Dashon Goldson visiting Pats today (7th August)

[pencilneckgeek]

He started 13 games last season. Damn dude, if he was so bad, BB would have benched him like he did Butler.

This guy obviously rubs fans like you the wrong way. If he was clean cut, didn't have a troubled past and long dreads, I swear you guys would be singing a different tune.

I love his dreads, voice and inimitable style, but I still have issues with his play. I'm hoping that the make or break contract year will convince him to develop more discipline to put himself in position to resign for good money (if BB is buying - he won't be), but I suspect that the contract year is going to motivate him even more to run-up a highlight reel and find himself out-of-postion at inopportune times just as often this year.

He's definitely the most physically talented safety we have, and speed at the back is extremely valuable, so I think he's the best option we have, but I'd like to see him mature out there a little bit. Shoot, I'd be happy if he'd simply commit to seeing what he hits. He's a candidate for being the poster boy for the current NFL point-of-emphasis about leading with the helmet. Add a few 15-yard flags to his resume, and Sanders would quickly start looking better.

 

[condon84]

I love his dreads, voice and inimitable style, but I still have issues with his play. I'm hoping that the make or break contract year will convince him to develop more discipline to put himself in position to resign for good money (if BB is buying - he won't be), but I suspect that the contract year is going to motivate him even more to run-up a highlight reel and find himself out-of-postion at inopportune times just as often this year.

He's definitely the most physically talented safety we have, and speed at the back is extremely valuable, so I think he's the best option we have, but I'd like to see him mature out there a little bit. Shoot, I'd be happy if he'd simply commit to seeing what he hits. He's a candidate for being the poster boy for the current NFL point-of-emphasis about leading with the helmet. Add a few 15-yard flags to his resume, and Sanders would quickly start looking better.

My point was the bolded and is also the reason why getting rid of him is dumb.

Good post and agreed. Except for the Sanders part.

 

[RayClay]

This site, FWIW, thinks that Goldson is the best Safety still on the market:
WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Free Agents - Safeties

Jeez, is Lawyer MIlloy still hanging on ? *bottom*

 

[Sciz]

This site, FWIW, thinks that Goldson is the best Safety still on the market:
WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Free Agents - Safeties

And that site's owner is kinda like you, a Patriots hater whose opinion isn't worth reading.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

McGowan on his way out?

Report: Patriots planning to release S McGowan

 

[patchick]

Goldson probably is the best safety remaining on the market, regardless of how he compares to Meriweather. It sounds like he had unrealistic contract expectations, and at this point he has to be getting nervous. The 49ers signed both Whitner and Madieu Williams, so there's no going home again.

If it comes down to accepting a 1-year "prove it" contract, the $$ for that one year shouldn't matter quite as much as landing with a high-profile team expected to compete for a championship. That's the way to showcase your skills to the league for that next big contract.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

When you tweet about having to take a physical, and you tweet about having to keep something confidential, you're not keeping it confidential.

That's true but he's not responsible for all the reports that have him visiting with us. If his tweet was all the information we had on the subject, we would know nothing.

 

[LesPaul]

Goldson will be added depth once McGowan is released. He is not being signed to replace Merriweather.

 

[TheComeback]

Meriweather gets trashed by fans because it's much easier to notice a FS blowing a play than it is to notice him in coverage off the screen on TV. I don't see anyone on our roster or the FA market who is capable of doing Meriweather's job at Meriweather's level (solid, not really worthy of the Pro Bowl, but a good player).

He isn't perfect, and his mental game sometimes leaves something to be desired, but he's our fastest S, and by far our best option for deep coverage, which he excels at.

No thanks to trading him, unless you want our secondary to take a step backward this year.

 

[DaBruinz]

I think Goldson's an improvement over Sanders at this point in Sanders' career. I wouldn't want him coming in and replacing Meriweather on such short notice.

What short notice? It's the start of TC?

 

[PatsBoy12]

This whole Brandon Meriweather thing reminds me of the Laurence Maroney thing. There were people on this board who, no matter how poorly he played or how many injuries he sustained or how many time BJGE outperformed him, just kept making excuses and flaming everyone who had anything remotely negative to say about him. Then he gets traded and does absolutely ZILCH. I don't get it.

The funny thing is I don't hate him at all. He has tons of athleticism. He can be a really good safety at times. We'll see what happens.

 

[Deus Irae]

This whole Brandon Meriweather thing reminds me of the Laurence Maroney thing. There were people on this board who, no matter how poorly he played or how many injuries he sustained or how many time BJGE outperformed him, just kept making excuses and flaming everyone who had anything remotely negative to say about him. Then he gets traded and does absolutely ZILCH. I don't get it.

The funny thing is I don't hate him at all. He has tons of athleticism. He can be a really good safety at times. We'll see what happens.

This again?

1.) Maroney was the team's #1 or #2 running back every year he was with the Patriots, and he was never #2 behind BJGE. If you've got a problem with people on the board pointing that out in defense of Maroney, you should take it up with Belichick, because he's the one that was making up the depth charts. Maroney had his problems, but he was the best the team had, and the team probably doesn't get to the 2007 SB without him, especially given how the SD playoff game went.

2.) Similarly, Meriweather has been the team's #1 or #2 safety for 3 of his 4 seasons with the Patriots, and has been voted to the Pro Bowl twice. If you've got a problem with people defending him, take that up with BB and the Pro Bowl selectors. Meriweather may not be an elite safety who's up there with the Reeds and T.P.s of the league, but he's been the best the Patriots have had in the past couple of years, and that's been pretty good for the most part.

