Rapoport: Easley to IR

Deus Irae · Dec 17, 2014

Asked if a hands-on role permeates over to gameday, Belichick offered a glimpse into how play-calling works for New England.

"During a game, I talk to all the play callers, to [special teams coach] Scott [O’Brien] to [offensive coordinator] Billy [O’Brien] to [safeties coach] Matt [Patricia]," said Belichick. "First of all, we go into the game with a plan of how we want to try to start things -- believe it or not. I know everybody doesn’t think that’s the way it is, but we actually talk about, ‘This is how we want to start the game and these are the calls that we would make in this situation, second-and-long, third-and-short, third-and-medium, red area, goal line,’ and then, after the game starts to unfold, then you kind of say ‘OK, well we want to sort of stay with the way we mapped this out, or they’re doing this and these don’t look as good, these look better or maybe we have to make an adjustment and say, ‘Well we can run these plays but if this happens we have to do something else,’ that type of thing. We talk about that over the course of the game."

One question Belichick didn't have an answer for: How many times per game he uses his ultimate authority to overrule a coordinator's call. Pressed on the issue, he quipped: "I don’t know. I’ll log them for you over the next couple of weeks and we’ll see how that goes."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...709586/belichick-offers-glimpse-into-his-role

Deus Irae · Dec 17, 2014

"Call [O'Brien] whatever you want to call him, it doesn’t matter. Whoever is calling plays, if the head coach is involved with the play-calling or the organization of the play-calling, then I’m going to talk to the person that calls the plays. If I’m not, then he calls them and you know, there’s no input from the head coach, that’s alright, too. I’m not saying it has to be one way or the other, but however you’re structured to set it up, that’s how it's set up. But the way it’s structured here is, I’ll take responsibility for all the plays that are called. I have the final say on it. If I don’t want to run the play, then I can call it off – that’s my right as a head coach. Any of the bad ones, you can blame me for because ultimately I could change them if I wanted to."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...709586/belichick-offers-glimpse-into-his-role

Oswlek · Dec 17, 2014

AndyJohnson said:
The point at hand was the Patriots shouldn't have let him go. The Patriots had no way to prevent him from going.

Why would Walker want to stay here to not play? Why would the Patriots want a guy who they feel isn't good enough to be on their roster just because another team weaker at the position wants him?

I've never once said the Patriots shouldn't have let him go, so that wasn't my point.

Why would Walker stay? Maybe he likes it here. Maybe he feels like he'll develop better here or he thinks he has a better opportunity here for 2015 and doesn't want to give that up for a few emergency snaps elsewhere in 2014. Maybe he has kids or a wife that prefer to stay in the northeast.

Players are promoted all the time who wouldn't have if not for outside interest. "Good enough to be on the roster" is a relative term when they are already on the PS.

mayoclinic · Dec 17, 2014

patfanken said:
I'm sorry to see Easley head to the IR. Coming into the season there were many who felt Easley was as good if not better than than Aaron Donald. Many thought Easley would have gone much higher if not for the 2 prior ACL's. Well Donald has had a great rookie season not only by having a lot of the impact plays many thought he'd have, but also holding up well against the run. He will be in the conversation for DROY.

Easley on his side proved much less explosive that we thought, but that was likely due in part to his sort off season, the recovery from the 2 ACL's, and the shoulder and knee injuries he picked up besides. On his plus side he turned out out to be far more versatile than expected playing all over the DL. He also, like Donald, held up much better against the run that we were led to believe. While not being as impactful as we might have hoped, Easley proved he could be a productive contributor, who could play through some physical adversity during his first year.

After seeing what Donald has accomplished, I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what Easley can bring table coming off a fully healthy off season. Assuming everyone else is back, Easley has a potential skill set that could make this defense go from top 10 to positively scary.

Anyone who followed Easley in college knew what kind of versatility he had. That was what set him apart from even Aaron Donald in terms of being a potential fit. It was well publicized prior to and after the draft. For example, SI.com's Doug Farrar noted:

Easley's most prominent attribute is that he can play convincingly and at a starter level in so many gaps. There are multiple examples of him blowing up protections everywhere from 1-tech (between the center and guard) to 3-tech (between the guard and tackle) to end. He even has the speed and turn to disrupt from a wide-nine stance.

http://www.si.com/nfl/audibles/2014/04/09/2014-nfl-draft-top-64-scott-crichton

After the draft BB noted:

"He's played everywhere along the defensive line," he said. "You don't see a lot of guys who do that -- he lines up on the nose, he lines up on the guard, he lines up on the tackle, he lines up out wide at times. You can see him playing all those spots."

