2012 Surprises/Disappointments

[1%er]

Word.



I forgot about him. Freaking waste of that in-season IR designation. I bet Edelman could have made it back for the playoffs if that hadn't already been wasted.

IR thing was a learning experience. I guarantee that we will never use that in the preseason again on a bubble player. We could of used that for Edelman or even used it for AH81 earlier in the year and we wouldn't of had to cut Salas and risk losing him like we did.

 

[1%er]

Surprises:
Woodhead: Keeps getting better. Meet the new Mr. Clutch.
McDaniels: Done a excellent job so far. No fist-pumping histrionics vs. the Broncos after the game. He still had some maturing to do and hopefully learned from his mistake of going to Denver.
Denard: Stepped right in as a rookie and played like a 5 year vet with impressive press coverage ability and very few mistakes.
Love: Absolutely solid all year. I don't care that we could have a quicker, better pass rusher playing his position


Disappointments
Special teams: Lordy, what happened??
Shianco: nuff said.
Pryor: lools like another Brace/Crable whirlpool warrior. Was hoping he would be able to contribute on the D-line. Short of bodies there now and our FA track record pickups there has been poor for the most part.

Pryor who?

DEFENSIVE STATS
SEASON TEAM GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR YDS INT YDS AVG LNG TD PD STF STFYDS KB
2009
NE
13 20 12 8 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 0
2010
NE
9 12 6 6 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011
NE
2 2 1 1 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 24 34.0 19.0 15.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 13.0 0.0

He is a 6th rounder who people are very confused by the belief that he is was or ever is going to be a good NFL player. 1 career sack in 24 games. Francis had 3 last Sunday to put that in perspective.

 

[bradydaman29]

I thought Brandon Lloyd would make more of an impact down the field. I know people don't like it when he's called a disappointment. He's still effective but he isn't who I was hoping he was.

The performance of Edelman was a surprise to me. His injury was not.
Bolden is a borderline surprise.

Edelman has to learn to not play so recklessly. He needs to watch Welker and some old Troy Brown videos to learn how to get low when that big hit is about to take place when the play is about to end. Woodhead is good at avoiding that big hit, too, but Edelman hasn't. Until he learns that, he will miss lots of games with injuries, shouldn't the coaches be telling him this?

 

[supafly]

IR thing was a learning experience. I guarantee that we will never use that in the preseason again on a bubble player. We could of used that for Edelman or even used it for AH81 earlier in the year and we wouldn't of had to cut Salas and risk losing him like we did.

I absolutely hated the IR exempt designation choice. Absolutely hated it.

 

[Fencer]

Positive surprises

• Jones being ready to contribute
• Wendell & Thomas
• Dennard & Talib

Negative surprises

• Waters' retirement
• The small number of games Gronk and Hernandez played together
• The great need for Dennard & Talib
• Gostowski's accuracy

 

[Sciz]

IR thing was a learning experience. I guarantee that we will never use that in the preseason again on a bubble player. We could of used that for Edelman or even used it for AH81 earlier in the year and we wouldn't of had to cut Salas and risk losing him like we did.

I believe Edelman would have been eligible to return for the Super Bowl, but is 8 weeks enough time to heal a broken foot? The only timetable I could find is that Hakeem Nicks was expected to miss 12 weeks when he broke his foot in OTAs, and he wasn't the same all season. And even if he could miraculously play after 8 weeks, Belichick would have to be crazy to give significant touches to a guy who hasn't played and has barely practiced for 8 weeks.

They weren't going to use it on Hernandez because they thought he had a three-week injury, not the four-off, two-on, three-off one he had or the 8-off required by the rule. In hindsight, it would have been good because he clearly needed the extra rest, but it wasn't the right move at the time.

So in reality, the Pats got just as much out of the new IR rule as they possibly could, which is just about nothing. I think Belichick's strategy will remain the same. It's a bonus relative to other years, so he'll use it on the first contributor that he thinks is going to miss close to 8 weeks. Unless there's an obviously better candidate next season, I wouldn't be surprised to see Belichick use it on a rookie with a relatively minor injury who he thinks needs a little more mental work, along the lines of Vereen last season or Dennard if he had a 6-week injury rather than a 4-week one to start the season.

