idle thoughts....a return to calm.

[Patstopia]

Funny thing about the future, it's very hard to predict. Thinking that Mallet won't play, or that Brady will never get hurt may not be in the cards. For that matter, after 3 years who is to say Mallet doesnt replace Brady? Remember BB plays the best player not the fan favorite, just ask Bernie Kosar for example! I don't think this is likely, but we are better prepared then caught off guard.

 

[AzPatsFan]

OK, its a beautiful Sunday morning and the earth is STILL spinning correctly on its axis, and I am in good health. I know I have ranted about this draft long and hard. I have made some pretty extreme comments in the heat of the moment. Well its time to come off the ledge and look at the situation in a more rational fashion. Here are some random thoughts.

1. I have narrowed down my complaints about this draft to basically 3 items. and NONE of them are about not getting an immediate impact pass rusher.

a. Not getting more out of the 33rd pick. Again, its not about choosing Dowling, its about MY contention that we could have him 4 or 5 picks (or more) later and gotten something for what I saw as a rare opportunity. Yes Buffalo picked a DB right after, but one that most felt was rated MUCH higher than Dowling. In the end I recognize this as not being such a big deal, but to me it seemed like a wasted opportunity.

b. Ryan Mallet - forget about the off field concerns. Lets assume he's will be a hard working good citizen. Forget about the concerns that he doesn't "fit the system". Lets assume he develops over the next 3 or 4 years and reaches his potential. (Yes I think BB et al are THAT good) I have stated many times, even in my rage, that THIS was the best thing that ever could have happened to Ryan Mallet. He is now IMHO in the best position of ALL the QBs picked in this draft to actually reach his potential. But my issue is...how does that help the Pats over the next 3-4 years?! Our QB depth MAY be better, but how does that help us ON THE FIELD. We didn't improve our play at QB because Mallet will be on the bench for the next 4 years AT LEAST.

I would have rather used the pick on a shot in the dark like Houston, Romeus, an OG, WR, DL or even ANOTHER DB....and FAILED with the pick, than take a QB....ANY QB in the 3rd round. JMHO

c. Ridley/Vareen - I like Vareen, but I STILL can't see the Ridley pick. IF you thought Vareen was good enough to he 2nd RB taken in the draft, why do you need make a huge reach to get a short yardage/GL RB with the next pick. Couldn't you have gotten the same skill in FA in a RB you can get for roughly the league minimum? Bottom line, couldn't the Ridley pick been better used to take a shot in the dark on an OLB prospect, OG, WR, etc (see above)

d BTW - I still wish that we had taken some of that VAST draft capital an used to get SOMEONE he DID think was worth taking in this draft early....assuming he felt this was a weak draft. Maybe he tried, or Maybe guys he wanted got scooped when he didn't expect it. But its done, over, and we all should get over it (eventually ) because we will NEVER know.

That's it. when it comes right down to its JMHO. I do so with the understanding that I don't have 1% of information that the Team does, and I, for all my years in football, don't have 5% of the knowledge, I certainly SHOULDN'T question the decision makers, especially when you consider the DECADE of results they have given us. But I did and I do, because I am a fan, and its my right. . Its just now in hindsight, my issues with this draft are a lot less earth shattering that I thought after Mallet got picked, I shut off the TV and posted an "end of the world as we know it" diatribe.

BTW- I loved the Cannon pick, though I don't think he'll be a factor in 2011. I just wish we had made a similar pick on the defensive side

4. One of the interesting and ironic aspects of football is the how we view "sacks". Last year Brady threw the ball 492 times and was sacked 25 times or about 5% of the time. The average of the 5 BEST sackers in the league was 14. If you check you will find most starting QBs had at least 450 attempts (Brees had over 650). That would mean that the DOMINANT rushers in the league had a 3% success rate, and THEY are the guys EVERYONE wants to find and pay 10;s of millions to.

You wan more irony. PManning dropped back 455 times last season and was sacked 16, or about 3.5% and the Colts felt the need to draft 2 OLmen with their top picks in the draft. A 97% success rate for the OL and clearly that wasn't good enough. JUST a THREE percent success rate, and you are at the top of the heap in the NFL as a DOMINANT pass rusher. The guy WE all covet...and an offensive lineman with less than a 94% success rate is a turnstile.

Welcome back to Sanity.

Now that the Draft Exam is over and we see the answers in the back of the Book, it is obvious that BB feels the Defensive makeover of the past few years, is essentially done. The one position remaining that needs more is OLB; and I think he didn't want to wait two or three years for a rookie to mature.

BB has the rookie developing in Cunningham, (aka Willie McG-like) the moderate vet blooming in Ninko, (aka Vrable-like), and the established rusher in TBC, (aka Colvin-like). Are Manny Lawson and/or Kamerion Wembly in our futures?

