Howe: Patriots considering placing Easley on IR

This is kind of expected, I mean, there was a possibility his knees would not be 100% for a full season, considering this, he got some important playing time and it was not a wasted first year. What makes me worried is that he also injured his shoulder in a hit against the Bengals, that one he got flagged and it was a big but a normal NFL hit. This and other absences raises questions about durability but again, patience. My target to start saying things is week 6 from next season, then we will have a better idea about everything.

abdul7 said:

AHH Please ,,me no understand ,,,who is Mr Jake Bequette ? Did we just pick him up on waivers ?
I like baguette as my favorite bread. I really hope Mr Bequette is as good as bread.

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YOU NEED CAPS FOR THAT.

Until Dikembe has his say I'm not going to share my opinion on this chap named DONALD EASILY being a bust or not.

Aha!

It was not happy with the Easley pick when it was made. He is slightly undersized and had a brutal history of knee injuries. In the Pats defense, he was a very disruptive player his Jr. Year at Florida before getting slowed by injuries. When he did play this year, I thought that Easley showed signs of being a good player. The Pats have had some great hits while drafting players with injury concerns (Gronk, Cannon) and of course the misses (Ras IR, I forget his name, OLB from Michigan).

I agree way to early to pass judgement on Easley one way or another, but obviously, the Pats have been holding him out of practice at least a day each week, so he is clearly not healthy yet.

Clowney's case is getting really bad, he is having micro fracture surgery on his knee, which is a tough road bad and he may never be the player he was in college. I don't think anyone knows for sure wether Clowney was hurt prior to or after the draft.

Watching the Rams last night, I was reminded of the difference between having a high 1st-round pick and a low one. The player most like Easley in this draft was Aaron Donald. He was the healthy one, so he went very high.

And man, can that kid play.

If Easley can get healthy and be that player, we'll forget about this year - but that's "if" (and that's why he was still available when we picked).

50-yard-line said:

Watching the Rams last night, I was reminded of the difference between having a high 1st-round pick and a low one. The player most like Easley in this draft was Aaron Donald. He was the healthy one, so he went very high.

And man, can that kid play.

If Easley can get healthy and be that player, we'll forget about this year - but that's "if" (and that's why he was still available when we picked).

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Donald was my top rated prospect for the Pats last year, and I would have traded #29+62 for him if it had been feasible. Easley was my #2 rated prospect for the Pats.

Donald went top 15 because he had no issues. He checked off every single mark:

- Dominant college game tape
- Dominant post-season bowl against top competition (Senior Bowl)
- Dominant Combine
- No red flags of any kind (medical, character)

If Easley had checked of all of those, he would have been a top 15 prospect, too.

BobDigital said:

Come on guys don't be like that. No need for it. If he thinks Easley is a bust let him say it without giving him crap about it. Honestly maybe he will be right at the end of the day. No one knows right now. We can only guess and hope.

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Unfortunately not all opinions are made equal. Even if Easley never improves above where he was in the Chicago game, he's already proven to be a viable rotational contributor at multiple spots along the DL. The only way he could be a bust is if his knee problems persist and he is out of the league in a few years, and something tells me that Pete hasn't viewed Dominique's medical records. Certainly all evidence - both league-wide with recovery times and the fact that he's been practicing and playing most of the year - indicates Easley should return to health by the start of next year.

Pete's comment isn't backed by anything other than a desire to see Easley fail to justify his whining about the selection. It isn't an opinion that deserves to be taken seriously.

JMC00 said:

::Waits for some chicken little to call him a bust so I can respond asking them does that mean Clowney is a bust too::

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You didn't have to wait long... about a minute.

Salva135 said:

How many first rounders that the Pats themselves drafted are actually healthy and currently starting for this D right now? Wilfork, McCourty... that's it, right?

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Solder.... Chung was taken first in 2009 and Collins was first in 2013..... are you really trying to say that Chandler Jones and Hightower had injury concerns coming out of college?

If you are trying to make a legitimate point, I'm not seeing it. Could just be me.

Considering what Easley has been coming back from, I think he showed enough positives during his brief playing time already to at least hold off any bust talk. I'm fairly optimistic about his chances.

mayoclinic said:

Donald was my top rated prospect for the Pats last year, and I would have traded #29+62 for him if it had been feasible. Easley was my #2 rated prospect for the Pats.

Donald went top 15 because he had no issues. He checked off every single mark:

- Dominant college game tape
- Dominant post-season bowl against top competition (Senior Bowl)
- Dominant Combine
- No red flags of any kind (medical, character)

If Easley had checked of all of those, he would have been a top 15 prospect, too.

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I know. I followed you and a couple of others closely ont he draft board - and you convinced me that Aaron Donald probably should have been a top-10 pick. Watching him last night...yep, you were right.

Iwould love to see what a coach like BB could do with a team like the Rams - talk about some talented defensive players!

FreeTedWilliams said:

. The Pats have had some great hits while drafting players with injury concerns (Gronk, Cannon) and of course the misses (Ras IR, I forget his name, OLB from Michigan).

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Shawn crable

50-yard-line said:

I would love to see what a coach like BB could do with a team like the Rams - talk about some talented defensive players!

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The Pats have as talented as defensive group as any in the NFL. The Rams are right up there.

Give the Rams BB as coach and TB as QB and they are the top team in the NFC West, even with Seattle in the division.

BSR said:

Considering what Easley has been coming back from, I think he showed enough positives during his brief playing time already to at least hold off any bust talk. I'm fairly optimistic about his chances.

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The biggest question on Easley is not his talent but obviously his medical history. There have been some games this year where we have seen flashes of what he can do.

Part of me would like to see the kid shut down, fix whatever ails him and hope he can spent the off-season getting stronger and as healthy as possible for the 2015 season.

FreeTedWilliams said:

The Pats have had some great hits while drafting players with injury concerns (Gronk, Cannon) and of course the misses (Ras IR, I forget his name, OLB from Michigan).

I agree way to early to pass judgement on Easley one way or another, but obviously, the Pats have been holding him out of practice at least a day each week, so he is clearly not healthy yet.

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Crable had no injury history in college, you might be thinking of Wheatley or Brandon Tate.

The truth of the matter is that NE has actually done OK with injured guys. Ras-I and Wheatley were complete failures, Tate flopped here but still has an NFL role, whereas Gronk was a grand slam, Cannon a solid hit and there is no reason to believe Easley will be worse than a solid rotational player. Consider than only one first rounder was used (and that was this year at #29) that is a fine hit rate.

Easley hasn't been missing a day every week until recently, IIRC.

I'm hoping this is a motivational leak. If healthy they could run some games with Easley and Jones to get pressure and still contain guys like Rogers or Wilson should they get that far. I'd give him all the time he needs with the hope he can give you something in the playoffs. The rest of the DL are good space eaters but Easley is the only true interior penetration threat (insert innuendo joke here).

Oswlek said:

Crable had no injury history in college, .

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Crable had an acute case of chickenlegsitis.

Brady6 said:

Kids a dominate player, 8 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss as a rookie, he has had a sack in 5 straight games.. He could give Watt a run for his money in future years as the best DL in the NFL. Easley has the ability to do the same he just needs to get healthy.

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He's lightning off the line, too quick for a lumbering guard or center to keep up.

And who else has that same resume? Dominique Easley. Right now, it's all about the knees. remember those college pictures of Easley hitting the center when no on else on the line had even lifted his hand yet...and not being off-sides????!!!!!