Pats Offseason Review - Offense

[dalero]

Thomas was on the field a lot after that penalty.

He might have been on the field but it looks like all goose eggs after week nine.
ESPN - David Thomas Stats, News, Photos - New England Patriots

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Is this our offenses philosophy or total lack of confidence in our personel? I don't think Dave Thomas ever saw the field again after his costly personal foul.

I don't thinks so.......it has more to do with the scheme and the other bodies they put in place

 

[DaBruinz]

He might have been on the field but it looks like all goose eggs after week nine.
ESPN - David Thomas Stats, News, Photos - New England Patriots

*nod* He was mostly blocking..

The Pats need to get the TEs more involved in the Passing game in general, but definitely over the middle. Most of the routes that Watson ran were seams and outs... I don't remember him running many slants or anything else for that matter.

I hope someone gives Watson a jugs machine for his Birthday.. so he can use it..

As for Thoams, he was a great pass catching TE coming out of college. He's got the hands. The Pats need to use them.

 

[mgteich]

QB I too would like to see a QB more experienced (and more talented) than Gut as one our backup. O'Connell aleady beat out Gut for a roster spot in the last training camp.

RB We have Morris, Maroney and Faulk. This probably sufficient if all are healthy, althrough I would prefer to have a #4 who is the short yardage back and can take more reps if one of the others go down. Jordan or another FA should be signed for this role. I see no reason to have a developmental RB on the 53. Maroney should probably be returning more kicks and be used more is space. He shouldbe taking some of Faulk's reps, but I expect Faulk to be here for a couple fo years. I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign an extension (which would lower his 2009 cap). BJGE showed me no reason to keep him on the roster as a one our four running backs. Sproles would be a fine addition as a returner, but that won't happen.

FB I don't think we'll add a fullback. We'll re-sign Hochstein and Evans. Hochstein is a perfect patriot, useful at many positions. Evans is a fine STer and will make the team as such.

OT I share you evaluation of LeVoir as a capable swing OT who can start if needed. Dante, Pioli and Belichick are more than satisfied with Light and Kaczur. That's good enough for me. The question is the future. Perhaps we will simple extend Light and Kaczur. That would be a reasonable option. Alternatively, we could draft a 2010 starter. Finally, we could use the 4th roster spot simply for a backup.

If we are drafting an OT, we would tender Britt at the bottom tender, which basically gives us the right to match, with no compensation if he goes. I have extreme concerns with O'Callaghan's health history. I am fine with paying Britt $1.5M as a backup (3rd level tender) or with drafting an OT in the top 100 picks.

OG Our first issue is whether Mankins or Neal is extended. I presume that Hochstein will re-signed as a backup, the perfect #5 interior lineman. He is the perfect patriot playing LG, C, RG, TE, DS and FB.

Secondly, we need to decide whether to we can extend Mankins.

It would seem that, even with Hochstein signed and Mankins extended, we still need a top guard to likely replace Neal in 2010. This need is even greater if Mankins isn't re-signed. Yates is incumbant that we are trying to upgrade.

WR I am fine with bringing back Gaffney as a #3 or #4. There is no reason to create a hole at WR. I do agree with bring in another WR or even in drafting one to compete with Gaffney and Aiken for reps. Slater and Washington shouldn't be list as receivers. Their place on the team is as special teamers.

TE - The Enigmas
This will be Watson's breakout year. We've heard this more than once.
This will be Thomas's breakout year. We've heard this more than once.
DeVree is an OK, cap-efficient #3 TE.
I would expect us to use a top 100 pick on a TE to beat out one of the above. In any case, Watson is in his contract year.

BOTTOM LINE
This is an extremely potent offense. It was the best in 2007. It can be that again with a healthy Brady, although it may take him awhile to get back to 100% (as it did for Manning).
The needed additions are few. We should draft a TE and an OG. We might bring in a free agent QB and WR. We should re-sign Hochstein and Gaffney.

