Pats acquire TE Michael Matthews from Giants

[BradyFTW!]

No, I'm claiming that he'd be a member of the Patriots if he could do either of them well. That's why they were pointed out in separate sentences and everything.

Separate posts, even.

 

[thewaylifeshouldbe]

This Matthews fella is no scrub. This could easily be our best offensive pickup since Moss and Welker.

He is young, big, and a large reason the Giants had two 1000 yard RB's last year. This guy immediately improves our running game, plays when hurt, and has Superbowl experience.

Hell, think I will send him some flowers.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Of course, Michael Matthews will have a major impact, even as much as welker and Moss!

 

[DaBruinz]

Thomas was used as a blocking tight end, and that definitely doesn't necessarily mean he would still be a member of Patriots. He could both block and catch, however he recently hasn't been getting the blocking done. Like I recently stated, he provides more flexibility than Matthews who is a pure blocking FB type of TE.

And the blocking FB type of TE is something that the Pats have been NEEDING.. Ever since Graham went to Denver.

BTW, which Maroney hater are you???

 

[BradyFTW!]

Of course, Michael Matthews will have a major impact, even as much as welker and Moss!

He said *since*. Do you know what since means? hint: it does not mean 'as much as'. What he's essentially saying is that this guy is likely to have more impact than Taylor, Galloway, Vollmer or Baker. I agree that that's a distinct possibility, though I wouldn't bet on it.

Other than that, I totally agree with thewaylifeshouldbe's analysis (must be a Maine thing?) Matthews is exactly the kind of player that we need.

 

[Kontradiction]

He said *since*. Do you know what since means? hint: it does not mean 'as much as'.

Hell, I was convinced the offensive linemans' jobs were to just hold the D-Line in place and the RB's job was to knock the D-Linemen out of the way after the handoff. Holes? We don't need no stinkin' holes!

 

[unoriginal]

The Pats are a team that in the past few years have brought in an extra OT (Britt or O'Callaghan) to play TE in running situations. Matthews probably fills that need along with the hybrid TE/FB need, which is what makes him an upgrade over Thomas.

 

[bucky]

No, I'm claiming that he'd be a member of the Patriots if he could do either of them well. That's why they were pointed out in separate sentences and everything.

I have to disagree with that. Thomas is at least an average blocker and a decent receiver with excellent hands. He's never put it together though for some reason and he hasn't gotten a lot of work on ST, which is not a good sign for a backup TE.

I don't know much about Matthews, but I'm guessing he's first and foremost a better ST player than Thomas. And if he's as good a blocker as some here claim (which is highly doubtful given the level of fruit punch being drunk on this board), he'll be an excellent addition.

 

[Kontradiction]

I have to disagree with that. Thomas is at least an average blocker and a decent receiver with excellent hands. He's never put it together though for some reason and he hasn't gotten a lot of work on ST, which is not a good sign for a backup TE.

I don't know much about Matthews, but I'm guessing he's first and foremost a better ST player than Thomas. And if he's as good a blocker as some here claim (which is highly doubtful given the level of fruit punch being drunk on this board), he'll be an excellent addition.

So you think that BB cut Thomas for the hell of it then?

 

[thewaylifeshouldbe]

I don't know much about Matthews, but I'm guessing he's first and foremost a better ST player than Thomas. And if he's as good a blocker as some here claim (which is highly doubtful given the level of fruit punch being drunk on this board), he'll be an excellent addition.

Yeah, we're all just high on the punch. And if you watched the last pre-season game you saw (if you paid attention) Matthews blow up two guys for the Boss TD.

But hey, how about we take another opinion-

Giants and Patriots similar in the way they were built

The front offices of the Patriots and Giants have done a terrific job of assembling the players who will take the field in Super Bowl XLII. How did they do it? Let's take a look.