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4762605/belichick-easley-an-all-in-prospect

I'm flabbergasted how anyone can think that Easley's versatility was unexpected.

As for Easley's explosiveness, while his injury certainly played a role, I wonder if some of it was due to learning to play within the constraints of what BB wanted - learning to make reads, set the edge effectively, etc. Easley did have 7 pressures, 2 QB hits a sack and an INT while playing a fairly limited number of snaps. His teammates spoke of his explosiveness and quickness in practice:

If you ask his teammates about him, the buzz word that continuously gets used when describing Dominique Easley’s style of play is “explosive.”

“The first thing I saw from him in training camp was how quick he can get off on the ball,” fellow defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich said. “He definitely has a very quick first step, and his ability to penetrate is really disruptive.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...atriots/2014/09/easley_makes_quick_impression

I find it curious that we didn't see a ton of explosiveness and his teammates claimed that it was there in practice. That suggests to me that maybe Easley was being reigned in, at least early on. Just a thought. Certainly after he re-injured his knee there was no question about a loss of explosiveness.

Ring 6 · Dec 17, 2014

Oswlek said:
I've never once said the Patriots shouldn't have let him go, so that wasn't my point.

But that was the point that I was addressing initially.

Why would Walker stay? Maybe he likes it here. Maybe he feels like he'll develop better here or he thinks he has a better opportunity here for 2015 and doesn't want to give that up for a few emergency snaps elsewhere in 2014. Maybe he has kids or a wife that prefer to stay in the northeast.

Apparently either he doesn't or the Patriots didn't want to promote him.

Players are promoted all the time who wouldn't have if not for outside interest. "Good enough to be on the roster" is a relative term when they are already on the PS.

That is your opinion. I disagree. If there was no such thing as a practice squad Walker would have been a street FA.

Brady_to_Moss · Dec 17, 2014

2015 will be his year

patfanken · Dec 17, 2014

mayoclinic said:
As for Easley's explosiveness, while his injury certainly played a role, I wonder if some of it was due to learning to play within the constraints of what BB wanted - learning to make reads, set the edge effectively, etc. Easley did have 7 pressures, 2 QB hits a sack and an INT while playing a fairly limited number of snaps. His teammates spoke of his explosiveness and quickness in practice:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...atriots/2014/09/easley_makes_quick_impression

I find it curious that we didn't see a ton of explosiveness and his teammates claimed that it was there in practice. That suggests to me that maybe Easley was being reigned in, at least early on. Just a thought. Certainly after he re-injured his knee there was no question about a loss of explosiveness.

Yeah, Mayo, this rings true. All of our best DLmen over the years, including Seymour, Wilfolk, Warren, etc have come out of the gate very slowly as far as their individual accomplishments go. In a sense we have seen how things have to progress on an evolutionary path for him with the defense as a whole. Little by little we have seen the defense become more diverse and creative as the seasons gone on. We have seen guys like CJones, Hightower, and Collins get more and more varied responsibilities.

I guess it's, "before we let you shoot the gap, you have to prove to us that you have learned the techniques necessary to 2 gap. Then you have to show us you can slant, loop, control rush with discipline......and THEN after you have learned all that, we'll let you bust a gap......on a rare occasion.

There's a reason why WMcGinest never had 10 sacks in a regular season under BB. There's a reason its been since Andre Tippett that a DE/OLB has had 3 consecutive season of 8+ sacks. (before Ninko this season) Maybe Easley will never put up Donald kind of numbers under Bill, but the flashes BB allows us to see, I suspect will be spectacular

Ring 6 · Dec 17, 2014

patfanken said:
Yeah, Mayo, this rings true. All of our best DLmen over the years, including Seymour, Wilfolk, Warren, etc have come out of the gate very slowly as far as their individual accomplishments go. In a sense we have seen how things have to progress on an evolutionary path for him with the defense as a whole. Little by little we have seen the defense become more diverse and creative as the seasons gone on. We have seen guys like CJones, Hightower, and Collins get more and more varied responsibilities.

