Sign the Beast LIII: Dan Connolly Update

zipster9 said:

Ok. At this point in time, the OL has NOT gotten better.. Even getting back an older DanC, it has NOT gotten better..

Pickens are slim in FA, now. Only options are trade for someone or hope to pick some winners in the draft...

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I would say that if Connolly is back, just the continuity and potential growth of Stork should make the line better overall than last year. I still would like a draftee to hopefully win a G spot though.

Connolly back makes sense, but the pats are probably going to need to look at upgrading both their guard positions in the draft.

Sicilian said:

I would say that if Connolly is back, just the continuity and potential growth of Stork should make the line better overall than last year. I still would like a draftee to hopefully win a G spot though.

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I think we double dip at guard and cb this draft.

KDPPatsfan85 said:

I think we double dip at guard and cb this draft.

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I think that's a safe bet, especially considering right now we have several picks in the middle rounds, where a lot of good guards tend to fall.

I see a couple of trade downs to help with the double dip scenario....

Then again, who knows what BB's board will look like and who will be available when Patriot's pick rolls around. I can't see BB trading out of a spot if his binky is sitting there when the Patriots are on the clock.

zipster9 said:

Ok. At this point in time, the OL has NOT gotten better.. Even getting back an older DanC, it has NOT gotten better..

Pickens are slim in FA, now. Only options are trade for someone or hope to pick some winners in the draft...

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That pretty much was always going to be the option going into next season, and possibly the best option too.

trade for all pro evan mathis or has that ship sailed?

robertweathers said:

Another soon-to-be 33 year old guards that BB might be thinking about phasing out.

I don't subscribe but FWIW, PFF ranked him as one of the worst FA guards in the market.

Some things you cannot measure accurately. The problem is that without him, the line was a mess.

His re-signing does not preclude the team from attempting to upgrade the spot.

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Yes, there's no doubt that all of us wish to see a high round pick IOL taken next month. In the meantime, I would probably rather have Connelly, than not have Connelly--for reasons you described above.

I'm not sure that Fleming/Kline/Cannon are ready to fill in just yet, although I wouldn't be surprised if we passed and went with the youth to save money either.

I have several good draft prospect in mind come draft weekend. But that is what they are PROSPECTS. I say bring back Dan and then draft 1 or 2 prospects and see how they work out. I didn't like what I saw of Kline or Devery last year.

Kline has had moments, both good and bad. I remember him in a Mankins-at-LT game doing a great job. I also believe he was the primary replacement while Stork was on the shelf in the playoffs. Other times, the protection hasn't been as pretty - several regular season games were hard to watch.

I loved what Connelly and Wendell gave this team in 2014. It is weird to say (and no one would have believed it possible at this time last year), but fans owe those two vets a lot of credit for the past season's ultimate success.

The secondary worries me more than the OL at the moment - but that can shift really fast if things go south again...

Connolly should be the next target because he is better than Barker, Devey, and Kline and
Cannon cannot play guard. Any rookie is probably not going to start right away. Without
Connolly, it will be musical chairs again.

What about Hauptmann and Barker? Barker was on the 53 for a long time, must have some potential. When do these guys get a chance to step up? Connolly is OK, but he's getting long in the tooth.