So he turned to rebuilding the older Offense in an earnest, dedicated and major way. Seldom do you start with drafting a future LOT, a future, possible-franchise QB, and second future O-lineman stud, along with a pair of new inside and outside runners in a single year! He had taken tentative steps the last few years, drafting another LOT capable "bookend tackle", a spectacular crew of TEs, and a handful of developing WRs.

The Offensive Rebuild is already very well established. All along, the new generation Team is gathering strength, 14-2, and still building.

Addressing your specific criticism, did you note the circumstances when the 33rd pick was handed in? It almost looked like they missed the time window as a Trade was obviously brewing, and even erroneously reported, on NFL Network. Rumor was a trade with Al Davis for the #48, and other unnamed considerations, (a 2012 second too), so the Raiders could draft cross-Bay choice, Colin Kaepernick. Then it must have fallen through at the last moment. Now we will never know.

 

[BradyFTW!]

SBB - When a person has concussion symptoms that lasted as long as Wright's did, the chance of it being worse the next time is extremely high. One only has to look at Marc Savard and Pat LaFontaine from the NHL. Savard has lost, essentially, the last 2 seasons because of concussions. And his weren't as severe as Wright's.

While he may want to get back out there, he's got to pass the pre-camp physical. The same one that Ted Johnson failed in prior to the 2005 season when we were without Bruschi for the first half of the season due to his stroke.

OH, and one other thing, if he proves me wrong, I'll be the first one to say that I was glad I was wrong.. But, I've had this opinion since Mid-December about whether he'd return and have voiced it several times.

Agreed- I think anyone who expects Wright to be back is being overly optimistic. He might come back, but even if he does he'll continue to be a major concussion risk. That never really goes away.

 

[DW Toys]

I was hoping and expecting a DL, but I just don't get passionate like that about drafts anymore.

Seems to me we judge based on a bunch of TV people who really have no idea who the teams actually want, so their "ratings" are just entertainment for the most part.

My only point? Deciding, we could have had him here, should have traded there is really based on nothing.

BB traded down twice, then selected maybe the second best player in last years draft. Do we really think we, or hair hat Kiper, know more about where actual GMs are going to pick players?

...or who should be picked where? How many surgical trade downs, then back up have been made for crucial players?

Ray, All valid points for sure. What the Koolaid is that most people, media included, have to look at BBs Drafts the last five years and not including lat year, they were mediocre at best. There was a study on his abilities recently and he was 14th. Take away last year and he was probably not in the top half.

My point is let's not get excited about his Drafts. Not to low or high. It is a process. He tries to be crafty and that has not worked out so much.

Someone on radio made an excellent point. He Drafts like he is afraid to make a mistake. Dimetroff had big ones and it will work out. Not a bad organization. Payton also took the aggressive side. Not a bad organization either. I'll swap our Draft with the Saints without question.

Fact is we had the ammo to stay and get those picks. If I here the word "value" one more time, I will........

How can a guy who gambled on fourth and two on the opponents thirty keep Drafting out to play it safe?

I am calm. It's probably is what I expected but I hoped for better. It was a crappy Draft class but who says next years is not worse?

The last three picks were give-ups and if he says they were a value, he is crazy. There were at least fifty with higher ...."value".
All three are ST kids. I can get twenty five guys to replace them as UDFAs.
DW Toys

 

[crowell33]

Ken was writing as if he depended on Wright being back. It's a 50-50 shot.

Three months on the shelf for a concussion when you're the leading sacker on a team going into the stretch drive of a season translates into a very serious brain situation.

I hope Wright retires. He's a great story and I love the guy, I just don't think its worth the risk to his personal health. I read a story on Wright in the Herald before the draft where he was asked, after all that you've been through will you willing to hit and play as hard as before now that you have experienced the consequences ( I'm paraphrasing ).

He said that he couldn't honestly answer that question, and that he wouldn't know until he was back out there.

 

[Metaphors]

a. Not getting more out of the 33rd pick. Again, its not about choosing Dowling, its about MY contention that we could have him 4 or 5 picks (or more) later and gotten something for what I saw as a rare opportunity. Yes Buffalo picked a DB right after, but one that most felt was rated MUCH higher than Dowling. In the end I recognize this as not being such a big deal, but to me it seemed like a wasted opportunity.

They may have tried but couldn't get a good enough deal. There were plenty of teams looking DB (Houston being the key one) that could have traded up to get in front of the Pats to get Dowling. While Dowling wasn't high on my list as a CB, I can see him developing into a top cover safety (with ability to play corner situationally). You want to get off the field on 3rd down? Take away the easy/quick throws into the middle of the field. The Ravens and Steelers have suckish corners but have players that force QBs into outside/slow developing throws that allow the rush more time.

b. Ryan Mallet - how does that help the Pats over the next 3-4 years?! Our QB depth MAY be better, but how does that help us ON THE FIELD. We didn't improve our play at QB because Mallet will be on the bench for the next 4 years AT LEAST.

