Easley signed

[patchick]

He is now watching practices from the sideline instead of the bench.

Your doom-n-gloom needs a little updating:

Easley, who’s coming off a torn ACL that cost him the bulk of his final season at Florida, took part in all the drills with his defensive line teammates during the 40 minutes the media was allowed to watch the practice...
http://www.patriots.com/news/blog/a...rvations/dea87294-ae9a-4936-b186-ec98080997bb

 

[BradyFTW!]

I am getting very excited for a Defense of:

DE- Chandler Jones (who should have a monster year with a tremendously better secondary) and Ninkovich, with veteran former probowler Will Smith and up and Buchanan as part of the rotation.
DT- Healthy Wilfork and healthy Easley with Kelly, Jones, Siliga maybe Armstead for depth.

LB- Mayo, Collins Hightower at 100% with a strong #4 in Anderson

CB Revis and Browner with Dennard, Ryan and Arrington behind them

S McCourty and Harmon/Ryan, and maybe we can add a veteran for depth.

No matter how you slice it, this is the most talented D we have had in a long time.

Compared to the hobbled squad that finished last year,it is a 180 degree difference.

I'd still like to see one more LB and one more S, but agreed, that's a very talented group. It'll be interesting to see how much more aggressive Belichick can be when he is confident in the abilities of all 11 players on the field.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I expect him to be inside on a G exclusively. That is where his best stength is best utilized.
I'd expect to see him next to Chandler Jones often. If we keep the scheme of CJ moving inside on obvious passing downs that has the potential to be the most disruptive interior pass rush in memory, especially adding Mayo or Collins as a blitzer situationally.

I agree - there are a lot of starting guards in the NFL that just aren't athletic enough to handle someone with Easley's quickness, so it's kind of a no-brainer to exploit those mismatches as much as possible, IMO. He'll stand out more as a pure athlete there. Belichick has spent the last few years searching for a guy who can be an impact, penetrating player from the inside--Fanene, Armstead, and moving Chandler Jones inside on some passing downs all come to mind, and in Easley he has a guy who is far better suited for the role than any of them. As much as I liked Chris Jones last year, I expect Easley to essentially take his snaps and be a significant upgrade from day one.

Hopefully this draft will end up being remembered as an instant, on-the-fly rebuild of the trenches on both offense and defense.

 

[BradyFTW!]

TC is really all anybody needed to worry about. I would have loved to see him in MC just to have him continue to improve his rapport with Brady, but him being present in TC and in the preseason is a much bigger deal.

I think Dobson would've benefited a ton from spending a large portion of the 6+ month offseason working day in and day out with Brady. I agree that missing minicamp isn't a big deal, but the whole picture is less than ideal, especially since before his foot injury last year I felt that he was on the cusp of becoming a really good receiver, based on his size and the separation that he was consistently getting. I'm still hopeful that he'll make the leap this year anyway, though.

 

[Brady6]

I'd still like to see one more LB and one more S, but agreed, that's a very talented group. It'll be interesting to see how much more aggressive Belichick can be when he is confident in the abilities of all 11 players on the field.

With Easley and potentially Armstead being able to play outside at LDE on early downs, combined with Buchanan, Smith, and Bequette or Moore it should free things up a bit to allow Ninkovich to play some snaps at the SAM.

 

[Brady6]

I think Dobson would've benefited a ton from spending a large portion of the 6+ month offseason working day in and day out with Brady. I agree that missing minicamp isn't a big deal, but the whole picture is less than ideal, especially since before his foot injury last year I felt that he was on the cusp of becoming a really good receiver, based on his size and the separation that he was consistently getting. I'm still hopeful that he'll make the leap this year anyway, though.

It depends he may have been able to train, stress fractures do not always demobilize you, many times it just means it limits your ability to run hard on the foot. If Dobson is still in the weight room, studying tape and the playbook, and working on technique I think it is likely that he can still make major strides year 2. In a perfect world he would have trained with Brady and Edelman, but as you said it did not happen so it is less than ideal but I am still cautiously optimistic.

 

[SmellsLikeGrundle]

I expect him to be inside on a G exclusively. That is where his best stength is best utilized.
I'd expect to see him next to Chandler Jones often. If we keep the scheme of CJ moving inside on obvious passing downs that has the potential to be the most disruptive interior pass rush in memory, especially adding Mayo or Collins as a blitzer situationally.

Was just speaking to his versatility. He really is a different breed in terms of his skill set. If healthy, his presence alone creates some serious flexability to our defense.

I would be very hesitant using the word "exclusive" when talking about the modern day NFL defense. Let alone Bill's defense. This is a guy that was switching from a 43 to 34 in game on a moments notice long before it became the trend that we see today. Most HC's/DC's collect the personnel to fit in either scheme. Seattle, for example, has 34 personnel, that plays a hybrid 43 under. You can switch from one to the other rather quick. I think a kid like Easley is the perfect example defensive flexability in todays game.

