Asante should of atleast...

[marty]

Getting back to OP, he may very well come over from FL on his own to pay his respects, and we may or may not even hear about it. He's not signed yet, isn't working out with the team and therefor will not be using the Kraft's charter plane, simple, end of story.
Personally, I find this kind of speculation very uncomfortable. This isn't a social event for Pete's sake!

 

[Pats726]

theres a reason i also said theres no way he should get top money. if can accept our offer..thats fine but he aint worth more till he proves more

I agree..the Patriots did teh smart thing..pay him top dollar for a year see what amd how he plays..and then decide... THAT is what is needed..when one compares to other CBs..is it not the consistency that counts?? Who would have thought after 8 games he would even be close to being franchised?? If anything the talk was more getting Koppen signed..maybe franchising Graham and then Samuel....it was all question marks. I agree he played a great 9 games..but big bucks based on 9 games?? No way!! he wants to be paid like that he needs to show that for a lot more time..otherwise it's a big disappointment waiting for some team...

 

[fair catch fryar]

I agree..the Patriots did teh smart thing..pay him top dollar for a year see what amd how he plays..and then decide... THAT is what is needed..when one compares to other CBs..is it not the consistency that counts?? Who would have thought after 8 games he would even be close to being franchised?? If anything the talk was more getting Koppen signed..maybe franchising Graham and then Samuel....it was all question marks. I agree he played a great 9 games..but big bucks based on 9 games?? No way!! he wants to be paid like that he needs to show that for a lot more time..otherwise it's a big disappointment waiting for some team...

Asante won't leave $7.9 mil on the table, especially when he can play for a potential juggernaut on defense this year. There is no way he produces a year like last year, even if he is that good, teams won't throw to him and other players will step up, like Hobbs or Gay. All Asante has to do is play smart and be a team player and he'll get his big $$ contract. I wouldn't blame him if he was franchised next year and sat out, but he'd be stupid to do it now.

As far as passing judgement on how he deals with the Marquise tragedy....that's only for Asante and the rest of the team to deal with. Who are we to sit in front of our computers and judge someone on a matter like this when we have no clue as to what is really going on. I believe he'll be at the funeral, but he probably didn't want to draw any undue publicity while dealing with it.

 

[Pats726]

Asante won't leave $7.9 mil on the table, especially when he can play for a potential juggernaut on defense this year. There is no way he produces a year like last year, even if he is that good, teams won't throw to him and other players will step up, like Hobbs or Gay. All Asante has to do is play smart and be a team player and he'll get his big $$ contract. I wouldn't blame him if he was franchised next year and sat out, but he'd be stupid to do it now.

If he won't leave the 7.9 mil on the table why hasn't he signed the franchise offer? Just once I'd love to see a team pull the offer from one of these greedy players and see him burn. The bar goes down quite a LOT from there..especially with only a half season of stellar play. Unlike a lot of the other franchised players who have showed consistebcy of play over the yaers, his track record is far from outstanding. Do you think that what teams offer will start from that Franchise mark or way lower? I tend to think they would deamatially lower knowing that the Franchise mark was gone....It might not even come close to that. But I doubt the Patriots would be the team to do that in this case.

 

[fair catch fryar]

If he won't leave the 7.9 mil on the table why hasn't he signed the franchise offer? Just once I'd love to see a team pull the offer from one of these greedy players and see him burn. The bar goes down quite a LOT from there..especially with only a half season of stellar play. Unlike a lot of the other franchised players who have showed consistebcy of play over the yaers, his track record is far from outstanding. Do you think that what teams offer will start from that Franchise mark or way lower? I tend to think they would deamatially lower knowing that the Franchise mark was gone....It might not even come close to that. But I doubt the Patriots would be the team to do that in this case.

I'm not sure how much the new CBA plays into the offer, but it is averaged out from the top 5 salaries at that particular position. As far as signing the franchised contract, I think most players and teams wait until the deadline in case an extension can't be agreed on. I'm not sure, but I don't think Dwight Freeney has signed his franchised contract either, but he has participated in their team workouts.