Brady isn't getting younger and the backup QB is one clean shot from being the QB of the present. If you never invest (meaning no immediate dividends) in a QB, you are never ready for a situation like 2008. The way the Pats offense was playing at the end of that year with Cassell, nobody wanted any part of them in the playoffs.

If Brady stays healthy, both Hoyer and Mallett will be assets that can be cashed in when the inevitable injury hits another team. The best organizations turn into QB factories. Everyone wants a QB that was trained by a successful coaching staff. Lowers their risk, which is key for a GM/coach needing to win right away.

c. Ridley/Vareen - I like Vareen, but I STILL can't see the Ridley pick. IF you thought Vareen was good enough to he 2nd RB taken in the draft, why do you need make a huge reach to get a short yardage/GL RB with the next pick. Couldn't you have gotten the same skill in FA in a RB you can get for roughly the league minimum? Bottom line, couldn't the Ridley pick been better used to take a shot in the dark on an OLB prospect, OG, WR, etc (see above)

The Pats needed a short yardage banger (can't disagree when it seems like 3rd-and-1.5 yards is a passing down) and they wanted Ridley specifically. He effectively fills out the skill set of the Pats backs, while allowing for some redundancy in the case of injury:
- BJGE...Inside back with ability to be a short yardage guy
- Woodhead...Receiving back with the ability to run play action
- Vereen...Outside back with good receiving skills
- Ridley...Short yardage back that can lead snaps when needed

If any one goes down, they have a natural backup ready to go. If they are all healthy, they have options for all situations. Defenses like the Colts, BJGE and Ridley get more carries. Defenses like the Jets, Vereen and Woodhead see more action. If the Pats are protecting a 4th quarter lead, having a fresh Ridley to kill the clock won't seem like a wasted pick.

d BTW - I still wish that we had taken some of that VAST draft capital an used to get SOMEONE he DID think was worth taking in this draft early....assuming he felt this was a weak draft. Maybe he tried, or Maybe guys he wanted got scooped when he didn't expect it. But its done, over, and we all should get over it (eventually ) because we will NEVER know.

You really believe Belichick ended up with Solder, Dowling and Vereen because he settled after being outmaneuvered by every other team in this draft? I can understand why you are disappointed. I get the exact opposite impression. Belichick specifically wanted Solder, Dowling and Vereen. He just wanted to see what else he could get while still ending up with these 3. These aren't the guys I would have targeted, but Belichick never returns my calls with scouting advice.

4. One of the interesting and ironic aspects of football is the how we view "sacks". Last year Brady threw the ball 492 times and was sacked 25 times or about 5% of the time. The average of the 5 BEST sackers in the league was 14. If you check you will find most starting QBs had at least 450 attempts (Brees had over 650). That would mean that the DOMINANT rushers in the league had a 3% success rate, and THEY are the guys EVERYONE wants to find and pay 10;s of millions to.

The Pats need to get better on pass defense. This involves coverage and pressure. If you aren't doing both well in a coordinated way, doing one well won't matter. Matthews got a sack in the playoffs in 2009 (considering Reiss was probably still humping his leg, that was quite a feat) but the Cards still dropped 50 on the Packers. In 2010, the Packers covered much better and ended up with a title. If the Pats can cover better (Bodden and Dowling will help) and fill out their rush ends with a key FA or two, they should be fine.

 

[RayClay]

Ray, All valid points for sure. What the Koolaid is that most people, media included, have to look at BBs Drafts the last five years and not including lat year, they were mediocre at best. There was a study on his abilities recently and he was 14th. Take away last year and he was probably not in the top half.

My point is let's not get excited about his Drafts. Not to low or high. It is a process. He tries to be crafty and that has not worked out so much.

Someone on radio made an excellent point. He Drafts like he is afraid to make a mistake. Dimetroff had big ones and it will work out. Not a bad organization. Payton also took the aggressive side. Not a bad organization either. I'll swap our Draft with the Saints without question.

Fact is we had the ammo to stay and get those picks. If I here the word "value" one more time, I will........

How can a guy who gambled on fourth and two on the opponents thirty keep Drafting out to play it safe?

I am calm. It's probably is what I expected but I hoped for better. It was a crappy Draft class but who says next years is not worse?

The last three picks were give-ups and if he says they were a value, he is crazy. There were at least fifty with higher ...."value".
All three are ST kids. I can get twenty five guys to replace them as UDFAs.
DW Toys

I'll concede that not every draft class was great, but is the draft about impressing observers, or merely one aspect of building a successful team? When have we had a losing, or even poor record over the years, as we admittedly turned over almost the entire team and had to play without Brady one year in between?

I'm not a BB butt kisser and have been really critical of our approach to replacing the great linebacker corps of the past. Still, without a "rebuilding" season at all we now have a really good, young ILB rotation and, hopefully, a conversion project in transition in Cunningham.

