Top 5 players to watch in TC

josh boyce too.

joepatsfan said:

• SS. Ryan, Harmon or Chung. Who steps up? I see Ryan as the favorite because he has the best ball skills but I liked what I saw from Harmon last season.

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From the early reports, the idea is to move McCourty to more of a SS role, where he can utilize his talents for tackling and covering the opposition's TE. The idea would then be to move Ryan into McCourty's "old" role. The thought was that Ryan would be better suited to play a deeper role downfield. Of course it's only speculation at this point.

I started a thread on the subject about 6 weeks ago, and linked some articles when the story and speculation first broke. My personal opinion at the time was that I liked the idea of Ryan being able to contribute at the position of safety, I really didn't care for moving 2 players/positions--which is understandable. One thing with Belichick though, he prefers to experiment and have all of the bases covered, so I don't imagine that it's that big of a deal no matter what. I would appreciate a 3 safety tandem of DMcC, Harmon, and Ryan---if nothing more than to keep guys like Chung, Ebner, T.Wilson off the field when it counts.

For what it's worth, Belichick touched on the subject at the draft when asked about any potential to move Ryan to safety. He stated that Ryan had played safety at times last year as well, and that he likes to get many of the secondary players different looks in the various roles that are specific to the last line of defense (slot/star, outside CB, dime role CB, deeper safety, safety covering the TE, big nickel hybrid LB/S, etc).

There are so many interesting camp battles and players to watch, it's not even funny. Just to start:

1. The rookies and second year players

2. The returning injured players

3. Players in obvious camp battles and/or different positions

4. The usual popular players such as Brady, Revis, etc

Camp and preseason should be fun to watch, as long as the injury Gods take it easy on us this year

Gymrat said:

To many ????? 4 my liking. With Brady on board I would feel much much better if we had a talent at wr with less lottery ticket hope n more of expectations n full confidence the shuttle has all its parts to fly. Then we can feel confident about a shootout in January if n when it arises.like mentioned Lafell a low ceiling n Dobson has some questions other than health. Gronk is n impact player but nobody even expects him to be healthy in January anymore.

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The problem with finding instant, blue-chip WRs are that it's difficult to pay both a franchise QB + a franchise WR as well. You can't name too many teams who have high priced players at both positions who are consistently seeing the postseason.

Due to that reasoning, it makes much more sense to try and find one through the draft--of course that's easier said than done.

Considering the fact that we went on another deep playoff run to the AFCCG again last year with a WR corps made up of Edelman and a bunch of injured players/rookies, I am not even remotely concerned with the WR options this year. We have Edelman, Amendola (healthy so far, even a broken clock is right twice a day), LaFell (not a low ceiling as you suggest, he has improved every year so far), Gronkowski, Dobson, Boyce, Thompkins, and all of the other depth/competition like Gallon, Harrison, etc.

The receiving options are night and day different from last season, so I don't think that is going to be as much of a concern as some think. We also have Vereen healthy, and White added to the mix as well. Those 2 should handle some of the RB passes very nicely. On paper this is a very nice roster. Let's just hope for mercy with the injuries, as that's our biggest concern in my opinion.

The camp battles I'm checking out for are:

WR: Its safe to say Edelman,Dobson, Amendola and Lafell are virtual locks. These leaves Harrison,Tompkins,Boyce,Slater,Gallon..etc. left to fight out for the remaining few spots. How many WRs will we carry?

TE: Im intrigued by a few of he UDFAs signed as well as DJ Williams. Im going to be watching closely...however one name to remember Zach Sudfeld.... wont get my hopes unless one of these UDFAs contribute...in the regular season.

Garrapollo: I absolutely love his mechanics (Dat Release tho'..) going to be fun watching him bring that to a whole new offense/the pros.

Halapio/Stork vs. Wendell/Connolly : rooting for the the rooks!!! Both guys may bring some nastiness and youth to the trenches.

Armstead and Easley: if both these guys live up to their potential...we could be looking at the core of our defense for years to come.

AzPatsFan said:

I'd want to see what DTs Wilfork and Kelly have left.

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Yup. And how the defensive line will shape up in general, with Easley, Armstead and Smith in the mix. I expect little from Vince this year (if ever again). If Kelly comes back anything close to what he's been, that could be huge.

