- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 15,532
- Reaction score
- 27,568
Well we knew that the Pats were going to make some moves AFTER the "final" 53 was announced on Saturday, but it who thought they'd bring the house down when the "shoe finally dropped"
1. Now that the dust has settled (at least for this week) I have just one question. Just who the #### is Jeff Tarpanian, and what super powers does he possess that would warrant keeping him over the likes of Merriweather, Butler, Warren, Mareni, Yeatman, and Smith.
Who am I to question BB, but to the casual fan it doesn't make a lot of sense. However since I am a card carrying BB butt boy, I HAVE to think that there is enough there to make me pretty excited to see what this kid can do.
2. I'm happy for Gronk that he gets to be with his brother. However, other than than the fact that the Pats WEREN'T going to go into the season with fewer than 3 TE's, what skills does he bring to the table that really adds to the team. He's not a receiver type, like Hernandez. He's not an elite blocker like Alge. Other than he's a TE and Gronk's babysitter....er older brother, I don't see this as much of signing, and I doubt very much he will make it though the season.
3. for those of us who mourn the loss of Yeatman to Miami. You can't help wonder about him, since the Phins THEN went out to grab ANOTHER vet TE....which eventually led to us getting AJ Edds....which led to us once again scratching our heads about why Jeff Tarpanian, also a LB, is STILL on the roster.
4. Speaking of Edds, unlike Tarpanian, there at least HAVE been several glowing reports about his upside. In the same vein, I would suggest you check out Ian's links page today because Glenn Farley has a nice article that highlights several significant contributors the the Pats have gotten at the "pigskin pawnshop" the last few years. Hopefully Edds will be another in a long line of players BB has taken from the NFL scrap heap and prospered with them
5. If you are looking for one thing that Willhite, Sanders, Merriweather, and Butler all had in common (along with the obvious coverage deficiencies), was their inability to shop at the Big and Tall store. The Pats now have nine DBs on the roster, and only 3 are UNDER 6' tall.
(McCourty, Chung, and Arrington)
This is a RADICAL change in defensive philosophy. A change much more significant than the oft overly discussed 3-4/4-3 shift. For the entire BB era the Pats have gererally opted for smaller quick twitch DBs who were asked to play mostly in zone schemes. Now it seems BB has gone to taller bigger, STRONGER, DBs who "seem" to be more suited for more man coverages.
I'll be far more interested in watching THIS development than counting the number of time the Pats line up in a 3-4 over a 4-3. Of course given the limited angles the TV feed gives you, it will only be a guess as to what the Pats are actually doing in the secondary. Still it will be interesting to see if there really is a change in who the Pats approach secondary coverages.
5. Darrius Butler will always be the poster boy for me for showing how important CONFIDENCE is at this level. I've been in his corner for the entire duration of his tenure here in NE. But I have to admit I have rarely seen a DB who was in position to make plays to defend the pass, who so consistently failed to do so.
It wasn't about his physical skill. Butler COULD cover, but somewhere along the line he lost CONFIDENCE in his ability to finish a play. He played like he was afraid to make a mistake. He played like he was always questioning his own decisions. Yoiu can't do that. In a league where a EVERY offense is going to complete 60% of its passes, you can't be afraid to make plays when the opportunity arises and you CAN'T take it to heart when someone completes a pass on you.
If he ever regains that the necessary confidence which allows his physical gifts free rein, then Darius Butler will become a good CB in this league. I can only surmise that BB decided that he couldn't wait any longer for that "light" to go on.
6. Brandon Merriweather will NEVER be considered a "bust" to me. The Pats got 4 decent years of service from him. Not at much as they would have hoped for certainly, but decent service nonetheless.
2 other comments on Merriweather. On one hand I found it interesting that there wasn't a single team that wouldn't have given us a low round draft pick for the "2 time pro bowl" safety. OTOH, I found it also very interesting that Chicago just gave him a new contract that more than DOUBLED his 2011 salary. Talk about the yin and yang of things.
7. Unless Volmer practices today, its very likely the Pats will open the season with just 2 offenUsive tackles on the roster. I am I the ONLY one who finds this troubling.
8. One of the more surprising stats coming out of all the roster moves this season is the fact that the Pats have added SIXTEEN new faces to the roster of a 14-2 team, Usually a team that had THAT much success in a previous season "fine tunes" their roster, adding just some draft picks and selected FA's
The Pats OTOH changed close to a THIRD of their roster. Clearly BB wasn't happy with SOME aspect of the make up of last year's team. I think he wanted to add more mental and physical toughness to the roster. It will be 3-4 months before we find out if he's been successful STILL you got to love BB if only because he NEVER seems to do the "usual"
1. Now that the dust has settled (at least for this week) I have just one question. Just who the #### is Jeff Tarpanian, and what super powers does he possess that would warrant keeping him over the likes of Merriweather, Butler, Warren, Mareni, Yeatman, and Smith.
