Body count is mounting

[Tunescribe]

So far we have lost (excluding some minor cuts):

Vinatieri -- K
McGinest -- LB
Chatham -- LB
Brown -- LB
Davis -- WR
Givens -- WR
Dwight -- WR
Fauria -- TE
Poole -- CB
Starks -- CB

On the brink:

Neal -- G
Ashworth -- T
Troy Brown -- WR

If we lose Neal I am going to wretch. The Pats have some PR ground to make up considering all this high-profile erosion.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

I don't think there's much of a chance Neal comes back. The pattern this year has been one of NOT retaining free agents (while not singing any either). There's no reason Neal will be any different.

 

[Pats67]

If we lose Neal I am going to wretch. The Pats have some PR ground to make up considering all this high-profile erosion.

Tune, all due respect, but the bolded part reflects the sensibilities of another team in town.

One of the best things about the way the Patriots are run is that they don't listen to us, because they shouldn't. Because we're idiots. We don't have to think for even one second to make a post here. And we'll never be accountable for anything we say. Contrast that with what people like Belichick and Pioli have to live with. Why would, or should, the Patriots listen to anything we say?

All I want from them is to stick with their plan. Stick with what they believe in. That has served them well in the past, and I believe it will in the future as well. Only a contrarian would argue otherwise.

 

[PromisedLand]

I still believe there is a method to the apparent madness emanating from the bunker in Foxboro, but I must confess I am at a loss to guess what it might be.

 

[SVN]

I still believe there is a method to the apparent madness emanating from the bunker in Foxboro, but I must confess I am at a loss to guess what it might be.

i think its a makeover effort to get younger and be a perrenial contender. maybe BB realizes that this is the best this group can do and wants to rebuild again now instead of signing all these guys and cutting them again in 1 or 2 yrs and being back at the same position..who knows..

 

[pats1]

OK, let's look at the age and injury status of these players:

Chad Brown -- LB -- 36 -- DELCINING
McGinest -- LB -- 35
Fauria -- TE -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Troy Brown -- WR -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Poole -- CB -- 34 -- INJURED
Vinatieri -- K -- 34
Dwight -- WR -- 31
Starks -- CB -- 32 -- INJURED
Neal -- G -- 30
Chatham -- LB -- 29
Ashworth -- T - 29
Davis -- WR -- 27
Givens -- WR -- 26

Why were the Patriots unsuccesful last year? Age. Durability. Cap restraints.

Younger. Cheaper. Faster. Healthier.

The only player who really comes close to fitting that mold is Givens, who has been all along the toughest departure to swallow.

Whoever thinks more championships will come by overpaying for positive clubhouse fixtures, yet aging and expensive in favor of meticulously picked younger and healthier players don't know what they're thinking. By saying such, they don't desire a fourth Lombardi to be hoisted. The Patriots knew they'd have to overachieve in 2005 with the aging players which brought them the 2003 and 2004 wins. Unfortunately, injuries backfired and money was low for replacements.

This year, the prospect is great. All it takes is a look down the list at what this filtering out of past pieces has left as a core. Tom Brady. Deion Branch. Daniel Graham. Ben Watson. Matt Light. Logan Mankins. Dan Koppen. Nick Kaczur. Richard Seymour. Ty Warren. Vince Wilfork. Rosevelt Colvin. Tedy Bruschi. Mike Vrabel. Asante Samuel. Ellis Hobbs. Randall Gay. Eugene Wilson. Rodney Harrison.

Don't lose sight of what matters.

 

[Miguel]

Vinatieri -- K - 16 starts
McGinest -- LB - 16 starts
Chatham -- LB - 0 starts
Brown -- LB - 5 starts
Davis -- WR - 4 starts
Givens -- WR - 13 starts
Dwight -- WR - 1 start
Fauria -- TE - 10 starts
Poole -- CB - 1 start
Starks -- CB - 6 starts

On the brink:

Neal -- G - 16 starts
Ashworth -- T - 11 starts
Troy Brown -- WR - 3 starts

In the 16 game regular season there are 400 possible starts. So far, the Pats have lost 69 starts from the 2005 season and there is a good chance that they could lose 99 starts.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

OK, let's look at the age and injury status of these players:

Chad Brown -- LB -- 36 -- DELCINING
McGinest -- LB -- 35
Fauria -- TE -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Troy Brown -- WR -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Poole -- CB -- 34 -- INJURED
Vinatieri -- K -- 34
Dwight -- WR -- 31
Starks -- CB -- 32 -- INJURED
Neal -- G -- 30
Chatham -- LB -- 29
Ashworth -- T - 29
Davis -- WR -- 27
Givens -- WR -- 26

Why were the Patriots unsuccesful last year? Age. Durability. Cap restraints.

Younger. Cheaper. Faster. Healthier.

The only player who really comes close to fitting that mold is Givens, who has been all along the toughest departure to swallow.

Whoever thinks more championships will come by overpaying for positive clubhouse fixtures, yet aging and expensive in favor of meticulously picked younger and healthier players don't know what they're thinking. By saying such, they don't desire a fourth Lombardi to be hoisted. The Patriots knew they'd have to overachieve in 2005 with the aging players which brought them the 2003 and 2004 wins. Unfortunately, injuries backfired and money was low for replacements.

