Pats Sign DL Andre Carter

[NinjaZX6R]

well, a bunch of DL are gonna get cut. it has to be...and if we are moving to a more 4/3 type look, i would think deaderick, love

Hard choice.
Love was ok-decent towards the end of the season but we have Vince and Brace who can play 4/3 1tech and 3-4 NT.
Deadrick-up and down but that suspension towards the end of the season pissed most of us off.

 

[RussFrancis]

Chad Jackson and Bethel Johnson come to mind. They did not last long. I don't think BB is in the mood to wait around this year. In his mind, I think he feels he has to win now, maybe at the expense of a couple of developmental guys. That's what it feels like to me right now.

Oh, is that how it "feels" to ya? You "feelin'" this one out, are ya?? lol Good strategy.

 

[Urgent]

Agreed that this has nothing to do with Haynesworth, Meriweather, or anyone else that does not play the DE/OLB edge position.

And I doubt it means we 'gun' Cunningham.

It certainly lessens the chances of a sixth-round unknown with an abbreviated camp to make the squad. Or any of the half dozen udfa's the Pats picked up.

It sure seems to pit Anderson v. Carter for a DE spot.

Cunningham, Ninkovich, Moore, Anderson, Carter, Carter. Hard to expect more than five (if that, and four more likely) to fit on the roster.

 

[NEfreak]

Cunningham would need to be dogging it to get cut.

He could get traded though (but unlikely).

You're probably right, but most of their young depth are D tackle types. Outside of Haynesworth, they haven't brought in any other veteran inside help. BB has signed three veteran DE's in the last two days. That can't be good for Cunningham.

 

[RussFrancis]

You're probably right, but most of their young depth are D tackle types. Outside of Haynesworth, they haven't brought in any other veteran inside help. BB has signed three veteran DE's in the last two days. That can't be good for Cunningham.

Alright, pretend that youre NOT on a putting green, and cant play this one on "feel". Explain to me, logically, why we'd cut Cunningham after seeing him play one season for a 14-2 team?? Help me understand your rationale.

 

[Urgent]

Interesting piece from Bleacher Report in July on how Andre Carter would be a good fit in New England.

NFL Free Agent Rumors: Andre Carter a Fine Fit for New England Patriots Defense | Bleacher Report

 

[Zachary]

All the DL signings have me wondering about the Stroud release. Was he let go because they knew #92 was on the way? Or was he just that out of shape?

No matter. There is no such thing as too much depth. Pats have added guys who know how to get to the QB. The defense doesn't need one guy to rack up 12 sacks, and none of these new linemen should be expected to do that. If they all play their role and buy into the system they will be very successful.

I don't really see a trade at this point unless it's for somebody with real value. (E.g. Mike Wright) Some cuts should be expected, whether it's one of the newer vet's are a guy like Moore who was with the team last season. There are going to be some good football players from this squad, on both sides of the ball, that will be looking for work in the coming weeks.

 

[Urgent]

Hopefully the impact on Cunningham is that he doesn't have to be the #1 DE/OLB on a complex defense, and can focus on a role, under the leadership of an experienced veteran.

I don't think the Ellis move really says too much about Cunningham either, as they are really different players. Similarly, if the Patriots brought in an experienced slot corner, it wouldn't mean anything about Dowling.

Anderson, Carter, and Cunningham are all supposed to be similar players. I assume one of the vets will make it, and hopefully Cunningham can learn from him.

 

[MossWelkowski]

************ this is like a whole new team. I guess we can't say that BB never addressed the pass rush

 

[Rob0729]

could this also be that haynesworth is not all that is cracked up to be????

Unless Carter adds about 50lbs, I don't see what the signing of Carter has to do with Haynesworth working out or not.

If anything, the signing of Ellis and Carter is a damnation of Eric Moore and Jermaine Cunningham's transition to DE. Maybe Belichick agrees with Reiss' assessment of Cunningham.

 

[RussFrancis]

Hopefully the impact on Cunningham is that he doesn't have to be the #1 DE/OLB on a complex defense, and can focus on a role, under the leadership of an experienced veteran.

I don't think the Ellis move really says too much about Cunningham either, as they are really different players. Similarly, if the Patriots brought in an experienced slot corner, it wouldn't mean anything about Dowling.

Anderson, Carter, and Cunningham are all supposed to be similar players. I assume one of the vets will make it, and hopefully Cunningham can learn from him.

Of Anderson, Carter and Cunningham, Id venture a guess to say Jermaine is actually the only OLB of that group. Those other two are 4-3 pass rushers, who are likely fighting for the same rotational spot. But I dont see Cunningham as a pure 4-3 end.

