Nate Ebner

[NashuaPats]

Nate Ebner was just named International Player of the Year in Rugby.

Ebner named rugby club's 'International Player of the Year'

I'm curious to what people think of him. He's been on the Pats for 5 seasons and I still feel like I know very little about him. I know he occasionally plays some snaps at safety, but I'm not sure how much.

I'm wondering how good people think he is at special teams and if could he take on a larger role.

He certainly looks like a beast.



Thoughts?

 

[primetime]

He was named the international (foreign) player of the year by an invitational team who he played for in a tournament in Hong Kong to train for the Olympics.

Like Slater, he's an exceptional special teamer and a liability everywhere else on the field. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Let me leave it at this: the All-Pro voters weren't wrong when they voted Slater and Ebner the two best ST players in the league.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Like Slater, he's an exceptional special teamer and a liability everywhere else on the field. Nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't call him a liability so much as a victim of the numbers games the way Edelman was in 2010 and 2011.

 

[mosslost]

he is pretty good at those half ass kicks toward the sideline

 

[JayNM]

He's a great tackler in the open field and athletic as ****.

I can't really know how well he'd play outside SP, but I think I'll trust our coaches with this decision

 

[RobertWeathers]

Nate Ebner was just named International Player of the Year in Rugby.

Ebner named rugby club's 'International Player of the Year'

I'm curious to what people think of him. He's been on the Pats for 5 seasons and I still feel like I know very little about him. I know he occasionally plays some snaps at safety, but I'm not sure how much.

I'm wondering how good people think he is at special teams and if could he take on a larger role.

He certainly looks like a beast.

View attachment 16583

Thoughts?

I think hes fat. Too many potato chips and cupcakes.

 

[NashuaPats]

I think hes fat. Too many potato chips and cupcakes.

Cupcakes? I didn't realize he hung out with the Jests.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Cupcakes? I didn't realize he hung out with the Jests.

I cracked a smart alec joke because the OP didnt make sense.

Nate is an elite STer. Hes played a little in the defense but that about it.

I really don't see him climbing any higher.

 

[primetime]

I wouldn't call him a liability so much as a victim of the numbers games the way Edelman was in 2010 and 2011.

I admire your blind faith but I wouldn't want him out there on defense with the game on the line.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Would love to have seen Ebner playing in the 1960's and 1970's NFL ...
man is a beast. He is severely restrained playing under today's rules.

 

[ausbacker]

He's a great tackler in the open field and athletic as ****.

I can't really know how well he'd play outside SP, but I think I'll trust our coaches with this decision

If you understand anything about Rugby Union then Ebner's skillset is so ridiculously transferrable to Special Teams it isn't funny.

 

[JayNM]

If you understand anything about Rugby Union then Ebner's skillset is so ridiculously transferrable to Special Teams it isn't funny.

I bet. I really don't know the term, but I've seen plenty of times: A guy kicks the ball to the far side of the field and someone returns it to a point. Basically a Kick off lol

 

[ausbacker]

I bet. I really don't know the term, but I've seen plenty of times: A guy kicks the ball to the far side of the field and someone returns it to a point. Basically a Kick off lol

Very, very similar and a game where field position is of critical importance.

 

[oldrover]

This should be moved to the Rugby Forum.

 

[Ivan]

He clearly fills a number of roles for them at a high level, otherwise he would be gone. Don't know why anyone would knock him? Special teams have really mattered in winning Lombardi's, and he's a great ST player.

 

[Fixit]

This should be moved to the Rugby Forum.

I'd post in that.

Ian, you're up!

 

[borg]

Curious if BB ever flirted with the idea of Nate returning punts/kickoffs. Probably not enough juke for punt returns....but a balls to the walls rugger as a kickoff returner.....gotta be better than Blount

 

[SalemPats]

One of the things tha separates our team is Special Teams coverage, BB takes a lot of pride in this. On most teams Ebner and Slater would not be valued the same, on the Patriots they are just as important as any other.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I admire your blind faith but I wouldn't want him out there on defense with the game on the line.

My point is not that he'd be great at D (although he did have an INT as a rookie in the preseason), so much as that they really haven't tried all that much.

They actually used him in the 3rd down "hybrid S/LB" role they've long been looking for a couple of years ago, and he did fairly well at it . . . and then he got hurt on ST, and that was the end of the experiment.