I guess it's, "before we let you shoot the gap, you have to prove to us that you have learned the techniques necessary to 2 gap. Then you have to show us you can slant, loop, control rush with discipline......and THEN after you have learned all that, we'll let you bust a gap......on a rare occasion.

There's a reason why WMcGinest never had 10 sacks in a regular season under BB. There's a reason its been since Andre Tippett that a DE/OLB has had 3 consecutive season of 8+ sacks. (before Ninko this season) Maybe Easley will never put up Donald kind of numbers under Bill, but the flashes BB allows us to see, I suspect will be spectacular

Its about playing sound team defense not sacrificing everything to make a big play.
Rex Ryan does that and people think his players are great on the way to 22nd in points allowed, 29th in takeaways and 21st in sacks over a 4 year period, along with a 25-37 w/l record.
BB? Players don't get gaudy stats, and we win.

mayoclinic · Dec 17, 2014

patfanken said:
Yeah, Mayo, this rings true. All of our best DLmen over the years, including Seymour, Wilfolk, Warren, etc have come out of the gate very slowly as far as their individual accomplishments go. In a sense we have seen how things have to progress on an evolutionary path for him with the defense as a whole. Little by little we have seen the defense become more diverse and creative as the seasons gone on. We have seen guys like CJones, Hightower, and Collins get more and more varied responsibilities.

I guess it's, "before we let you shoot the gap, you have to prove to us that you have learned the techniques necessary to 2 gap. Then you have to show us you can slant, loop, control rush with discipline......and THEN after you have learned all that, we'll let you bust a gap......on a rare occasion.

There's a reason why WMcGinest never had 10 sacks in a regular season under BB. There's a reason its been since Andre Tippett that a DE/OLB has had 3 consecutive season of 8+ sacks. (before Ninko this season) Maybe Easley will never put up Donald kind of numbers under Bill, but the flashes BB allows us to see, I suspect will be spectacular

AndyJohnson said:
Its about playing sound team defense not sacrificing everything to make a big play.
Rex Ryan does that and people think his players are great on the way to 22nd in points allowed, 29th in takeaways and 21st in sacks over a 4 year period, along with a 25-37 w/l record.
BB? Players don't get gaudy stats, and we win.

Chandler Jones also referred to Easley's explosiveness in practice:

"He is very explosive," Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones said in a Boston Herald article. "He does a good job of penetrating into the offense's backfield. That's one thing he is really good at. I'm very excited for him moving forward."

http://www.silive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/09/new_england_patriots_like_what.html

So if Jones and Ninkovich were raving about Easley's explosiveness in late September, I'm cautiously encouraged that it will be there next year once he's fully healed, and with half a season and a full offseason under his belt. As long as he can stay healthy, which is obviously a huge question.

PatsWickedPissah · Dec 17, 2014

The only explosiveness Easley has shown has been in the mens room stall

QuantumMechanic · Dec 17, 2014

Froob said:
Hm never knew that. If you have any of the links kicking around somewhere I'd like to take a look.

For example:

Bill Belichick said:
But the way it’s structured here is, I’ll take responsibility for all the plays that are called. I have the final say on it. If I don’t want to run the play, then I can call it off – that’s my right as a head coach. Any of the bad ones, you can blame me for because ultimately I could change them if I wanted to."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...709586/belichick-offers-glimpse-into-his-role

Also (from the same press conference):

Bill Belichick said:
During a game, I talk to all the play callers, to Scott (O'Brien, the special-teams coach), to Billy (O'Brien, the offensive coordinator), to Matt (Patricia, the secondary coach and, apparently, the guy who calls the defensive signals).

http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...ord-belichick-has-final-say-on-play-calls.ece

ashley · Dec 17, 2014

Let's hope Easley has a better second season than Dobson had

I know it's second guessing but Timmy Jernigan would have looked pretty good in a Pats uniform.

mosi · Dec 17, 2014

Deus Irae said:
http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/12/10/to...atriots-age-fitness?page=4&devicetype=default

From that story, I noticed this: "...his testicles at least three times their normal size". Ouch, I mean, just ouch.

