Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Super Bowl chat with Greg A. Bedard - Extra Points - Boston.com

A worthwhile read....especially his takes on the off season roster build. His take is so in line with my point of view, we may be twins :)

-"That's why I think the likely scenario is to play nice with Welker, let him set his value on the open market and then make a decision. But I think Talib will be the first order of business this month and into March. Still, if I'm him I go to market.

-"The fact that Vollmer can play left and right tackle will send his value through the roof."

-"I think they should forget about Reed and get a good enforcer next to him(McCourty)"

-"Personally, I don't see Cannon as a tackle -- and I know some in the organization agree with me "

-"The Patriots have to figure out a way to be more explosive in the pass game to setup the run."

-"They need upgrades to Lloyd"

-"Not very(comfortable with Cannon at RT). I'd rather draft a right tackle and plug him in. Deep tackle draft."

-"The linebackers, outside of Mayo who was great this year, are slow....They can use more athletes there"

-"But the more I saw of Hernandez on the outside, the less I was a fan of that."

-"I think Belichick thought it would be a low-scoring game and he was right. It's just he didn't expect his offense to suck."

-" I think the Patriots have to think hard if Lloyd is giving them what they need at X to win a title. and he has an $3 million option bonus coming up soon. "

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Just read this during my lunch break. There is quite a bit of great stuff in there :cool:

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Good stuff. Although he doesn't say it here, Bedard has said (earlier this season) Amendola is signed to replace Welker.

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Good God. I can't imagine this place if that happens and Amendola goes down week 10 with some injury.:rolleyes:

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

You think he'd last that long?

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

I don't like Amendola's history of getting hurt. We already have enough receivers who can 't seem to stay on the field. And unlike some others here, I don't think it has anything to do with being "soft" with any of them. Broken arms and broken feet and broken hands and severe ankle sprains aren't insignificant bumps and bruises that guys can simply play through by gutting it out. In most cases it's just GD bad luck, and Amendola seems to carry bad luck in his back pocket.

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Agreed.....both Amendola and Edelman will be on the DL by game two.....

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Bedard should stick to reporting and leave the analysis to others.

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Such as whom?

re: Bedard: Boston.com Chat (off-season roster building plans)
 

Bedard isn't a reporter. He's a columnist. And as those go he's top notch. All of these mediots tend to go off the rails at least a bit periodically once they start vying for on air time. I wish newspapers paid a living wage, but apparently they don't. So everyone is queing up for regular appearances on TV and radio where they don't have editors and they aren't putting something in print and they don't always think clearly on their feet when a douche like Felger is baiting them or they're trying to get a word in edgewise between Big O and Holley yukking it up or D & C intent on poking a stick into something or someone.

I think most of them know things we can't, not all of which turns out to be the whole story depending on their sources. I think Bedard has some good connections both in the building and on the team. Although it is fair to say Bill isn't one of them. No one really has access there unless it's after the fact (like Holley when he was writing Patriots Reign). I do think he talks a little more openly off air with guys he's on the radio with because they have built up a trust. They seldom embarass each other by asking him questions he isn't going to answer. But the little snipets of insight he gives them still requires playing massive connect the dots, and most of them aren't thoughtful enough to really do a good job at that. In part because they're being asked to comment incessantly as part of their jobs.

Bedard isn't always going to be right any more than any of us will be. But I think they like him because he is fair and reasoned and he puts in the time and he knows how to shape view based on access without outing his sources.