Easley to play week one at Miami?

He will be rusty, I think BB will put him in and see how he does. If he struggles he will limit his snaps. If he looks good he will get more snaps. If the Pats are kicking the Dolphins butt he will play him a lot to get him snaps. In Bill We Trust

I would expect to see him on passing downs. and someone like Siligia for the running downs.

AndyJohnson said:

I'm not saying it never happens, but BB is not a big proponent of playing guys who are being eased back in.

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I agree that Belichick plays to win - every game. The notion of him, say, putting Gronkowski on ice during the regular season so he's healthy for the playoffs for example - not going to happen.

But he will not put a guy in for a full game who is not in condition. He's eased injured or unconditioned guys back in frequently in the past, and he also is more prone to use rotations in general, so I don't expect he'd just drop a guy coming off of an injury - especially a rookie without any real experience, even in the pre-season - in for a majority of the snaps

JoeSixPat said:

I agree that Belichick plays to win - every game. The notion of him, say, putting Gronkowski on ice during the regular season so he's healthy for the playoffs for example - not going to happen.

But he will not put a guy in for a full game who is not in condition. He's eased injured or unconditioned guys back in frequently in the past, and he also is more prone to use rotations in general, so I don't expect he'd just drop a guy coming off of an injury - especially a rookie without any real experience, even in the pre-season - in for a majority of the snaps

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Sure but we dont know Easley is not in condition

AndyJohnson said:

Sure but we dont know Easley is not in condition

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So you are basing your projection of him playing substantial downs based upon all of his playing time in the pre-season?

Actually I feel that he will be well utilized in a limited role - I just don't expect a rookie, coming off of injury, who has yet to play a single snap in the pre-season, is someone Belichick will be counting on to play a major role

I could be wrong but Belichick doesn't strike me as the type to do that

I just hope he has his size back since returning. He lost some bulk and power from the acl injury. In mini camp he shook hands with chandler and looked like a Running back. I don't want to see him over 300 due to it could negate his rare explosiveness. 288-298 would be great for Easley. It would have been nice to sign Henry Melton who is a proven commodity who signed at a bargain. Even if they signed Melton they could still have drafted Easley if they feel that good about how good he is. In the 3-4 The heat on opposing QB could been most explosive in the nfl with wilfork playing NT,Easley and Melton at DE with Chandler Jones and jamie Collins at rush OLB.

If Easley has his size back and is recovered I expect him to impress at some point in the game

AndyJohnson said:

Sure but we dont know Easley is not in condition

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Use him sparingly in the first half then bring him in on as many snaps as needed in the second half as the Miami line tires.

PatFanCraig said:

I just hope he has his size back since returning. He lost some bulk and power from the acl injury. In mini camp he shook hands with chandler and looked like a Running back. I don't want to see him over 300 due to it could negate his rare explosiveness. 288-298 would be great for Easley. It would have been nice to sign Henry Melton who is a proven commodity who signed at a bargain. Even if they signed Melton they could still have drafted Easley if they feel that good about how good he is. In the 3-4 The heat on opposing QB could been most explosive in the nfl with wilfork playing NT,Easley and Melton at DE with Chandler Jones and jamie Collins at rush OLB.

If Easley has his size back and is recovered I expect him to impress at some point in the game

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Yes, but after a year on the IR with his own ACL injury I have to wonder what Melton's exact weight is now.

Wonder how any snaps he will see

JoeSixPat said:

So you are basing your projection of him playing substantial downs based upon all of his playing time in the pre-season?

Actually I feel that he will be well utilized in a limited role - I just don't expect a rookie, coming off of injury, who has yet to play a single snap in the pre-season, is someone Belichick will be counting on to play a major role

I could be wrong but Belichick doesn't strike me as the type to do that

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I'm not saying that or I would have said that.
We will see what bb thinks.

I'd be happy with anything around 30-35 snaps from Easley.