Given the uncertainty of this season, maybe a vet pass rusher and another year of experience for Moore and Nink will serve us better this year.

No DE/Olb project is going to have more impact than a hired gun in the short term, as they will just be pass rush specialists anyway, and they aren't going to spend big bucks for a guy who can't play regular downs in our D.

DLs converting to our type of defense will have a big learning curve too. Given the ton of young D players still improving from the last two years, maybe vastly improving our secondary and mixing in some vets with our front seven, along with a much more versatile running game to kill clock, will give us the best team this year, while we stocked up for next year and maybe "the" guy, or guys at DE or DE/OLB.

Maybe we missed somebody, we'll see.

The point is having the best draft is meaningless by itself. All that matters is the best performing team now and in the future (which could be 2 different approaches).

 

[aluminum seats]

We are for heartily taking thy lord Bills name in vain, for questioning some of his decisions. Its a Freaking game, and were Fans, aka Fanatics. And we have a right to go over the edge sometimes just like the fanatics that rubber stamp anything bb does do in praising every move he makes.
I've Never seen this board so divided in the 7 years i've been a member or before that lurking.

I'm a bit confused by what point you're trying to make. Yes, of course we're fans, that's obvious. What I'm saying is this board becomes useless if it's filled with such a huge amount of screaming bs, whining, etc. So my hope is that comments will be a bit more measured.

 

[PYPER]

Ray, All valid points for sure. What the Koolaid is that most people, media included, have to look at BBs Drafts the last five years and not including lat year, they were mediocre at best. There was a study on his abilities recently and he was 14th. Take away last year and he was probably not in the top half.

In 2006 our scouting department had recently been raided. We lost Demitrioff to the Falcons and a few other scouts as well.

In 2007, we only had one pick before the 4th round. The missing picks were used to acquire Moss and Welker. I hate how people ignore that fact when rating that draft. And, oh by the way, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl with an 18-0 record. Clearly there roster was pretty strong. Kind of hard to expect 6th and 7th round picks to stick on a team like that.

In 2008, the draft sucked. We lost a few more scouts in 2007 and 2008 so that may have contributed. Continuity is tough to develop when everyone steals your personnel.

2009 was BB's first year w/o Pioli but I would call that a successful draft. Vollmer, Chung, Prior, and Edelman were nice finds and the jury is still out on Tate, Brace, and Butler. We also brought in Hoyer as an UDFA that year. In any case, I don't know how you can call that draft a failure.

In 2010, big hit.

I would argue that the 2009 and 2010 drafts may have been the best back to back drafts in team history rivaling our drafts from 1995 and 1996.

My point is let's not get excited about his Drafts. Not to low or high. It is a process. He tries to be crafty and that has not worked out so much.

Interesting. I feel completely different. I think the drafts began improving after Pioli left and BB was free to be as "crafty" as he wanted. I'm sure stability in the scouting department in that time hasn't hurt either.

Someone on radio made an excellent point. He Drafts like he is afraid to make a mistake. Dimetroff had big ones and it will work out. Not a bad organization. Payton also took the aggressive side. Not a bad organization either. I'll swap our Draft with the Saints without question.

Time will tell who had the best draft. I don't follow the "afraid" thing at all. Organizations that are afraid go conservative and stick to the status quo. BB is anything but that. He moves up, he moves down, he moves anywhere. If anything, he's the most fearless GM in the league. Attempting to put the "afraid" label on him only reveals how uninformed and confused you are by his methods. Clearly you do not have him figured out.

The last three picks were give-ups and if he says they were a value, he is crazy. There were at least fifty with higher ...."value".
All three are ST kids. I can get twenty five guys to replace them as UDFAs.
DW Toys

Once again, time will tell. Perhaps he's had a conversation with Crumpler in which Alge mentioned that retirement was on his mind. That could explain the desire to add a blocking TE. Markell Carter actually intrigues me. He played DE in college but projects to OLB in the pros. He's got some length to him and fits the size requirements for the position (6'4", 250). The only writeup I found on him described him positively. Could be a sleeper.

The last pick (DB - Malcolm Williams) doesn't make any sense but then I realized he went to TCU with Cannon. Cannon has a long road ahead of him with the chemo treatments and all. There's got to be some concern how a 350lb man will come out of that. Perhaps Williams was brought on board b/c they were close friends and BB wanted to be able to provide a support mechanism to help Cannon stay focused through the rough days ahead. I don't know. Pure speculation on my part but it makes sense to me.

 

[patfanken]

Ken was writing as if he depended on Wright being back. It's a 50-50 shot.

Three months on the shelf for a concussion when you're the leading sacker on a team going into the stretch drive of a season translates into a very serious brain situation.

A couple of points for on the comments.