The offense is a minimal part of the offseason.

OFFENSE:

QB - Brady, O’Connell, Gutierrez- Tom Brady is the man, but he’s coming back off an ACL/MCL tear. He’ll be wearing a brace more than likely this season so his mobility will be tested.

O’Connell was the Pats 3rd round pick in 2008. He played fairly well in Training camp and many people thought that his being drafted spelled the end for Cassel. However, the Pats coaching staff cut Gutierrez instead. Gutierrez was brought back to serve as the 3rd QB when Brady went down during week 1.

It will be interesting to see how the Pats handle the QBs this off-season. My guess is that they bring in a veteran to serve as Brady’s back-up with O’Connell being the #3. There stands to be quite a few veteran QBs available.

RB – Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammie Morris, BenJarvus Gren-Ellis– There are definitely questions about this group. How is Maroney’s shoulder and can he stay healthy all year? Is this the year that Faulk breaks down? Can Morris go the whole year without injury? Was the success of “LAWFIRM” the result of the O-line getting its schtick together or is he the real deal that can be a true #3 RB behind a primary and a 3rd down back.

The Patriots could use a draft pick to grab a running back, but the question would be what type? A scat-back like Faulk who can play out of the back-field? A north/south runner to take over the #1 duties so that Maroney can be a complimentary back?

There should be some decent free agents available as well. Including Darren Sproles, who would be a great protégé to Kevin Faulk, though Sproles blocking needs a lot of work.

FB – NONE – I think this is the first time since BB’s 1st year as HC of the Patriots that they didn’t have a FB on the roster going into the off-season.

I’d love to see BB pick up a FB in the mold of a Lousaka Polite. Someone who can actually be a bruising, short-yardage back, while also being a bruising, lead blocker.

O-Line – Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Billy Yates, Ryan O’Callaghan, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Mark LaVoir - This was a tale of two O-lines this year. For the 1st 5 games, we didn’t know which O-line would show up. The O-line from 2007 that was amongst the best in the league, or the horribly inconsistent O-line of the 2008 pre-season that made all of our QBs look horrible. More often than not, it was the latter. Then Stephen Neal returned from injury and the attitude of the O-line changed. It was almost palpable. The Pats need to add a C/G who is similar to Neal in his nastiness and who can take over when Neal is a UFA after the 2009 season

The Pats really need to look at a reserve center/guard. Someone with the same type of nastiness that Stephen Neal has.

TE – Ben Watson, David Thomas, Tyson DeVree – Watson and Thomas were extremely inconsistent this year, both in blocking and in pass catching.. And the Pats seem to have knocked the TE spot down A LOT in terms of their place in the offense. The Pats could use a dynamic TE to give this position some life and bring it back into some prominence.

WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, Matt Slater –

Moss and Welker are, arguably, the best WR tandem in the league. Behind them, currently, are 4 guys who really are best suited to special teams, though some people will say that Slater is best suited to flipping burgers and totally disregard the fact he was a rookie and that rookies make mistakes.

Washington wasn’t nearly as good on special teams this year and Aiken didn’t appear to be the great special teams player we all thought we were getting.

The Patriots will probably bring in one or two WRs via free agency or the draft to challenge for the #3 spot and for some special teams spots.

 

[Seneschal2]

OFFENSE:

QB - Brady, O’Connell, Gutierrez
Fans will be surprised by O'Connell.

RB – Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammie Morris, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Not too concerned if all remain healthy. The O-line is key here. Just a hunch, but If we add another to the stable, he'll have some of Faulk's skills or be a between-the-tackles type runner. I doubt we'll go the one-cut open field running style of Maroney. And yes, Laurence was a productive RB in college and NOT a Combine wonder. And his vision was obvious.

O-Line – Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Billy Yates, Ryan O’Callaghan, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Mark LaVoir
Agree on your thoughts. Time to add another quality player to the unit with starter potential. Some posters think it's extravagant to draft one now. The O-line got manhandled in the SB, then played poorly at the beginning of the season. I know there were injuries during this time period. This tells me an upgrade is needed for the immediate backups.

