Idle thoughts - The abbreviated edition

[patfanken]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.

1. When you saw what Bush signed for in SF (about half of what Vereen signed for with the Giants), it kind of made you wonder why Cadet, instead of Bush. On the surface Bush is much more of a dynamic runner both in YAC and the ground game. I couldn't have been just the money.

I can only speculate that Bush doesn't have the work ethic to be a Patriot. The team is very up front that the "patriot way" isn't for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad people. OR the Pats see something in Cadet that everyone else missed. It can't be his speed, or his running ability since he's got a 4.67 40 time and only about 10% of his offensive plays were runs

Another possible thought is that Cadet at 6'1 is a larger target with a larger catch radius, and since he's bigger, he could be a more sturdy pass blocker. But I'm just guessing here

You know me, I rarely question the FO , but on the surface it was a curious choice

2. Lost of speculation about a Possible trade that would send Phillip Rivers to the Jets or Bills. It was fueled by the fact Rivers is showing his dislike of potentially moving to LA from SD. Well if Rivers is unhappy about moving his large family from SD, to LA., I can't imagine any scenario where he'd want to move them to Buffalo or NJ.

3. Since it seems like the Welles report is never getting published, the Owners meeting still gives us hope for having a couple of other issues being resolved. By the time they finish we should know what our comp picks will be.. Right now most "experts" think we will get the top 3rd for sure, and possibly a 7th.

There is also a decent possibility that the league will announce what tampering punishments will be given out for what went on both with Revis, and the Eagles and Cowboys. Given the nature of WHO they tempered with and the fact they are repeat offenders who have be warned recently, its almost impossible to believe the Jets won't get hammered. One would have to think a swap of 2nd round picks the loss of a 5th or 6th and money would be the BEST scenario the Jets could hope for. Any thing less that that would be a joke.

4. If I am right about the potential punishment, we won't have to worry about what we will need to do for our off season entertainment, because the attendant out rage and whining from the NY media and Jet fans will provide months of enjoyment and pleasure.

5. I wouldn't be so sure that the Pats are going to give up on press man coverage so soon. Chekwa and Fletcher are both 6 footers who were primarily know for their physical play when they were at their best. As was Dennard when he was healthy, though he is only 5'10.

6. I'm not sure what the Pats secondary is going to look like right now, except that it will be "safety-centric, rather than CB-centric as it was last year. It should be noted that it has been strong Safety play more than strong CB play that has highlighted most of the recent SB winners. And the Pats have had very strong S play that has gone beyond just McCourty and Chung. We got excellent work out of both Harmon AND Wilson when they got snaps.

What you get when have a strong and deep safety group is the ability to be more creative, aggressive and versatile on defense. And it will enable you to get by with "just" solid CB play

7. Its been mentioned in some other threads, but the numbers are worth repeating, since the fact of losing Revis and Browner still makes some believe we will need to score 30+ points in order to win any games

a. The Pats improved a mere 3% between having Revis and not having him.

b The Pats allowed only 23 FEWER points in 2014 than they did in 2013

c. But here is the real shocker. Remember the historically BAD defense of 2011. You know, the one that set records for allowing total yards. The one that was so thin at CB, they had to add Julian Edelman to the mix mid -season. The one where Pat Chung was our best DB, and Devin McCourty was experiencing his worst season as a pro, and 3 of our top 5 DB's were UDFA's. Remember them? Well that sorry assed group with a front 7 that wasn't close to being a good as the one we have now, only allowed 29 more points than the stellar group we had last year. Or LESS than 2ppg.

8. Not to diminish what that 2014 accomplished. They DID give us one stat that I doubt ANY team is likely to duplicate soon. That was a defense that allowed only 12 4th quarter points in the last 10 games they played INCLUDING the playoffs. What makes this stat even more impressive was the Seahawk D, which was supposedly the best of our generation, gave up 27 over the same 10 game period, including 14 in the superbowl.

9. The point is you don't HAVE to have HOF CB's or a lot of big names to have an effective scoring defense. It sure helps, of course, but we've seen over and over again, that its not a NECESSITY. Its a lesson we should all take to heart.

10. It boggles the mind that it's taken this long for the Welles Report to get published, and there is still no end in sight. I mean WTF. All that needed to be investigated was the 2 hr time period between when the officials "supposedly" checked that air pressure of the balls and the start of the game. PLUS whatever Kensil did at half time. I shouldn't take over 2 months to investigate about 2 and a half hours of time.

