Grinds My Gears

[MassPats38]

LMAO listening to the excuses in this thread are priceless. We're ranked close to 30 in most defensive stastics arent we? So I really don't see how much better this defense actually gets. It will be a damn shame to have this squad miss a playoff appearance over a weak defense. I'm hoping the young guys gel but it sounds like everyone has given up on this season already saying it's just re-building.

As the thread focuses on Peppers, the relevant question is how would he change anything other than the payroll? How does Peppers fix this defense? I agree with Deus that the Pats would be better served to pay for Seymour rather than Peppers, and a huge expenditure on Seymour at his age would likely not be money well spent.

And you expect BB planned on losing Warren and Bodden, two core veterans, before the season? How does a head coach anticipate those losses for an entire season? The success of the Pats defense has been a combination of veterans and draft picks, and the trio of Ted Johnson, Willie and Tedy (2nd round, 1st round and 3rd round - pretty much the same rounds as the current backers) was continuity. Tedy was a developmental project, a converted DE, who did not rock the world his first few years with the Pats. These guys were all on the field long before BB showed up, so the success of his scheme was not immediate after he arrived in 2000 based on new personnel added to the mix. He now also has to contend with prior assistants who employ the same practices in grabbing up veterans, so the market for positive additions has changed significantly. The Pats defenses turn on execution, not raw talent, and execution ain't happening right now. These are not excuses, they are realities. Observing that the defense is currently ranked 30th and therefore the obvious proposition that the defense is not working as it should right now does not say anything about whether it will work.

With a ton of rookies and new editions on the field due to injuries and roster deletions, I would still be very surprised if this defense remains at the bottom at the end of the season. Will this defense be a top 10? I seriously doubt it. My hope is it ends up in the teens by the playoffs to play with a top offense and compete for a title.

 

[RxJock1120]

You know, you kind of contradict your own point by bringing up the money "wasted" on Adalius Thomas. He was the Julius Peppers of that free agency crop, and the Pats broke the bank for him, the way you wanted them to do for Peppers.

Let's also remember that 3 or 4 years before the Thomas signing, the Pats also went after, and landed, the premiere pass-rusher in that free agency class -- Rosevelt Colvin. In other words, twice in his tenure, Belichick has gone after a star pass rusher, and outbid the competition to land him.

Your theory of "arrogance" and bickering over a few million dollars runs counter to the actual facts.

The problem isn't that the front office has refused to do what you want them to, it's that they've done it twice, and both times, rolled snake eyes. Nobody could have known that Rosey was going to shatter his hip and never be the same player again. The case of Adalius Thomas' disappointment is more complicated. Maybe, in retrospect, it was a mistake to put his versatility to the test and move him to ILB his first year with the Pats. Of course, maybe if he hadn't gotten hurt halfway through '08, and had the double-digit sack season he was on pace for, and thus hadn't been branded a disappointment by the local sports media,

We'll never know. Every draft pick, every free agent acquisition, is a roll of the dice, a chance a team takes whose outcome depends on an incalculable number of different factors. So, neither of the Pats' two big splurges at the DE/OLB position panned out. That sucks, and if you want to blame Belichick for some of it, we can talk about his handling of the Thomas' situation. But it's just ridiculous to act like the team hasn't shown a willingness to
go out and sign a premiere pass rusher.

Adalius Thomas does not contradict my point, he was in love with the Patriots way as was bletantly obvious by the courtship between him and BB. Plus, are you serious comparing AD and Peppers???!!! AD had maybe 2 good years and showed some decent potential, while had maybe 2 bad years and is a physical freak in need of the right system. I heard a lot about Peppers lack of effort argument, I just never saw it myself, and I have seen a lot of Panthers game over the years.
The Patriots rebuilding argument is simply ridiculous!!! Every bad team is "in the rebuilding process". How many years have the Raiders been rebuilding, or 49ers, or Cowboys. The rebuilding process never ends, it's just another way of saying we couldn't put a good team
together this year. Every year the team should be set up to win the Super Bowl, because NEXT year never comes around.

 

[shmessy]

In a 3-4, Seymour's the better player, yet BB wouldn't pay him that kind of cash. Why would anyone expect the Patriots to drop $16 million on a conversion project?

We don't know whether BB would have paid Seymour that kind of cash. It's possible Belichick may have if faced with that decision.

We'll never know, though, because before BB even had to face that decision, an Escapee from the Galloping Senility Ward who happens to own the Oakland Raiders pre-empted it all by offering a 2011 top 10 1st round pick for Big Sey.

 

[JMarr]

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[JMarr]

Just like to thank you for moving this thread to the Practice Squad. Obviously, BB never wanted what Peppers brings to the table (hence, not signing him, heh heh); nor did he ever feel the need for his defense to have a major disruptive pass rusher/run stuffer/other-wordly pursuer playing on the outside.

Clearly all of our LB/DE needs have been met the last two years, with the likes of TBC, Crabel, AD, Woods, Ninkovich, Burgess, and Murrell.

Again, thanks--I really would rather see 4 "Jets Suck" type threads on the main board, than this type of drivel.