Most irreplaceable Patriots player other than Brady....

[Brady6]

Today's Boston Herald cover asked the question; who's the most irreplaceable Patriots player other than Tom Brady.

My pick would be Vince Wilfork because I'm not even sure our hybrid scheme would be feasible without him.

They named several others inside the article (link below).

http://bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/new_england_patriots/2013/08/the_patriots_biggest_loss

 

[Fawn Lebowitz]

With no doubt in my mind, it's Vince Wilfork.

 

[the Patriot]

Wilfork, and it isn't even close.

 

[sb1]

Vince.

Losing him would be a catastrophe.

 

[belichick010405]

Agreed.....Its' Wilfork.

Runner-up to Brady and Wilfork, in my view, is Nate Solder.

Honorable Mention (in order): Talib, Gronkowski, Chandler Jones.

 

[fnordcircle]

Overall? McCourty. I feel like his importance to the defense is close to Wilfork's and he has a significant number of years he'll be playing beyond when Vince is done.

If Vince and Devin were the same ages I'd give the nod to Vince.

 

[Brady6]

Re: Re: Most irreplaceable Patriots player other than Brady....

Agreed.....Its' Wilfork.

Runner-up to Brady and Wilfork, in my view, is Nate Solder.

Honorable Mention (in order): Talib, Gronkowski, Chandler Jones.

I'd probably add McCourty (as a safety) to the honorable mention list.

 

[ausbacker]

I used to think it was Wilfork but after watching the Patriots struggle to score touchdowns against Baltimore, I now firmly believe that it's Gronk.

 

[Brady6]

Re: Re: Most irreplaceable Patriots player other than Brady....

Overall? McCourty. I feel like his importance to the defense is close to Wilfork's and he has a significant number of years he'll be playing beyond when Vince is done.

If Vince and Devin were the same ages I'd give the nod to Vince.

I like McCourty at safety it fits his skill set, when he was successful as a rookie at CB we were playing more zone which allowed him to play the ball verses playing the receiver in man coverage, I think safety allows him to play the ball again and that seems be something he really excels at.

 

[Brady6]

Re: Re: Most irreplaceable Patriots player other than Brady....

I used to think it was Wilfork but after watching the Patriots struggle to score touchdowns against Baltimore, I now firmly believe that it's Gronk.

Very good point AB, the injuries have made him somewhat of a forgotten player. He is irreplaceable as you've pointed out; I'm glad you said his name, admittedly I overlooked him.

 

[TriplecHamp]

at this point in time because of depth concerns its far and away VW. Even if not for depth concerns, VW with McCourty trailing and then Gronkowski/Amendola considering the youth of our WR corps.

 

[ausbacker]

Very good point AB, the injuries have made him somewhat of a forgotten player. He is irreplaceable as you've pointed out; I'm glad you said his name, admittedly I overlooked him.

If there's a disclaimer Brady6 it would be that Gronkowski and Wilfork could be simultaneously labelled 1A to 1AA. Both are as important as another. The Patriots struggling against the Giants and Ravens to put up comparative scores is what tipped it in Gronk's favor for mine.

 

[Jandkmom]

Gostkowski

 

[VrabelJr]

Ignoring depth, I think it's McCourty or Mayo with a slight nudge to Mayo. Getting people lined up and calling plays is so incredibly important. Neither of these two guys get the credit they deserve.

Not ignoring depth, it's Vince Wilfork. Any hopes of our defense making strides immediately go out the window if he goes down at any point.

 

[JMC00]

Gronk. That's evident by SB46 and the AFCC this past season.

But the thing is he's not even close to Brady in the irreplaceable department.

The Patriots with Brady in 12 seasons were arguably 4 plays away from winning the SB 7 times.

Yep, 7.

'06- Caldwell drop
'07- Samuel missed INT, in-the grasp, Harrison knocking the ball loose. Any of those would have done well.
'08- If Brady doesn't get injured they make that SB. Cassel went 11-5 with that team.
'11- Welker drop or if the defense just made the stop.

And to the doom and gloom crowd, Yes, I know the Pats are 3 plays away from having 0 SB.
Still shows how irreplaceable Brady is because without him the 3 SB don't happen.

 

[mgteich]

I suppose it might be interesting after we get past the first 3.

Obviously, Wilfork is #2, and Gronkowski is #3.

We might score 30 or 40 points, even with Gronkowski. Without Wilfork, we are totally screwed.

 

[YearbookCurfew]

Tim Tebow.

 

[patsfan-1982]

i wanna say Wilfork, mayo or McCourty but the defense has not been great the last few years and we all know this team lives or dies with how good Brady plays come playoff time and he need he's #1 guy to get it done so it's Gronk by a mile

 

[Sticky Caulk]

1)With a healthy Gronkowski, this team might (MIGHT) be two time defending champions.

2)Without Wilfork, they don't go to the Super Bowl the season before last.

3)Solder has the most important job 'other than Brady'.

4)McCourty's move to safety improved the defense imensly. If this question is most irreplaceable defensive player other than Wilfork, the answer will be Devin.

5)Without Mayo the young defense would make even more mistakes. Scary to consider.

6)Chandler Jones will surge this year fully healthy, ready to annihilate RBs and QBs alike.

7-9)Talib, Denard and Arrington. Any injuries to these three players instantly downgrades the pass defense.

10)Shane Vereen is the player I'm most excited about on the offense. He will be a go to receiver and a crazy change of pace in the backfield. I see a lot of TDs in Shane's future.

 

[supafly]

No offense B6--but this thread has "jinx" written all over it

I kid...but at the same time I don't.