Before we do, however, here's an interesting note about Giants tight end Michael Matthews as it relates to this topic. Matthews went undrafted last spring, and the two teams that expressed interest in signing him entering training camp were -- you guessed it -- the Giants and Patriots. Both teams offered the Georgia Tech product $7,500 to sign. Matthews sided with the Giants, figuring he might have a better chance to make their roster

Michael Eisen - Story - 10.19 TE Michael Matthews Journal 1 - Giants.com

October 19, 2007

TE Michael Matthews was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent. At 6-4, 270 lbs, Matthews provides Big Blue with a young, hungry tight end behind Jeremy Shockey. Matthews, a good blocker and receiver is expected to be an important part of the 2007 New York Giants.

New York Giants TE Michael Matthews no new kid on the block - NJ.com

"He's probably the most underappreciated guy on the whole team," Boss said. "He continues to do whatever they ask him to do and keeps a good attitude about it, so I hope he goes out there and gets a few opportunities to make some plays."

Matthews had plenty of opportunities during his rookie season, but had a handful of sure catches go off his hands. He has made no excuses for the drops, but was clearly affected by a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery and a dislocated finger.

McKenzie and the running backs tease Matthews about the drops, with McKenzie saying he "can't let those go" without making a few jokes, Ward adding that Matthews is the "catalyst" for all the one-liners about dropped passes that are thrown the way of any Giant who fails to make a catch.

But the players wouldn't joke about such things if they didn't feel Matthews was carrying his weight as a blocker.

"He's doing a pretty good job," McKenzie said. "He's had to tackle many positions, whether it's the H-back, blocking tight end, pass-receiving tight end. He's come a long way, but we get on him for the little things."

 

[bucky]

So you think that BB cut Thomas for the hell of it then?

He didn't cut him. He basically swapped him for Mathews. As to why, as I mentioned, he probably needed a better ST player and more diverse blocker. And didn't care so much about receiving skills given the makeup of the roster. I'm sure he was also concerned about Thomas' history of not producing.

Let's remember that NYG disposed of Matthews the same way BB disposed of Thomas and if you go on their board (which I'm not about to do), you'll probably find a bunch of people badmouthing him. I don't think Matthews is a better or worse player than Thomas. They're just different.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

So you think that BB cut Thomas for the hell of it then?

I think BB traded Thomas because what Thomas brought to the table was matched and exceeded individually by Watson, who has been getting better as a blocker, and Baker. Aiken comes close to doing what Thomas was able to do at his best (rookie season). BB was able to take the 7th he got for Thomas and trade for a true upgrade as an in-line blocker. I do agree with Bucky that Thomas was a much better blocker (when healthy) than given credit for by this forum. He's in a good place to develop his career and BB made the team better by upgrading the blocking TE slot. win-win-win (Matthews on becoming a Patriot.)

 

[Kontradiction]

He didn't cut him. He basically swapped him for Mathews. As to why, as I mentioned, he probably needed a better ST player and more diverse blocker. And didn't care so much about receiving skills given the makeup of the roster. I'm sure he was also concerned about Thomas' history of not producing.

Let's remember that NYG disposed of Matthews the same way BB disposed of Thomas and if you go on their board (which I'm not about to do), you'll probably find a bunch of people badmouthing him. I don't think Matthews is a better or worse player than Thomas. They're just different.

Well then you can take comfort in knowing that a three time Super Bowl champion disagrees with your analysis. Thomas was being looked at almost EXCLUSIVELY as a blocker, both at the fullback position and at the tight end position. The fact that BB cut him and brought in Matthews shows that someone who has won multiple Super Bowls and has an eye for talent obviously thinks that Matthews would be better in that role.

Were you under the impression that Kyle Brady was brought in for his receiving and special teams expertise?

 

[Kontradiction]

I think BB traded Thomas because what Thomas brought to the table was matched and exceeded individually by Watson, who has been getting better as a blocker, and Baker. Aiken comes close to doing what Thomas was able to do at his best (rookie season). BB was able to take the 7th he got for Thomas and trade for a true upgrade as an in-line blocker. I do agree with Bucky that Thomas was a much better blocker (when healthy) than given credit for by this forum. He's in a good place to develop his career and BB made the team better by upgrading the blocking TE slot. win-win-win (Matthews on becoming a Patriot.)