TE – Ben Watson, David Thomas, Tyson DeVree
Just to clear up a few points from other posters:

Watson went to Duke for academics, then transferred to Georgia to play football. He was a self-admitted workout warrior. The Pats saw his obvious smarts and good character, were impressed by his numbers, and thought he would develop into a between-the-twenties mismatch vs. LBs and DBs. Hasn't happened. Inconsistent hands make for an unreliable target leading to wasted downs. OCs and QBs want reliability. Clock is ticking on Watson...

Thomas was a sleeper pick of mine. Thought he'd be the QB's go-to as he was in college. Good hands and routes are what I observed. Injuries tend to slow the development of most prospects, and in some cases -- ruin careers. If healthy, I still have hopes for him as a short zone receiver.

Have no clue if BB will invest a high pick on this position again. I personally hope not.

WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, Matt Slater
Would like to see a position upgrade from the bottom up. Either a stretch-the-field receiver to back up Moss, or a possession type like Gaffney. Not a strong draft crop this year. Wouldn't spend a first-rounder as there are other needs. Maybe day two or FA?

---

Thanks for the topics.

 

[DaBruinz]

QB I too would like to see a QB more experienced (and more talented) than Gut as one our backup. O'Connell aleady beat out Gut for a roster spot in the last training camp.

Being that Belichick has never cut a draft pick that was 4th round or higher out of the 1st training camp, I'm not sure that one can definitively say that O'Connell beat out Gut. But, yes, he probably did.

RB We have Morris, Maroney and Faulk. This probably sufficient if all are healthy, althrough I would prefer to have a #4 who is the short yardage back and can take more reps if one of the others go down. Jordan or another FA should be signed for this role. I see no reason to have a developmental RB on the 53. Maroney should probably be returning more kicks and be used more is space. He shouldbe taking some of Faulk's reps, but I expect Faulk to be here for a couple fo years. I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign an extension (which would lower his 2009 cap). BJGE showed me no reason to keep him on the roster as a one our four running backs. Sproles would be a fine addition as a returner, but that won't happen.

If the Pats got Sproles or drafted a RB, then I would expect them to make the team over BJGE.

FB I don't think we'll add a fullback. We'll re-sign Hochstein and Evans. Hochstein is a perfect patriot, useful at many positions. Evans is a fine STer and will make the team as such.

Hochstein is 31 and has been getting injured of late. Evans can easily be replaced by a better blocking FB. I see no need to retain him over someone younger, cheaper and better at blocking.

OT I share you evaluation of LeVoir as a capable swing OT who can start if needed. Dante, Pioli and Belichick are more than satisfied with Light and Kaczur. That's good enough for me. The question is the future. Perhaps we will simple extend Light and Kaczur. That would be a reasonable option. Alternatively, we could draft a 2010 starter. Finally, we could use the 4th roster spot simply for a backup.

If we are drafting an OT, we would tender Britt at the bottom tender, which basically gives us the right to match, with no compensation if he goes. I have extreme concerns with O'Callaghan's health history. I am fine with paying Britt $1.5M as a backup (3rd level tender) or with drafting an OT in the top 100 picks.

I don't think that they'll tender Britt. He's not worth tendering. He's regressed. I think that it makes much more economical sense to draft someone and pay him a few hundred K or even a vet like Stokes the vet minimum than to shell out a million for Britt.

OG Our first issue is whether Mankins or Neal is extended. I presume that Hochstein will re-signed as a backup, the perfect #5 interior lineman. He is the perfect patriot playing LG, C, RG, TE, DS and FB.

Secondly, we need to decide whether to we can extend Mankins.

I don't see Neal being extended beyond the end of his contract because he'll be 33. He's been injury prone and, though I love his attitude, it hurts the team significantly that he's not on the field.