11. Is it just me, but why am I so offended that Jeff Fisher gets to keep having such a critical position as chair of the rules committee. This is a HC who REEKS of the Peter Principle. Just 6 Playoff runs in NINETEEN seasons as a HC!

Yet for some reason, he is considered a "well respected HC" by the media and allowed to oversee the critical rules changes that have for the most part not only ruined the game we love, but have given "unfair advantages" to certain teams over others. WHY is this guy even have a job??????

12. Going after what the Pats did to the Ravens and legislating it out of the game is a perfect example of the "dumbing down" of the game. Despite the misleading headline in PFT's article, Rooney of the Steelers said it best. "Maybe a better way to handle this would be for the coaches to better prepare their players to know the rules and their effects" (paraphrase) What's next, lets get rid of every innovation when it proves to be too hard. How about the play action pass, or the flea flicker, or unbalanced lines.

What they are doing is essentially trying to protect the inept from the able. It is stuff like this that is starting to actually make me believe that the League is out to get the Pats because they aren't coming back to the pack like everyone else. Not only that, it is these kinds of actions that caused the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

 

[convertedpatsfan]

The Wells report was probably sent by mail weeks ago to the NFL. I'm sure the league will find it whenever it finds the Ray Rice video too.

 

[grux]

I am not holding my breath that the pats will receive anymore than a swap of 6th round picks for the jets tampering. Goodell can't even come to a ruling on deflate gate in under 2 months let alone figure out who is tampering.

 

[Tunescribe]

Just a hunch, but Reggie Bush might have some troublesome skeletons in the closet personally. I read recently that Darren Sharper has a plea agreement in process for his multiple drug-rape charges and he might be rolling over on some of his associates. Bush was known as one of his clubbin' buddies.

 

[The Gr8est]

12. Going after what the Pats did to the Ravens and legislating it out of the game is a perfect example of the "dumbing down" of the game. Despite the misleading headline in PFT's article, Rooney of the Steelers said it best. "Maybe a better way to handle this would be for the coaches to better prepare their players to know the rules and their effects" (paraphrase) What's next, lets get rid of every innovation when it proves to be too hard. How about the play action pass, or the flea flicker, or unbalanced lines.

What they are doing is essentially trying to protect the inept from the able. It is stuff like this that is starting to actually make me believe that the League is out to get the Pats because they aren't coming back to the pack like everyone else. Not only that, it is this kinds of actions that caused the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

Gr8 stuff as always PFK. Point #12 is the one that most catches my attention as, I suspect, it will hit home with most Pats fans.

BB is always playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, and this latest proposed rule change is just the latest exhibit proving that BB is so far ahead of his peers, that even using the term "peers" is reaching, and since they can't beat him, they will have to try and find other means to this end since they can't seem to consistently do it on an even playing field.

IMO BB is not a cheater and never has been, and it goes against his character to circumvent the rules to win because it would make the victory hollow. What he WILL do once every day and twice on Sundays, is know the ins and outs of the rule book and apply them as inventively as possible, even stretching them beyond what the intent was, but still within the boundaries of the rules.

The ineligible receivers tactic is perfectly legal, and it is just upsetting to the opposition who were beaten by it and made to look like fools. The fact that they WERE fools for not knowing the rule book is apparently beside the point. I read elsewhere the suggestion that maybe we need to outlaw the option play now since it isn't fair that the defense doesn't know for sure whether it's a run or a pass and that is a good analogy.

BB whipped up on the Colts by being physical with their receivers in a manner that was the in agreement with the defacto standard with how this was being officiated. The result? Change the emphasis! Bill Polian used his spot on the competition committee to get the emphasis changed and to call more PI and defensive holding. It was just a coincidence, of course, that his team was tailor made to benefit from this new emphasis and it hamstrung the Pats defense. Interestingly Polian didn't seem to feel offensive holding should be a point of emphasis...wonder why?

Remember how upset certain people got when the Pats hired Josh McDaniel in the middle of a playoff run, even when everyone knew that Bill O'Brien was leaving after the season ended. Turns out the Pats had done nothing wrong and the whiners could only gnash their teeth.

CameraPlacementGate is another example. Here again, I think the only thing that BB violated was the memo that the Omissioner sent out. The rule has the line "during the playing of the game", and the league said there was no evidence that the Pats used any information from their tapes during any games that it was acquired in. Why is that line in there if it is meaningless? I think BB's explanation that that line allowed him to use the tape in the future, and I think his interpretation is reasonable.