Defense:
1. Easley - We don't know him, what can he do on the line.
2. Browning - How is he looking after being suspended
3. Hightower - He wants to be a pass rusher, lets see how he competes
4. Wilfork - how does he look after his injury

Offense:
1. Amendola - he has a lot to prove after Edelman took his targets.
2. Lafell vs Dobson vs KT- Can he be that outside WR we are looking for

supafly said:

From the early reports, the idea is to move McCourty to more of a SS role, where he can utilize his talents for tackling and covering the opposition's TE. The idea would then be to move Ryan into McCourty's "old" role. The thought was that Ryan would be better suited to play a deeper role downfield. Of course it's only speculation at this point.

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I'll be extremely surprised if McCourty isn't the deep safety the vast majority of the time (assuming health). Having him back there in a position to see everything develop and help with back-end communication, like Mayo does up front, is too important to hand-off. McCourty is not Ed Reed of old, but he does a decent job of getting over to the sideline to help out deep, so he's well equipped to play the role, even if his coverage skills get under-utilized back there. Ryan is better equipped to provide help in terms of man coverage than he is as the last line of defense, although even at SS (or left/right safety as the case may be), he'll find himself in that position occasionally).

Top 5 things to Watch at Camp

1. Which players spend all camp standing in sweats or on the training bikes on the sideline
2. Which WRs Brady screams obscenities at or worse yet totally ignores
3. Which players have the hottest babes hanging around on the sidelines
4. Any gravity space-time distortions occurring around Wilfy's bulk
5. Which players get yelled at by BB and get sent doing laps

PatsWickedPissah said:

Top 5 things to Watch at Camp

1. Which players spend all camp standing in sweats or on the training bikes on the sideline
2. Which WRs Brady screams obscenities at or worse yet totally ignores
3. Which players have the hottest babes hanging around on the sidelines
4. Any gravity space-time distortions occurring around Wilfy's bulk
5. Which players get yelled at by BB and get sent doing laps

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Number three being the most important for team building purposes.

I'm going with something other than players, although I'll be breathlessly projecting UDFAs to be Pro Bowlers right up until they're released along with everyone else:

1. What changes in the OL scheme are we about to see with the departure of Scar and the drafting of larger interior linemen? No more zone blocking? I wish I knew more about this than the terminology, and will look forward to the analysis by those who know much more than I about interior (and edge) line play.

2. What changes in the D scheme are we about to see with the new lockdown secondary enabling us to take more risks? Will we go back to a more Pete Carroll type aggressive D where we put more pressure via blitzing and stunting than bend but don't break? Wouldn't mind that at all myself given our personnel changes.

3. Have we seen the end of the 3-4 after all these years? Wouldn't be surprised, personally, we seem to have stopped drafting the personnel suited to that as the rest of the league moves more towards it. BB ahead of the curve as usual.

1. How the secondary shakes out.
2. Who is kept at WR after Edelman and Dobson.
3. The health of the returning injured.
4. How Easley performs.
5. Is there a capable TE on the roster not named Gronk.

Not expecting a ton but hoping to see them become at least solid rotational guys - Kelly/Wilfork, Armstead, Will Smith, Amendola. All would fill major needs as DE/DT depth is a question mark coming off last year and Amendola has always been a question mark.

Hoping to win/justify a starting position - Stork, Harmon/Ryan, Dobson, Cannon, Easley

Promising players who I'm hoping can take it to the next level - Collins, Harmon/Ryan, Dobson, Hightower, Ridley

SEA_Pat said:

2. What changes in the D scheme are we about to see with the new lockdown secondary enabling us to take more risks? Will we go back to a more Pete Carroll type aggressive D where we put more pressure via blitzing and stunting than bend but don't break? Wouldn't mind that at all myself given our personnel changes.

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You're probably going to have to wait for Week 1 of the regular season for this. Coaches like to save their blitz packages for closed-to-the-media practice sessions until they are unleashed on a poor unsuspecting promising, young QB like Mr. Tannehill.

1. Easley - 1st round pick with a ton of upside but two torn ACLs
2. Collins - Is he taking that next step now?
3. Armstead - will we get anything out of this guy?
4. Boyce - Can he realize his speed and rise up the depth chart to #3 maybe?
5. Dobson - Curious about his foot and year two leap

BobDigital said:

J
#3 Armstead - DT - This player is gonna draw the most fire as some would argue he is #1 and some would argue he has shown nothing and should not be on this list at all. However I will go the middle route. The talent is undeniable. He is going to be the DL man that is most watched in TC as i expect Easley not to do anything in the off season (perhaps not even 1 preseason game). Armstead has proven nothing but has been called a 2nd round talent. With a year to sit and learn now is the time to see what he can do.

