The 2016 Team Is All But Set, Unless

Obviously injuries and competition will force many changes over the coming months. However, some changes are under the control of the team.

POSSIBILITIES
1) Cannon could be cut.
2) Amendola could be cut.
3) We may have free agent additions or trades.

mgteich said:

Obviously injuries and competition will force many changes over the coming months. However, some changes are under the control of the team.

POSSIBILITIES
1) Cannon could be cut.
2) Amendola could be cut.
3) We may have free agent additions or trades.

Click to expand...

Agreed.. One thing I noticed, and this isn't out of the norm for BB drafts, but he went STs heavy on this one with Jones and Mitchell coming to mind right away.

We have not had a good kick return game in what seems like 2007 with Ellis Hobbs, maybe 2010 with Brandon Tate, but that should change. Jones has legit vision and speed on kick offs or punt returns. He could be electric and BB may have a long term, stable and cheap answer for a really good nickel player.

Mitchell seems interesting. Sort of lanky, which is odd for such a quick player.

I do agree BB now has leverage on Cannon and Amendola after this draft. They'll likely go to them now with some kind of a re-working, or cut them outright, especially if

In all seriousness, a 2 RB set with 2 TEs on the field and only Edelman as the WR, at times, would be devastating for defenses. It's why I wanted Forte in here. BB should have matched the Jets offer.

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

Click to expand...

This is also my worry. The front office better get busy extending some of the above. I can't
figure why the Patriots didn't draft a second DT.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

Click to expand...

And compounding all that is consideration of whether Brady decides to retire. It all depends upon what happens this season and with regards to that BS suspension. I know he wants to play until he's 40(ish) but I could also see him giving the NFL a big FU over how he's been treated while that Tennessee goober thug has been seen off on a white horse and a bought & paid for SB win.

How much does TFB have to put up with before he tells Goodell and his thug monkey front office to GFY?

This year is going to have some difficult cuts to make on the offensive side of the ball. Hard to project until preseason the wr and oline. Is someone like Clay Harbor a lock?

2017 is about Hightower and Collins. It would suck to lose pieces of our secondary such as Butler but we will eventually find decent corners. Finding elite safeties and linebackers took us years. Keep the middle of our defense intact as long as possible. 2017 may be the year we completely blow up our running backs.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

Click to expand...

I'm not. If you look closely at the roster, BB has already made contingencies for a lot of the players you listed. In fact, he talked about looking ahead as being part of the draft strategy in the presser he held yesterday. Collins, High, Butler and Sheard have to be locked up. Butler is restricted, so a team would have to give up a first-rounder for him (someone confirm). Matt Slater will be on this team unless there is a massive fall off in his play in 2016, which I don't see (other than injury). I'd like to somehow be able to retain Ninko and Bennett. I'd be upset to see Ninko go anywhere.

Dobson will be cut soon. Softer then a box of charmin.

PatsBoy12 said:

I'm not. If you look closely at the roster, BB has already made contingencies for a lot of the players you listed. In fact, he talked about looking ahead as being part of the draft strategy in the presser he held yesterday. Collins, High, Butler and Sheard have to be locked up. Butler is restricted, so a team would have to give up a first-rounder for him (someone confirm). Matt Slater will be on this team unless there is a massive fall off in his play in 2016, which I don't see (other than injury). I'd like to somehow be able to retain Ninko and Bennett. I'd be upset to see Ninko go anywhere.

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Slater, Ninko and the depth players will stay i have no doubt about that...

But If sheard is gone + one of the LBs i am really preoccupied.

We're a long way from knowing whether our young players will work out, but if most of them do, we're some way towards re-tooling at:

WR
Interior OL
CB

Three position groups built almost entirely with good young prospects (WR less so). The position groups aren't locked for sure, but at this post-draft moment, I feel good about them. That'll probably change halfway through TC and pre-season.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Slater, Ninko and the depth players will stay i have no doubt about that...

But If sheard is gone + one of the LBs i am really preoccupied.

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That is pretty much how I feel, except I think they'll find a way to keep both LB's. It didn't stop them from signing a few in the off season, but that's just the Pats. They always have a contingency.

Gwedd said:

And compounding all that is consideration of whether Brady decides to retire. It all depends upon what happens this season and with regards to that BS suspension. I know he wants to play until he's 40(ish) but I could also see him giving the NFL a big FU over how he's been treated while that Tennessee goober thug has been seen off on a white horse and a bought & paid for SB win.

