Michael Oher better not be a perennial pro-bowler

[State]

Reading this blog by a Union Leader sports writer made me think of this, how we wheeled and dealed ourselves into oblivion in the 2006 draft.

One If By Land: What could have been: The Patriots' 2006 draft

We could have had Oher, but opted out of the spot with the Baltimore Ravens.

 

[BelichickFan]

With his issues I doubt Oher was on our board, let alone a #1 pick possibility.

As for the article, any moron can go through the best players and say "we should have picked them" - and that's coming from someone (me) who wanted Jennings in the second round that year.

 

[Tunescribe]

With his issues I doubt Oher was on our board, let alone a #1 pick possibility.

I wasn't aware Oher had issues. He was a great story, coming from a homeless background. What were his problem issues?

 

[BelichickFan]

I wasn't aware Oher had issues. He was a great story, coming from a homeless background. What were his problem issues?

He actually got a decent Wunderlich score but he has a learning disability that affects how he takes instruction and repeats what he's been told. Supposedly a number of teams took him off their board. He may end up as a great player but there are some serious issues there when you're protecting a certain person in the pocket.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Reading this blog by a Union Leader sports writer made me think of this, how we wheeled and dealed ourselves into oblivion in the 2006 draft.

One If By Land: What could have been: The Patriots' 2006 draft

We could have had Oher, but opted out of the spot with the Baltimore Ravens.

I would of had no problem taking Oher in the first. But the disturbing part of the post is the linked article. We could of had Brandon Marshall? Really? So could of every other team in the NFL. 3X's.

Retrospect is a baseless way to coe up with an article. The Pats have had some success in almost every draft this decade. Some more than other but I must say it is futile to go back and "what if" recent drafts.

 

[AzPatsFan]

That 2006 draft consisted of a number 1, number 2, number 4 and a the rest, multiple 6s and 7s. Jackson failed, but all the others were long shots to begin with. Kareem is a reserve somewhere and Justin Rodgers who was cut, has climbed the reserve charts at Dallas and might start this season. Willie Andrews was a good ST and returner. The only reason he isn't on the squad, is an off the field problem after his sophomore year. As a player, he had made it as a gunner and returner.

Many of the could-have-beens would never play for the Patriots. Like Keaiho who is 5-11 and barely 220 #s, with off the field problems worse than Wilie Andrews. That is not a Patriots OLB.

Hindsight is always 20-20.

Micheal Oher has a learning disability and a tendency to have to require lots of repetitions to learn his assignments. That is nowhere near the profile of a Patriots Offensive lineman. Coaches spending time with him would rob the other players of preparation time.

 

[patchick]

I would of had no problem taking Oher in the first. But the disturbing part of the post is the linked article. We could of had Brandon Marshall? Really? So could of every other team in the NFL. 3X's.

Better yet, he's lamenting the lousy decision to pass on Marshall in favor of that scrub Gostkowski, because Pro Bowl and records set or no, "kickers are a dime a dozen and normally can be found in the last two rounds of the draft or on the unemployment line." Oh, and he fails to mention that character concerns were what dropped Marshall in the draft...and that he's been arrested four times since.

For the rest of day 2, he's just picking out random names of unexpected successes whom nobody ever suggested were fits for the Pats at the time, and slamming the Pats for "missing on them."

There's plenty to fault in the 2006 draft, but that's just ridiculous.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Better yet, he's lamenting the lousy decision to pass on Marshall in favor of that scrub Gostkowski, because Pro Bowl and records set or no, "kickers are a dime a dozen and normally can be found in the last two rounds of the draft or on the unemployment line." Oh, and he fails to mention that character concerns were what dropped Marshall in the draft...and that he's been arrested four times since.

Yeah. When has a kicker ever won a game for the Patriots?

 

[State]

Yeah, he may be inconsistent and need more repetitions than the typical Patriots Olinemen, but the physical tools are there in great abundance. And I just can't seem to get the interview with the white lady at ESPN out of my mind after he was drafted.

I would never count Oher out; he seems to be a man on a mission. If he becomes the next Orlando Pace, we fans may want to know if it was worth not taking a shot at elite talent, which NO ONE doubts this guy has.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Reading this blog by a Union Leader sports writer made me think of this, how we wheeled and dealed ourselves into oblivion in the 2006 draft.

One If By Land: What could have been: The Patriots' 2006 draft

We could have had Oher, but opted out of the spot with the Baltimore Ravens.

I am notcompletely sold on Oher. He could turn out to be special, but more likely his learning disabilities and lack of technique and discipline keep him from being anything more than backup/upgradable starter.