I never personally said that I think Thomas was a horrible blocker, so you can excluse me in the "this forum" part of your post. I just believe that Matthews is the better blocker, especially when you look at the runners he blocked for. And, seeing the types of holes that have been opened in the running game this preseason (or lack thereof), I'm excited about this signing because of what it means for the running game.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I think BB traded Thomas because what Thomas brought to the table was matched and exceeded individually by Watson, who has been getting better as a blocker, and Baker. Aiken comes close to doing what Thomas was able to do at his best (rookie season). BB was able to take the 7th he got for Thomas and trade for a true upgrade as an in-line blocker. I do agree with Bucky that Thomas was a much better blocker (when healthy) than given credit for by this forum. He's in a good place to develop his career and BB made the team better by upgrading the blocking TE slot. win-win-win (Matthews on becoming a Patriot.)

I'd agree with the general jist of that, although I'm still not at all sold on Thomas as a blocker. The general sentiment re: Matthews, though, is clear. Even if you think that Thomas is better as an individual player, he offers nothing that we don't already have several times over, whereas Matthews does what he does better than anyone else on the roster.

 

[Ring 6]

But the main question is how many plays he was in each game, two? He has scrub written all over him.

How much tape did you see before you offered that brilliant analysis.

 

[bucky]

Well then you can take comfort in knowing that a three time Super Bowl champion disagrees with your analysis. Thomas was being looked at almost EXCLUSIVELY as a blocker, both at the fullback position and at the tight end position. The fact that BB cut him and brought in Matthews shows that someone who has won multiple Super Bowls and has an eye for talent obviously thinks that Matthews would be better in that role.

Were you under the impression that Kyle Brady was brought in for his receiving and special teams expertise?

WTF are you talking about, "disagrees with my analysis". I'm just defending Thomas for what I thought he was and giving you my opinion on why BB did it. I'm quite positive that you don't now why this move was made any more than I do. And I'm quite certain that if Matthews provides an upgrade on ST, that's a huge consideration for BB. We don't have a lot of LBs on the roster and I doubt guys like Burgess and AD will be playing on ST. So the backup TE has to by a good ST player.

And BTW, if you're a TE on this team, you have to be able to block and catch. There are no 2 ways about it. There's no such thing as an "exclusive" blocker or "exclusive" receiver. The TEs might have primary and secondary functions, but they have to be able to (and will all be asked) do both.

 

[Ring 6]

Living up to the ignorance of my username? Obviously Maroney is just a terrible player and cannot even find a hole, therefore tap dancing and losing yards is his only solution.

Even if Matthews is the first decent blocking tight end since Daniel Graham, he's still not the solution. Graham could block but he was also a very good receiver, he started an average of about 13 games per season for the Patriots and even caught 7 TD's for us in 2004 along with 30 receptions. Matthews only started 11 out of 32 games which is only a little over 1/3 of both seasons, he's really not a flexible player.

The solution to what? We have 2 good versatile TEs who are mostly better receivers than blockers. We have a 3 TE formation. We have a role for a TE whose primary job is blocking while the other TE is used more as a receiver.
The TE that is on the roster in addition to Watson and Baker, on top of contributing on special teams will block 9 times for every time they are running a pass route.
I didn't realize we were expecting an All-Pro in return for the 7th ruond pick we got for our 3rd best TE.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I never personally said that I think Thomas was a horrible blocker, so you can excluse me in the "this forum" part of your post. I just believe that Matthews is the better blocker, especially when you look at the runners he blocked for. And, seeing the types of holes that have been opened in the running game this preseason (or lack thereof), I'm excited about this signing because of what it means for the running game.

You are 'exclusived' .

 

[DaBruinz]

So you think that BB cut Thomas for the hell of it then?

BB didn't cut Thomas. He traded Thomas to the Saints.