Tim Wright released

Deus Irae said:

Not even close.

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We'll have to agree to disagree. I cannot be convinced of your position, especially since your entire argument is "no". The way the Pats value the two shows that the Super Bowl champs agree with my position. I don't miss Logan at all, though he was always one of my favorite Pats. Going forward, Shaq Mason is going to be a complete mauler, and I think he'll be a fan fave by October.

Vollmer plays a more difficult position and is younger. I'll ride with him.

Hercules Rockefeller said:

We'll have to agree to disagree. I cannot be convinced of your position, especially since your entire argument is "no". The way the Pats value the two shows that the Super Bowl champs agree with my position. I don't miss Logan at all, though he was always one of my favorite Pats. Going forward, Shaq Mason is going to be a complete mauler, and I think he'll be a fan fave by October.

Vollmer plays a more difficult position and is younger. I'll ride with him.

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Deus still thinks it was a dumb decision to let Welker go. He still thinks Pats should have drafted DJ Swearinger over Jamie Collins and that BB was out of his mind on drugs drafting Collins. He thinks Tommy Kelly forcing his way out and leaving money on the table to go play with another team was BB's fault.

The guy honestly believes he's a better GM than BB.

And he looks like a complete fool to come out with the "Ya they won a SB but they could have looked better doing it" line of thinking.

Bullying a young boy like Malcolm Butler after what he did in the SB and firing a fine young man like Timothy Wright - that Bill Belicheat is one mean, ungrateful prick...

The Gr8est said:

Mankins does not deserve a Superbowl ring. The way you get a Superbowl ring is to be a member of a team that wins a Superbowl.

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What I meant was he deserved to be on this team for at least one more year with the shape our line was in. Mankins wasn't great this year, but he would have been better than Wendell.

Mack Herron said:

So the remains of the trade is Logan Mankins for Trey Flowers.

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And the cap space to sign Blount, Casillas and Ayers. Plus the potential comp picks coming next year.

The Gr8est said:

He's a JAG TE who can't block. TB was rumored to be ready to cut him when the Pats acquired him last year.

I think you are over-valuing him.

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Those rumors were well refuted.

If at this point you genuinely believe Tampa won that trade and getting rid of Mankins was stupid then you are really just a Mankins fanboy or BB detractor.

I don't understand so many people criticizing the Mankins/Wright trade. The Pats won the Super Bowl.

Wright wasn't as good as many hoped, but he did have 6 TDs. You can't take that away from him.
Mankins is not the player he used to be.
The trade saved $7 million for this year's cap.
And Tey Flowers has a lot of promise.

The trade worked out well.

Belichick is a hardass but he cuts his veteran players early enough to catch on elsewhere.
Wright will have another job shortly.

Nunchucks said:

Patriots did not field their best team last year. They won the superbowl and that was awsome, but they won despite making a crappy trade....

Is it wrong to recognize that?

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Actually, yes. Aside from a rocky September, NE's OL was better in 2014 than they were in 2013. There is no evidence to suggest that Mankins would have led to any improvement in offensive production, particularly playoff offensive production.

The only feathers in the cap of those who oppose the trade are the first four weeks, which became irrelevant when NE still earned the #1 seed, and what could have been had even more serious injuries happened. Interestingly, NE faced the precise scenario that supposedly would have sunk them, yet they put up 35 and 45 points in the two contests. Feel free to discount the Indy game, but there is no way to downplay the output against Baltimore, particularly in light of the deficits and their front 7.

You'll understand if I don't feel swayed by a position that is comprised of meaningless data and fantasy scenarios that didn't occur.

Hercules Rockefeller said:

We'll have to agree to disagree. I cannot be convinced of your position, especially since your entire argument is "no". The way the Pats value the two shows that the Super Bowl champs agree with my position. I don't miss Logan at all, though he was always one of my favorite Pats. Going forward, Shaq Mason is going to be a complete mauler, and I think he'll be a fan fave by October.

Vollmer plays a more difficult position and is younger. I'll ride with him.

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Vollmer's injuries left him a shell of himself for years, before he had a real bounce back kind of season last year. You've have to be blind to have missed that.

Wright is not a better player than Gronk, Chandler, Davis or Hooman. Derby has more upside and is most likely a PQ guy.

My assumption was that Wright could make the team as a 5th WR. However with JE12, DA, LaFell, Gibson and Dobson, Tyms, Boyce and other JAGs

Not the case.

FCB02062 said:

We said the same thing about Daniel Graham and Ben Watson....

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Since Gronk is unstoppable by himself, so any duo he is included within becomes de facto unstoppable.

robertweathers said:

Wright is not a better player than Gronk, Chandler, Davis or Hooman. Derby has more upside

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Derby has more upside? Perhaps this is true, but I doubt anyone would have said that yesterday.

I don't even view Chandler or Hooman as being the same position, though obviously if NE is moving to a more traditional 2TE offense it wasn't good for the smaller Wright.

Mack Herron said:

So the remains of the trade is Logan Mankins for Trey Flowers.

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And a big wad of cap space they used on guys like Ayers and Casillas

The end result was aLombardi so I am surprised anyone would complain.

Surprising that he was cut, but not a total shock since we did just sign 2 TEs in FA. Anyone who's suggesting that the Mankins trade is now Mankins-for-Flowers is really missing the point. For one, it gave them a year of Wright and the opportunity to see if he could develop into something worth keeping. He didn't, but that opportunity still had value at the time that the trade was made.

More importantly, any analysis of the Mankins trade has to include the cap space that it freed up. If the Pats wait until this year to cut Mankins, they probably don't have the cap space to sign, say, Chandler. If they cut him last year, then it's impossible to argue against the trade because you're basically arguing that they got Flowers and a year of Wright for free.

Oswlek said:

Derby has more upside? Perhaps this is true, but I doubt anyone would have said that yesterday..

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Derby is my binky. I just like him. Maybe b/c I read an article yesterday about him .

In all seriousness I don't expect him to make the team. I just think there are better players ahead of Wright- not including Derby.

Oswlek said:

I don't even view Chandler or Hooman as being the same position, though obviously if NE is moving to a more traditional 2TE offense it wasn't good for the smaller Wright.

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I agree that Hooman (more inline) and Chandler (more move/H-Back TE) are different players. Davis is more of a move/H-Back guy as well as his run & pass blocking are below average.

Is Davis > Wright? I think so.

Deus Irae said:

Vollmer's injuries left him a shell of himself for years, before he had a real bounce back kind of season last year. You've have to be blind to have missed that.

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Vollmer and Mankins both have major injury question marks going forward. If I'm choosing between the two of them, I'll go with the younger player at the more important position who is better when healthy.

Ivan said:

And a big wad of cap space they used on guys like Ayers and Casillas

The end result was aLombardi so I am surprised anyone would complain.

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Around here? I'm not!

BradyFTW! said:

Vollmer and Mankins both have major injury question marks going forward. If I'm choosing between the two of them, I'll go with the younger player at the more important position who is better when healthy.

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That's fine, but choosing between them going forward is not the issue, and has not been the issue.

And Mankins is the better player when both are healthy. He always has been. Perhaps this will be the year that changes, though.

Bottom line: Wright's gone, and the Patriots got away with a bad trade. It doesn't really need to go further than that.