It would seem that, even with Hochstein signed and Mankins extended, we still need a top guard to likely replace Neal in 2010. This need is even greater if Mankins isn't re-signed. Yates is incumbant that we are trying to upgrade.

Yep.. and I think a C/G in the draft who is nasty would be a great addition. 2 would be even better. One to take Neal's spot and one to take Yates' spot.

 

[mgteich]

I don't expect Neal to be cut, even if we bring in two guard/centers. They would hopefully beat out Hochstein and Yates. I'm fine with a veteran instead of Britt and O'Callahan. If so, he should get a least a two year contract, with Kaczur's contract up after the season.

Being that Belichick has never cut a draft pick that was 4th round or higher out of the 1st training camp, I'm not sure that one can definitively say that O'Connell beat out Gut. But, yes, he probably did.



If the Pats got Sproles or drafted a RB, then I would expect them to make the team over BJGE.



Hochstein is 31 and has been getting injured of late. Evans can easily be replaced by a better blocking FB. I see no need to retain him over someone younger, cheaper and better at blocking.



I don't think that they'll tender Britt. He's not worth tendering. He's regressed. I think that it makes much more economical sense to draft someone and pay him a few hundred K or even a vet like Stokes the vet minimum than to shell out a million for Britt.


I don't see Neal being extended beyond the end of his contract because he'll be 33. He's been injury prone and, though I love his attitude, it hurts the team significantly that he's not on the field.



Yep.. and I think a C/G in the draft who is nasty would be a great addition. 2 would be even better. One to take Neal's spot and one to take Yates' spot.

 

[jbb9s]

If the Pats got Sproles....

I think Sproles made himself some money last night. Probably priced out of the NE pay bracket....

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't expect Neal to be cut, even if we bring in two guard/centers. They would hopefully beat out Hochstein and Yates. I'm fine with a veteran instead of Britt and O'Callahan. If so, he should get a least a two year contract, with Kaczur's contract up after the season.

MG - When I said One to take Neal's spot, I didn't mean immediately. Same with Yates. I didn't mean immeditately.

Kaczur will be an RFA next season. Just like Mankins. Unless the CBA gets changed and extended.

 

[jsull87]

OFFENSE:

QB - Brady, O’Connell, Gutierrez- Tom Brady is the man, but he’s coming back off an ACL/MCL tear. He’ll be wearing a brace more than likely this season so his mobility will be tested.

O’Connell was the Pats 3rd round pick in 2008. He played fairly well in Training camp and many people thought that his being drafted spelled the end for Cassel. However, the Pats coaching staff cut Gutierrez instead. Gutierrez was brought back to serve as the 3rd QB when Brady went down during week 1.

It will be interesting to see how the Pats handle the QBs this off-season. My guess is that they bring in a veteran to serve as Brady’s back-up with O’Connell being the #3. There stands to be quite a few veteran QBs available.

RB – Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Sammie Morris, BenJarvus Gren-Ellis– There are definitely questions about this group. How is Maroney’s shoulder and can he stay healthy all year? Is this the year that Faulk breaks down? Can Morris go the whole year without injury? Was the success of “LAWFIRM” the result of the O-line getting its schtick together or is he the real deal that can be a true #3 RB behind a primary and a 3rd down back.

The Patriots could use a draft pick to grab a running back, but the question would be what type? A scat-back like Faulk who can play out of the back-field? A north/south runner to take over the #1 duties so that Maroney can be a complimentary back?

There should be some decent free agents available as well. Including Darren Sproles, who would be a great protégé to Kevin Faulk, though Sproles blocking needs a lot of work.

FB – NONE – I think this is the first time since BB’s 1st year as HC of the Patriots that they didn’t have a FB on the roster going into the off-season.

I’d love to see BB pick up a FB in the mold of a Lousaka Polite. Someone who can actually be a bruising, short-yardage back, while also being a bruising, lead blocker.