I'd be willing to bet we see Easley line up in more than a few gaps during the season, esp over the course of his career ( health provided that is ). Whether it's using his explosivness and violent hands one gapping or reacting to blocks two gapping. It seems more than evident that his positional versatility, high motor and extremely high upside is why the Pats drafted him. I agree that the 3 tech would look like a perfect fit for him. And to a degree it does. But I don't think you want to put a guy like this in a box, so to speak. When he can create pressure from different gaps and alignments.

It's going to be really fun watching this kid play for Bill. Esp with the other talent we have. I mean Wilfork, Collins, Mayo, Jones, DMC, Revis, Browner, Hightower, that is some serious fire power. Of course it's only on paper, but this team is loaded.

 

[mayoclinic]

Was just speaking to his versatility. He really is a different breed in terms of his skill set. If healthy, his presence alone creates some serious flexability to our defense.

I would be very hesitant using the word "exclusive" when talking about the modern day NFL defense. Let alone Bill's defense. This is a guy that was switching from a 43 to 34 in game on a moments notice long before it became the trend that we see today. Most HC's/DC's collect the personnel to fit in either scheme. Seattle, for example, has 34 personnel, that plays a hybrid 43 under. You can switch from one to the other rather quick. I think a kid like Easley is the perfect example defensive flexability in todays game.

I'd be willing to bet we see Easley line up in more than a few gaps during the season, esp over the course of his career ( health provided that is ). Whether it's using his explosivness and violent hands one gapping or reacting to blocks two gapping. It seems more than evident that his positional versatility, high motor and extremely high upside is why the Pats drafted him. I agree that the 3 tech would look like a perfect fit for him. And to a degree it does. But I don't think you want to put a guy like this in a box, so to speak. When he can create pressure from different gaps and alignments.

It's going to be really fun watching this kid play for Bill. Esp with the other talent we have. I mean Wilfork, Collins, Mayo, Jones, DMC, Revis, Browner, Hightower, that is some serious fire power. Of course it's only on paper, but this team is loaded.

I completely agree. Like Jamie Collins, Easley has incredible versatility. Besides his explosiveness, his ability to line up and attack from so many gaps and to play effectively in different schemes is a big part of his strength - something that BB alluded to after Easley was drafted. I think it would waste much of his potential to limit him to a purely interior player. At the same time, I think that the Pats will be conservative in how they initially use Easley, just as they were last year with Collins, so I wouldn't be surprised to see his role initially limited. Over time - hopefully this year, depending on health and how quickly he picks things up - we'll hopefully see the full scope of Easley's versatility come into play.

 

[SmellsLikeGrundle]

I completely agree. Like Jamie Collins, Easley has incredible versatility. Besides his explosiveness, his ability to line up and attack from so many gaps and to play effectively in different schemes is a big part of his strength - something that BB alluded to after Easley was drafted. I think it would waste much of his potential to limit him to a purely interior player. At the same time, I think that the Pats will be conservative in how they initially use Easley, just as they were last year with Collins, so I wouldn't be surprised to see his role initially limited. Over time - hopefully this year, depending on health and how quickly he picks things up - we'll hopefully see the full scope of Easley's versatility come into play.

LOL You said it so much better than me brother! I tend to ramble sometimes.

I feel the same way. And Collins is a great example. Bring him along slowly, play to strengths in the begining and let him adjust. I think Easley is a bit more "pro ready" than Jamie. So as you said, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play limited snaps early on and progress in terms of playing time, positional versatility. From his comments, you have to think Bill is really excited about the flexability that this defense has.

I can't tell you how excited I am that we picked him up. He was really fun to watch in college. Obviously his off the ball quickness, violent hands, high motor (which, out of his strenghths, might help the team in his rookie year) jump out at you. But I think he has some underrated upper body strength that we'll see this year.

Man I can't wait. I just want to see this entire team healthy for a period of time!

 

[AzPatsFan]

I agree - there are a lot of starting guards in the NFL that just aren't athletic enough to handle someone with Easley's quickness, so it's kind of a no-brainer to exploit those mismatches as much as possible, IMO. He'll stand out more as a pure athlete there. Belichick has spent the last few years searching for a guy who can be an impact, penetrating player from the inside--Fanene, Armstead, and moving Chandler Jones inside on some passing downs all come to mind, and in Easley he has a guy who is far better suited for the role than any of them. As much as I liked Chris Jones last year, I expect Easley to essentially take his snaps and be a significant upgrade from day one.