 

[DaBruinz]

Reading this blog by a Union Leader sports writer made me think of this, how we wheeled and dealed ourselves into oblivion in the 2006 draft.

One If By Land: What could have been: The Patriots' 2006 draft

We could have had Oher, but opted out of the spot with the Baltimore Ravens.

People like MacPhearson have a hard time with facts. Like the fact that the Pats "released" Mills so they could put him on the practice squad. And like the fact that Kareem Brown was released because the Patriots needed the roster space to add secondary help since they had so many people injured.

He also has a hard time understanding that the players he talks about (Jennings, Keiaho, Ingrahm, etc) may not have been fits here in New England. Also that Addai was older than Maroney and that Williams didn't do much his 1st two years and finally broke out in his 3rd. I love the Elvis Dumervil suggestion. I just wonder where the 5'11 Dumervil would have played since he's too short to be an OLB for the Pats and doesn't have the sand in his pants to be an ILB..

Hindsight is always 20/20, but people rarely, if ever, look at factors beyond the stats. And its their fallacy to do so.

 

[maverick4]

Belichick wants smart football players, not a guy with a learning disability who some basically gave euphemisms for being dumb as a rock. At Ole Miss, they couldn't play him at left tackle much because he couldn't understand complex schemes.

Oher benefitted from Michael Lewis' book. Without it, there wouldn't be this huge hype surrounding him.

 

[Sicilian]

So... if Chung wins DROY, Butler finishes second, both become annual pro-bowlers, Vollmer turns into our LT of the future, and Wilfork goes down with a massive knee injury but Brace is able to seemlessly step in and solidify the line, you'll still be pissed if Oher is a pro-bowl tackle?

The Patriots get a handful of draft picks. I'm willing to bet at least one of the picks they don't get is going to become a pro-bowler, and I'm not going to lose sleep over the fact the Pats can't get em all. Sheesh.

 

[patchick]

The Patriots get a handful of draft picks. I'm willing to bet at least one of the picks they don't get is going to become a pro-bowler, and I'm not going to lose sleep over the fact the Pats can't get em all.

Well said. It's fair to rip a team for making a lousy pick (especially assuming there were clear reasons to question the pick on draft day). But you can't say "it's not enough that we succeed, others must fail"!

Maybe Oher will be great, maybe not. But even if he thrives in Baltimore, that doesn't mean he would have done the same here. The Baltimore offense last year threw a hundred fewer passes than the Cassel Patriots, and you have the likes of Moss and Welker now talking about how long it took them to absorb the Pats' complex scheme. Of the current Pats' OTs whose Wonderlic scores are known, all scored 29 or above.

So it may be that Oher simply wasn't a good fit...or simply that the need/value combo was better served by moving down. As a reminder, they managed to parlay #23 into Darius Butler, Brandon Tate + a 2nd rounder in 2010, and all of them put together will cost less than Oher. I'll take that.

 

[State]

I am notcompletely sold on Oher. He could turn out to be special, but more likely his learning disabilities and lack of technique and discipline keep him from being anything more than backup/upgradable starter.

I trust you, Ochmed, on this stuff. So what you think makes me feel better.

It's going to be a very interesting story/thing to watch. I read the book Blind Side by Michael Lewis based on him, and I understand a movie is being made.

That said, it's so interesting because physically he's great; but can he keep the mental focus and intensity? I have to agree with you that the answer is No.

If he didn't consistently do it in college, why should the pros be any different?

If anything, he may struggle [correction: more] to meet the extra mental demands. Time will tell, though.

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

The Pats didn't think Oher was good value in the 1st round. They felt Vollner was better value in the 2nd (58).

The team's biggest problem the last 3 seasons has been pass defense. Thus, the drafting of Chung and Butler in the 2nd round.

Of all the OL, the Pats only drafted Mankins in the 1st and that's because there was no other player available at any position worthy of a 1st when they picked. They may have been interested in Marlin Jackson before Indy took him, but I digress.

IMO, BB was probably giggling like a schoolgirl when Butler was still on the board at 41. I also feel that these last two drafts will bring the Pats back to SB success. I'm that high on their picks.

The Pats system is based on value and need.

Sure it's easy to bash the OL after SB 42, but despite that unit's poor showing, the team still had a 4-pt lead with 2:15 only to see the pass D blow it in the end (83 yard TD drive).

KC Joyner, a football sabermetrician, has stated that the Pats OL in 2008 was the best run-blocking unit that season. With Brady's quicker release, the pass blocking is expected to improve as well.

If Oher becomes a pro-bowler, who cares? That shouldn't diminish the potential of the Pats picks.