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Armstead's talent is quite deniable. The guy was a pretty mediocre college player and had one fairly good season in the CFL - which is not exactly a pipeline of high end NFL talent. The whole "2nd round talent" thing is a ridiculous exaggeration based on a comment by his former CFL coach. Had he not had a heart attack and had he played his senior year and had he continued to build off of a decent, but not overwhelmingly impressive junior year, perhaps then he would have been an early round prospect.

True, we see guys with nice height/weight/speed get overdrafted on the basis of potential but to act as if Armstead has demonstrated high end ability or has "undeniable" talent is a huge stretch. And let's not forget that being a "2nd round talent" means very little. Just ask Ron Brace, Darius Butler, Marquise Hill, Terrence Wheatley, et al.

The guy's hype seems to be based on the unknown aspect of him. Because I don't see too many people who actually watched him play at USC trumpeting him as a hugely talented, "2nd round" player.

AzPatsFan said:

2. I'd want to see what LB James Anderson has left.

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Going to be watching the Bears? Because that's the team Anderson plays for....

pencilneckgeek said:

You're probably going to have to wait for Week 1 of the regular season for this. Coaches like to save their blitz packages for closed-to-the-media practice sessions until they are unleashed on a poor unsuspecting promising, young QB like Mr. Tannehill.

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Oh sure. But that will have no effect in staunching weeks of rampant speculation based on fleeting observations during certain plays during TC. It will be interspersed between the breathless reports of the progress of 7th round draft picks and UDFAs...

mcmurtry86 said:

Armstead's talent is quite deniable. The guy was a pretty mediocre college player and had one fairly good season in the CFL - which is not exactly a pipeline of high end NFL talent. The whole "2nd round talent" thing is a ridiculous exaggeration based on a comment by his former CFL coach. Had he not had a heart attack and had he played his senior year and had he continued to build off of a decent, but not overwhelmingly impressive junior year, perhaps then he would have been an early round prospect.

True, we see guys with nice height/weight/speed get overdrafted on the basis of potential but to act as if Armstead has demonstrated high end ability or has "undeniable" talent is a huge stretch. And let's not forget that being a "2nd round talent" means very little. Just ask Ron Brace, Darius Butler, Marquise Hill, Terrence Wheatley, et al.

The guy's hype seems to be based on the unknown aspect of him. Because I don't see too many people who actually watched him play at USC trumpeting him as a hugely talented, "2nd round" player.



Going to be watching the Bears? Because that's the team Anderson plays for....

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I know this is pure highlights and not a complete picture, but Armstead seems pretty decent from this cut up. Like you say it's all speculation and projection right now about how he's going to fare in the NFL.
It got me excited thinking of the *potential* combo of Armstead, Easley, and Jones on the field at the same time.

Boyce, because he's the best athlete, very quick and fast, built strong, and by all accounts he's smart and works hard, so if by any chance he can gain TB's confidence, he could be a real pleasant surprise.

Armstead. Who is this man? Is he really Bigfoot?

Harmon. Is he the answer opposite DMac? Where does Ryan line up?

I'd watch Dobson, but he'll start the offseason on PUP. Don't know when we'll see him.

I'd watch Collins, but we've already seen some great plays, so now I'm expecting greatness and I've lost interest in watching for it. (For you ultra serious folks, I'm just kidding)

Easley? Because of the ACL, I'm not expecting to see all that much. Maybe late in TC. The other rookies? Nah. More interested in 2nd year players, except for Garoppolo.

Garoppolo. Because it's fun to watch a new QB in the preseason getting his WRs killed. (PS, that's why you draft QBs high - so your WRs can survive the 4th qtr of preseason games).

Revis? Actually, I'll be looking at whoever is playing against him in TC. That's the test. Can Amendola, Dobson, Lafell or Boyce beat him? Not worried about Edelman. We know what we've got.

Browner/Lafell. I want to see if Lafell can release against Browner. That should be fun to watch. Two big tough guys, neither one particularly fast, both strong and nasty. I'd watch him against Dobson, but again, the PUP thing.

The lines? I could stare at the DL and OL all day and still not know what's happening. I'll watch them and then read what someone else says. Really just want them to stay healthy.

As for the Curmudgeon (Joker's new name) I agree in principle, but I'm just not good enough to watch everyone. I have to read the Daily News and swear by every word.