Logan Mankins Traded

[SHOWTIME15]

People should know that Wright led the league for rookie TEs in yards, touchdowns and receptions. He should have been on the NFL all rookie team. He did great in Mike sullivan's offense last year. However, he didn't seem to fit in the new OC's system (tedford?).

 

[PP2]

They asked Mankins to renegotiate his contract, he refused, they started shopping him.

That's the unspoken part of the whole thing I've always wondered about.

I can't help but think of the foreboding answer that Mankins gave to Curran a few weeks ago when asked about doing postgame interviews with him: "Yeah, if you'll have me and if I don't get cut." (Curran tweeted about this).

He must have had already been approached at that point, and refused.

 

[RIpats88]

Funny thing is, Felger actually likes the trade as long as they allocate the money to other positions...and scary thing is I agree with him. prior to the revis signing and wilfork restructuring/mankins trade the pats top paid players were

Tom Brady (qb, so that is fine)
Vince wilfork - a run stuffing Nose tackle..not AS valuable in todays NFL
Logan makins - a guard
Jerod Mayo - a run stuffing LB not as great in pass coverage.

I actually agree with felger...that is a misappropriation of assets in TODAYS NFL where the money should go to skill positions. if they use mankins money to extend revis/mccourty to keep our secondary core together for the future? I am all for this.

Plus, we dont really know the effect this will have on our team until the season opener. Maybe our O-line plays well and Tim Wright produces...or maybe both dont hold true.

but if the last year or two has been any indication, Belicheck has changed his thinking on football personnel and who should be paid..its about time he's adapted to the modern NFL

 

[RobertWeathers]

Lovie Smith has long since backtracked on that statement. But regardless -- surely it's clear that the Patriots didn't part with Mankins unwillingly because it's the only way they could get Tim Wright!

They asked Mankins to renegotiate his contract, he refused, they started shopping him. There's no reason to think that Tim Wright was the root of the Mankins trade, he's just a side benefit. I'm happy to have him.

Do we know that the team approached LM and asked for a restructuring? If so, what was his response? If they asked the question and LM said, "no" then what happened yesterday makes a ton of sense.

Receiving-wise, Wright is a major insurance policy if Gronk goes down. They team was horrible in the red zone w/o Gronk and at the very least, Wright gives TB a big target in the middle of the field and in the end zone.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Funny thing is, Felger actually likes the trade as long as they allocate the money to other positions...and scary thing is I agree with him. prior to the revis signing and wilfork restructuring/mankins trade the pats top paid players were

Tom Brady (qb, so that is fine)
Vince wilfork - a run stuffing Nose tackle..not AS valuable in todays NFL
Logan makins - a guard
Jerod Mayo - a run stuffing LB not as great in pass coverage.

I actually agree with felger...that is a misappropriation of assets in TODAYS NFL where the money should go to skill positions. if they use mankins money to extend revis/mccourty to keep our secondary core together for the future? I am all for this.

Plus, we dont really know the effect this will have on our team until the season opener. Maybe our O-line plays well and Tim Wright produces...or maybe both dont hold true.

but if the last year or two has been any indication, Belicheck has changed his thinking on football personnel and who should be paid..its about time he's adapted to the modern NFL

Well, the players mentioned after Brady were/are elite players when they were given their big contracts.

We'll see how VW turns out but I anticipate him having a strong year.

I wonder about Mayo. BB loves him and I think hes a very good player but hes another one of those guys who needs to have a monster year and live up to the big deal. He was hurt last year and is dinged up again but had an outstanding 2012.

 

[UK_Pat37]

I had a hunch Mankins might wind up beign a cap casualty eventually...although I thought it would be more next year than this.

I was surprised at his Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections last year and felt he got them more on his reputation over the years.

Saying that, he is still playing at an above average (although not elite) level...that and his veteran leadership might wind up being a big blow and mean some growing pains.

DS and Logan gone in the space of one off-season...welp!

 

[patchick]

Do we know that the team approached LM and asked for a restructuring? If so, what was his response? If they asked the question and LM said, "no" then what happened yesterday makes a ton of sense.

Yep, Jason Cole has reported that the Patriots twice approached Mankins about restructuring -- once in January and then again before the trade -- and he refused. Cole is one of the more reliable sources out there, IMO.

Here's one link: http://larrybrownsports.com/football/logan-mankins-trade-pay-cut/239487

 

[PatsFanSince74]

This is the hardest one for me to swallow since Milloy or Seymour, especially when protecting a 37 year old QB is priority 1A, 1B and 1C. But, I drank the Kool Aid a long time ago and "In BB I trust"...hopefully, there's another shoe to drop here...I just wish he didn't make it so darn hard sometimes.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yep, Jason Cole has reported that the Patriots twice approached Mankins about restructuring -- once in January and then again before the trade -- and he refused. Cole is one of the more reliable sources out there, IMO.

Here's one link: http://larrybrownsports.com/football/logan-mankins-trade-pay-cut/239487

I agree. Cole is solid.

There ya have it. Two immovable objects. BB and Mankins.

 

[condon84]

Wright has under 14 days to learn the offense before week 1, we will employ 3 WR + Gronk + RB of choice as the base offense until Wright proves to be better than the 3rd WR on the field.

Until then, if that ever happens, he's another chess piece for the spread offense packages and a 6'4 230ish frame for redzone work.

Count on him regressing from his Tampa numbers as he is learning a new system with a QB that takes time to trust. He'll have limited practice time with Brady, to say the least, once the season starts, and won't have adequate time to adjust until next offseason when everyone gets a chance to run with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team.