I recommend that everyone read that story. And wait. Next September 28th, when we are all *****ing and moaning about the 2-2 Patriots and the washed up QB, we should go back and read that story again and wait. Wait until December 14th.

Palm Beach Pats Fan · Dec 17, 2014

PatsWickedPissah said:
The only explosiveness Easley has shown has been in the mens room stall

too much inside information

VrabelJr · Dec 17, 2014

It's rare a DE, let alone a DT, is a stand out player in their rookie year anyway. The competition they face in the NFL is a huge jump from college. In college a lot of OL are student-athletes and very few have pro aspirations. There's a "savvy" part about going up against NFL OL and that takes at least a year or two learn. Aaron Donald and Suh are probably the exceptions here but they were also surrounded by an insane amount of talent their rookie years.

There's nothing wrong with letting Easley heal for good and come back next year to learn a few more tricks of the trade.

goheels22002 · Dec 17, 2014

AndyJohnson said:
Its about playing sound team defense not sacrificing everything to make a big play.
Rex Ryan does that and people think his players are great on the way to 22nd in points allowed, 29th in takeaways and 21st in sacks over a 4 year period, along with a 25-37 w/l record.
BB? Players don't get gaudy stats, and we win.

All true. Also, it's been a decade since the secondary could force QBs to stand a round in the pocket looking for somebody to get open while the front seven works through the blockers to get near the QB. Keeping the secondary intact is critical to Easley making a jump in his second year the way we've seen with Collins.

Jaime Collins' development in 2014 is a function of having greater opportunities with Mayo and Chandler Jones out for extended periods, and the freedom that has come with a great secondary buying that extra two or three seconds to get where he needs to be in the pass rush or dropping into coverage.

patfanken · Dec 17, 2014

mayoclinic said:
Chandler Jones also referred to Easley's explosiveness in practice:

http://www.silive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/09/new_england_patriots_like_what.html

So if Jones and Ninkovich were raving about Easley's explosiveness in late September, I'm cautiously encouraged that it will be there next year once he's fully healed, and with half a season and a full offseason under his belt. As long as he can stay healthy, which is obviously a huge question.

I agree, but what excites me the most, as we watch this defense continue to evolve, is that BB has never had a defensive lineman with the potential skill set Easley possesses. And we as fans have never seen what that skill set can do on a regular basis. Seeing how it can be used in conjunction with the REST of the young defensive assets will truly be exciting.

And its not only Easly. Hightower, Collins, and ChJones, will all be reaching their primes. It will also be fascinating to see Moore, Buchanon, and Siliga improve, and that doesn't count the relative improvement of all the young safeties, and CBs......PLUS the return of Mayo

I think sometimes people forget how young most of this defense really is. Except for maybe Revis, Mayo, Ninko and Vince, none of the rest of the defense has reached their potential yet

Kontradiction · Dec 17, 2014

This was always the risk with him in Year 1, unfortunately. If he's not getting better, it's best to shut him down. Hopefully he returns to health because he was such an explosive and dominant player in college. Hard to see how that wouldn't translate when fully healthy.

dales804 · Dec 17, 2014

rlcarr said:
Actually, I've read numerous articles over the years that says BB is fully in the loop in that his headset is set up so that he hears everything the OC is saying to the QB and that he can break in at any time and say what he wants to.

If people watch some NFL Films work on the Pats there have been plenty of games when BB is on the headset talking and saying something like, "okay, let's run it here" or "go hurry up." I'd imagine he's talking to the offensive coordinator.

BTTA · Dec 17, 2014

james87654 said:
you say they "dont have a choice"
then you say they can give the player a choice (a contract/spot on 53), but just not block the other teams offer sounds like a contradiction.....or misstatement i could be wrong......i dont know that much about this stuff

OK, think of it this way. Player is on Team A PS. Team B offers him a spot on its 53. Player can:

accept and sign with Team B
ask Team A if it would like to promote him to their 53, and if Team A says yes, then stay with Team A on their 53 or go to Team B 53 (Player's option)
Stay on Team A PS.

Player has the choice about where to go. Team A has the choice about whether to offer a spot on its 53 in order to hope to retain the player.

This may be the closest thing that NFL players experience to a normal job market, once they have been drafted and/or signed a contract.

Rapoport: Easley to IR

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