I cannot remember BB ever complaining when the Pats have lost as you so often hear with opposing teams. His responses generally point the fingers at his own players for not executing, the coaches for not doing a better job of coaching, or he just gives the other team credit where it is due. You don't hear sour grapes from him, and he goes along with what the league's rulings are.

Hopefully BB's willingness to go along is changing a bit as Deflategate looks like a sting operation gone badly, and the league has shifted from trying to nitpick anything they can against the Pats to bring them back to the pack, to outright trying to invent and stage violations if they can't find anything else.

Really makes you wonder how the league will rule against the Rats tampering as, even though it is clear tampering (almost blatant theft of a HOF-level player), the Pats will be the beneficiaries.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.


There is also a decent possibility that the league will announce what tampering punishments will be given out for what went on both with Revis, and the Eagles and Cowboys. Given the nature of WHO they tempered with and the fact they are repeat offenders who have be warned recently, its almost impossible to believe the Jets won't get hammered. One would have to think a swap of 2nd round picks the loss of a 5th or 6th and money would be the BEST scenario the Jets could hope for.

The Jets don't have either a 5th or 6th rounder having given them up for Marshall and Harvin. A 7th rounder seem slow so does the league take a 4th rounder???

 

[sambam94]

when comparing defenses from past years, you have to account for what the league average was. I don't hazve the time to look up the numbers, but I would guess teams are scoring more points now. So, just because the 2011 team only gave up 29 more points than the 2014 team, they could still have been a lot worse.

 

[Tunescribe]

when comparing defenses from past years, you have to account for what the league average was. I don't hazve the time to look up the numbers, but I would guess teams are scoring more points now. So, just because the 2011 team only gave up 29 more points than the 2014 team, they could still have been a lot worse.

Add in Browner's penalty yards alone and that brings the 2014 team even closer to 2011.

 

[PatsGuy]

The term "dumbing down" is extremely apt. The plays were totally legitimate but also creative. It speaks to both Bellicheck and McDaniels grasp Of football.The team should not be penalized for the inadequacies of other coaches.

 

[MassPats38]

I like your optimism on the tampering, Ken, but I can see this being chalked up to some "material effect" standard, in contrast to prior tampering cases, doing nothing punitive while explaining a finger wag at the Jets is appropriate because the Jets were his original team and he has repeatedly made favorable statements about his first team. It will be some fine, large or small, but the Pats may never see a benefit from the decision. The Jets may also forfeit a pick as a sanction, but it may just be a lost pick, and I doubt a very high pick.

I hope the NFL publishes this stupid report to define the investigation. My fear is the NFL offers some bland "lack of evidence" against the Pats conclusion, which when read in contrast by the ignorant with the ineligible receiver means the Pats just cover their illegal tracks better than the less intelligent NFL investigators can identify wrongdoing. This investigation seems to have dinged up the rest of the NFL more than the Pats, so I fear whitewash to avoid addressing all the other dirty laundry that has come up with the topic.

 

[dhamz]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.

1. When you saw what Bush signed for in SF (about half of what Vereen signed for with the Giants), it kind of made you wonder why Cadet, instead of Bush. On the surface Bush is much more of a dynamic runner both in YAC and the ground game. I couldn't have been just the money.

I can only speculate that Bush doesn't have the work ethic to be a Patriot. The team is very up front that the "patriot way" isn't for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad people. OR the Pats see something in Cadet that everyone else missed. It can't be his speed, or his running ability since he's got a 4.67 40 time and only about 10% of his offensive plays were runs

Another possible thought is that Cadet at 6'1 is a larger target with a larger catch radius, and since he's bigger, he could be a more sturdy pass blocker. But I'm just guessing here

You know me, I rarely question the FO , but on the surface it was a curious choice

I think we always assume the Pats passed on the player and not vice versa. Bush will have a bigger role guaranteed to him out there than he would in NE where the Pats would be thrilled if White emerges. For a vet on a 1 yr deal, he might see San Fran as his chance to build his market value and make one last financial score next year.

11. Is it just me, but why am I so offended that Jeff Fisher gets to keep having such a critical position as chair of the rules committee. This is a HC who REEKS of the Peter Principle. Just 6 Playoff runs in NINETEEN seasons as a HC!

Yet for some reason, he is considered a "well respected HC" by the media and allowed to oversee the critical rules changes that have for the most part not only ruined the game we love, but have given "unfair advantages" to certain teams over others. WHY is this guy even have a job??????