O-Line – Matt Light, Nick Kaczur, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Billy Yates, Ryan O’Callaghan, Dan Connolly, Ryan Wendell, Mark LaVoir - This was a tale of two O-lines this year. For the 1st 5 games, we didn’t know which O-line would show up. The O-line from 2007 that was amongst the best in the league, or the horribly inconsistent O-line of the 2008 pre-season that made all of our QBs look horrible. More often than not, it was the latter. Then Stephen Neal returned from injury and the attitude of the O-line changed. It was almost palpable. The Pats need to add a C/G who is similar to Neal in his nastiness and who can take over when Neal is a UFA after the 2009 season

The Pats really need to look at a reserve center/guard. Someone with the same type of nastiness that Stephen Neal has.

TE – Ben Watson, David Thomas, Tyson DeVree – Watson and Thomas were extremely inconsistent this year, both in blocking and in pass catching.. And the Pats seem to have knocked the TE spot down A LOT in terms of their place in the offense. The Pats could use a dynamic TE to give this position some life and bring it back into some prominence.

WR- Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, Sam Aiken, Ray Ventrone, Matt Slater –

Moss and Welker are, arguably, the best WR tandem in the league. Behind them, currently, are 4 guys who really are best suited to special teams, though some people will say that Slater is best suited to flipping burgers and totally disregard the fact he was a rookie and that rookies make mistakes.

Washington wasn’t nearly as good on special teams this year and Aiken didn’t appear to be the great special teams player we all thought we were getting.

The Patriots will probably bring in one or two WRs via free agency or the draft to challenge for the #3 spot and for some special teams spots.

cassel has been franchised so for now he is a pat in 2010.
i think the pats don't change on offense that much by resigning gaffney and all our rb's. i don't htink we will draft a rb in the draft but maybe a wr depending on the picks we have if we trade cassel

 

[mgteich]

If you add two interior linemen and an OT, they need to take someone's roster spot in 2009.
And someone needs to be the backup center, backup long-snapper and "back-up" fullback. While it is true that a new CBA woj't be in place before the 2010 season begins, it seems to be prudent to plan for the possibility of such a success. Personally, I don't expect everyone to just go ahead and play a no cap year.

MG - When I said One to take Neal's spot, I didn't mean immediately. Same with Yates. I didn't mean immeditately.

Kaczur will be an RFA next season. Just like Mankins. Unless the CBA gets changed and extended.

 

[AzPatsFan]

DaBruinz,

Its a nice analysis.

Coming off the most prolific offensive output in modern NFL history in 2007, I would not have thought that the Patriots brain-trust could add starters to that Offensive team. But they did.

On top of their 2007 record-setting crew, the Pats found Mark Levoir, Lamont Jordan, BJGE, and the true find Matt Cassel. Four quality starters to add to he crew. There is now star table depth at every position on Offense. And even uncovered some more reserve depth too. Britt got pushed down the stack and Yates proved he is not a starter but both are more than adequate reserves. They both beat off older starter vets from FA, so they can't be all bad.

Sam Atkins was recruited to take Izzo's captaincy of ST. As he did at Buffalo, but also turned into a fair 4/5 receiver with size.

In fact the only position that could really use an upgrade is third TE, and I'm not all that sure that Ty won't become a good blocking TE. The best part is that the oldest Offensive players are Faulk and Neal and they are only in the early thirties. The Offense will be very good to great for two or three more years, with little attention paid to it.

With thirteen draft picks and virtually no openings on Offense, it bodes well for stocking the Defense and ST. I agree that if a good developmental LOT falls early or a good interior guy is there in the third for fourth, they may take him, though.

The Juggernaut is a building.

 

[DaBruinz]

If you add two interior linemen and an OT, they need to take someone's roster spot in 2009.
And someone needs to be the backup center, backup long-snapper and "back-up" fullback. While it is true that a new CBA woj't be in place before the 2010 season begins, it seems to be prudent to plan for the possibility of such a success. Personally, I don't expect everyone to just go ahead and play a no cap year.