I am REALLY excited about seeing this kid play. I wasn't thrilled when I first heard about the pick. It took me a day of reading to become a TOTAL convert. The Pats have NEVER had a DLman with Easley's skill set. If he's as good as we hope, that skill set is what every team in the league so desperately needs to have any chance of stopping today's passing attack. Someone who can CONSISTENTLY provide inside pressure in the pocket.

The thing I saw from this kid wasn't so much quickness, it was SUDDENNESS His initial contact was powerful and strong, and his motor was non-stop. The only players I could compare it to was Warren Sapp or JJ Watt. Both had that "suddenness".

BTW- in a word of caution, neither of those players were elite in their first year, even though both had very nice rookie seasons. I have to remind myself that, so I don't get my expectations too high.

I can't sleep...I'm damn near older than paleozoic dirt and I'm still as amped up for the opener as I was 30 years ago...

Joker said:

I can't sleep...I'm damn near older than paleozoic dirt and I'm still as amped up for the opener as I was 30 years ago...

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Game airs here at 1AM. Not sure I'll bother going to bed.

patfanken said:

I am REALLY excited about seeing this kid play. I wasn't thrilled when I first heard about the pick. It took me a day of reading to become a TOTAL convert. The Pats have NEVER had a DLman with Easley's skill set. If he's as good as we hope, that skill set is what every team in the league so desperately needs to have any chance of stopping today's passing attack. Someone who can CONSISTENTLY provide inside pressure in the pocket.

The thing I saw from this kid wasn't so much quickness, it was SUDDENNESS His initial contact was powerful and strong, and his motor was non-stop. The only players I could compare it to was Warren Sapp or JJ Watt. Both had that "suddenness". BTW- in a word of caution, neither of those players were elite in their first year, even though both were solid. I have to remind myself that, so I don't get my expectations too high.

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Sealver Siliga on Dominique Easley:

“I understand why they drafted him in the first round,” defensive lineman Sealver Siliga said. “He’s explosive off the ball. There’s a lot of things you can’t teach. You can’t teach his first step off the ball. . . . Definitely, you’ll see what I mean when we play on Sunday.

“He’s explosive off the ball, and you can’t teach that. You either have it or you don’t. That’s something he’s blessed with.”

Siliga gushed over Easley despite limited reps alongside the rookie.

Easley debuted at practice Aug. 11, but Siliga didn’t meet him on the field until Aug. 25 due to a broken hand. It only took two weeks for Siliga to understand what Easley could bring to the defense, and that’s all the more impressive given the fact that linemen don’t go all out during practice.

When presented with Siliga’s compliment, Easley simply said, “I just try to put myself in situations to help out the team in every which way I can. That’s about it. That’s my goal.”

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http://bostonherald.com/sports/patr.../patriots_notebook_d_line_better_with_easley

I know it's early, and we didn't get to see him at all in the pre-season. But I've felt all along that this kid is special, and it's hard not to get excited about what he could add to a defense that has Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins, Vince Wilfork, and Darrelle Revis.

mayoclinic said:

Sealver Siliga on Dominique Easley:



http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2014/09/patriots_notebook_d_line_better_with_easley

I know it's early, and we didn't get to see him at all in the pre-season. But I've felt all along that this kid is special, and it's hard not to get excited about what he could add to a defense that has Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins, Vince Wilfork, and Darrelle Revis.

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To be an elite unit, I firmly believe you need an elite talent on every level of your D. At present, the Patriots have 1, optimistically 2 on every level with the potential for 3 on the Defensive Line.

Defensive Line: Vince Wilfork (a top 3 NT), Chandler Jones (borderline top 3 DE)
Linebackers: Jerod Mayo (a top 3 MLB), Jamie Collins (potential)
Defensive Backs: Darrelle Revis (at worst, 3rd best CB in the NFL), Devin McCourty (clear 2nd best FS behind Thomas).

It really is an exciting time to be a Patriots fan. The athleticism and perceived improvement in the Patriots Defense has me as excited as the first moment I found out the Patriots traded a 4th for Randy Moss.