I don't expect Tim Wright to be productive this year. We all have seen how steep the learning curve this offense is for receivers and how hard it is for them to earn Brady's trust.

Brady has Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, and Thomkins who he appears to really trust. We also have Dobson and LaFell. Not to mention Vereen splitting out wide as well.

 

[RIpats88]

I don't expect Tim Wright to be productive this year. We all have seen how steep the learning curve this offense is for receivers and how hard it is for them to earn Brady's trust.

Brady has Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, and Thomkins who he appears to really trust. We also have Dobson and LaFell. Not to mention Vereen splitting out wide as well.

Is a tight ends route tree in New England smaller than that of a Wide Receiver though? We've seen some players come in and produce right away like woodhead.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Obviously, you are hyperventilating, but the Patriots were 6-1 and had the best record in the NFL with Donald Thomas at LG when Mankins (who was more in his prime at the time) held out in 2011.

The best win of the season last year (41-7 on the road against the Ravens) had Josh Kline paying the entire game at LG.

The facts simply don't bear out your panic attack.

Donald Thomas sucked at RG but was actually pretty good at LG, he's just been injured since.

 

[borg]

My 2 Cents (part 3)

6) Two pass catching TEs, 2 smurf studs in the slot, big WR targets on the perimeter, sophomore WRs making the leap, 3rd down RB playing all three downs......I state with utter conviction that Brady's arm may fall because this 2014 offense will be so pass-centric....an pass offense that may surpass 2007....therefore, dealing Mankins won't affect this offense's ability to sling it all over the field. Nine sacks....yikes

6B) The "no touchy the receiver" rule......Brady and McDaniels are salivating
6C) BB ain't trusting Ridley or Bolden to be focal points of the offense ...and Vereen won't be featured between the tackles......Cue the Air Show.

Paying up for Mankins' strengths...run blocking....when his strengths may not mesh with the direction of this offense......or

I could be all wrong. Anonymous keyboard GM on duty

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don't expect Tim Wright to be productive this year. We all have seen how steep the learning curve this offense is for receivers and how hard it is for them to earn Brady's trust.

Brady has Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, and Thomkins who he appears to really trust. We also have Dobson and LaFell. Not to mention Vereen splitting out wide as well.

Pertaining to Wright, my suspicions are that BB picked Schiano's brain on the kid and received very positive feedback on his ability to pick up the Pats offense conceptually in fairly quick order. Will he know it all by Week 1? Of course not. Certainly no one will know exactly how productive Wright will be in this offense in 2014 but to catch 57 balls as a rookie in a pro-style offense is pretty darn good and tells me he knew what he was doing out there in an offense that, by my understanding has some similarities to the Pats offense (spread formation, hurry-up, etc).

 

[mayoclinic]

Yep, Jason Cole has reported that the Patriots twice approached Mankins about restructuring -- once in January and then again before the trade -- and he refused. Cole is one of the more reliable sources out there, IMO.

Here's one link: http://larrybrownsports.com/football/logan-mankins-trade-pay-cut/239487

Thank you for this - I missed it. I remember reports that they had approached him about restructuring earlier this year, but hadn't realized they had done it again recently.

From Cole's twitter feed:

What a great trade for pats. Good TE, 4th rd pick, and cap space. Solid.

https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole/status/504466919538569216

Good TE, cap space, 4th round pick. Yup.

 

[Urgent]

Pats are unquestionably better off in 2015.
An extra fourth-round pick they didn't have.
$13 mm in extra cap space from the two years of Mankins' salaries. (They presumably cannot add another $6mm player at this point in 2014 - they could potentially re-sign someone like McCourty and accrue money in 2014, but he is already here.) That's a lot of money that can be re-allocated from interior OL to a skill position.

They are probably not better off in 2014. Would Wright have been released in a week? Is Wright better than all the other TE's who will be released in a week? While no longer elite, Mankins was rated the #18 guard in the NFL last year - Kline, Cannon, or Devey are not at that level. Whomever it is to replace Mankins will have to work with Solder and the center to coordinate. The OL will not be as good.

 

[patchick]

Would Wright have been released in a week? Is Wright better than all the other TE's who will be released in a week?

Very interesting questions, those. I really doubt that Wright would have been released, because the Bucs don't have great WR depth. He's much too young, cheap and productive for them to jettison.

As for the other TE's, I'd be very surprised if anybody who fits the description of "young, cheap and productive" becomes available. But we'll see soon!

 

[shmessy]

I agree. Cole is solid.

There ya have it. Two immovable objects. BB and Mankins.

Mankins got moved.

 

[ensoul]

Late to the party but I don’t really understand this trade unless they are going to use some of the money they save this year to sign players. If they were concerned about resigning Revis and other players then they could have just kept Mankins this year and released him next season. From what I have heard Wright is struggling in almost every aspect of the game so far. Considering he is making chump change the bucks clearly did not think much of his potential.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Late to the party but I don’t really understand this trade unless they are going to use some of the money they save this year to sign players. If they were concerned about resigning Revis and other players then they could have just kept Mankins this year and released him next season. From what I have heard Wright is struggling in almost every aspect of the game so far. Considering he is making chump change the bucks clearly did not think much of his potential.

Mankins was moved because the team feels his salary was not equal to his production and he refused a pay cut. I'm also assuming the team saw high-priority contractual commitments that they wanted to explore (see McCourty/Revis) that with Mankins counting $6m in 2014 and $7m in 2015, felt this was the right thing to do.

I don't buy the negativity on Wright. Smith put him in a different position and he was adjusting. The kid caught 57 balls and 5 TDs as a rookie so clearly he has some ability to learn a pro offense. Some systems play to a player's strengths, some don't.