 

[Rob0729]

I think if Carter can come close to the player he was in 2009, it was a good pick up. Carter is not a 3-4 player though. Either the Pats are really moving to a four man front or he will be used in sub packages.

 

[Isaac]

I'm lukewarm on this one, mainly because he is purely a 4-3 DE, he couldn't handle the 3-4 coverage OLB roles in Washington. If he's on the field, the defense is pretty much telegraphed. But I'm getting the feeling that there won't be too much disguising the 4-3 anyway.

 

[The Scrizz]

So the way I see it, Stroud was cut because he wasn't healthy. We have 3 other DL on PUP I believe, Brace, Deadrick, Pryor.

The players most affected by the lockout will be the young guys who didn't have the benefit of a real off-season.

We have 90 roster spots for camp this year. Why not sign some Vets who have played well in the past and see what sticks? They have a better shot at making the team and making an impact than a UDFA who spent the summer working out on his own.

It's way too early to be guessing who will be cut, particularly when the young guys missed OTA's etc and we have others on PUP who haven't even practiced yet.

 

[Urgent]

The weekend, in summary:

The Patriots basically swapped Ty Warren for Shaun Ellis, and TBC for Mark Anderson and Andre Carter.

Warren and Ellis both had some positional flexibility. But, with Warren a good 20 pounds (listed...) bigger than Ellis, Ellis can play 3-4 DE and 4-3 DE, whereas Warren can play 3-4 DE and 4-3 DT. If the Pats are planning more 4-3, Ellis is probably the better fit.

TBC, Anderson, and Carter are all edge rushers. Anderson and Carter are both more in the Pats mold, although TBC had more experience in their (former) system. Anderson and Carter both probably have an athleticism edge over TBC. All three have had up and down careers, swinging wildly between 2-3 and 10 sack seasons.

Both deals swapped a player familiar with the Pats system for an older veteran without experience with the Pats - some risk. Both deals, however, added some athleticism.

Neither added a premier player, but both were probably minor upgrades.

 

[Ring 6]

This place sometimes.

Right.
Last I knew we needed 53 players.

 

[fumbrunner]

Looks like they took a look at Cunningham as an end during training camp and it may be that they prefer him as a OLB in a 3-4. Carter adds that pass rushing end as a 4-3 and Ellis provides some flexibility in both 3-4 and 4-3 formations. I think we are going to see all sorts of permutations between a 3-4 and 4-3 and BB is simply adding the necessary pieces to make that happen.

 

[Deus Irae]

Interesting signing if he's in for short money; not so interesting if he's getting 3 years or big coin. I'll have to take a look at that D-line roster now, to guess at who's neck(s) just got put on the guillotine.

 

[ausbacker]

Given the average age of the defense and that youthful exuberance acting as a defining factor in the playoff loss to the Jets, is anyone seriously surprised that BB is collecting and adding a veteran presence to the D? I'm not.

Putting aside acquisition hyperbole I'm liking the way in which BB has gone about constructing this D. There's a core of reasonably young, skilled players being added to with savvy veterans in positions of need.

 

[Ring 6]

The weekend, in summary:

The Patriots basically swapped Ty Warren for Shaun Ellis, and TBC for Mark Anderson and Andre Carter.

Warren and Ellis both had some positional flexibility. But, with Warren a good 20 pounds (listed...) bigger than Ellis, Ellis can play 3-4 DE and 4-3 DE, whereas Warren can play 3-4 DE and 4-3 DT. If the Pats are planning more 4-3, Ellis is probably the better fit.

TBC, Anderson, and Carter are all edge rushers. Anderson and Carter are both more in the Pats mold, although TBC had more experience in their (former) system. Anderson and Carter both probably have an athleticism edge over TBC. All three have had up and down careers, swinging wildly between 2-3 and 10 sack seasons.

Both deals swapped a player familiar with the Pats system for an older veteran without experience with the Pats - some risk. Both deals, however, added some athleticism.

Neither added a premier player, but both were probably minor upgrades.

Ellis as part of the rotation at DE in the base and DT in the sub and Anderson and/or Carter as sub package DEs could represent a big improvement.

We now have, in sub packages
Haynesworth
Ellis
Wright
Wilfork
Pryor
Brace
as inside pass rushers (the top 3 of which were not here at the end of last year)

and

Cunningham
Carter
Anderson
Moore
Ninkovich
as sub package DEs

Additionally,
in the secondary we have added Bodden and Dowling

Our base 34 defense was not the problem last year, which is why we were 8th in points allowed despite being last in 3rd down conversions.
The base has seen Haynesworth replace G Warren and Ellis added to the mix, plus Bodden and now some DE types that may see a few reps at OLB.

All of these moves do not need to work out, but we have added a ton of depth and quality to sub packages, and even shored up a bit in the base.

This has been a very exciting few days for this team.