Kyle Love released

[Sicilian]

If the Pats released Love for football reasons, it's a case of "In BB I trust."

If they released him because of his Type 2 Diabetes when he still thought he could play, I don't get that. Type 2 Diabetes itself would not necessarily stand in the way of his getting into playing condition over the next couple of months. He should have been given a chance to prove that he could play with the disease. If this is why he was released, I hope another team gives him a chance.

It's possible that the type 2 diabetes is the result of health and eating habits that they've tried to counsel him on in the past. Perhaps they view it more as a sign of poor "conditioning" habits rather than just assuming he can't play with the disease.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

This reminds me of the inexplicable cuts of bmw and sanders. Why cut them now?. Why no wait until training camp. Please don't tell me he saw something from the rookie mini camp were they are no veterans or pads. We have a guy who had heart issues, vince and not much else. Wait until camp cuts around the NFL and if someone else better gets cut then you can release these guys.

Completely agree that they should have kept them around, but not entirely comparable to Sanders/BMW. Sanders was cut on August 29, 2011 - a few days prior to final cuts in camp. Merriweather was cut on September 3, 2011 - as part of the final cuts.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

It's possible that the type 2 diabetes is the result of health and eating habits that they've tried to counsel him on in the past. Perhaps they view it more as a sign of poor "conditioning" habits rather than just assuming he can't play with the disease.

For a guy who has played approx. 50% of the snaps in the last two seasons (and not missing a game in the reg. season), I have a hard time believing that Love had "poor conditioning habits".

 

[Synovia]

For a guy who has played approx. 50% of the snaps in the last two seasons (and not missing a game in the reg. season), I have a hard time believing that Love had "poor conditioning habits".

People change, and people'd bodies change as they get older. What may have worked 2 years ago may not work now.

I know I've had to step up my exercise routine to stay healthy as I've gotten older. Some people aren't willing to do that.

Ty Warren played an awful lot of plays before he started showing up for camp out of shape.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

Love was not cut based on performance. Rather, he was released because he was a diabetic, and for him to maintain 300+ pounds as a DT could cause some serious health issues. While Love says he has regained most of his weight that he lost, the Patriots can't be so certain that his weight will remain stable.

It's unfortunate, yet understandable. I really do wish him all the best and hope that he goes to a contender, but at the same time, I'm not losing sleep.

This all maybe true, but why not wait until camp to see if what kind of shape he is in? Makes no sense with the information we have. I could see making a cut like this at a position of depth, but DT is hardly in that category.

 

[Synovia]

Kind of thought this would come out.

His disability makes him unable to do his job, and his union has a collective bargaining agreement that governs what happens in that case. There's nothing to see here.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

People change, and people'd bodies change as they get older. What may have worked 2 years ago may not work now.

I know I've had to step up my exercise routine to stay healthy as I've gotten older. Some people aren't willing to do that.

Ty Warren played an awful lot of plays before he started showing up for camp out of shape.

I think your reaching too much with your point here. Love is 26 years old going into his contract year having started in a Super Bowl and an AFCG in his two prior seasons. Don't see the comparison with Warren at all.

I guess it could be argued that Warren came in out of shape in 2010 (when he went down in camp with the hip injury), but that was after he had already received a large contract and had played 7 years in the NFL. I just simply don't buy that argument.

 

[Synovia]

I think your reaching too much with your point here. Love is 26 years old going into his contract year having started in a Super Bowl and an AFCG in his two prior seasons. Don't see the comparison with Warren at all.

I guess it could be argued that Warren came in out of shape in 2010 (when he went down in camp with the hip injury), but that was after he had already received a large contract and had played 7 years in the NFL. I just simply don't buy that argument.

Why don't you buy it? Do you know Love personally? Do you have any reason to believe that he doesn't have a conditioning issue, when there's a whole littany of players who play in the NFL for some years and then seem to develope them?


People change. Especially in their 20s.

 

[PowerRunRevival]

Love was a solid back up to Wilfork, much more a space eater than a penetrator though. To me I think Belichick is going to have his dt do a lot less two gapping this year.