Summary: I have no problem with Belichick being very liberal about his use of the designated for return tag early in the season.

 

[rookBoston]

Surprises

Francis, I was convinced this guy was roster trash.

Wilfork, I did not think a DT could be so dominant and smart. He makes plays that remind me of Bruschi and Harrison, like anticipating a screen pass and beating the RB to the spot to get the TFL in the open field. At 325#s, no less. Just wow.

Dennard, really solid as a rookie. After so many 2nd round busts in the secondary, having a 7th rounder step right in and shine is refreshing.

McCourty, as a playmaking FS. I did not buy into all the off-season talk about a move to S, but...well, I'm sold.

Stallworth, I was shocked to see him re-signed, and then actually contribute. Gone now, but what a testament to the power of the Shadow Roster.

Woodhead, just when I thought he was being phased out, he elevates his game one more notch. He is Kevin Faulk and more. More reliable than Ridley and more productive than Vereen.

Wendell, I thought we would need to spend an early pick at OC in 2013, with Koppen gone and Connolly at RG. But, I'm totally fine with the guy we got. Color me shocked. Another feather in Dante's cap.

Disappointments

Mankins, not playing to his salary or his pro-bowler status. I hope it's eating at him, and we see a return to form next year.

Gostkowski, wtf?

Hernandez, seems mentally soft in pressure situations. Sloppy dropsies.

Chung, a bad benching. This guy is supposed to be the captain of the secondary, but has been marginalized. Not good to see in a contract year.

Lloyd, a big step up from Ochocinco, but not a guy I have complete confidence in. For as many snaps as he sees, there are too few big plays and too many missed opportunities. Branch and Welker make the tough 3rd down catch, but Lloyd doesn't fight for it. I was expecting more.

Ridley, hold on to the damn ball. Not that he doesn't know how important it is. He can run for a million yards, but if he coughs it up he's going to find himself traded to some team that doesn't care.

 

[Calciumee]

Certainly surprised with Cunningham! Started to look like a very disruptive pass rusher! Have to see how much was PED though!

 

[JackBauer]

On what planet can Ridley be considered a disappointment?

Certainly not any planet I'm familiar with.

 

[1%er]

Certainly surprised with Cunningham! Started to look like a very disruptive pass rusher! Have to see how much was PED though!

It was adderall not a huge difference maker trust me

 

[Ring 6]

Edleman has shown enough to play the slot.

For what team?

 

[Ring 6]

I just wanted to add to my list of biggest disappointments the fact that there are still too many Pats fans who think that Devin McCourty didn't play well at CB this season, despite the fact all the statistical data that comes from stat sites like Football Outsiders, Cold hard Football facts, PFF, etc.

This reminds me of how long it took (years) for Tom Brady to lose the "game manager" label that was put on him early in his career. McCourty had a down year in 2010, which I believe was due to a combination of having to play more man coverage after a lifetime of playing zone, having a lot of very good passes made on him even when he had decent coverage, and then losing confidence which affected his play.

But whatever the reasons were, the fact is his play at CB improved greatly and the stats back it up. Its time for the fans to recognize it too. Now I don't know if CB is even in McCourty's long term future, because he'd done such a nice job at FS. Maybe its just me, but I think he should be recognized for what he accomplished at CB as well. He is by far the most valuable DB on this team.

Bravo. McCourty had trouble last year with closing on receivers going deep. This year he was well above average, yet, like everyone else, was beaten on a few occassions. The sad thing is on this board (and in Gilette) every completion allowed by McCourty is treated like 10 allowed by anyone else.

 

[asfpnepRefugee]

It was adderall not a huge difference maker trust me

That's what his camp said it was. Why do you actually believe it? "Adderall" has just turned into the excuse of the day. I wish the league would publish what the players actually popped for so we wouldn't have to see our intelligence questioned.

 

[1%er]

Bravo. McCourty had trouble last year with closing on receivers going deep. This year he was well above average, yet, like everyone else, was beaten on a few occassions. The sad thing is on this board (and in Gilette) every completion allowed by McCourty is treated like 10 allowed by anyone else.

McCourty is a very good #1 CB, a great #2 CB and a great FS.

