I figured since there are currently two threads on this board about the legal ramifications of the Dennard trial, and what he may be facing in terms of sentencing come April, that I make a new thread devoted completely to the Football Aspect of his potential sentencing.
While it would be nice to assume Dennard will get off easy, the fact that he has been convicted of a Felony creates great uncertainty. With his sentencing not until April, the Patriots would hinder themselves by waiting until then to determine their course of action. The best thing they can do at this point is make a plan to move on from Dennard. If he is available for this season, great, but the team can't take a chance and come up empty handed, down potentially 2 starting Cornerbacks.
Therefore, the following are some measures that can be taken:
1) Resign/Franchise Talib - With losing Dennard for the season (and beyond) looking like a real possibility, the Patriots should try and secure their other top Cornerback from last season. While he has some serious character issues and some durability concerns, he proved in the AFCCG how important he is to this secondary. When he went down, the defense crumbled.
2) McCourty back to Cornerback - While McCourty can become a star at Safety, he may be forced into a position change again (AGAIN!!!) to fill the void in the backfield. McCourty can be an adequate option at Left Cornerback when given the support, so a change to more Zone Coverages and acquiring better Safetys would allow McCourty to thrive (hopefully 2010 form).
3) Leave McCourty at Safety, Talib Walks, Draft and Sign FA - There are some decent Cornerback prospects in the Draft as well as Free Agency... but they won't come cheap or plentiful. The Patriots would need to be aggressive in identifying their type of player and bringing him in. Options include: DRC, Sean Smith, Jonathan Banks, Xavier Rhodes...
What else could the team do?
While it would be nice to assume Dennard will get off easy, the fact that he has been convicted of a Felony creates great uncertainty. With his sentencing not until April, the Patriots would hinder themselves by waiting until then to determine their course of action. The best thing they can do at this point is make a plan to move on from Dennard. If he is available for this season, great, but the team can't take a chance and come up empty handed, down potentially 2 starting Cornerbacks.
Therefore, the following are some measures that can be taken:
1) Resign/Franchise Talib - With losing Dennard for the season (and beyond) looking like a real possibility, the Patriots should try and secure their other top Cornerback from last season. While he has some serious character issues and some durability concerns, he proved in the AFCCG how important he is to this secondary. When he went down, the defense crumbled.
2) McCourty back to Cornerback - While McCourty can become a star at Safety, he may be forced into a position change again (AGAIN!!!) to fill the void in the backfield. McCourty can be an adequate option at Left Cornerback when given the support, so a change to more Zone Coverages and acquiring better Safetys would allow McCourty to thrive (hopefully 2010 form).
3) Leave McCourty at Safety, Talib Walks, Draft and Sign FA - There are some decent Cornerback prospects in the Draft as well as Free Agency... but they won't come cheap or plentiful. The Patriots would need to be aggressive in identifying their type of player and bringing him in. Options include: DRC, Sean Smith, Jonathan Banks, Xavier Rhodes...
What else could the team do?