This year, the prospect is great. All it takes is a look down the list at what this filtering out of past pieces has left as a core. Tom Brady. Deion Branch. Daniel Graham. Ben Watson. Matt Light. Logan Mankins. Dan Koppen. Nick Kaczur. Richard Seymour. Ty Warren. Vince Wilfork. Rosevelt Colvin. Tedy Bruschi. Mike Vrabel. Asante Samuel. Ellis Hobbs. Randall Gay. Eugene Wilson. Rodney Harrison.

Don't lose sight of what matters.

I noticed you didn't mention Dillon and his ever advancing age. Oh I know...he was injured.

 

[Pats67]

There was no need to mention Dillon as we could be pretty much assured that you'd be along to bring him up. And Beisel and Brown and Starks and....

 

[pats1]

Vinatieri -- K - 16 starts
McGinest -- LB - 16 starts
Chatham -- LB - 0 starts
Brown -- LB - 5 starts
Davis -- WR - 4 starts
Givens -- WR - 13 starts
Dwight -- WR - 1 start
Fauria -- TE - 10 starts
Poole -- CB - 1 start
Starks -- CB - 6 starts

On the brink:

Neal -- G - 16 starts
Ashworth -- T - 11 starts
Troy Brown -- WR - 3 starts

In the 16 game regular season there are 400 possible starts. So far, the Pats have lost 69 starts from the 2005 season and there is a good chance that they could lose 99 starts.

Which leaves McGinest, Givens, and Vinatieri as the only major pieces.

Fauria had 10 starts (which is a high number) because of the health of Daniel Graham. He was becoming obsoltete with Watson and Graham emerging.

Troy Brown was losing time to Branch, Givens, and Davis.

Ashworth will be replaced by essentially Light, who'll replace Kaczur, who'll replace Gorin.

Neal, if he does leave, will be probably replaced by Hochstein, the draft, or even Murczkowski.

Starks and Poole have already been replaced by Samuel, Hobbs, and Gay.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

yes, and all the big 'loses' could all be albatrosses for the new teams if Givens never pans out as a number 1 (history is against him); Willie was already a part-time player here and used to have habit of getting hurt (gee, we didn't cut him then, was that showing no respect?); the Dolts may soon be looking to rid themsleves of such an expensive trinket as AV when they can't get over the hump and realize they have 45% of the cap in 5-6 players.

 

[pats1]

I noticed you didn't mention Dillon and his ever advancing age. Oh I know...he was injured.

And he'll be likely phased out through the draft.

 

[dhamz]

The only names on that list that I thought would be here for next year when the season ended were Troy and Willie and after last off-season I wasn't sure about Troy.

The only way Adam was staying was the franchise tag. They first tried to get a LT deal done with Adam after the Carolina SB win and he was on the last year of his deal. That was 2 years ago. Why did anyone think they suddenly would get one done now?

 

[Tunescribe]

OK, let's look at the age and injury status of these players:

Chad Brown -- LB -- 36 -- DELCINING
McGinest -- LB -- 35
Fauria -- TE -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Troy Brown -- WR -- 35 -- DECLINING ROLE
Poole -- CB -- 34 -- INJURED
Vinatieri -- K -- 34
Dwight -- WR -- 31
Starks -- CB -- 32 -- INJURED
Neal -- G -- 30
Chatham -- LB -- 29
Ashworth -- T - 29
Davis -- WR -- 27
Givens -- WR -- 26

Why were the Patriots unsuccesful last year? Age. Durability. Cap restraints.

Younger. Cheaper. Faster. Healthier.

The only player who really comes close to fitting that mold is Givens, who has been all along the toughest departure to swallow.

Whoever thinks more championships will come by overpaying for positive clubhouse fixtures, yet aging and expensive in favor of meticulously picked younger and healthier players don't know what they're thinking. By saying such, they don't desire a fourth Lombardi to be hoisted. The Patriots knew they'd have to overachieve in 2005 with the aging players which brought them the 2003 and 2004 wins. Unfortunately, injuries backfired and money was low for replacements.

This year, the prospect is great. All it takes is a look down the list at what this filtering out of past pieces has left as a core. Tom Brady. Deion Branch. Daniel Graham. Ben Watson. Matt Light. Logan Mankins. Dan Koppen. Nick Kaczur. Richard Seymour. Ty Warren. Vince Wilfork. Rosevelt Colvin. Tedy Bruschi. Mike Vrabel. Asante Samuel. Ellis Hobbs. Randall Gay. Eugene Wilson. Rodney Harrison.

Don't lose sight of what matters.

You make excellent points. However, a certain percentage of the roster will always be filled by temporary role players. Everyone who has left will have to be replaced; what are the chances that the replacements will as good or better? Losing the likes of Tim Dwight and Matt Chatham bother me as much as the others.

 

[pats1]

You make excellent points. However, a certain percentage of the roster will always be filled by temporary role players. Everyone who has left will have to be replaced; what are the chances that the replacements will as good or better? Losing the likes of Tim Dwight and Matt Chatham bother me as much as the others.

There are players like Eric Alexander, Marquise Hill, Gene Mruczkowski, Bam Childress, Patrick Pass (to and extent), James Sanders, Guss Scott, and others who need to start somewhere. Chances are, they've had enough positive support and were carefully picked and groomed to have the Patriot mentality as much as the guys before them. It's not like the original group which adopted the Belichick mentality are the only players capable of exhibiting it on and off the field.

 

[Jimke]

It doesn't make any difference what the forum members think

about all these defections.

What I worry about is the effect on the other remaining

players. Will they still have faith in BB or will they throw in

The towel like his Cleveland players?