If Belichick has faith that his big linebackers can make plays in the run game with only one gap of protection (two gapping d lineman make the linebackers jobs a lot easier by keeping the o lineman from getting to the second level), then it makes sense to have their dt be of the penetrating type.

Regardless we are going to need a young player to step up or a free agent to be brought in because having only three dt you can trust in the rotation is a bad idea. Especially when one of them is coming off a down year and another is a rookie.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

Why don't you buy it? Do you know Love personally? Do you have any reason to believe that he doesn't have a conditioning issue, when there's a whole littany of players who play in the NFL for some years and then seem to develope them?


People change. Especially in their 20s.

Why don't I buy it? Because it is completely baseless. It's just pure speculation. No facts to support it. The player is in the prime of his career going into the last year of his contract. This would his only real chance at a big contract. It's hard for me to believe a player who has shown durability would all of a sudden stop conditioning going into into his contract year.

If there was any drop in conditioning it would seem to be directly related to his diabetes diagnosis which, from reports, he seems to be getting control over.

 

[Koma]

Let's not honor this by commenting on it. And please, people, don't click on it.

Exactly. It's speculation by a writer who will go to great lengths to find "controversy" in anything the Patriots do because he knows it will draw clicks and comments.

If the Titans or the Chiefs had cut Love, it would never occur to him to write this article.

 

[Synovia]

Why don't I buy it? Because it is completely baseless. It's just pure speculation.

Its no less baseless, and no less speculative than your insistence that its false.

We don't know. We know he got cut, which means hes either not good enough, or doing something wrong.

He's a huge fat guy. They have a habit of getting fatter.

 

[BTTA]

We're not in the business of stifling ideas and their discussion out here, so I did "click on it."

I read the piece. It raises a legitimate concern and issue. The Patriots may well have a reasonable "football" explanation for their action, but the question is a fair one at this point.

This kind of journalism makes a huge contribution to stifling ideas. It raises issues with no evidence, and sequences the possible guilt prior to the analysis. It is terrible investigative journalism, and because of that brings the entire field down, and because of that degrades the quality of dialogue that a civil, free society needs in order to prosper. It is an act of pure selfishness.

 

[NE_PATS_FAN_54]

He's a huge fat guy. They have a habit of getting fatter.

Your right, you convinced me. He's fat. He'll get fatter. Great take right there.

 

[jmt57]

Kyle Love's departure depletes depth for Patriots at DT (Globe)

Kyle Love's departure depletes depth for Patriots at defensive tackle - Going Deep - Boston.com

Love's prime directive was to plug gaps as either a 4-3 defensive tackle or as a 3-4 end or nose tackle. The Patriots will be looking to fill that role in training camp.

What once appeared to be a stacked competition for playing time at defensive tackle has turned into yet another position on the roster that has been almost completely overhauled from last year (along with wide receiver). Second-year defensive tackle Marcus Forston is the only name that remains from last year, and he played just one game in 2012.

Newcomers include Tommy Kelly, formerly of the Raiders, and Armond Armstead, formerly of the Toronto Argonauts (CFL). As of right now, Tommy Kelly would be my guess as the front-runner for the starting spot next to Vince Wilfork, but Armond Armstead could earn it with a solid camp.

Mississippi State's Dewayne Cherrington and South Florida's Cody Grissom could follow in the footsteps of Love as undrafted free-agents to make the team.

Kelly and Armstead could prove to be valuable players, but as of right now, there's a lot more uncertainty for the Patriots at defensive tackle than there was this time just a few days ago.​

 

[jmt57]

Analysis: DL Kyle Love decision (espnBoston)

Analysis: DL Kyle Love Decision - espnBoston

It was clear that Love was going to face increased competition for a roster spot with the free-agent additions of veteran Tommy Kelly and Canadian Football League import Armond Armstead. So if Love didn’t make the roster coming out of training camp, it wouldn’t have necessarily been a "didn't-see-that-coming" shocker.

