Let's talk about the lines: OFFENSE

[Brady6]

6th round picks usually get picked up on waivers, and it was suggested after the draft that the Pats were surprised that Halapio lasted that long. I'm not making any judgments on him without having seen him on the field, but it seems unlikely that he would go unclaimed. There are a lot of teams desperate for OL help.

In this past draft especially, it was one of the deepest ever, any other season Halapio may have been a third round pick.

 

[Ivan]

Uh, I think if you read back further the answer becomes clear...it's the Craig Wall Of Text devoted to the enshrinement of Halapio into the HOF as center that elicited that reply from Deus. Sarcasm.

I missed that, been busy and just popping in when I can.

"Wall of Text" lmao

 

[Ivan]

Wow. One question for the next time I get writer's block: what's your favorite energy drink?

I am pretty sure it is Methamvitamin Water

 

[Brady6]

I too would rather have Hilapio on the Practice Squad than have some of the rosters I've seen. For me, this is a more likely scenario than those where both Connolly and Wendell are cut, without signing a veteran replacement. So, we now have at least 3 of us OK with this odd idea of having one of the rookies on the Practice Squad (DI, me and andy).

Don't get me wrong. I hope all 3 make the 53. But I also don't expect Belichick to cut Wendell and Connolly except if a solid veteran is brought in as a replacement (not likely).

I think that if Belichick had an interest in fielding the same OL that he had in 2013 he would not have picked 3 OL in the draft. Belichick has shown in recent years that he has no problem starting a rookie day 1.

At best, I see 1 of Connolly or Wendell making the team. I see these 7 as locks to make the roster.

Solder
Mankins
Vollmer
Cannon
Stork
Fleming
Halapio

I think there will be 1-2 spots that these players will be competing for –

Wendell
Connolly
Kline
Barker
Cave
Martin

I know you like the vets, and have concerns over experience but Wendell and Connolly were huge liabilities last season and I do not see either improving in 2014, I actually think Connolly could decline even further due to age.

 

[Brady6]

Let's focus on countering these BadA$$ defenses with an OLine that can punch them back in the mouth and contain their explosive edge rushers one on one. If we can trade for Carl Nicks or another powerful athletic interior Guard or Center I believe it will have an impact on our offense similar to Andre Johnson. We already have bookend LT/RT as good as any. Our weakness lies at RG/C that are below average.MANKINS may not be upper level player at LG but he is at least solid who would benefit from his linemates not crumbling. If we turned a glaring handicapping weakness into not just a strength but a weapon it would have a rippling effect on the whole OLine and offense. Nicks at RG crashes his whole side of the DLine and creates his own line of scrimmage. It gives Brady more time to throw in a clean pocket. Its almost unpredictable how good the offense would be. Edelman/Amendola have more time which really benefits their technician style. Gronk and Vereen are able to be consistent pass catcher's with the OLine taking care of defenses and needing no help blocking. Its rare for an OLineman to be a gamechanger but that's what Carl Nicks is. He is the closest thing to Larry Allen. He strikes fear into feared Defensive Lineman! Sean Payton raves on and on about Carl Nicks how strong and fearsome he is but how nobody has any idea how athletic he is. He can block a LB in space as quick as pancaking a NT. Payton went on how he could be a dominant LT if needed and is the most dominant player he has coached.I remember Jake Long saying how impressive he was at the combine. He gained 15 unwanted LBs between his bowl game and combine which is one reason he dropped in the draft and still ran a stunning 3cone.Payton calls him an all time draft steal. They replaced him with a pro bowl guard but still seriously missed Nicks. That's impressive, especially considering how we would jump for joy to have the guard that replaced him considering the garbage bill has out there protecting Brady