Mike Wright- Those that think that Wright's career might be over make valid points. However I choose to remain optimistic and here's why. Several people have opined, and now I tend to agree, that one of the reasons BB failed to take a DLman in this draft was that he felt that no one in that draft was better than what he already had on his team. If the Pats felt that Wright's future was in question, wouldn't have made THAT much more urgent that they select a replacement. And wouldn't the fact that they didn't prove that they didn't think they had to. Its nothing I actually know. Just trying to read between the lines

Ryan Mallet - To be susinct finally, its not Mallet. I was totally against the taking of ANY QB before the 7th round, let alone the 3rd. I just thought a pick at any position that high would have more of impact to the immediate future of the team than a QB who isn't likely to see the field (baring injury) during the life of his rookie contract.

Ridely - He'd have to end up being a 1000 yd rusher to justify that pick so high in the draft, and if he becomes that 1000 yd rusher than what does that say about the pick of Vareen (unless he too becomes a 1000 yd rusher. The pick made no sense....in that round.

Colts - I know that they had serious offensive line problems, especially in the run game, but I just used the example to make the point about the way people view the sack. Get 14 sacks in 450 attempts and people will pay you an 8 figure salary. Give up 14 sacks in 450 attempts an you will be looking for a new line of work. I just find that to be a somewhat amusing, interesting, and ironic juxtaposition.

I was a little disappointed my post couldn't get a conversation going about my reason's why I thought the Pat's pass rush is going to better this season without any help from the draft. Again, reading between the lines, you have to know that BB knows all the sad stats about last year's team. You have to believe that he knows how important a good pass rush is and what its effects are to the rest of the defense.

So when he fails to move heaven and earth to improve what WE perceive to be a crushing need and focuses his efforts on other areas, then you HAVE to believe in one of 2 things.

1. He already has a plan to improve the pass rush in FA, with people he thinks will be better than anyone he could have gotten in the draft.....OR
2. He thinks he already has the people here that will get him the pass rush he needs, they just need more time to mature both as players and a team.

Its either one or the other. The guy's not an idiot. He knows we were last in the league in being able to get off the field. He knows thats not a good thing.

The Pats had 34 sacks last season (14th) The need to add around 10-12 more next season to get back in to the top 5. (along with a proportionate increase in hurries, QB hits) 10-12 over the course of the entire season That isn't a lot, even with the guys we have right now. That would be looking to add one more sack over the course of the season for 10 of the players who get to rush the QB.

 

[mgteich]

Hoyer is a RFA next year. We can't be held up by that situation. By drafting Mallett who will spend a year learning the system, Belichick will have many options next year that he didn't ahve before this draft, including trading Hoyer, trading Mallett, and accepting RFA compensation for Hoyer.

OK, its a beautiful Sunday morning and the earth is STILL spinning correctly on its axis, and I am in good health. I know I have ranted about this draft long and hard. I have made some pretty extreme comments in the heat of the moment. Well its time to come off the ledge and look at the situation in a more rational fashion. Here are some random thoughts.

1. I have narrowed down my complaints about this draft to basically 3 items. and NONE of them are about not getting an immediate impact pass rusher.

a. Not getting more out of the 33rd pick. Again, its not about choosing Dowling, its about MY contention that we could have him 4 or 5 picks (or more) later and gotten something for what I saw as a rare opportunity. Yes Buffalo picked a DB right after, but one that most felt was rated MUCH higher than Dowling. In the end I recognize this as not being such a big deal, but to me it seemed like a wasted opportunity.

b. Ryan Mallet - forget about the off field concerns. Lets assume he's will be a hard working good citizen. Forget about the concerns that he doesn't "fit the system". Lets assume he develops over the next 3 or 4 years and reaches his potential. (Yes I think BB et al are THAT good) I have stated many times, even in my rage, that THIS was the best thing that ever could have happened to Ryan Mallet. He is now IMHO in the best position of ALL the QBs picked in this draft to actually reach his potential. But my issue is...how does that help the Pats over the next 3-4 years?! Our QB depth MAY be better, but how does that help us ON THE FIELD. We didn't improve our play at QB because Mallet will be on the bench for the next 4 years AT LEAST.

I would have rather used the pick on a shot in the dark like Houston, Romeus, an OG, WR, DL or even ANOTHER DB....and FAILED with the pick, than take a QB....ANY QB in the 3rd round. JMHO

c. Ridley/Vareen - I like Vareen, but I STILL can't see the Ridley pick. IF you thought Vareen was good enough to he 2nd RB taken in the draft, why do you need make a huge reach to get a short yardage/GL RB with the next pick. Couldn't you have gotten the same skill in FA in a RB you can get for roughly the league minimum? Bottom line, couldn't the Ridley pick been better used to take a shot in the dark on an OLB prospect, OG, WR, etc (see above)

d BTW - I still wish that we had taken some of that VAST draft capital an used to get SOMEONE he DID think was worth taking in this draft early....assuming he felt this was a weak draft. Maybe he tried, or Maybe guys he wanted got scooped when he didn't expect it. But its done, over, and we all should get over it (eventually ) because we will NEVER know.

