Leon Washington released; CB Justin Green promoted from PS to active roster

Deus Irae said:

They were misses because they were bad signings from day one. The Patriots made a lot of bad, big and obvious mistakes this past offseason, and that includes a lot of the free agent signings. I don't know why this site has become so sensitive that something that obvious can't just be admitted.

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The Pats under BB have brought in competition for 1 roster spot throughout BBs tenure to push the person at the top. The best player gets the job.

You should know this by now.

I was fine with them getting rid of Lloyd, I saw enough of him for one season.

Big-T said:

Based on how Green played pre-season, I think I'd rather see Edelman playing CB again

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Green has 11 weeks of practice since then. He must have improved since then or he'd probably be gone by now.

DarrylS said:

Revisionist history at its finest, 3 years ago they offered WW 24 million for three years which he rejected, then came the franchise tag which he gratefully accepted after all it was a "meager" 9+ million dollar payday, then after the end the Pats offered him a "take it or leave it" package with incentives worth up to 15 million something like 10 million guaranteed, he left it and they moved on.

His agent overestimated his value, so he went to Denver and got two years for 10 million with 5 guaranteed...

All week long have had to turn off talk radio as it has been WW talk all day all of the time... time to move on, his agent overestimated his value and rejected a pretty good offer from the Pats...

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There's nothing revisionist, at all, about what I posted. Furthermore, you surely already knew that, yet you posted your response. I thought you were better than that. Apparently, I was wrong.

No biggie. Another one to add to the ignore list.

Washington gone?

jmt57 said:

I wonder if this is a one-week deal, due to all the injuries with the defensive backs (and the opponent). As bad as Justin Green may be, if another DB is injured mid-game, you have to have an emergency backup.

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I think that you're correct and I expect Washington to be back when he is healthy, I think earlier in the year they were retaining him on the active roster with the concern that Seattle would sign him since Harvin was on PUP it doesn't shock me to see this type of move a week after Harvin returned in Seattle.

Triumph said:

The Pats under BB have brought in competition for 1 roster spot throughout BBs tenure to push the person at the top. The best player gets the job.

You should know this by now.

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That has absolutely nothing to do with what I posted.

Archeryaddict12 said:

Why not Edelman then?

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Two possibilities:

1. To keep Edelman fresh and available for offense, where he could be more of a factor.

2. A guy that has been practicing all year at the position may be better than a guy who has not played there for a couple years. Perhaps/hopefully Green has improved enough in the interim since we last saw him, eliciting more confidence in the coaching staff than Edelman would.

Deus Irae said:

They could sign better free agents than the likes of Jenkins, Jones and company (or, gasp!, they could have kept their own players). Shocking notion, signing good players instead of crap, I realize. Belichick's screwups were easy to see coming, which makes it even worse. Signing Amendola was an injury waiting to happen, and it didn't take long. That could have been ameliorated had they not decided to play games with Welker and just paid him. They could also have kept Lloyd to allow the rookies to develop at a more normal pace, even if they decided to cut him later on in the season, once the rookies were more ready to play. They could have spent the money they blew on Wilson in another direction (coverage LB, perhaps), and drafted Swearinger instead of the hybrid who was nowhere near ready.


But BB's never wrong.

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So,they should sign big name free agents (ocho) and start giving veterans bigger than market contracts and holding on to them until they are on the down slope?

I like the idea of taking the hit and going with younger players, even if it looks bad for a while. After all, many other teams feel pressured by the fan base into giving that one huge long term contract to players, whether they are likely to be playing at that level at the end of the contract or not.

Without looking, I can tell you we have a better long term record than teams who have that philosophy.

PlainOldEd said:

Green has 11 weeks of practice since then. He must have improved since then or he'd probably be gone by now.

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Agreed, he also was not as bad as many made him out to be some considered him to be the most impressive rookie DB during camp.

“Justin Green, CB, rookie — Green was the most impressive of the undrafted rookie defensive backs this summer. A late signing, not much was expected from him, but Green took the uphill challenge in stride and excelled when given the opportunity in game action. Don’t be surprised if he makes a few appearance on the 53-man at some point this season.”

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Read more at: Quentin Sims, George Winn, Justin Green Among Patriots Cuts Who Could Be Fits for Practice Squad | New England Patriots | NESN.com

Triumph said:

The Pats under BB have brought in competition for 1 roster spot throughout BBs tenure to push the person at the top. The best player gets the job.

You should know this by now.

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Do you really believe that is always the case?

• Jake Bequette
• Steve Beauharnais
• Josh Boyce
• Tavon Wilson

Those 4 guys are all here for future reasons if you ask me and not because they’re the best player for the job right now.

Brady6 said:

Agreed, he also was not as bad as many made him out to be some considered him to be the most impressive rookie DB during camp.



Read more at: Quentin Sims, George Winn, Justin Green Among Patriots Cuts Who Could Be Fits for Practice Squad | New England Patriots | NESN.com

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Good find. I noticed him looking very lost and that stuck out to me. I've since looked him up and he switched from RB after a year in college, so he's probably green (no pun). Looks like a physical specimen.

Of course what BB knows about DBs and what i know...enough said. I'll check out the story.

EDIT, I wonder if Quentin Sims will ever get a break. Hard to believe they couldn't even hold a spot on the PS for him.

Re: Washington gone?

RayClay said:

Good find. I noticed him looking very lost and that stuck out to me. I've since looked him up and he switched from RB after a year in college, so he's probably green (no pun). Looks like a physical specimen.

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He had an impressive pro day performance and saw significant reps in the preseason, I agree he looked a bit lost out there but so did Logan Ryan in the preseason so who knows.