If we do pull a trade to improve and it is an OLineman I say let's do it right and get the best. Sure a solid OLineman is an upgrade which isn't saying much and helps week to week but let's also be prepared to stick it back to the menacing defenses. Because remember we are thinking super bowl here. Not 13-3 and thrashed in the playoffs again by a dominant defense.Denver's for with fire idea was improve their own defense. Let our fire with fire be fronting an OLine that scares those defenses. Let's get right to the source of dealing with menacing defenses.It will be interesting to see how these bully's react when the OLine of a precision offense is punching them back in the mouth even harder. Wouldn't sports center be so fun to watch after the afccg and Superbowl talking how the patriot OLine and offense tamed the defensive beasts. And continually point out how we outsmarted the league again by making key moves to tame the monsters and how these monster defenses never contended with a high flying offense that had the ability to punch them back in the mouth til now. And how we set a new trend and how ingenius it was to draft Fleming and Halapio and making the bold and brilliant play to bring in Carl Nicks to prepare for war with the blitzkrieg defenses. And talking bout how Denver's and Seattle's passrush was a non factor as Brady outplayed manning with our no name WRs and carved up the monster defenses on his way to a record tying 4t super bowl ring.

Sounds nice huh? But really we are the patriots let's outsmart these teams boasting their menacing passrushes and have a menacing Offensive Line waiting for them. Of course Nicks is the ultimate but I would also be for acquiring any G/C who plays with power/athleticism and can handle a feared Defensive lineman one on one. If we could acquire a prime Larry Allen for minimal price and restructure his Contract to be cap friendly who wouldn't be for that? Carl Nicks is not far from Allen AT ALL. Like I said he strikes fear in pro bowl Defensive lineman and has athleticism to play LT. Although he is respected as a top guard he is one of the NFL s most underrated players which favors us acquiring him. He has the ability of #2 overall draft pick Greg Robinson. Who wouldn't want to add him to our OLine I'm always for bringing in a difference maker who makes others around him better than a combined8/9 million on multiple washed up has beens and scrubs.

On the subject of Carl Nicks, that is what I see Marcus Cannon having the potential to become. He is very similar in size and athletic ability, and he plays with the same style. Nicks entered the NFL as an OT and converted to OG in the NFL. I want to see Cannon at RG, I think him and Vollmer on the right side would be downright nasty.

I am going to pass on Nicks though, if this was 3-4 years ago I would be very onboard but not anymore, the MRSA is a major concern and his play had diminished in recent years anyway.

 

[Brady6]

Uh, I think if you read back further the answer becomes clear...it's the Craig Wall Of Text devoted to the enshrinement of Halapio into the HOF as center that elicited that reply from Deus. Sarcasm.

I know you are being sarcastic but I was curious where the Halapio playing OC even became considered. I do not think he took a snap at OC in his college career. Halapio is a power RG, with maybe the ability to develop into a LG down the road, but I do not think he would make a good OC at all. I could be wrong though.

 

[Joker]

LT SOLDER
LG MANKINS
C HALAPIO/Stork
RG CANNON/FLEMING
RT VOLLMER

Halapio impressed in camp with his power/attitude. Many scouts saw him as a convert to center,hopefully bill does as well. He appears to be that rare center who can man up a Nose with no help.

edited out the obvious rest of the WALL OF TEXT...it's on page 1 of this thread.

 

[Ring 6]

I'm guessing it is very unlikely that Halapio would make it through to the PS if cut.

Because so many teams were fighting to draft him?

 

[patfanken]

I think this OL has the potential to be among the best in recent history and that's saying alot, since there have been some very good OL's during the BB era. Personally I think we went a bit overboard in the draft with 3 rookies, but that's done now and while, like Sup said, they hall have had fine college careers, we won't even start to see what kind of players they are until we start to see some preseason games.

My strongest comments are left for Marcus Cannon. To my mind, Cannon has proven beyond a doubt he is good enough to be a starter in the league. I think he is one of the top 5 offensive linemen and would be wasted as a back up. If the goal is to start the 5 best players, then Cannon is simply better than Wendell and Connolly and needs to start at RG.

With all due respect to AJ, having him start at RG will do NOTHING to lessen our depth at OT. If we incur an injury there, you would just move Cannon to OT, and shift your top backup interior OLman to RG.

Personally I don't see Wendell and Connolly to be the unmitigated disasters than many here feel, but I'm all for upgrading when the opportunity presents itself. Part of the apparent weakness that seems to affect the middle of the OL against certain D's, could be solved by the bulk and power of Marcus Cannon at RG And if he is capable of pass blocking well in the open spaces required by OT's, he can anchor the middle in the crowed environs of the interior line.

