Bad game for Logan Mankins

[Bostonian1962]

Great play last night by the entire offensive line. Not only did Connelly look good, but it didn't matter who they put out there, the O Line was dominating. That couldn't have been a happy discussion between Mankins and his agent last night.

I heard a talking head yesterday say, regarding Mankins saying the Patriots lied to him when they said they'd take care of him, that the contract offered to him would have made him either the 2nd or 3rd highest paid guard in the league.

I wish somebody would disrespect and lie to me like that.

Anyway, how about that offensive line? How about that running game?

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

At least we now know why the FO won't throw 8M a year at him.

 

[patsfan-1982]

here is my take on this... the pats have one of the better OT combos in the NFL so 4-3 team like the saints and the falcons who have good speed DE's but average to weak DT's are not going to look good vs the pats in vanilla preseason were there is not alot of blitzing


i wanna see how the OL looks vs 3-4 team like the 3 team that play in the AFC that are built from the inside out they have not faceed a 360lbs NT and 260lbs ILB's that can run a 4.5 40 right passed them


i realy do think they can be good with Connelly, in there but i think they can be great with Mankins at LG

 

[stinkypete]

They say that an offensive lineman has a good day if you don't hear his name called or notice the player all game.

By that logic, Mankins had a great game!

 

[resdubwhite]

Its a better OL with him. But its all about best bang for your buck.

I'd like to see him back in the team. But we maybe past that now.

 

[DarrylStingley]

The last two games have indeed not been that helpful to Mankins' cause. The Pats OL has done well and they have run behind Dan Connolly rather effectively. In fact, I sort of get the impression that they are doing that on purpose...to test Connolly's ability/readiness and to send a message to Logan and the rest of the team in the process.

Make no mistake, I'd rather have Mankins than not. He's a pro bowl caliber guard and having better players is better 100% of the time.

But I think he vastly overestimated his importance and leverage, and I'm delighted to see the Pats make the best of things, for about 1000 different reasons.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I would liike to see Mankins back in the mix. O-lineman need to be real good communicators and athletes and oftentimes one going down is bad for our passing game.

I loved our running game last night. Hope they keep it up ...

 

[37Harrison]

I'm not sure how you can say that this was a bad game for Logan Mankins. Even though the line played well, he would still make the line a 1000x's better than it is now. Plus, with him back in the fold, the depth on the line would be much better as well.

There isn't a lot of film on Connelly right now but teams are gathering it and I fear that them more time Connelly plays the less effective he will be.

 

[WelshPat]

Not to throw cold water on what i thought was a very good Oline performance but they will face much tougher tests that this undersized Atlanta unit that they also pushed around in a game last season

The only guy i thought struggled in anyway really was Vollmer in pass protection against that DE, the white guy (forgot his name). Seemed to struggle a bit with his quickness, but again really was pushing him around in the run game.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I was thinking the exact opposite, I thought that last night clearly showed that the Pats have a need for Mankins. I thought that Atlanta was in the backfield all night. Connelly is doing fine, but when was the last time that the Pats went through a season without a lineman missing a game?

If Kazur is healthy, then they could probably deal Mankins, but if he can't play, then it might be time to get Mankins in the fold. I was wholly unimpressed with Larsen and most of the other back-ups last night. Let's face it, the Pats can go with Light, Seabass, with Levior backing them up, but what happens when Neal or Connelly go down? Orenburger is OK, but the Pats would be in much better shape with Connelly coming off the bench backing up the eventual injury to Neal.

This uncapped year and no CBA, is really screwing a few players and messing up the league, nobody knows what the rules will be in the future, and when you are talking about a billion dollar industry, people are going to be careful with that kinda money.

 

[DaBruinz]

Unless something has changed, they are having "VANILLA" defensive plays thown at them. If they can't handle the "VANILLA" plays, then they shouldn't be on the field.

Mankins will only start to lose his leverage when the season starts. And if he holds out the entire season, then there is a long lockout, he won't be seeing half the money that's currently on the table as a 30 year old guard who hasn't played in 2 years.

Right now the team and he are on equal footing, but the longer he waits, the more leverage he gives to the team.

 

[Tunescribe]

I continue to marvel at how utterly stupid Mankins is being. It's like he poured gasoline on his bridge to wealth and fame and lit a match, then blasted both feet with a shotgun at close range. Idiot. :violent:

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I'm not sure how you can say that this was a bad game for Logan Mankins. Even though the line played well, he would still make the line a 1000x's better than it is now. Plus, with him back in the fold, the depth on the line would be much better as well.

There isn't a lot of film on Connelly right now but teams are gathering it and I fear that them more time Connelly plays the less effective he will be.

Conversely, sometimes on a very veteran team or unit guys don't really get a shot at truly developing, and this is Connelly's shot. Through the first two games in pre season, which have been against some decent competition, he has looked to be holding his own and making the most of his opportunity - just like Mankins did as a rookie. This situation is giving him a chance to develop rhythm and cohesion within the #1 unit.