Justin Green, DS #63 CB, Illinois
Pro Day Results
Dates: 03/07/13
Height: 5100
Weight: 198
40 Yrd Dash: 4.42
20 Yrd Dash: 2.54
10 Yrd Dash: 1.52
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 21
Vertical Jump: 36 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'01"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.51
3-Cone Drill: 7.20

EDIT, I wonder if Quentin Sims will ever get a break. Hard to believe they couldn't even hold a spot on the PS for him.

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Agreed, its very surprising that Sims is not still around in some capacity personally I found him to be a more compelling prospect than Thompkins.

Re: Washington gone?

Brady6 said:

He had an impressive pro day performance and saw significant reps in the preseason, I agree he looked a bit lost out there but so did Logan Ryan in the preseason so who knows.

Justin Green, DS #63 CB, Illinois
Pro Day Results
Dates: 03/07/13
Height: 5100
Weight: 198
40 Yrd Dash: 4.42
20 Yrd Dash: 2.54
10 Yrd Dash: 1.52
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 21
Vertical Jump: 36 1/2
Broad Jump: 10'01"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.51
3-Cone Drill: 7.20



Agreed, its very surprising that Sims is not still around in some capacity personally I found him to be a more compelling prospect than Thompkins.

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Yeah, that's what i found when I looked hm up. Of course that doesn't always extend to on the field performance which is why I like that little blurb you linked. Even writers often know the difference between a player and a "physical specimen", as i put it.

Brady6 said:

Do you really believe that is always the case?

• Jake Bequette
• Steve Beauharnais
• Josh Boyce
• Tavon Wilson

Those 4 guys are all here for future reasons if you ask me and not because they’re the best player for the job right now.

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BB has always had a mix of players on the roster for this year and some developmental players for the future. That mix is what has kept this team a winner for a decade plus because it allows them to fill positions from within rather than rely on FAs (Baltimore has had a similar strategy on their defense). Vereen is the perfect example in that he barely sniffed the field his first few years, but is now looked at as an x-factor for the offense with Woodhead leaving. To me, Beauharnais is looked at as insurance if Spikes leaves this offseason since they have similar skill sets. Wilson though looks to be a ST-only player though since Harmon and Ebner have apparently passed him on the DEF depth chart.

From Mike Reiss's Catching up with former Patriots posted today:

Leon Washington (Titans)
Wearing No. 26, he is the primary kickoff returner and punt returner in a 51-28 road loss to the Broncos. He totals five kickoff returns for 209 yards (41.8 avg.), with a 95-yard effort, and has two fair catches as a punt returner. He doesn't play on offense.
Season snapshot: Released by the Patriots on Nov. 23; signed with the Titans on Nov. 26. and has played in two games as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner.



He got paid around 1 million right? For nothing.

Another wasted money, apparently he was not having playing time for other reasons than injuries.

varjao said:

From Mike Reiss's Catching up with former Patriots posted today:

Leon Washington (Titans)
Wearing No. 26, he is the primary kickoff returner and punt returner in a 51-28 road loss to the Broncos. He totals five kickoff returns for 209 yards (41.8 avg.), with a 95-yard effort, and has two fair catches as a punt returner. He doesn't play on offense.
Season snapshot: Released by the Patriots on Nov. 23; signed with the Titans on Nov. 26. and has played in two games as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner.



He got paid around 1 million right? For nothing.

Another wasted money, apparently he was not having playing time for other reasons than injuries.

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My guess (pure speculation) is that he didn't do anything to show he could contribute offensively, and BB doesn't like using gameday roster spots on kick return specialists. Hence why he was using Blount to return kicks until Boyce showed enough (and injuries likely forced BB's hand) to make him active on gameday.

Given the kickoff rules, I can't blame him for that. Still ended up being a waste of money on Leon, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that much.

Re: Washington gone?

Archeryaddict12 said:

Why not Edelman then?

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He's too valuable on offense and special teams.

Sicilian said:

My guess (pure speculation) is that he didn't do anything to show he could contribute offensively, and BB doesn't like using gameday roster spots on kick return specialists. Hence why he was using Blount to return kicks until Boyce showed enough (and injuries likely forced BB's hand) to make him active on gameday.

Given the kickoff rules, I can't blame him for that. Still ended up being a waste of money on Leon, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that much.

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It's less annoying having wasted 1M on him, rather than seeing him break off 95y returns!

Taking out the 95-yarder he had an average of 28.5/return against the Broncos. We are having an average of 21.4/return.
Imho 7 yards per return more would be well worth a roster spot (assuming that Washington keeps this pace up)!

Brady6 said:

Do you really believe that is always the case?

• Jake Bequette
• Steve Beauharnais
• Josh Boyce
• Tavon Wilson

Those 4 guys are all here for future reasons if you ask me and not because they’re the best player for the job right now.

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Actually yes, when the job is end of roster development position with no intention to see actual playing time except for injuries. Boyce has been exceptional in this role.

News flash: sometimes free agent signings and draft picks don't work out for NFL teams.


It never ceases to amaze me that some seem to be under the impression that should not ever be the case with the Patriots. And I'm sure that if Washington had not been signed there would have been plenty of threads second guessing the Pats for having not signed a kick returner in the off season.


Was it a wasted roster spot?
Yes.

Was it a waste of money?
Yes.

Was it a waste of cap space?
Yes.

It happens - to this and every other NFL team. It's no different from the fact that sometimes teams lose a game, sometimes the quarterback throws incomplete passes, sometimes a running back gets stuffed for no gain, and sometimes defenders give up completions and touchdowns.

The Leon Washington signing was far from the most egregious personnel decision, and next year (and every year thereafter) there will be unproductive signings as well.