Hopefully this draft will end up being remembered as an instant, on-the-fly rebuild of the trenches on both offense and defense.

I agree , Except it hasn't been a instant on-the-fly-rebuild but rather a methodical 4 year rebuilding without the magic word 'rebuild' and losing. It started with a single player Mayo, and expanded to LBs Hightower and Collins. It began with an existing Wilfork and added in other years Ninkovitch, Chandler Jones and Kelly and Easly. Followed by developing depth in Siliga and Chris Jones and Buchanan. Perhaps Armstead too. The secondary started with McCourty after false starts and added Arrington, Dennard and finally Ryan and Harmon This off season Reavis and Browner joined the secondary.

All in all a systematic rebuild, just like the Offense has been methodically rebuilt. This entire team is young, talented, with their best days ahead of them.

 

[Kontradiction]

Was just speaking to his versatility. He really is a different breed in terms of his skill set. If healthy, his presence alone creates some serious flexability to our defense.
I would be very hesitant using the word "exclusive" when talking about the modern day NFL defense. Let alone Bill's defense. This is a guy that was switching from a 43 to 34 in game on a moments notice long before it became the trend that we see today. Most HC's/DC's collect the personnel to fit in either scheme. Seattle, for example, has 34 personnel, that plays a hybrid 43 under. You can switch from one to the other rather quick. I think a kid like Easley is the perfect example defensive flexability in todays game.
I'd be willing to bet we see Easley line up in more than a few gaps during the season, esp over the course of his career ( health provided that is ). Whether it's using his explosivness and violent hands one gapping or reacting to blocks two gapping. It seems more than evident that his positional versatility, high motor and extremely high upside is why the Pats drafted him. I agree that the 3 tech would look like a perfect fit for him. And to a degree it does. But I don't think you want to put a guy like this in a box, so to speak. When he can create pressure from different gaps and alignments.
It's going to be really fun watching this kid play for Bill. Esp with the other talent we have. I mean Wilfork, Collins, Mayo, Jones, DMC, Revis, Browner, Hightower, that is some serious fire power. Of course it's only on paper, but this team is loaded.

Since you're new here, I'll tell you that I grew up a Gator fan. I love Easley as much as the next guy. That said, you had me in this post until you started talking about him two gapping. If Easley two gaps at all, you're misusing him. He's exclusively a one gapping rusher. Now I do agree that he can line up at either the 3-tech or the 5-tech. He has multiple uses there. But he should not be two gapping.

 

[mayoclinic]

Since you're new here, I'll tell you that I grew up a Gator fan. I love Easley as much as the next guy. That said, you had me in this post until you started talking about him two gapping. If Easley two gaps at all, you're misusing him. He's exclusively a one gapping rusher. Now I do agree that he can line up at either the 3-tech or the 5-tech. He has multiple uses there. But he should not be two gapping.

Easley is obviously not a classical 2-gap DT. But, in defense of Brother Grundle, at least one media analyst has suggested that his game is not limited to a strictly 1-gap approach:

http://nfl.si.com/2014/06/06/break-it-down-dominique-easley-could-redefine-new-englands-defensive-fronts/

Again, I'm not suggesting that Easley be used as a gap control DT. That's obviously not his game. But I'm not sure that he is "exclusively a one gapping rusher".[/quote]

 

[Kontradiction]

Easley is obviously not a classical 2-gapped. But, in defense of Brother Grundle, at least one media analyst has suggested that his game is not limited to a strictly 1-gap approach:

http://nfl.si.com/2014/06/06/break-it-down-dominique-easley-could-redefine-new-englands-defensive-fronts/

Again, I'm not suggesting that Easley be used as a gap control DT. That's obviously not his game. But I'm not sure that he is "exclusively a one gapping rusher".

I'm sure that he can do it on occasion, but...

1. He never two gapped at Florida.

2. It's hard to see his style and his game translate into two gapping well enough that it wouldn't be a misuse of his skills.

 

[patfanken]

I haven't been this excited about a Pats #1 pick since Vince Wilfolk. He is the perfect fit for the kind of defense that is necessary to stop today's passing offenses. As the fears about his 2 ACL's continue to abate, BB's risk/reward profile grows even more positive.

Disclaimer: I have to admit that during the predraft run up, I was firmly against this pick in the first round, though I'd have been fine with it in the 2nd. I also have to admit that when I first heard the named being called, I wasn't impressed, and was a bit disappointed to boot.

But that began to change almost immediately when people began to point out how potentially great this pick COULD be, if Easly remained healthy. After looking at highlights (especially the dominance of the excellent OL of Tennessee), any risk BB was taking would be worth the potential reward of such a rare expolosive player who played such a key position on defense.