Depth would be better if Mankins were signed, as it would be if Kaczur were healthy. But neither may happen before mid season if ever. And one or both may not ever play a meaningful snap here again. So you move on... I see this team get dissed from time to time for not developing enough starters. That's hard to do when there aren't many slots for them fill and the requirements out of the gate have been nothing short of near perfection. Bill has long worried about losing talent in the coaching staff to his inability to offer them advancement. And he has over time. Maybe the same thing has been at work to some extent on the field. In other places players emerge often times because they flat out had to. Here, not so much. We relied heavily on veteran players who were often past their prime but so savvy Bill struggled to part with them. Can't play until you emerge as a starter but can't emerge as a starter until you've had a legit live shot to.

Bill's rollin' the dice a little more this season than he has in the last decade here. He always talks about competition, but for the first time in a long time we really have a lot of situations where what you're competing for is starting or significant time and a shot at the brass ring. Rookies, second year players, backups and developmental players, veteran FA all have a shot at more than making the roster as gameday inactives. It's a little scary given what we're used to, but it's exciting and invigorating at the same time...

I think Bill is done managing the Nancy Kerrigan wahhhhh what about me faction in this outfit. You're either all in or you're all out. He's got enough on his plate coaching up hungry guys who want to win jobs and rings. He's not gonna deal with guys whose waning appetite or principles or personal preferences get in the way of winning.

 

[Tunescribe]

I think Bill is done managing the Nancy Kerrigan wahhhhh what about me faction in this outfit. You're either all in or you're all out.

That's what's so great about this team, and a glaringly fundamental different approach vs. Brand X in New Jersey.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Unless something has changed, they are having "VANILLA" defensive plays thown at them. If they can't handle the "VANILLA" plays, then they shouldn't be on the field.

Mankins will only start to lose his leverage when the season starts. And if he holds out the entire season, then there is a long lockout, he won't be seeing half the money that's currently on the table as a 30 year old guard who hasn't played in 2 years.

Right now the team and he are on equal footing, but the longer he waits, the more leverage he gives to the team.

This preseason has been less vanilla than we're used to all around. It may have something to do with the teams we've faced, and something to do with what Bill is trying to instill in a team in transition that was inconsistently focused and engaged on the road and in second halfs last season. We're not just going through the motions and dabbling in situations and getting guys reps. We're playing to build and sustain rhythm across the board, including a winning rhythm.

 

[Off The Grid]

I continue to marvel at how utterly stupid Mankins is being. It's like he poured gasoline on his bridge to wealth and fame and lit a match, then blasted both feet with a shotgun at close range. Idiot. :violent:

Perhaps the best in a thread that is exceptionally rich with strong posts.

I absolutely love Logan Mankins ~ in a strictly Non Broke Back Mountain way ~ and have since the very moment I heard his name called, at the end of the first round. I place a DRAMATICALLY high value on The Dirty Dozen ~ The Front 7 + the O Line ~ and he is ELITE.

But in a year where Air Pocket guys like Mankins, Jackson, et cetara had NO leverage, for the Patriots to go out and make an offer that would have been VERY fair, even if he HAD leverage ~ an HUGE courtesy on their part, though one which his sustained Dedication + Ferocity certainly warranted ~ and for him and that CreamCake Agent of his to get all CLENCHED about it...REALLY pisses me OFF.

***

Having said all that: I PRAY he recovers his senses, and we keep him.

Winning Championships is not about Getting By with The Dirty Dozen.

Winning Championships is about gathering an EXCEPTIONAL Dirty Dozen.

 

[crowell33]

Two consecutive weeks the announcers have shown replays, with telestrators, of Dan Connelly making great blocks, multiple times. He has gotten more good pub, during the games, than any of our lineman to date.

 

[N.Eman]

Someone around here said "hope Conolly keeps it up" and so far he is after 2 games. I like how the running game is coming alive, and I love how Faulk and Taylor are doing. Truly can go the extra mile for that fist down. At times I saw Morris give up on any 1st hit from a defender and not put the extra effort.

 

[The_Riddler]

I told 2 guys I was watching the game with last night at half time that Logan Mankins will probably "Re-think" his situation after watching Connelly pancake two guys on a trap and sweep, and pass protect TB quite nicely. Ole Logan probably had a bad night last night watching that. That is my guess.

Think Logan has a little sole-searching to do today knowing that BB and Pats don't need him and his act when they can replace that production at 1/10 the cost.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Connolly is way more athletic than I thought. When he's pulling and getting beyond the LOS, he's a pretty devastating blocker. Looks like he could play fullback.

But like another poster pointed out, how will he do against a monster NT? Can he move a big body that's right in front of him?

Another guy who looks pretty mean is Crumper. He annihilated a LB on a similar play where he pulled and went through an interior hole. He looks like like at least as good a run blocker as Daniel Graham was, maybe better.