That's it. when it comes right down to its JMHO. I do so with the understanding that I don't have 1% of information that the Team does, and I, for all my years in football, don't have 5% of the knowledge, I certainly SHOULDN'T question the decision makers, especially when you consider the DECADE of results they have given us. But I did and I do, because I am a fan, and its my right. . Its just now in hindsight, my issues with this draft are a lot less earth shattering that I thought after Mallet got picked, I shut off the TV and posted an "end of the world as we know it" diatribe.

BTW- I loved the Cannon pick, though I don't think he'll be a factor in 2011. I just wish we had made a similar pick on the defensive side

4. One of the interesting and ironic aspects of football is the how we view "sacks". Last year Brady threw the ball 492 times and was sacked 25 times or about 5% of the time. The average of the 5 BEST sackers in the league was 14. If you check you will find most starting QBs had at least 450 attempts (Brees had over 650). That would mean that the DOMINANT rushers in the league had a 3% success rate, and THEY are the guys EVERYONE wants to find and pay 10;s of millions to.

You wan more irony. PManning dropped back 455 times last season and was sacked 16, or about 3.5% and the Colts felt the need to draft 2 OLmen with their top picks in the draft. A 97% success rate for the OL and clearly that wasn't good enough. JUST a THREE percent success rate, and you are at the top of the heap in the NFL as a DOMINANT pass rusher. The guy WE all covet...and an offensive lineman with less than a 94% success rate is a turnstile.

 

[Metaphors]

The last pick (DB - Malcolm Williams) doesn't make any sense but then I realized he went to TCU with Cannon. Cannon has a long road ahead of him with the chemo treatments and all. There's got to be some concern how a 350lb man will come out of that. Perhaps Williams was brought on board b/c they were close friends and BB wanted to be able to provide a support mechanism to help Cannon stay focused through the rough days ahead. I don't know. Pure speculation on my part but it makes sense to me.

Malcolm Williams Pro Day
40: 4.47 (4.43)
10 yd split: 1.48 (1.50)
Vertical: 40" (38")
Broad: 10'6" (10'8")
Shuttle: 4.39 (4.08)
3 Cone: 6.90 (6.97)

The numbers in parens? Prince Amukamara at the combine. Not saying anything about his CB skills. Just saying those are solid numbers for a guy competing for a spot on special teams. For a 7th round pick, why not bring in a guy with the physical skills to improve your coverage teams?

 

[ClevTrev]

Malcolm Williams Pro Day
40: 4.47 (4.43)
10 yd split: 1.48 (1.50)
Vertical: 40" (38")
Broad: 10'6" (10'8")
Shuttle: 4.39 (4.08)
3 Cone: 6.90 (6.97)

The numbers in parens? Prince Amukamara at the combine. Not saying anything about his CB skills. Just saying those are solid numbers for a guy competing for a spot on special teams. For a 7th round pick, why not bring in a guy with the physical skills to improve your coverage teams?

Definitely a special teams pick with good physical ability. You can never get enough of these players. It's more likely that as the team scouted specific players at TCU, they identified some other players that might fill some roles.

 

[VJCPatriot]

a. Not getting more out of the 33rd pick. Again, its not about choosing Dowling, its about MY contention that we could have him 4 or 5 picks (or more) later and gotten something for what I saw as a rare opportunity. Yes Buffalo picked a DB right after, but one that most felt was rated MUCH higher than Dowling. In the end I recognize this as not being such a big deal, but to me it seemed like a wasted opportunity.

You've just answered your own question. The Pats felt that Dowling was the best CB left on THEIR BOARD and they knew Buffalo was going to pick a CB next. So instead of risking losing 'their guy' they took Dowling at 33 instead of trading down. They had trade down offers but they felt the player was worth the pick rather than risk losing him. You've gotta remember that where you or a national scouting service grades Dowling are irrelevant. The Pats use their own private scouting system and create their own draft board complete with Prospect Grades.

b. Ryan Mallet - forget about the off field concerns. Lets assume he's will be a hard working good citizen. Forget about the concerns that he doesn't "fit the system". Lets assume he develops over the next 3 or 4 years and reaches his potential. (Yes I think BB et al are THAT good) I have stated many times, even in my rage, that THIS was the best thing that ever could have happened to Ryan Mallet. He is now IMHO in the best position of ALL the QBs picked in this draft to actually reach his potential. But my issue is...how does that help the Pats over the next 3-4 years?! Our QB depth MAY be better, but how does that help us ON THE FIELD. We didn't improve our play at QB because Mallet will be on the bench for the next 4 years AT LEAST.