Playing effective defense against today's rapid fire, highly sophisticated offense REQUIRES teams to create pressure up the middle. Players who can do that on a consistent basis are very very rare, as offensive linemen have become bigger and more athletic. Given the chance to select one of the top 2 players in the draft who meet those rare requirements was something BB couldn't pass up, even with the obvious injury risk. In the end this kid could very well be OUR version of Warren Sapp for the next decade.

Don't forget that along with the obvious physical skills, this kid comes with a JJ Watt kind of motor and a determination to be the best and not just rely on his natural gifts.

What I love most about this defense is that we are arguing about back ups that would be sure fire starters in years past. We are dwelling and kvetching about a D that has just one real question mark (S). Not a "hole", but a question mark that could turn out to be a strength.

I love that in other years Buchanon would be someone we would have to rely on to be that 3rd pass rushing DE, instead of being in the position where it would be "nice" if he makes the 2nd leap. Its a luxury when the starter from your 2011 superbowl team (Arrington) is your 5th CB, and a scrap heap guy like Chris Jones who had 6 sacks and over 40 tackles will now be luck to make the roster.

We may not want to admit it, but there are other teams who got a lot better over this off season. There are a lot of fan bases who have a lot to be excited about. However even though we are viewed as an elite team already, its been a while since I think we've done this well in an off season.

 

[Joker]

How much is Easley going to play out of the gate?

anybody got a firm answer to that question?

Less than a year from ACL reconstruction.That's a question with many answers, most of them pointing to, historically,a player's second year removed before he's fully recovered.

Collins was almost exclusively special teams until December last season, fully healthy. The Pats eased him in as he became familiar with his responsibilities.Will Easley get snaps right out of the gate?

I want to SEE him play preseason snaps before I form any opinions.

 

[Marqui]

Playing effective defense against today's rapid fire, highly sophisticated offense REQUIRES teams to create pressure up the middle. Players who can do that on a consistent basis are very very rare, as offensive linemen have become bigger and more athletic. Given the chance to select one of the top 2 players in the draft who meet those rare requirements was something BB couldn't pass up, even with the obvious injury risk. In the end this kid could very well be OUR version of Warren Sapp for the next decade.

Don't forget that along with the obvious physical skills, this kid comes with a JJ Watt kind of motor and a determination to be the best and not just rely on his natural gifts.

I love the Easliy pick too, but you're going a overboard comparing him to Sapp and Watt. He's not quite that level of a prospect. He's not even as good as Aaron Donald.

 

[Sicilian]

How much is Easley going to play out of the gate?

anybody got a firm answer to that question?

Less than a year from ACL reconstruction.That's a question with many answers, most of them pointing to, historically,a player's second year removed before he's fully recovered.

Collins was almost exclusively special teams until December last season, fully healthy. The Pats eased him in as he became familiar with his responsibilities.Will Easley get snaps right out of the gate?

I want to SEE him play preseason snaps before I form any opinions.

I think you're right, though I see it as a different situation to Collins. Collins was an athletic freak who needed a little refinement before his role could really be established. Easley seems like the type of player who historically would come in and contribute right away: Athletic, tough, and a motor that won't quit. His question marks are injury and recovery related. But if those check out, I don't see the Patriots having to hold him back until he learns more. I think if the knee holds up he's at least a 3rd down specialist week one.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I agree , Except it hasn't been a instant on-the-fly-rebuild but rather a methodical 4 year rebuilding without the magic word 'rebuild' and losing. It started with a single player Mayo, and expanded to LBs Hightower and Collins. It began with an existing Wilfork and added in other years Ninkovitch, Chandler Jones and Kelly and Easly. Followed by developing depth in Siliga and Chris Jones and Buchanan. Perhaps Armstead too. The secondary started with McCourty after false starts and added Arrington, Dennard and finally Ryan and Harmon This off season Reavis and Browner joined the secondary.

All in all a systematic rebuild, just like the Offense has been methodically rebuilt. This entire team is young, talented, with their best days ahead of them.

Overall, the rebuild started a long time ago, of course. I'm specifically referring to rebuilding the interior of the offensive and defensive lines, though.

 

[dales804]

I love the Easliy pick too, but you're going a overboard comparing him to Sapp and Watt. He's not quite that level of a prospect. He's not even as good as Aaron Donald.

That remains to be seen as neither have played a single snap in the NFL. I did read that some saw Easley as a better player if not for the injuries. Of course, those happened so we'll have to wait and see how he holds up.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Remember how Chris Jones, Vellano et. al. started off well but flagged as the season and playoffs went on? The problem was that these limited talent players played too many snaps. They were exhausted. What's exciting to me about the 2014 Pats is that with Easely's motor, plus a deep well rested rotation at DL, we'll wreak havoc and let loose the dogs of war by the 3rd QTR in many games.