Patriots Agree To Terms With RB Donald Brown

[Soul_Survivor88]

I don't understande this signing at all...we already have Dion Lewis and James White at the 3rd down position. What does this guy add that we don't already have?

 

[RobertWeathers]

I don't understande this signing at all...we already have Dion Lewis and James White at the 3rd down position. What does this guy add that we don't already have?

Better runner than White and insurance in case Lewis is slow to come back and if they can't draft a good RB or Gaffney can't go...again.

He'll compete in camp but hopefully he doesn't stick. If he does then Plan A, B and C are not going well.

 

[Deus Irae]

Who said anything about never ending expansion? I certainly didn't. I think eight teams would be prime and I could even see twelve. Outside of that, I wouldn't want any more teams. If you remember, I said the same thing when the NCAA adopted the CFB Playoff format.

Nobody ever says they want never ending expansion. It just happens. It's a product of the system. First, it's team #3 *****ing about getting screwed. Then, it's team #5 *****ing about getting screwed. Then, it's team #9 *****ing about being screwed. Then it continues from there.

The NCAAF playoffs have already ruined the 'regular season' and destroyed what was good about bowl games. Making the playoffs a larger pool will just make things worse.

 

[Jimke]

Better runner than White and insurance in case Lewis is slow to come back and if they can't draft a good RB or Gaffney can't go...again.

He'll compete in camp but hopefully he doesn't stick. If he does then Plan A, B and C are not going well.

Also good at picking up the blitz which is essential with a 39 year old quarterback.

 

[Miguel]

From Ben Volin's Twitter feed -
#Patriots gave RB Donald Brown a 1 year, $965k deal with a $50k signing bonus,$885k salary, $30k workout bonus. Cap number of $680k

#Patriots gave Donald Brown $300k guaranteed, which doesn’t lock him into a roster spot, but suggests they think he can contribute

My note - This deal took up $80,000 in cap space.

 

[captain stone]

The Donald has until Dion Lewis is ready to be activated from PUP to show that he deserves to stay beyond that point. Otherwise, he would be hard-pressed to stick on a roster that includes both Lewis
and Jimmy White, as well as Bolden and at least one Power RB.

 

[Jimke]

The Donald has until Dion Lewis is ready to be activated from PUP to show that he deserves to stay beyond that point. Otherwise, he would be hard-pressed to stick on a roster that includes both Lewis
and Jimmy White, as well as Bolden and at least one Power RB.

While your statement about Lewis is correct, I think you are overstating the other competition. James
White is a good pass catcher but a below average as a runner(2.6 ypc). Branden Bolden is a very good
special teams player who was pressed into service as a running back due to injuries. He averaged 3.3 ypc.

 

[Marqui]

While your statement about Lewis is correct, I think you are overstating the other competition. James
White is a good pass catcher but a below average as a runner(2.6 ypc). Branden Bolden is a very good
special teams player who was pressed into service as a running back due to injuries. He averaged 3.3 ypc.

Brown's competition is probably for the back up 3rd down RB spot, against White. I'd be surprised if both Brown and White make the team.

 

[Sciz]

Do we know anything about if Brown's guaranteed salary includes offset language? For example, Isaac Sopoaga had $1 million guaranteed after the Patriots cut him, but if he had stuck on the Cardinals' roster then that would have offset most of the million that the Patriots owed (and ended up paying in full).

Similarly, having $250k guaranteed with offsets would mean that Brown only gets the $250k from the Pats if he's cut but doesn't sign with another team, as opposed to getting the $250k plus whatever he makes with the other team. I think that would be an important difference, especially when talking about a contract that is so team-friendly in every other regard that we know about.

 

[Leakey1]

The Chargers' President had kind things to say about Brown when talking with Tom Curran...

Chargers president John Spanos: Donald Brown is ‘perfect Patriots signing’

 

[RobertWeathers]

The Donald has until Dion Lewis is ready to be activated from PUP to show that he deserves to stay beyond that point. Otherwise, he would be hard-pressed to stick on a roster that includes both Lewis
and Jimmy White, as well as Bolden and at least one Power RB.

LOL. God I hope that doesn't stick.

 

[Mack Herron]

The Chargers' President had kind things to say about Brown when talking with Tom Curran...

Chargers president John Spanos: Donald Brown is ‘perfect Patriots signing’

He still looks like competition for White. If they both make it, our running game is hurting.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

I mean if we end up needing to keep him then he would be worth that. Not getting into the circumstances that would lead to it, just that if we end up in that boat, its a good thing we signed him.
A contingency.

Agreed though it isn't just a contingency per se (though I agree that is the likely prognosis).
Brown once showed enough to get drafted high and he has done enough to stay in the NFL for longer than the average NFL career. IMHO a guy like that who is now, for the first time, within an organization that is fanatical about work ethic/preparation/not making the same mistakes provides not an unrealistic possibility to outperform the precipitously lowered expectations. A lot will depend on how he takes to the Patriots way of doing business.

Likely to outperform? Definitely no. More likely a bubble player/may or may not fine a roster spot contingency? Yes. May find a role more fitting to him and perform bit better than previously thought he would? Not unrealistic IMHO.

 

[captain stone]

While your statement about Lewis is correct, I think you are overstating the other competition. James
White is a good pass catcher but a below average as a runner(2.6 ypc). Branden Bolden is a very good
special teams player who was pressed into service as a running back due to injuries. He averaged 3.3 ypc.

I agree that White sucks as a runner, but I don't see Bill cutting him in favor of Brown if both of them
perform as they have in the past. And I don't see Bill cutting Bolden this year because of his role on STs.
Now if somehow Brown becomes a productive multi-down runner during Lewis' absence, then cutting White might become a more realistic possibility.
Injuries unfortunately have a way of answering these questions before such decisions have to be made.

 

[pdangle]

Serious question. Does he play special teams? For NE that is.

 

[supafly]

Better runner than White and insurance in case Lewis is slow to come back and if they can't draft a good RB or Gaffney can't go...again.

He'll compete in camp but hopefully he doesn't stick. If he does then Plan A, B and C are not going well.

This is pretty much how I see it as well, and I wouldn't rule out the battle that some have proposed which entails White vs. Brown.

I know that many posters and fans are high on James White, and I'd have to put the odds of him being here next season pretty high, but I wouldn't rule it out totally either. There has to be something aside from his inability to run the ball effectively that they are still somewhat unsure of, and I'm guessing that it's the proper grasp of the offense. There were too many opportunities to utilize him in more productive manner, and yet he just wasn't seeing as many looks as I expected. I think the jury is still out on James White, although I hope I'm off and he continues to show progress.