How does it make us better? Very simply put. 2008. Brady went down with an unfathomably, freak knee injury. Cassel takes over and the Pats don't skip a beat, going 11-5 and nearly making the playoffs were it not for some dubious tiebreakers and some choking by certain playoff bound teams near the end of the season. Football is a game of injuries. Improving the quality and depth of the most important position on the field - QB makes your team better.

c. Ridley/Vareen - I like Vareen, but I STILL can't see the Ridley pick. IF you thought Vareen was good enough to he 2nd RB taken in the draft, why do you need make a huge reach to get a short yardage/GL RB with the next pick. Couldn't you have gotten the same skill in FA in a RB you can get for roughly the league minimum? Bottom line, couldn't the Ridley pick been better used to take a shot in the dark on an OLB prospect, OG, WR, etc (see above)

Again your 'grading' of the Ridley pick doesn't have the benefit of the Pats scouting system. And since the Pats were planning to 'trade down' out of the rest of round 3 and 4 with the Raiders. They basically had to take their best rated 'Patriots fit' player left on the board. That happened to be Ridley. The Pats didn't believe Ridley would have lasted until round 5, and if we hadn't used the pick on him in the 3rd, we might not have had the pick ot use on Cannon in the 5th. It's like dominoes. I don't know much about Ridley other than he's a powerback and likely the Pats felt that him and Mallet were the 'best of the rest left over' before they decided to pass on the rest of the 3rd and 4th rounds.

d BTW - I still wish that we had taken some of that VAST draft capital an used to get SOMEONE he DID think was worth taking in this draft early....assuming he felt this was a weak draft. Maybe he tried, or Maybe guys he wanted got scooped when he didn't expect it. But its done, over, and we all should get over it (eventually ) because we will NEVER know.

The Pats talked with SEVERAL teams about moving up. As high as pick 6, to pick 7, 8, and 9. They clearly talked to the Browns and when they found out the Bounty needed to move up, the Browns totally R**PED the Falcons for the moveup for Julio Jones btw, I can totally see why BB said thanks, but no thanks to a trade up. Pats talked but didn't find the right price they wanted for a moveup. The Pats didn't see the VALUE in the tradeup. That's what it boils down to.

They also decided that Solder was the best value they could get at 17, a guy who played LT his whole college career, compare to Tyron Smith taken at 9 by the Cowboys, a career RT who would have to project to an LT conversion. And certainly Solder has higher upside and athleticism than Costanzo who the Colts took a few picks later. Dante worked out both players and Solder was the guy he recommended to BB. I'll trust in coach Dante.

A couple of points for on the comments.
Ryan Mallet - To be susinct finally, its not Mallet. I was totally against the taking of ANY QB before the 7th round, let alone the 3rd. I just thought a pick at any position that high would have more of impact to the immediate future of the team than a QB who isn't likely to see the field (baring injury) during the life of his rookie contract.

Yet Hoyer's going to be an RFA next year and the Pats traditionally carry 3 QBs. They've only made do with 2 recently because they couldn't find viable backups after Hoyer. They clearly showed interested by drafting O'Connell in the 3rd recently. Why is this a surprise? Drafting and developing QBs is good business in the NFL. Just look at the Packers of late and the 49ers in their dynasty years.

Ridely - He'd have to end up being a 1000 yd rusher to justify that pick so high in the draft, and if he becomes that 1000 yd rusher than what does that say about the pick of Vareen (unless he too becomes a 1000 yd rusher. The pick made no sense....in that round.

You're joking right. Every 3rd round RB better be a Curtis Martin caliber back? You're expectations are too high vis a vis the draft slot. Curtis Martin was the exception, not the rule.

Colts - I know that they had serious offensive line problems, especially in the run game, but I just used the example to make the point about the way people view the sack. Get 14 sacks in 450 attempts and people will pay you an 8 figure salary. Give up 14 sacks in 450 attempts an you will be looking for a new line of work. I just find that to be a somewhat amusing, interesting, and ironic juxtaposition.

Except that Matt Light is a free agent, not even on the roster anymore, who could be making BIG $$ to start for some other team once Free Agency officially starts. And Solder will be a salary controlled 1st round pick for the next 5 years.

 

[AzPatsFan]

5. Lets take a look at the Pats pass rush both last year and into the next. I will opine that I expect it to be MUCH better, even before we enter the FA market to pick up "our guy" (more on that later)

a. Clearly adding Boddin and Dowling to last season's mix should make our coverage better. One of the problems we had last season was matching up with some of the bigger and stronger WRs that are becoming so prevalent in the league. Adding two BIG CBs to that mix is really going to help in that area.

b. I think people are really underestimating the return of Ty Warren to the mix. Rather than question his recovery from hip surgery. We are talking about him as if he had hip replacement surgery. Why don't we think about having a fully HEALTHY Ty Warren for the first time in 3 years. You remember Ty Warren. He was the guy who most fans thought was the best Pats DLman for a lot of years that Richard Seymour was going to Hawaii. Now suddenly he's thought of as an injury risk and a slow footed run stopper. No he's not a sack guy, but he is a great push the pocket from the inside guy. And that is something that leads to sacks for others. I am REALLY looking forward to watching a HEALTHY Ty Warren impact this young defense.