Starting Cannon at RG makes so much sense to me that I'm really hoping that in BB's first press conference of TC, someone asks him directly if he is going to allow him to compete for the position. I might not like the answer, but at least I'll have one.

 

[Ring 6]

I think that if Belichick had an interest in fielding the same OL that he had in 2013 he would not have picked 3 OL in the draft. Belichick has shown in recent years that he has no problem starting a rookie day 1.

At best, I see 1 of Connolly or Wendell making the team. I see these 7 as locks to make the roster.

Solder
Mankins
Vollmer
Cannon
Stork
Fleming
Halapio

I think there will be 1-2 spots that these players will be competing for –

Wendell
Connolly
Kline
Barker
Cave
Martin

I know you like the vets, and have concerns over experience but Wendell and Connolly were huge liabilities last season and I do not see either improving in 2014, I actually think Connolly could decline even further due to age.

You don't draft players in the 6th round to start. More pertinent to what message bb was sending by drafting OL was that he didn't draft them early.

 

[Ring 6]

In this past draft especially, it was one of the deepest ever, any other season Halapio may have been a third round pick.

This post from fantasy land sponsored by kool aid

 

[Joker]

Halapio in the 6th was a very good value decision by the Pats. Camp will begin to reveal if his assets translate to this level. If they do, he's a steal. If not, then PS and work on developing his skills. This is simple NFL team building strategy here.What's the problem?

 

[Ring 6]

6th round picks usually get picked up on waivers, and it was suggested after the draft that the Pats were surprised that Halapio lasted that long. I'm not making any judgments on him without having seen him on the field, but it seems unlikely that he would go unclaimed. There are a lot of teams desperate for OL help.

Very few players do not clear waivers at cutdown. 5-7 years ago two in the league would be a lot. It's a little more common now but not much.

I'm talking about rookies

 

[Brady6]

Because so many teams were fighting to draft him?

He was the #3 pick in the sixth round, he would have been selected I am sure, otherwise we also had #22 and #30 in the sixth round and they would have waited.

 

[Ring 6]

He was the #3 pick in the sixth round, he would have been selected I am sure, otherwise we also had #22 and #30 in the sixth round and they would have waited.

In the sixth round

 

[Brady6]

You don't draft players in the 6th round to start. More pertinent to what message bb was sending by drafting OL was that he didn't draft them early.

I think the message was Easley a top 15 talent in round 1, Garopollo a potential starting QB in round 2, and then OL.

 

[Brady6]

In the sixth round

I followed this draft very closely, I followed the prospects and read the majority of scouting reports, and I know the talent level that was in this draft. I seldom saw you in the draft part of this board. It was a deep draft. Halapio was a starter since midway into his freshman season, he practiced against Dominique Easley, Sharrif Floyd, and he started next Maurkice Pouncey and Mike Pouncey.

Halapio is a talented player, and if you watched his tape from college, you would not question if he will make the roster.

 

[Brady6]

Personally I don't see Wendell and Connolly to be the unmitigated disasters than many here feel, but I'm all for upgrading when the opportunity presents itself. Part of the apparent weakness that seems to affect the middle of the OL against certain D's, could be solved by the bulk and power of Marcus Cannon at RG And if he is capable of pass blocking well in the open spaces required by OT's, he can anchor the middle in the crowed environs of the interior line.

Wendell allowed 37 QB disruptions last season, Connolly allowed 33, a combined 70 disruptions. I am not sure if they are disasters, or if it was the offense being so inexperienced that inflated these disruptions.

I agree completely on Cannon, I think it is a no brainer to give a chance to win that starting RG spot. He played very well at RT last season in the final 10 games, the move inside should not be difficult for him.

 

[mgteich]

Reports out of OTAs were all extremely positive for Halapio; he was getting first team reps at RG and everything. I would be very surprised if Halapio did not make this squad. Reiss has him as a sure fire lock.

Reports out of OTAs were all extremely positive for Halapio; he was getting first team reps at RG and everything. I would be very surprised if Halapio did not make this squad. Reiss has him as a sure fire lock.

Doesn't Reiss have every rookie as a sure fire or at least almost lock?

 

[Brady6]

Doesn't Reiss have every rookie as a sure fire or at least almost lock?

Drafted rookies – everyone but Gallon.

Halapio started 43 games in college and Florida.