How much does TFB have to put up with before he tells Goodell and his thug monkey front office to GFY?

Click to expand...

This is a rare time where I disagree with you.

If Brady retires, that would allow Goodell, the corrupt league office, Kensil, the Jets, the Colts, the Ravens, and all of the rest of the haters to win. They'd be getting exactly what they want. There would be absolutely zero reason for Tom Brady to contemplate retirement over missing a few/several games.

If I had to bet, I'd say that retirement has not crossed his mind even once.

PatsBoy12 said:

That is pretty much how I feel, except I think they'll find a way to keep both LB's. It didn't stop them from signing a few in the off season, but that's just the Pats. They always have a contingency.

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I'm hoping that you're right about keeping both LBs. I am not as optimistic as you are about paying top dollar to both. They always have the option of tagging one of them, so I'm simply hoping that we'll still have 2 more years with them together in a worst case scenario. Either way, it would make us all feel better if they can extend one or the other sometime soon.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

Click to expand...

Nice problem to have so may quality guys to extend. I wouldn't include Bolden, Blount, Harmon, Slater, and Coleman on this list. I would add Garoppolo.

Long, Knighton, Bennett, Vollmer and Ninkovich can be dealt with after the season is over depending on their health and productivity in 2016. If these guys approach the Patriots with team-friendly requests for extensions, the Patriots might get their deals done. If they see a competitive market for their services post 2016, they'll wait and see.

The guys they need to extend now, if possible, are Butler, Sheard, Hightower, Collins and Garoppolo.

goheels22002 said:

Nice problem to have so may quality guys to extend. I wouldn't include Bolden, Blount, Harmon, Slater, and Coleman on this list. I would add Garoppolo.

Long, Knighton, Bennett, Vollmer and Ninkovich can be dealt with after the season is over depending on their health and productivity in 2016. If these guys approach the Patriots with team-friendly requests for extensions, the Patriots might get their deals done. If they see a competitive market for their services post 2016, they'll wait and see.

The guys they need to extend now, if possible, are Butler, Sheard, Hightower, Collins and Garoppolo.

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Why would anyone be concerned with re-upping a backup QB who has 2 years remaining on his rookie contract, and much more importantly, how you do even begin to try and assess financial compensation?

He has two very limited preseasons under his belt where we basically saw nothing. What in the world are you going to pay him based on that? Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't belong on any list of priorities right now, and that probably doesn't even change at this point next year. There are too many variables in play including the next two years of Tom Brady's performance, how Garoppolo progresses (or regresses), and finally...the potential development of Brissett.

Guy who DO belong on the list that you have omitted are core special teamers like Slater.

As long as the Patriots refuse to draft someone we all can get really excited about, they should at least throw us a bone by cutting Cannon.

I don't think things are set quite yet. I'm looking for a big FU NFL surprise cut and quick sign/claim on the June 1 cuts.

I have a feeling Bill has another fast one up his sleeve before this off-season is over. Just a hunch.

OhExaulted1 said:

I don't think things are set quite yet. I'm looking for a big FU NFL surprise cut and quick sign/claim on the June 1 cuts.

I have a feeling Bill has another fast one up his sleeve before this off-season is over. Just a hunch.

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Under current rules, the June 1st date is no longer relevant.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Im worried about 2017 ...

Rob Ninkovich
Martellus Bennett
Chris Long
Matt Slater
Sebastian Vollmer
Terrance Knighton
LeGarrette Blount
Jabaal Sheard
Donta Hightower
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Duron Harmon
Justin Coleman
Malcolm Butler

Click to expand...

Lucky the FO isn't the Browns. I have no doubt the team will designate serious time to getting extensions done with key players in your list. Outside of that, the rest look like wait and see guys who I'm fine with the Patriots waiting on.

Gwedd said:

And compounding all that is consideration of whether Brady decides to retire. It all depends upon what happens this season and with regards to that BS suspension. I know he wants to play until he's 40(ish) but I could also see him giving the NFL a big FU over how he's been treated while that Tennessee goober thug has been seen off on a white horse and a bought & paid for SB win.

How much does TFB have to put up with before he tells Goodell and his thug monkey front office to GFY?

Click to expand...

It would be a far bigger FU if he turned this into motivation to do everything he can to excel for as long as he can.