Jeff Fisher - 6 winning seasons in 19 years, last playoff win in 2003, and yet carries a public reputation as a tremendous head coach. He is widely known to be available to the media on the record at almost all times and is often easily identifiable in stories where an NFL HC is quoted anonymously. I'm sure those are unrelated.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

The Jets don't have either a 5th or 6th rounder having given them up for Marshall and Harvin. A 7th rounder seem slow so does the league take a 4th rounder???

So have them swap 1st's with us. Then, we finally get the makeup call for cameragate.

 

[Rob0729]

Several things:

• The Pats will not get anywhere close to the Jets' second rounder unless they find hard evidence of the Jets contacting Revis or they were the ones who leaked the Mehta or Schefter reports about their interest. Woody's comments alone would not command that much even if Goodell wants to send a message about tampering. I just cannot see a harsh punishment if all they have is Woody's stupidity (I honestly believe that was the case in his press conference, but after that was tampering).

• I predict that this upcoming Friday will be the week they release the Wells report, as well as, punishments for all the other cheating allegations (which all of those have been confirmed). The league meetings will be over allowing Goodell not have to address the report or punishments other than that he cannot comment on open investigations. Also, the sports world will be focused on the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight which is probably gets the most media attention overall of any part of the NCAA Tournament (maybe not any individual game, but the weekend overall because the sisters of the poor are mostly eliminated and there are still a high volume of games). If not then, the following Friday on Good Friday. It won't go later than April 3rd.

• I think the fact that the Wells Report wasn't released before the league meetings is a positive sign. I think that the league may look the worst in all of the report and the fact that they delayed it supports my suspicions. If the report comes out to be poorly run sting operation looking to entrap the Patriots and they come off as victims, that will be the story of the league meetings. Granted, I think they might not want the media crap storm at the league meetings if the Pats were caught red handed, but by most indications it seems the former rather than the latter is more likely.

• I think Reggie Bush went to San Fran because he has a chance to start there. I don't think he can accept that he should be a third down/change of pace back from his past comments and probably did not like that his role here would be a Shane Vereen replacement. The 49ers need to replace Gore and probably promised him he was the leader for the starting role.

• I don't see Rivers traded to the Jets or the Bills. The Bills don't have a first so they do not have the draft capitol to begin with (these rumors started because the Chargers are planning to visit with Mariota and the Bills have nothing that they can use to trade up). Also, reports are that Mariota will be gone before the Jets draft him. If the Chargers are looking to trade Rivers to draft Mariota, the Titans might be a better trade partner since Rivers may be willing to go there since Nashville is less than a two hour drive from his home town of Decatur, AL.

 

[rochrist]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.

1. When you saw what Bush signed for in SF (about half of what Vereen signed for with the Giants), it kind of made you wonder why Cadet, instead of Bush. On the surface Bush is much more of a dynamic runner both in YAC and the ground game. I couldn't have been just the money.

I can only speculate that Bush doesn't have the work ethic to be a Patriot. The team is very up front that the "patriot way" isn't for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad people. OR the Pats see something in Cadet that everyone else missed. It can't be his speed, or his running ability since he's got a 4.67 40 time and only about 10% of his offensive plays were runs

Another possible thought is that Cadet at 6'1 is a larger target with a larger catch radius, and since he's bigger, he could be a more sturdy pass blocker. But I'm just guessing here

You know me, I rarely question the FO , but on the surface it was a curious choice

5. I wouldn't be so sure that the Pats are going to give up on press man coverage so soon. Chekwa and Fletcher are both 6 footers who were primarily know for their physical play when they were at their best. As was Dennard when he was healthy, though he is only 5'10.

10. It boggles the mind that it's taken this long for the Welles Report to get published, and there is still no end in sight. I mean WTF. All that needed to be investigated was the 2 hr time period between when the officials "supposedly" checked that air pressure of the balls and the start of the game. PLUS whatever Kensil did at half time. I shouldn't take over 2 months to investigate about 2 and a half hours of time.

11. Is it just me, but why am I so offended that Jeff Fisher gets to keep having such a critical position as chair of the rules committee. This is a HC who REEKS of the Peter Principle. Just 6 Playoff runs in NINETEEN seasons as a HC!

Yet for some reason, he is considered a "well respected HC" by the media and allowed to oversee the critical rules changes that have for the most part not only ruined the game we love, but have given "unfair advantages" to certain teams over others. WHY is this guy even have a job??????