 

[spacecrime]

If only that statement had any basis in reality. Samuel is easily a top-10 and arguably a top-5 CB in the NFL.

Jeez, here with go the the Merrill Hoge School of Football Analysis.

You say player X might hold out? The team's future depends on this guy. Without him they are doomed. With him they are a superbowl lock.

He's good, but there are easily 10 CBs that are his equal or better.

I want him on the team, but let's not get carried away with this top ten, we must have him or we are doomed silliness.

 

[spacecrime]

Getting back to OP, he may very well come over from FL on his own to pay his respects, and we may or may not even hear about it. He's not signed yet, isn't working out with the team and therefor will not be using the Kraft's charter plane, simple, end of story.
Personally, I find this kind of speculation very uncomfortable. This isn't a social event for Pete's sake!

Ditto. First, how do we even know he did not pay his respects to the Hill family? Poor taste to criticize someone on such a sensitive subject without knowing the facts.

Second, this is hardly anyone's business but his one if he chooses to attend a funeral or not.

 

[JackBauer]

Jeez, here with go the the Merrill Hoge School of Football Analysis.

You say player X might hold out? The team's future depends on this guy. Without him they are doomed. With him they are a superbowl lock.

He's good, but there are easily 10 CBs that are his equal or better.

I want him on the team, but let's not get carried away with this top ten, we must have him or we are doomed silliness.

Ah, here we go with the Paris Hilton School of Reading Comprehension. I never said we were doomed. I don't believe we would be, although I think we would be SIGNIFICANTLY worse off with Hobbs/James as our starting CBs. I do believe he fills a "need" position given what we currently have on the roster, but given the wealth of talent around him, it's not like they'll bomb without his services.

If there are, as you say, "easily" 10 CBs better than Samuel (namely, CBs that played better last season than Samuel, which is what I'm primarily concerned with), I challenge you to name them. We already had a long thread about this not too long ago. It was clear that top 5 is arguable, but there are simply not 10 CBs playing better than Asante in the NFL right now. That's also not to say we should pay him what he wants; I believe he will be offered value commensurate to his worth and if he chooses not to accept, we'll move on. I think we'd be better prepared to do so next season, rather than this one.

And if you include players like Smoot and DeAngelo Hall, spare me and don't bother even making a list.

 

[lapatsfan]

Samuel is an above-average CB playing in an outstanding defensive scheme. IMO, the Patriots coaching staff molded him into the CB that he is today and he is now playing well in their system.

IMO, the Pat's offensive/defensive systems make certain players appear better than they are, as they can play to their strengths and mask their potential weaknesses. For example: Can you think of any recent players that have left for bigger contracts that aren't playing too well in other systems???

I dont see Samuel as a "top 5 CB", nor is he a classic shut-down corner, but he is great in the Pat's system. I hope he comes back and I love watching him play, but we'll be okay if he leaves. Besides, with our D-line and linebacking corps, opposing QB's won't have much time to throw deep. If they do go deep, we still have Harrison, Wilson, Merriweather, Hobbs, James, Gay, Scott and Hawkins to help out.

 

[mgcolby]

And if you include players like Smoot and DeAngelo Hall, spare me and don't bother even making a list.

I bow to your superior football intellect. Now go save the world.

If you consider a guy a top 10 cb after one solid season and take out a guy who has had multiple good seasons due to one bad season. Then please spare me.

For the record Smoot has been solid and consistent throughout his 6 years in the NFL. One year with 11 picks doesn't trump that.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

While I agree with you about Samuel and his jumping routes and his tackling, I can't agree about Dre Bly. Asomougha from the Raiders is a better CB though.

This is true about Bly.

If Shanahan had a choice between Bly and Samuel, he'd choose Samuel in a heartbeat, if not sooner.