Yes... That is what Training camp is all about. Remember that the Pats have Connolly and Wendell on the roster currently. And they have Britt and O'Callaghan. So, there are 2 spots, not to mention Hochstein's and Yates' spots, that I can see using for upgrades..

Also, MG, who said that a new CBA won't be in place. I never said anything of the sort.

 

[AzPatsFan]

QB I too would like to see a QB more experienced (and more talented) than Gut as one our backup. O'Connell aleady beat out Gut for a roster spot in the last training camp.

RB We have Morris, Maroney and Faulk. This probably sufficient if all are healthy, althrough I would prefer to have a #4 who is the short yardage back and can take more reps if one of the others go down. Jordan or another FA should be signed for this role. I see no reason to have a developmental RB on the 53. Maroney should probably be returning more kicks and be used more is space. He shouldbe taking some of Faulk's reps, but I expect Faulk to be here for a couple fo years. I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign an extension (which would lower his 2009 cap). BJGE showed me no reason to keep him on the roster as a one our four running backs. Sproles would be a fine addition as a returner, but that won't happen.

FB I don't think we'll add a fullback. We'll re-sign Hochstein and Evans. Hochstein is a perfect patriot, useful at many positions. Evans is a fine STer and will make the team as such.

OT I share you evaluation of LeVoir as a capable swing OT who can start if needed. Dante, Pioli and Belichick are more than satisfied with Light and Kaczur. That's good enough for me. The question is the future. Perhaps we will simple extend Light and Kaczur. That would be a reasonable option. Alternatively, we could draft a 2010 starter. Finally, we could use the 4th roster spot simply for a backup.

If we are drafting an OT, we would tender Britt at the bottom tender, which basically gives us the right to match, with no compensation if he goes. I have extreme concerns with O'Callaghan's health history. I am fine with paying Britt $1.5M as a backup (3rd level tender) or with drafting an OT in the top 100 picks.

OG Our first issue is whether Mankins or Neal is extended. I presume that Hochstein will re-signed as a backup, the perfect #5 interior lineman. He is the perfect patriot playing LG, C, RG, TE, DS and FB.

Secondly, we need to decide whether to we can extend Mankins.

It would seem that, even with Hochstein signed and Mankins extended, we still need a top guard to likely replace Neal in 2010. This need is even greater if Mankins isn't re-signed. Yates is incumbant that we are trying to upgrade.

WR I am fine with bringing back Gaffney as a #3 or #4. There is no reason to create a hole at WR. I do agree with bring in another WR or even in drafting one to compete with Gaffney and Aiken for reps. Slater and Washington shouldn't be list as receivers. Their place on the team is as special teamers.

TE - The Enigmas
This will be Watson's breakout year. We've heard this more than once.
This will be Thomas's breakout year. We've heard this more than once.
DeVree is an OK, cap-efficient #3 TE.
I would expect us to use a top 100 pick on a TE to beat out one of the above. In any case, Watson is in his contract year.

BOTTOM LINE
This is an extremely potent offense. It was the best in 2007. It can be that again with a healthy Brady, although it may take him awhile to get back to 100% (as it did for Manning).
The needed additions are few. We should draft a TE and an OG. We might bring in a free agent QB and WR. We should re-sign Hochstein and Gaffney.

The offense is a minimal part of the offseason.

I concur but the 2008 Offensive crew was more balanced, better at rushing and even deeper than the 2007 edition. They added dimensions that the 2007 Team never had. In addition to the balanced rushing, the QB became a running/scrambling threat, as well.

The only reason it did not lead the league in Offense is that it took Cassel 4-5 games to acclimate and become an Offensive threat more than a game manager and just a backup QB filling in.

The Juggernaut is a building.