12. Going after what the Pats did to the Ravens and legislating it out of the game is a perfect example of the "dumbing down" of the game. Despite the misleading headline in PFT's article, Rooney of the Steelers said it best. "Maybe a better way to handle this would be for the coaches to better prepare their players to know the rules and their effects" (paraphrase) What's next, lets get rid of every innovation when it proves to be too hard. How about the play action pass, or the flea flicker, or unbalanced lines.

What they are doing is essentially trying to protect the inept from the able. It is stuff like this that is starting to actually make me believe that the League is out to get the Pats because they aren't coming back to the pack like everyone else. Not only that, it is this kinds of actions that caused the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

RE: 1. Bush, other possibilities include health (there was talk of his ankle being problematical.
Also, I believe the time on Cadet was something of an abberation. Didn't he run something like a 4.46 at his pro day?

RE: 5. I believe Butler is also a strong man corner.

RE: 10. It could also be that A) they've extended the investigation into a number of other, murkier and more complex areas, like, were the Pats set up and where were all the leaks coming from. They also might be busily designing future protocols for ball security (I won't say ball handling, d%#*!@t!)

RE: 11. Fisher is also one of the dirtiest coaches in the game. I remember a game years ago where BB went completely nuts because Fisher's team was engaging in dirty hits the entire game.

RE: 12. Goes without saying. The league office is run by total idiots.

Also, too: Why no #2?

 

[DarrylS]

6. I'm not sure what the Pats secondary is going to look like right now, except that it will be "safety-centric, rather than CB-centric as it was last year. It should be noted that it has been strong Safety play more than strong CB play that has highlighted most of the recent SB winners. And the Pats have had very strong S play that has gone beyond just McCourty and Chung. We got excellent work out of both Harmon AND Wilson when they got snaps.

What you get when have a strong and deep safety group is the ability to be more creative, aggressive and versatile on defense. And it will enable you to get by with "just" solid CB play

12. Going after what the Pats did to the Ravens and legislating it out of the game is a perfect example of the "dumbing down" of the game. Despite the misleading headline in PFT's article, Rooney of the Steelers said it best. "Maybe a better way to handle this would be for the coaches to better prepare their players to know the rules and their effects" (paraphrase) What's next, lets get rid of every innovation when it proves to be too hard. How about the play action pass, or the flea flicker, or unbalanced lines.

What they are doing is essentially trying to protect the inept from the able. It is stuff like this that is starting to actually make me believe that the League is out to get the Pats because they aren't coming back to the pack like everyone else. Not only that, it is these kinds of actions that caused the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

Good thought provoking post as usual..

I do not think that one of the starting CB's is on this team right now, and by TC things should be clearer... so whether we are going to be "Safety centric" is premature.

The reason why Jeff Fischer is on the competition committee is "nice hair"... "nice hair" means a lot.

The whole thing about rule changes that are directly aimed at the Patriots shows the ineptitude/laziness of other coaches, go back to the Super Bowl.. BB had coached his team for the play that led to the Butler interception, that is the level of detail we are exposed to for this team. Other teams do not prepare for every eventuality, not sure if they do not have personal confidence in their coaching abilities or lack of confidence in their players..

Time and time again players on this team comment on how they were prepared, and that is the fruit of a lot of labor and long hours.. so instead of inspiring other coaches/teams to excel, if this is passed, it will encourage mediocrity..

 

[1960Pats]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.

1. When you saw what Bush signed for in SF (about half of what Vereen signed for with the Giants), it kind of made you wonder why Cadet, instead of Bush. On the surface Bush is much more of a dynamic runner both in YAC and the ground game. I couldn't have been just the money.

I can only speculate that Bush doesn't have the work ethic to be a Patriot. The team is very up front that the "patriot way" isn't for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad people. OR the Pats see something in Cadet that everyone else missed. It can't be his speed, or his running ability since he's got a 4.67 40 time and only about 10% of his offensive plays were runs

Another possible thought is that Cadet at 6'1 is a larger target with a larger catch radius, and since he's bigger, he could be a more sturdy pass blocker. But I'm just guessing here

You know me, I rarely question the FO , but on the surface it was a curious choice

10. It boggles the mind that it's taken this long for the Welles Report to get published, and there is still no end in sight. I mean WTF. All that needed to be investigated was the 2 hr time period between when the officials "supposedly" checked that air pressure of the balls and the start of the game. PLUS whatever Kensil did at half time. I shouldn't take over 2 months to investigate about 2 and a half hours of time.

11. Is it just me, but why am I so offended that Jeff Fisher gets to keep having such a critical position as chair of the rules committee. This is a HC who REEKS of the Peter Principle. Just 6 Playoff runs in NINETEEN seasons as a HC!

