rookBoston
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
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I see two breakout players for the Pats, this year.
1) LB Ryan Claridge
With three starting LB spots locked up, there's one spot up for grabs and I think Claridge is the guy to step into it.
There are only two other legit candidates: TBC, Beisel. We've seen Beisel in spot duty inside, we've seen TBC in spot duty outside... either one could have a breakout season, but my pick is Claridge.
6'2, 260#, wrap up tackler. He came in as a rookie with a reputation as a student of the game and a tape rat. So... what has he been able to do with the playbook over a full year?
The week before he was released, Chad Brown answered the question, "Which young Patriots teammate can we expect to hear from in the future?" with the words: "Ryan Claridge, the rookie linebacker."
2) TE Ben Watson
We saw flashes of greatness from Watson last year, but it was his first year playing in the O, and it wasn't optimized for him. This year will be different; he'll be used as the versatile weapon that he is. Everyone is predicting greatness for Watson this year, including Brady himself who called Ben out in his recent Q&A
I'm expecting a pro-bowl season for Watson.
Others: Jackson, Moroney, Hobbs
1) LB Ryan Claridge
With three starting LB spots locked up, there's one spot up for grabs and I think Claridge is the guy to step into it.
There are only two other legit candidates: TBC, Beisel. We've seen Beisel in spot duty inside, we've seen TBC in spot duty outside... either one could have a breakout season, but my pick is Claridge.
6'2, 260#, wrap up tackler. He came in as a rookie with a reputation as a student of the game and a tape rat. So... what has he been able to do with the playbook over a full year?
The week before he was released, Chad Brown answered the question, "Which young Patriots teammate can we expect to hear from in the future?" with the words: "Ryan Claridge, the rookie linebacker."
2) TE Ben Watson
We saw flashes of greatness from Watson last year, but it was his first year playing in the O, and it wasn't optimized for him. This year will be different; he'll be used as the versatile weapon that he is. Everyone is predicting greatness for Watson this year, including Brady himself who called Ben out in his recent Q&A
So to expect these guys to come in and expect Chad Jackson to be David Givens, I don’t think that’s fair to Chad. David is an awesome player. David is one of the premier receivers in the league. You don’t draft a guy out of college and expect him to come in and fill his shoes. But hopefully over time, he can find a role. But that’s why we have Reche [Caldwell]. That’s why we have Troy [Brown]. And Ben [Watson], who I think is really going to have a terrific season this year. Dan [Graham] coming off some tough breaks last year with injuries; he’s going to be healthy.
I'm expecting a pro-bowl season for Watson.
Others: Jackson, Moroney, Hobbs
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