At one time, Love represented a great underdog story with the Patriots.

He made the club as a rookie free agent in 2010, playing 14 percent of the defensive snaps his first season while outperforming the more highly touted Ron Brace (2009 second-round pick). He then upped his workload to 50 percent of the snaps in his second season, showing up as a hold-the-fort 3-4 nose tackle and 4-3 defensive tackle. His run-stuffing type presence, in part, helped the Patriots move Vince Wilfork to end to address a trouble spot at times.

Then in August of 2012, the Patriots and Love reached a two-year contract extension with a $500,000 signing bonus, and his future with the club appeared bright. But down the stretch of last season, the coaching staff began to limit his playing time in favor of Deaderick.

The Patriots will have two open roster spots once they officially release Love, and could potentially look to fill one of them with a defensive tackle.

Defensive tackle depth chart
Vince Wilfork
Tommy Kelly
Armond Armstead
Marcus Forston
Cory Grissom
Dewayne Cherrington
Joe Vellano

​

 

[jmt57]

Resetting depth chart for Patriots at defensive tackle (weei.com)

It Is What It Is » Resetting depth chart for Patriots at defensive tackle

The news that defensive tackle Kyle Love certainly shakes up one of the most intriguing spots on the roster for the Patriots, one we examined here as part of a piece on looming position battles: who will see the most snaps opposite Vince Wilfork at defensive tackle?


It certainly appeared that Love had the inside track on the job after the Patriots decided to cut loose Brandon Deaderick earlier this week. But with the news of New England’s decision to move on from both Love and Deaderick, it looks like newcomers Tommy Kelly and Armond Armstead will be in line for a significant role in 2013.


As we wrote earlier on Wednesday, Armstead is a CFL export who brings some pass rushing skills to the table (he had six sacks last season with Toronto) while Kelly is a veteran defensive lineman who has also shown an ability to get after the passer. (He had a combined 14.5 sacks in 2011 and 2010.)


Other possibilities at the spot include Marcus Forston, who is heading into his second season on the roster, as well as rookies Cory “Pork Chop” Grissom, Dewayne Cherrington and Joe Vellano.​

 

[Kontradiction]

WHAT IS LOVE?
Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me... no mo.

 

[Oswlek]

And possibly a Super Bowl when the pass defense couldn't get the Giants off the field without a few first downs taking place, thus being unable to flip field position.

Not at all. NE's safety rotation was solid during that playoff run and there is no reason to think that Sanders or Meriweather would have made any difference.

 

[Oswlek]

I left Marquise Hill out because I focused on their drafts after 2004 (Hill drafted in '04) and because he was used more as a defensive end. But you are right, before the tragedy he certainly did not live up to his draft position.

I also agree with the fact that they didn't invest any capital into the DT position. That's what I have a problem with. When they did (Brace), they blew it big time. Sure they hit on Wright and Love (and maybe Forston), but going forward, they seem to be in trouble at the position. Their lack of investment in the position lead them to go out and reach on Fanene (wasted approx. $4M I believe), pursue Red Bryant (unsuccessfully) and have to reach on a player on the backend of his career who plays when he wants to (Tommy Kelly). Jury is still out on Kelly and he has largely been durable throughout his career but it remains to be seen how he fits in with the group. In summation, they now have a lack of depth at the position with largely unproven guys behind #75. That all can be traced back to the lack of draft capital and misses in the draft.

Fanene was an excellent player, he was hardly a reach if NE had reason to believe his knee was fine. If they knew about it and signed him anyway I can see that. I also don't see why Kelly is a reach, NE has had a lot of success squeezing a few viable years out of aging vets. It isn't like they invested a ton into him.

I don't disagree at all that NE's DL is in need of repair. If the recent moves are any indication, Bill agrees with us. I just don't see why you give much blame to "the misses". On a group of players that you'd expect to bat about 10% on, NE found 3 NFL caliber players in 7 tries. That is very good. You can't win them all.

Now, if they were investing loads of draft capital and still getting nothing in return? Then I could see a reason for the dig.