c. Mike Wright - Its interesting to hear some commentators talk about the Pats rush defense and to show how bad it is, point to the fact that with 5.5 sacks Mike Wright led the Pats in sacks. Mike Wright? But what I see is the fact Wright got those 5.5 sacks in JUST 7 games. Do you want to project that out for a full season? Do you want to consider that he got most of those 5.5 sacks playing as a 3-4 DE. I mean Wright was well on his way to double digit sack season playing a position that is definitely NOT conducive to being a sack leader in this league. Have we all been sleeping on Mike Wright as a significant pass rusher for us? I think we have.

d. Jermain Cunningham - Think about it. It took Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel 3-4 years to mature and develop into significant LBs in the 3-4 system. We saw Jermain Cunningham become an INSTANT starter in his first year, DESPITE missing most of training camp....and play pretty respectable football his rookie year. Very few pass rushers blossom their rookie years. Some of the best took several seasons to hit their strides,

I thought, given he was a rookie making one of the toughest position conversions there is to make, he did a fully remarkable job last season. I don't think we have seen NEARLY what he can be as an end product. I think he will be another part of the improvement we will see next season in the pass rush

e. The System - I find it amusing that in all this "we need to get a pass rush" outcry. (of which I admit I was part of ) We hear people lamenting that we have to find the next Mike Vrabel, or the NEXT Willie McGinest . I have to wonder if people don't realize that Willie McGinest NEVER had a double digit sack season under BB and only came close ONCE. Mike Vrabel only had ONE double digit sack season(07) and came close only one other year (nine in 03) during his EIGHT year stay in NE

The point I'm making is that it ISN'T about one guy or even two. Its about the TEAM. During the best years of our defense what was most interesting was that while the Pats were always among the leaders in team sacks, they NEVER had anyone at the top of the INDIVIDUAL stats. Maybe that's the point we are ALL missing. Its not about getting individuals to rush the passer its about assembling the TEAM who can create those pressures. Clearly we haven't been able to do it the past few seasons. And maybe we won't be amongst the team leaders next year. But I do feel strongly that it WILL be better, even with JUST the players we currently have.

6. The draft is over and now its time to FINALLY start to look down the road to FA. As I look at the situation, I really am starting to think that the Pats are going to make the kind of impact in FA that they DIDN'T in the draft. Given the kind of draft they DID have, I don't think FA will be impactfull in terms of the number of FA who we bring in but in WHO.

While I mentioned that putting pressure on the QB was a TEAM effort, you cannot do it without players talented enough to make it happen. I'm looking for 2. One OLB type, like Kiwanuka or Manny Lawson. One non-traditional (for us) inside defensive penetrator who, in the pass rushing sub defenses can compliment Mike Wright to replace his skills if he can't play. Someone like Tommy Harris, or a Tommy Harris type, if Harris is actually done.

Among those players who we do add, I expect to see at least one no name former college DE who has been making the transition to OLB be added. Another shot at finding the next Mike Vrabel. Letting another team do the work of training the player during his transition, while we get the benefits of that training. (sorta like what we are going to do with Ryan Mallet- sorry I couldn't help myself)

I'm pretty sure will will have the money to do it. It looks like we won't have to worry about Matt Light's contract (though personally I hope he stays and starts at G). We are going to lose Morris, Taylor, and Faulk's contracts as well. And while we are paying Brady and Mankins a boatload of money this season, the rest of the team is set with pretty reasonable contracts for the short term.

FA is going to be important to a lot of teams. I doubt that the Pats will make as big a splash as some other teams, but in the context of what we need to go over the top, it can be very valuable.

OK I'm done. I'm going out and take a long walk and enjoy this beautiful day, Meanwhile I will expect all of you to give me my 17 pages of commentary.

Once again, Welcome back to Sanity.

In your discussion of sack leaders there is another Trivia observation you should know.

In the entire time that Red Auerbach coached the Celtics, and won 13 World Championships, there was NEVER a single season that a Celtic scorer lead the League in scoring. Most years they had no one on the TopTen scoring list either. But they often did have several players on the Top Twenty scoring list.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Ridely - He'd have to end up being a 1000 yd rusher to justify that pick so high in the draft, and if he becomes that 1000 yd rusher than what does that say about the pick of Vareen (unless he too becomes a 1000 yd rusher. The pick made no sense....in that round.

 

[upstater1]

Even though Belichick wouldn't have done it, I wouldn't bag on Atlanta too much. If you've hit on a lot of draft picks in previous years (and I don't know that Atlanta has) then occasionally you can drastically overpay to find that fit. You should always look for depth (and again, I don't know that Atlanta has it) but if you have the luxury of making a big deal like that because you already have depth, then it's not a bad decision.

If I were Atlanta, I'd be more concerned about Jones' hands than how much I paid to get him.