Lombardi thinks Bruschi will be cut

[tombonneau]

Didn't see this mentioned in the other Lombardi/Reiss thread but thought it deserved its own thread. In response to a poster question, ML says he expects Bruschi to be a surprise cut. This would obviously be huge news, but I'm not sure I totally disagree with it.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2008/08/national-football-post-diner-news-7/

# Michael Lombardi
August 29, 2008
12:16 pm

I dont think McGahee becasue he is a one contact runner and litte else. he needs the ball too much and the rewards are never great. He is good, but no where near great. and he thinks he is the second coming and does not train or prepare like a pro.

i think Bruschi is done too…he only can go forward now and him playing last night makes me think he is at the end. i expect a lawyer malloy summer in NE.

 

[festy1986]

the same Bruschi who signed a two year contract coming off of FA?

 

[tombonneau]

the same Bruschi who signed a two year contract coming off of FA?

Yes. I'm just passing it along, don't shoot the messenger. Without knowing details of Bruschi's contract though, it's probably wouldn't hurt the team much if he were cut (after all, Bruschi negotiated it ...).

 

[BradyManny]

That explains his comments per Reiss, see the other Lombardi thread.

No way Bruschi gets cut, IMO - if he were more of a financial burden, then maybe it'd be arguable. While he gets physically manhandled at times now, he still has the brains. Ideally, I was hoping Hobson would make more an impact at SILB and Bruschi would have to play less, but so far that's not the case. That could change once the season starts.

 

[Lampshade]

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Firstly, every healthy starter played on defense last night.

Secondly, that the defensive comm device was first used with Bruschi and Vrabel also suggests he isn't in danger.

 

[BradyToMoss]

They'll never cut him, but his days of taking on guards and shedding blocks was about 3 years ago. Teams will run right at him now. Junior coming back would be an upgrade.

I have a feeling as the season progresses, that 3rd ILB rotation guy aside from Mayo will see more and more PT with each passing game at Tedy's expense.

 

[Mack Herron]

I figure that's a year early but it makes sense if you want to get younger and faster. The problem is that there is nobody groomed to step in to the role. Best bet would be AD, which might give us something like this:

Vrabel/Mayo/AD/Crable (Woods?)

Pretty good speed in this group.

 

[tombonneau]

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

Firstly, every healthy starter played on defense last night.

Secondly, that the defensive comm device was first used with Bruschi and Vrabel also suggests he isn't in danger.

Both excellent points. But frankly, the fact this topic can be legitimately discussed says quite a bit about Bruschi's play.

 

[Wax Frog]

Not a cut but instead a sort of phase-out?

 

[BradyToMoss]

I figure that's a year early but it makes sense if you want to get younger and faster. The problem is that there is nobody groomed to step in to the role. Best bet would be AD, which might give us something like this:

Vrabel/Mayo/AD/Crable (Woods?)

Pretty good speed in this group.

This works for me..............

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Maybe put Bruschi in more as a backup and let some of the younger guys play and see what they got,Bruschi would still be a better backup than most of the rest here,even with his obvious signs of slowing down.

 

[wdkantro2]

I figure that's a year early but it makes sense if you want to get younger and faster. The problem is that there is nobody groomed to step in to the role. Best bet would be AD, which might give us something like this:

Vrabel/Mayo/AD/Crable (Woods?)

Pretty good speed in this group.

Not a chance. Crable and Woods both have no clue how to set the edge yet. That stretch play will be good for 10 yards a pop running right at those guys.

 

[Deus Irae]

Both excellent points. But frankly, the fact this topic can be legitimately discussed says quite a bit about Bruschi's play.

It says a lot more about fans who can't adjust to the loss in the Super Bowl and keep looking for things to panic about. Bruschi hasn't played any worse than the other veterans have this exhibition season. Is he done? I doubt it, but I'm sure he's closing in on the end. If there's another solid ILB in next year's free agency or draft class, I think that will be the end of Bruschi. However, you'd think that if he were fully cooked, Seau would have been brought in the moment BB noticed it.

The fans, for the sake of their own mental health, have really got to stop pissing and moaning about every imperfection. They're taking all the fun out of the game for themeselves, and that's not healthy when it's the game that's supposed to be a way to blow off some steam.

 

[SVN]

thats why he and vrable were experimenting with the defensive headsets.

 

[Angry Man]

Maybe put Bruschi in more as a backup and let some of the younger guys play and see what they got,Bruschi would still be a better backup than most of the rest here,even with his obvious signs of slowing down.

I agree on this. Bruschi can be a great teacher to the young talent on how to improve which in turn would be a great benefit for the team as a whole. Letting Bruschi go would be a big mistake.

 

[tombonneau]

It says a lot more about fans who can't adjust to the loss in the Super Bowl and keep looking for things to panic about. Bruschi hasn't played any worse than the other veterans have this exhibition season. Is he done? I doubt it, but I'm sure he's closing in on the end. If there's another solid ILB in next year's free agency or draft class, I think that will be the end of Bruschi. However, you'd think that if he were fully cooked, Seau would have been brought in the moment BB noticed it.

The fans, for the sake of their own mental health, have really got to stop pissing and moaning about every imperfection. They're taking all the fun out of the game for themeselves, and that's not healthy when it's the game that's supposed to be a way to blow off some steam.

That's a bit harsh. I certainly wouldn't put myself in the panic crowd -- quite the opposite -- but I thought this was a relevant discussion given it's the opinion of a fairly well-respected former NFL exec.

And frankly, given Bruschi's huge drop off in performance, I think it merits discussion. I don't think it will happen this year, but the end is clearly very nigh for Tedy that it can even be discussed.

I don't think it's panicky or looking to place blame or any of that. Certainly there are members of the Ulcer Club on this board who are stressing the third quarter performance of the fourth preseason game, and maybe your moaning comment is directed more towards that crowd ...

 

[Kontradiction]

Honestly, I know Bruschi isn't an every down contributer, but I'd be pissed if this team just cut him. He was an integral part in this franchise's three Super Bowl championships. That would just be pure disrespect.

 

[Kdo5]

Yeah...

Vrabel and Crable on the outside with Mayo and AD on the inside would be great. Bruschi just doesn't have much left in the tank anymore.

 

[Bostonian1962]

Would not surprise me. I thought about saying something about that possibility in another thread. To me, this will be his last year with the team anyway, so do they want a smart vet for one more year, or should they make room for a younger, faster, more athletic LB? I've been guessing they keep TB for one more year.

 

[Lansdowne]

Didn't see this mentioned in the other Lombardi/Reiss thread but thought it deserved its own thread. In response to a poster question, ML says he expects Bruschi to be a surprise cut. This would obviously be huge news, but I'm not sure I totally disagree with it.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2008/08/national-football-post-diner-news-7/

Who is "lawyer malloy" and is he related to Lawyer Milloy?

Are we sure the guy responding in to those comments isn't an imposter, given that you can use pretty much any name you want?