 

[DaBruinz]

cassel has been franchised so for now he is a pat in 2010.
i think the pats don't change on offense that much by resigning gaffney and all our rb's. i don't htink we will draft a rb in the draft but maybe a wr depending on the picks we have if we trade cassel

Jsull - Matt Cassel can't "OFFICIALLY" be franchised until after the Super Bowl. The Pats can, however, let people know their intentions. So, for now, Cassel is a UFA until such time as the Pats can officially put the tag on him. And the Tag, in no way, guarantees Matt Cassel being on the Patriots for the 2009/2010 season.

I don't see Jordan returning. I see the Pats looking at free agency and the draft and adding 1 RB and 1 WR. The Pats have 8 picks now and are projected to add another 2-4 from the free agency losses. So they could have as few as 10 and as many as 12. And that doesn't include any potential compensation the Pats might get from a trade of Cassel. Unfortunately, with a 53 man roster, I'm not sure there is room for 12 or more draft picks, though some could end up on the practice squad. And, with the number of underclassmen moving up this year, the pickings for next year are getting slim.

Besides depth at WR and RB, I could see the Pats adding the following via the draft or free agency: TE, FB, OC/OG (x2), OG/OT (x2).

 

[DaBruinz]

I concur but the 2008 Offensive crew was more balanced, better at rushing and even deeper than the 2007 edition. They added dimensions that the 2007 Team never had. In addition to the balanced rushing, the QB became a running/scrambling threat, as well.

The only reason it did not lead the league in Offense is that it took Cassel 4-5 games to acclimate and become an Offensive threat more than a game manager and just a backup QB filling in.

The Juggernaut is a building.

Actually, AZ, you are forgetting that the Pats O-line was horribly inconsistent for the 1st 6 games of the season and that their inability to block (both in the pass and the run) consisistently cost the Pats 3 losses.

 

[mgteich]

If there is a new CBA, do you expect the players to accept the emergency RFA rules now in place for the 2010 uncapped season? If there is a new CBA agreement, I don't expect 6th year players like Mankins and Kaczur to be RFA's. Do you? I expect to continue a system similar to the current one. The CBA and RFA rules are the crux of the matter.

Maybe we should consider guards as we do running backs; acquire them when the need is there.

Yes... That is what Training camp is all about. Remember that the Pats have Connolly and Wendell on the roster currently. And they have Britt and O'Callaghan. So, there are 2 spots, not to mention Hochstein's and Yates' spots, that I can see using for upgrades..

Also, MG, who said that a new CBA won't be in place. I never said anything of the sort.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Actually, AZ, you are forgetting that the Pats O-line was horribly inconsistent for the 1st 6 games of the season and that their inability to block (both in the pass and the run) consisistently cost the Pats 3 losses.

I haven't forgotten, but the fill-ins got some experience which implies they will be better for it. Plus Mark Levoir showed up from nowhere, and Conolly might be closer to graduating from Dante's post Graduate School for Offensive Linemen. Despite the influx of a cast of thousands of imported ex-starting veteran FAs, Britt, Yates, Levoir and Connolly beat them off, and survived.

I'd still like to resign Mankins and Neal this offseason. Neal proved he should have been a full-fledged member of the pro-bowl crew from 2007, IMHO. He is the best pulling Guard in the NFL, bar none; while Mankins is just a good ol' boy hard-ass.

 

[Warren94]

I call them like I see them. If you don't like it, put me on ignore. But don't tell me how to post since you clearly don't understand the situation into which you are trying to thrust yourself.

BTW, enjoy ignore since you bring absolutely nothing to the table on the topic.

Try to accept people's opinions. You call people out and act like a little turd when people disagree with you. Not just me, Bigglesworth and others. When people have different opinions you decide to act like you are the all knowing one. Newsflash you are not.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Great thread DaB and good analysis from everybody! I gave it stars but they haven't shown up

Anyway, I had a quick question regarding the early performances of our OL. Neal was out and that definitely seemed to wield a major impact, but how much (if any) weight do you guys give to the adjustment period for Cassel's style as opposed to Tom's? Did that have any signifigant impact or not so much?