: long jump (22'6"), triple jump (45'1") and 100M (10.8).

 

[spacecrime]

That's just a rough estimate but that comes to 51 guys. The limit is 53 and it doesn't include Aiken, or draft picks like Wilhite, Slater etc.

Do you really think Slater has shown more than Ventrone? I thought Slater has done squat to earn a roster spot. (Interestingly, both Slater and Ventrone play WR-DB-ST.)

 

[Metaphors]

Do you really think Slater has shown more than Ventrone? I thought Slater has done squat to earn a roster spot. (Interestingly, both Slater and Ventrone play WR-DB-ST.)

What were you expecting from Slater? He was drafted for his special teams skills. He has taken the majority of kick returns and been a gunner on kick coverage. He has consistently gotten kicks out to the 30 yard line (and gotten tripped up on a couple that looked like potential big returns) and shown blazing speed in getting down the field covering kicks.

Ventrone is a great camp story and I think he has won a spot on the 53. Slater fills two key needs (getting Hobbs off kick returns and taking Andrews spot at gunner) and has done nothing to disappoint. If you were expecting meaningful play at WR or DB...well Slater couldn't even do much on a mediocre UCLA team.

 

[JSn]

Could we NOT make Kevin O'Connell's nickname "KOC"? I read it phonetically and can't unread it. This doesn't "raise" his stock.

Sorry, just had to lighten the mood. Back to your regularly scheduled Ventrone vs Slater vs Jones vs Jackson vs Redd vs Guyton vs Ruud debate.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Could we NOT make Kevin O'Connell's nickname "KOC"? I read it phonetically and can't unread it. This doesn't "raise" his stock.

No, but he has raised some people's stocks.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yeah, we definately don't need a special teams ace, our coverage units have looked so good this year. Having a player that can play multiple positions is a nice luxury to have, we have had those players in the past (troy brown, Don davis etc.), but having a player that has not distinguished himself at any one spot does'nt warrant a roster spot. They don't look at it like "hey he plays a few positions pretty well, let's keep him around", more like "hey let's put him on the practice squad and develop him at a position." I hope that's insightful enough.

Please let us know when you've actually watched Ventrone play in a game because your comments don't show that you have done so.

Since you missed it, Ventrone was one of this teams better special teams players after he was activated last year (behind Washington and Woods). He played on both kick offs, returns, and I believe on punt coverage as well. So, to say that he hasn't distinguished himself shows you don't know what you are talking about.