Who am I to question BB, but to the casual fan it doesn't make a lot of sense. However since I am a card carrying BB butt boy, I HAVE to think that there is enough there to make me pretty excited to see what this kid can do.
2. I'm happy for Gronk that he gets to be with his brother. However, other than than the fact that the Pats WEREN'T going to go into the season with fewer than 3 TE's, what skills does he bring to the table that really adds to the team. He's not a receiver type, like Hernandez. He's not an elite blocker like Alge. Other than he's a TE and Gronk's babysitter....er older brother, I don't see this as much of signing, and I doubt very much he will make it though the season.
3. for those of us who mourn the loss of Yeatman to Miami. You can't help wonder about him, since the Phins THEN went out to grab ANOTHER vet TE....which eventually led to us getting AJ Edds....which led to us once again scratching our heads about why Jeff Tarpanian, also a LB, is STILL on the roster.
4. Speaking of Edds, unlike Tarpanian, there at least HAVE been several glowing reports about his upside. In the same vein, I would suggest you check out Ian's links page today because Glenn Farley has a nice article that highlights several significant contributors the the Pats have gotten at the "pigskin pawnshop" the last few years. Hopefully Edds will be another in a long line of players BB has taken from the NFL scrap heap and prospered with them
5. If you are looking for one thing that Willhite, Sanders, Merriweather, and Butler all had in common (along with the obvious coverage deficiencies), was their inability to shop at the Big and Tall store. The Pats now have nine DBs on the roster, and only 3 are UNDER 6' tall.
(McCourty, Chung, and Arrington)
This is a RADICAL change in defensive philosophy. A change much more significant than the oft overly discussed 3-4/4-3 shift. For the entire BB era the Pats have gererally opted for smaller quick twitch DBs who were asked to play mostly in zone schemes. Now it seems BB has gone to taller bigger, STRONGER, DBs who "seem" to be more suited for more man coverages.
I'll be far more interested in watching THIS development than counting the number of time the Pats line up in a 3-4 over a 4-3. Of course given the limited angles the TV feed gives you, it will only be a guess as to what the Pats are actually doing in the secondary. Still it will be interesting to see if there really is a change in who the Pats approach secondary coverages.
5. Darrius Butler will always be the poster boy for me for showing how important CONFIDENCE is at this level. I've been in his corner for the entire duration of his tenure here in NE. But I have to admit I have rarely seen a DB who was in position to make plays to defend the pass, who so consistently failed to do so.
It wasn't about his physical skill. Butler COULD cover, but somewhere along the line he lost CONFIDENCE in his ability to finish a play. He played like he was afraid to make a mistake. He played like he was always questioning his own decisions. Yoiu can't do that. In a league where a EVERY offense is going to complete 60% of its passes, you can't be afraid to make plays when the opportunity arises and you CAN'T take it to heart when someone completes a pass on you.
If he ever regains that the necessary confidence which allows his physical gifts free rein, then Darius Butler will become a good CB in this league. I can only surmise that BB decided that he couldn't wait any longer for that "light" to go on.
6. Brandon Merriweather will NEVER be considered a "bust" to me. The Pats got 4 decent years of service from him. Not at much as they would have hoped for certainly, but decent service nonetheless.
2 other comments on Merriweather. On one hand I found it interesting that there wasn't a single team that wouldn't have given us a low round draft pick for the "2 time pro bowl" safety. OTOH, I found it also very interesting that Chicago just gave him a new contract that more than DOUBLED his 2011 salary. Talk about the yin and yang of things.
7. Unless Volmer practices today, its very likely the Pats will open the season with just 2 offenUsive tackles on the roster. I am I the ONLY one who finds this troubling.
8. One of the more surprising stats coming out of all the roster moves this season is the fact that the Pats have added SIXTEEN new faces to the roster of a 14-2 team, Usually a team that had THAT much success in a previous season "fine tunes" their roster, adding just some draft picks and selected FA's
The Pats OTOH changed close to a THIRD of their roster. Clearly BB wasn't happy with SOME aspect of the make up of last year's team. I think he wanted to add more mental and physical toughness to the roster. It will be 3-4 months before we find out if he's been successful STILL you got to love BB if only because he NEVER seems to do the "usual"