Yet for some reason, he is considered a "well respected HC" by the media and allowed to oversee the critical rules changes that have for the most part not only ruined the game we love, but have given "unfair advantages" to certain teams over others. WHY is this guy even have a job??????

12. Going after what the Pats did to the Ravens and legislating it out of the game is a perfect example of the "dumbing down" of the game. Despite the misleading headline in PFT's article, Rooney of the Steelers said it best. "Maybe a better way to handle this would be for the coaches to better prepare their players to know the rules and their effects" (paraphrase) What's next, lets get rid of every innovation when it proves to be too hard. How about the play action pass, or the flea flicker, or unbalanced lines.

What they are doing is essentially trying to protect the inept from the able. It is stuff like this that is starting to actually make me believe that the League is out to get the Pats because they aren't coming back to the pack like everyone else. Not only that, it is these kinds of actions that caused the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

1. I never cared much for Reggie Bush.

10. The NFL office is being run by former Jets. I expect them to continue to be inept, just like their former team.

11. I was hoping that Fisher's year off would take him out of the competition committee picture. No such luck. At some point Belichick might better serve the Pats by joining that committee. I doubt we're going to get a fair shake with half of the committee consisting of Jeff Fisher and three reps from the AFCN.

12. No matter what those clowns come up with the Pats will have an answer. They always do.

 

[everlong]

I rewatched the Baltimore game last week and I had to pause and think if they had lost that game the headlines would have had to have slammed the "vaunted secondary" the next day. Both Revis and Browner had off games and costly penalties. I know people will argue they were phantom flags and say it was Jump-Ball Joey getting the calls but regardless I have to wonder how much that game played into Bill's limit on what he would pay each. I don't want to take away from their entire body of work which was excellent.

 

[PATS68]

I watched the replay of Eagles vs Skins to see Fletcher and I was not happy with what I saw. He did not compete for the ball and let his man catch the ball then he tackled him. Plays far off the WR and gave up easy 5 and 6 yard passes.

 

[Gumby]

Just a few quick thoughts that probably are only of interest to me.

1. When you saw what Bush signed for in SF (about half of what Vereen signed for with the Giants), it kind of made you wonder why Cadet, instead of Bush. On the surface Bush is much more of a dynamic runner both in YAC and the ground game. I couldn't have been just the money.

I can only speculate that Bush doesn't have the work ethic to be a Patriot. The team is very up front that the "patriot way" isn't for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad people. OR the Pats see something in Cadet that everyone else missed. It can't be his speed, or his running ability since he's got a 4.67 40 time and only about 10% of his offensive plays were runs

Another possible thought is that Cadet at 6'1 is a larger target with a larger catch radius, and since he's bigger, he could be a more sturdy pass blocker. But I'm just guessing here

You know me, I rarely question the FO , but on the surface it was a curious choice
....
Well so much for this being an "abbreviated edition"

I dunno Ken; the first thing I thought of when I heard Bush's name being mentioned was "DIVA". I havent followed him much since his initial entry into the league; but I always had the impression of him being all potential without the performance.

I figured it was just mediot speculation and using a hi-profile name in association with the word Patriots to generate clicks and not really anything solid. So seeing him sign somewhere else for "affordable dollars";
1. doesnt shock me
2. doesnt cause me any tears.*
3. but may help confirm my thought that the Pats were never seriously interested.

*The recent NESN article about tyler gaffney peaked more interest in me than Bush did. But Gaffney's already on the roster.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I rewatched the Baltimore game last week and I had to pause and think if they had lost that game the headlines would have had to have slammed the "vaunted secondary" the next day. Both Revis and Browner had off games and costly penalties. I know people will argue they were phantom flags and say it was Jump-Ball Joey getting the calls but regardless I have to wonder how much that game played into Bill's limit on what he would pay each. I don't want to take away from their entire body of work which was excellent.

Agree with your post and the important last sentence.
Watching that game you had to be concerned about how easily the Ravens went up by 14, not once but twice. And the game ending pick was made by Harmon of all people. I think that when the bullets were flying in FA over Revis & company BB HAD to be thinking, "Is it worth the extreme cap risk & likely 2016/17 young player loss impact to keep this lineup that was only saved from defeat by the GOAT at QB?" His answer was "almost" yes but the Jets ability to escalate counter offers with a $50M cap made him fold at his set value, which was pretty damn high.
I really miss Browner. Liked his attitude on and off the field.