He had a tough year in 2011 but his return and willingness to switch to safety was a key reason we made it to the SB. I'm with you 100% we have a 3rd year stud and he gets no appreciation from fans.

 

[Rob0729]

I just wanted to add to my list of biggest disappointments the fact that there are still too many Pats fans who think that Devin McCourty didn't play well at CB this season, despite the fact all the statistical data that comes from stat sites like Football Outsiders, Cold hard Football facts, PFF, etc.

This reminds me of how long it took (years) for Tom Brady to lose the "game manager" label that was put on him early in his career. McCourty had a down year in 2010, which I believe was due to a combination of having to play more man coverage after a lifetime of playing zone, having a lot of very good passes made on him even when he had decent coverage, and then losing confidence which affected his play.

But whatever the reasons were, the fact is his play at CB improved greatly and the stats back it up. Its time for the fans to recognize it too. Now I don't know if CB is even in McCourty's long term future, because he'd done such a nice job at FS. Maybe its just me, but I think he should be recognized for what he accomplished at CB as well. He is by far the most valuable DB on this team.

McCourty suffered this year from Matt Light Disease. Matt Light for years would have solid games where he shut down the guys he defended all game and then late in the game he would let his defender on a single play. Then all you would hear from fans is how Light was a turnstile or he is the worst LT in the league or whatever. Part of the reason is because people didn't notice when he was doing his job correctly because you don't see when an o-lineman performs well.

McCourty is getting the same treatment at CB. He is being damned for a handful of plays and one bad quarter at CB. Ironically, guys like Talib and Dennard are getting praised for inferior play than McCourty performed at CB when he was there.

I think for at least the rest of this year, he is best at FS because I think a good and smart safety to stabilize the secondary is what makes a Belichick defense run at a high level (see Rodney Harrison and Lawyer Milloy) and he is the best secondary player the Pats have. I don't know if long term he is better there or at CB if they can get a very good safety to replace him (I am thinking Ed Reed will be starting at FS next year even if he is showing wear on the tread of his tires).

 

[supafly]

I think for at least the rest of this year, he is best at FS because I think a good and smart safety to stabilize the secondary is what makes a Belichick defense run at a high level (see Rodney Harrison and Lawyer Milloy) and he is the best secondary player the Pats have. I don't know if long term he is better there or at CB if they can get a very good safety to replace him (I am thinking Ed Reed will be starting at FS next year even if he is showing wear on the tread of his tires).

It was my opinion (right or wrong) that the inadequate safety play earlier in the year was greatly affecting our CB's too, and our secondary as a whole in a very negative way. It is no surprise that the secondary really started to gel with the addition of much better safety play, at least in my opinion.

I think the play of D.McCourty is the single biggest reason that the secondary has shown such improvement, although most others feel that it was the addition of Aqib Talib, which I greatly disagree with even despite his obvious positive attributes.

 

[Rob0729]

It was my opinion (right or wrong) that the inadequate safety play earlier in the year was greatly affecting our CB's too, and our secondary as a whole in a very negative way. It is no surprise that the secondary really started to gel with the addition of much better safety play, at least in my opinion.

I think the play of D.McCourty is the single biggest reason that the secondary has shown such improvement, although most others feel that it was the addition of Aqib Talib, which I greatly disagree with even despite his obvious positive attributes.

I agree that McCourty is the real primary reason the secondary has improved greatly. I think Talib has been overrated for the most part since he has been here. He has been great at times, but mostly he has been adequate at best. He has gotten burnt quite a bit. I think it is the overall improvement of the secondary than any one player, but that has a lot to do with McCourty QBing the secondary.

 

[supafly]

I think Talib has been overrated for the most part since he has been here. He has been great at times, but mostly he has been adequate at best. He has gotten burnt quite a bit.

Those are just some of the reasons why I would be very leery of giving Talib some of the big money quotes that many have come up with in recent days.

He certainly wasn't having anything close to what could have been considered a "good" year prior to coming here, and that isn't even bringing up the suspension or the attitude problems.

I'm thinking that Talib's true value isn't even really known at this point in time, and if it is, it certainly isn't at the 10 million+ per year with almost 30 million guaranteed rate that some are throwing around in comparison to last year's pacts for top tier CB's such as Carr and Finnegan.