Maroney was the team's #1 running back from 2007 until the year he was traded, although there's certainly a question as to whether he or Taylor would have been the #1 RB in 2009 had Taylor not been lost for the season early on. Meriweather's been the team's #1 safety since Harrison's been gone. Pointing that out isn't making excuses. It's just telling the truth of the matter. And, for the record, a legitimate injury (Like, for example, a running back having a broken shoulder bone) is a pretty damned good reason for lessened performance.

 

[PatsBoy12]

This again?

1.) Maroney was the team's #1 or #2 running back every year he was with the Patriots, and he was never #2 behind BJGE. If you've got a problem with people on the board pointing that out in defense of Maroney, you should take it up with Belichick, because he's the one that was making up the depth charts. Maroney had his problems, but he was the best the team had, and the team probably doesn't get to the 2007 SB without him, especially given how the SD playoff game went.

2.) Similarly, Meriweather has been the team's #1 or #2 safety for 3 of his 4 seasons with the Patriots, and has been voted to the Pro Bowl twice. If you've got a problem with people defending him, take that up with BB and the Pro Bowl selectors. Meriweather may not be an elite safety who's up there with the Reeds and T.P.s of the league, but he's been the best the Patriots have had in the past couple of years, and that's been pretty good for the most part.

Maroney was the team's #1 running back from 2007 until the year he was traded, although there's certainly a question as to whether he or Taylor would have been the #1 RB in 2009 had Taylor not been lost for the season early on. Meriweather's been the team's #1 safety since Harrison's been gone. Pointing that out isn't making excuses. It's just telling the truth of the matter. And, for the record, a legitimate injury (Like, for example, a running back having a broken shoulder bone) is a pretty damned good reason for lessened performance.

The Broncos told me to tell you they said thanks.

Knee-jerk reactions are an amazing phenomenon. I simply said that's what the situation reminded me of. I never said anything bad about anyone. It's truly funny to me.

 

[TheComeback]

This whole Brandon Meriweather thing reminds me of the Laurence Maroney thing. There were people on this board who, no matter how poorly he played or how many injuries he sustained or how many time BJGE outperformed him, just kept making excuses and flaming everyone who had anything remotely negative to say about him. Then he gets traded and does absolutely ZILCH. I don't get it.

The funny thing is I don't hate him at all. He has tons of athleticism. He can be a really good safety at times. We'll see what happens.

Ridiculous comparison. A bunch of couch potatoes criticizing a guy who they've only seen on TV, and therefore have no idea how he plays 70% of the time. The fact that he's consistently won the starting job for a few years now and has a strong reputation among players in the league (unlike Maroney) ought to tell you what Bill thinks of him as a player.

No one is making excuses for Meriweather. It's obvious he's a poor tackler. But he's also a big hitter, fast, and usually produces 5-8 turnovers a year. He has room to improve, no doubt, but I'm not going to support cutting our best coverage safety, especially when we have no one else on the roster with his skillset who is healthy. And Deshaun Goldson is an average safety--he's not even an upgrade over James Sanders.

 

[Deus Irae]

The Broncos told me to tell you they said thanks.

Knee-jerk reactions are an amazing phenomenon. I simply said that's what the situation reminded me of. I never said anything bad about anyone. It's truly funny to me.

I actually agree with your point that Meriweather is the new whipping boy. Watson was another one, although at a lower intensity level. Wilhite was another one, for that matter. It seems that the board always needs to have at least one player that everyone, even the homers, can use as a pinata.

My issue with your post was that you misrepresented what was going on, IMO. It wasn't just "remotely negative" things being said, and the defenders weren't just waiting to pounce. Most of the defenders understood the issues with Maroney, and were trying to break down the issue into more than just "Made of Glass!", "sucks!", "Dancer!", etc... The attacks on Maroney were almost constant and rarely gentle, and it got to the point where both sides were looking at every game (and sometimes every play) for an "Ah Ha!" to post about. That's fine to point out, naturally, but your spin on it made it out as if it was the defenders that just couldn't wait to fire off, and not the attackers going at him every game/quarter/carry.

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

There's definitely a middle ground in all this. Meriweather certainly has his issues but he's not a horrible safety. If he counted $7 million against the cap, I would be jumping on the bandwagon that he needs to be moved. However, with his cap hit relatively mild, I don't see the problem with having an athletic, playmaking safety, who occasionally makes bad decisions, on the roster.

I don't understand why so often the the board is ready to cut a player because he isn't a great starter. I simply don't buy the idea that he's a liablity on the roster as a backup, if indeed he gets beat out for the starting job.

If we sign Goldson, I wouldn't consider it a smart move to cut Meriweather the next day, regardless of the mistakes he's made in the past.

 

[Eat Da Pu Pu]

Merriweather is terrible. Yes, a pro bowler, and a god awful one at that. He's the typical guy who'd be released by the Pats and someone would look at "Pro Bowl" and then check the numbers and think they're in for a great safety. But his atrocious cover skills and idioticdecision making is something i'd assume drives Belichick crazy. For every time he jacks someone up with a bone jarring hit theres a dozen times someone has a few steps on him and picks up 7 yards on a 3rd and 6 with him standing over him. I don't know a thing about Goldson, I've never heard of him, but at the worst I bet he's a wash with Merriweather

 

[JerseyDevil26]

I'm surprised as to how many people don't know much about Goldson. He's another guy that hasn't hit his potential, as he was supposed to have a break out season with Frisco. Curious as to how much money he's going to want, as I'm sure someone would pay him more than he's worth. If the price is right I'd take it.

 

[captain stone]

And that site's owner is kinda like you, a Patriots hater whose opinion isn't worth reading.

And yet you read it anyway...Buh-Bye.

 

[JSn]

He's decided to re-sign w/ the 9'rs. Case closed.