Interesting Piece on Ras-I Dowling on Bleacher Report

Dowling sure has alot of potential.. if we can just get him healthy...

http://http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145513-predicting-patriots-2012-breakout-performances-cornerback-ras-i-dowling

Joey007 said:

Dowling sure has alot of potential.. if we can just get him healthy...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...reakout-performances-cornerback-ras-i-dowling

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................ your link messed up, fixed it.

You know, I can be a little jaded but when your defensive coordinator says stuff like that in a fairly major program, you have to be impressed. (video)

preseason is a long arduous march fraught with many dangers and pitfalls...for Ras I....he should be required to live in Missouri until further notice...

I'm OK with our top 3 CBs being:

• A recent Pro Bowler
• A recent league leader in INTs
• This guy

Fencer said:

I'm OK with our top 3 CBs being:

• A recent Pro Bowler
• A recent league leader in INTs
• This guy

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I think our CB core is already in a better position than last year, considering that we should see the return of Dowling, something closer to 2010 from McCourty (as opposed to 2011), and another year of experience from Moore. That isn't even including Arrington, who will likely hold his own in the slot CB position.

With the additions of Allen and maybe another draft pick or FA vet/camp cut, we should be in much better shape for 2012.

Now if we could just get those safeties in order next

Joey007 said:

Dowling sure has alot of potential.. if we can just get him healthy...

http://http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145513-predicting-patriots-2012-breakout-performances-cornerback-ras-i-dowling

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Listening to Dowling speak and listening to his coach at VA speak about him just reinforced to me the type of person BB and crew are looking to draft. I cannot see how someone like Janoris Jenkins, despite his talent, is even on the edge of the Pats' draft radar this year.

I think I'm in love!!!

Fencer said:

I'm OK with our top 3 CBs being:

• A recent Pro Bowler
• A recent league leader in INTs
• This guy

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then if we can get meriweather back we'll have another pro-bowler.

Joker said:

preseason is a long arduous march fraught with many dangers and pitfalls...for Ras I....he should be required to live in Missouri until further notice...

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LOL Why? Because it's the "Show me State?

Fencer said:

I'm OK with our top 3 CBs being:

• A recent Pro Bowler
• A recent league leader in INTs
• This guy

Click to expand...

I for one honestly think Ras-I's health will determine how our secondary performs this year. We do have Sterling Moore as a possibility after him, though, maybe even Will Allen.

supafly said:

I think our CB core is already in a better position than last year, considering that we should see the return of Dowling, something closer to 2010 from McCourty (as opposed to 2011), and another year of experience from Moore. That isn't even including Arrington, who will likely hold his own in the slot CB position.

With the additions of Allen and maybe another draft pick or FA vet/camp cut, we should be in much better shape for 2012.

Now if we could just get those safeties in order next

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I think of it this way: Even if McCourty, Arrington, and Moore stay exactly the same as last year, we've got a combination of Cole, Allen, and Dowling, and all we need is ONE of them to be better than Moulden, and our CB corp has improved over last year. I think that's a group we can count on to improve marginally, and hopefully the things you said will happen and they'll improve greatly.

PatsGuy said:

LOL Why? Because it's the "Show me State?

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Exactamundo! Give that man a seegar!

Sicilian said:

I think of it this way: Even if McCourty, Arrington, and Moore stay exactly the same as last year, we've got a combination of Cole, Allen, and Dowling, and all we need is ONE of them to be better than Moulden, and our CB corp has improved over last year. I think that's a group we can count on to improve marginally, and hopefully the things you said will happen and they'll improve greatly.

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Marginal improvement would not be something to get excited about. The secondary was horrific.
There is definitely a case to be made that safety play had an awful lot to do with it, but on a scale of 1 to 10 its hard to put out 2011 corner play much above the 3 level. Marginal improvement would be a failed plan.

AndyJohnson said:

Marginal improvement would not be something to get excited about. The secondary was horrific.
There is definitely a case to be made that safety play had an awful lot to do with it, but on a scale of 1 to 10 its hard to put out 2011 corner play much above the 3 level. Marginal improvement would be a failed plan.

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I agree but i don't think the poor pass defense can be pinned solely on the secondary. Our LBs can't cover either.

AndyJohnson said:

Marginal improvement would not be something to get excited about. The secondary was horrific.
There is definitely a case to be made that safety play had an awful lot to do with it, but on a scale of 1 to 10 its hard to put out 2011 corner play much above the 3 level. Marginal improvement would be a failed plan.

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True, but I feel like there are very few times when things are almost guaranteed to get better, and the only question is to what degree. That's encouraging to me.

He can be a shutdown corner - the first since Ty Law. He has excellent reaction time, gets position, has the speed to recover and can turn for the ball. Best cover guy on the team.

Sicilian said:

True, but I feel like there are very few times when things are almost guaranteed to get better, and the only question is to what degree. That's encouraging to me.

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Fair enough.

Joker said:

Exactamundo! Give that man a seegar!

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The combination of turnover, injury and poor play means that the list of Patriots players who should be in Missouri is pretty long this season.

Ridley
Vereen
Lloyd
Johnson
Fells
Koppen
Cannon
Faulk


And that's on the better side of the ball....

TommyBrady12 said:

I agree but i don't think the poor pass defense can be pinned solely on the secondary. Our LBs can't cover either.

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I agree. I think our S and LB play is the more significant issue on 3rd down than our CBs.

Two names that perk for me: Bobby Wagner might help, in place of Spikes on third down. Another one who's game film I really liked was Sean Spence. Spence feels a SS/LB hybrid, someone I think BB could use on passing downs, maybe a new form of big nickle D.

AndyJohnson said:

Marginal improvement would not be something to get excited about. The secondary was horrific.
There is definitely a case to be made that safety play had an awful lot to do with it, but on a scale of 1 to 10 its hard to put out 2011 corner play much above the 3 level. Marginal improvement would be a failed plan.

Click to expand...

Jets Fan!!!!!!