CB Robert McClain signing with Pats; UConn alum was w/ Falcons last 3 years

Garbage on top of garbage....it's been an awful off season

ATippett56 said:

Butler replaced Arrington in the second half of the Super Bowl.

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No, not really. They yanked Arrington because the mismatch against the 6'4" receiver Chris Mathews. They rotated the tall Brandon Browner to cover Matthews and put Butler on Browner's guy, Jevon Kearse.

So, Butler "replaced" Arrington only in the sense that Arrington came off the field and Butler came on the field. But, in terms of matchups, Browner replaced Arrington and Butler replaced Browner.

How are we going to cover those big guys? Chris Matthews was a literal nobody and he torched us because of his size. Now we have no talented big corners to put on him.

hwc said:

No, not really. They yanked Arrington because the mismatch against the 6'4" receiver Chris Mathews. They rotated the tall Brandon Browner to cover Matthews and put Butler on Browner's guy, Jevon Kearse.

So, Butler "replaced" Arrington only in the sense that Arrington came off the field and Butler came on the field. But, in terms of matchups, Browner replaced Arrington and Butler replaced Browner.

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Correct. And even if Butler did play exclusively the slot in that game (which he didn't) just because he can play the slot doesn't mean he's a slot only CB. It's a ridiculous argument.

@jeffphowe: McClain has $300,000 in guaranteed money, so he'll be on the team in 2015.

Belichick's cut players with more guarentees before right?

@jeffphowe: Breaking down Robert McClain's one-year, $1.24 million contract with the Patriots http://t.co/OjxDmu94hC

Analysis: McClain is a virtual certainty to make the team with $300,000 in guaranteed money in 2015. He can earn up to $2 million if he maxes out his playing-time incentives.

Marqui said:

Now this signing I hate. This trash better not make the team.

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And if he does? Will you cry and scream and stamp your feet until you get your diaper changed? ************, I agree with you that Bill would have colossal balls to keep this guy without your permission.

That McClain contract is a damn slap in the face. What an absolute feckin travesty. Disgraceful.

Who the FECK is Robert Feckin McClain to deserve that much - if any - guaranteed money?

What a horrible, horrible day this has been. This is like the Worst St Paddy's Day hangover, Ever.

The_Riddler said:

Garbage on top of garbage....it's been an awful off season

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Thank god it's finally over...

50-yard-line said:

Or it could be that the two guys you wanted demanded guarantees that the Pats, looking for diamonds in the rough/camp competition, weren't willing to give.

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Quite possibly, but Bill would've then been better-served to just keep the money for another day.

Wow. I'm glad I don't share a workplace with some of you. I can imagine how you'd react when someone gets some form of reward or recognition that you don't agree with.

mcclain and butler on the outside.
ryan/dennard in reserve.

this is seriously scary....

Jackson 2 said:

And if he does? Will you cry and scream and stamp your feet until you get your diaper changed? ************, I agree with you that Bill would have colossal balls to keep this guy without your permission.

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Sounds like when everyone cried and moaned about Chung making it last year, amIright?

VectorPrime said:

How are we going to cover those big guys? Chris Matthews was a literal nobody and he torched us because of his size. Now we have no talented big corners to put on him.

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Mathews was a clever sneak attack. He had not caught a pass all year, hardly a featured receiver in the Seahawks offense. There was nothing that would have led the Pats to game planning for his featured role. The Pats got burned by a surprise attack and made on-the-fly adjustments to deal with it -- putting Browner on the big jump ball receiver and bringing in Butler to take Browner's assignment (Kearse).

The other coaches get paid, too....

Deus Irae said:

Good point. Fletcher/McClain is a significant upgrade over Revis/Browner, and only crazy people would be disappointed in these two signings...

All the rational people are currently popping the corks on bottles of champagne, as these signings have guaranteed a SB win in the upcoming season.

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Disaster noted. If this team is anywhere near the "culmination of all of Belichick's mistakes" that last one's was they have Lombardi #5 in the bag.

Hopefully you have it nailed once again.

Deus Irae said:

Glad I could be there.

When the Patriots make a signing people like, it gets pimped up.

When the Patriots make a signing people don't like, it gets criticized.

That's the way it is. That's the way it should be. That's what message boards are for. Tossing out the "wailing and gnashing" line after a suspect signing is a ridiculous response and merits a ridiculous answer in kind.

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And who better to provide it?

Froob said:

This defense is going to return to it's historically bad 3rd down rate baring some major changes here soon.

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Why soon? If anything I would think it will be later. The reason they haven't replaced Revis is because you can't. And while Browner is valuable in a press corner defense they are clearly going back to zone. The Patriots haven't improved the secondary because right now they can't. It's not possible, and the only remedy is a really bad one----signing much lesser players at much too high a cost. So instead they spend a small amount on veterans they see as viable in this system while they either develop or find starters that can really do the job.

Purple can complain about it but I really don't see what else they could have done and still turn into a better team down the road. The first week of free agency has turned into a free for all and teams are blowing both their money and their cap space out of desperation, and sitting it out and sticking to your assessment of real value is the best approach to managing it, and it's why the Patriots have managed it better than any other team in the league since free agency began. I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to camp, and I think we will have a much better idea of where they stand by then.

patsinthesnow said:

Brady and Jimmy G are going to tear apart TC.

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Malcolm Butler disagrees. He already owned Brady in practice all last year, before he owned Seattle at the end of the season.

Seanzayyy said:

Well at this point the plan for CB is either...

1. Keep the CBs we have signed and they all fight for the starting spots in TC
2. Draft 1 or 2 CBs and hope natural ability/coaching them up in their first offseason pays off
3. Make a trade for a solid veteran CB.

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4. All of the above.

CMH said:

Haha, your original comment called upon a straw man just as much as the one you replied to. Not sure if serious?

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Not at all, and actually was confirmed by a number of posts in this and the Fletcher thread.

Still waiting to see all those posts pimping these signings, though.

BobDigital said:

Butler to me has outside skills. The question is can he continue to develop them IMO.

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I think he will. Seems more likely than what he's accomplished so far. I'd bet on it before I'd bet against it.