Ras-I Dowling?

[The Gr8est]

Isnt 6 fractured ankle or are you saying he played on that and broke the other?

Apparently Dowling spent his senior year in high school clinically dead. To overcome that and become a star in college is quite a testament to his determination.

 

[Deus Irae]

Was writing up about how terrible of draft choices McCourty and Vollmer were before glancing up and seeing this post.

I've pretty much given up reading all draft related threads on these forums, they're pointless before the players have even played a single down in the NFL, we're already calling Ras-I a bust.

How pathetic. Can you believe we actually wasted a 6th round draft pick in 2000 on a quarterback when we had the $103,000,000 man at QB? This team is ridiculously bad at drafting!

Ugh, and that injury prone tight end we spent a draft pick on in the 2nd round last year, he missed his entire final season with a back injury. That 4th round TE we picked up missed a few games last season too, we should probably trade him while he still has some value, he's obviously no good to us. ...speaking of injuries and draft picks, that 6th round QB we drafted missed all of 2008 and he's still on the team? Injury prone, hello? Dude has had a bum shoulder since like 2004 ...what the hell is wrong with this team, they should delegate all FO responsibilities through New England Patriots Fans featuring News, Stats, Analysis, Messageboards & Forums, Patriots Blogs, And Salary Cap Information for Fans. - PatsFans.com Maybe we can save this organization from its fate.

If that's your approach, you should be skipping message boards altogether, as well as any draft programs, preseason games, pregame shows, postgame shows, and sports commentaries (programs and segments) on the radio and television. I'd suggest watching all regular season games with the sound off, and only focusing in on the last moments of playoff games.

Do that, and you should be able to avoid something as dreadful as varying opinions on what's happened and what's happening.

BTW, how are the recent picks O'Connell, Wheatley, and Crable working out for the Patriots so far?

 

[TheSolderKing]

Dowling I will stand by Bill on this 1. as much as I was Pissed we passed up Brooks Reed. Dowling as AJ said is a S/CB hybrid w/ size and speed. pair that w/ Bodden McCourty then

the player we should be concerned w/ is Butler not Ras... sure he has had his injuries and BB was most aware of this. He took a chance on a Big time CB and I like it. This covers losing Merriweather as I stated before

 

[patchick]

Isn't a guy who can be a big corner as well as a fast safety pretty valuable in a league that continues to revolve mnore and more around the passing game and multiple receiver sets?
With McCourty and Bodden already here, why wouldn't Dowling be able to be used for matchups on more physical receivers, or even play more vs running teams because he is good in run support, in the nickel as a versatile guy who can cover and run support, while also being in the mix in the safety rotation.
The player he is advertised to be would be pretty damn valuable IMO

That's how I see it. Even with Meriweather around a healthy Dowling should be a valuable moving piece depending on matchups. Assuming Meriweather's gone in 2012, he becomes even more essential.

But maybe everybody who thought he was a bizarre pick sees it differently? Maybe they're ok with 5'9.5" Arrington in that long-term role? (Nothing against Arrington, BTW, he's been a nice surprise.)

 

[The Gr8est]

This thread reminds me of this oldie but goodie...

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[BlueThunder]

Ummm...exactly what positions do the Pats REALLY need a rookie to start or contribute this season ?????

DB certainly isn't one of them ...whatever Ras I contributes is gravy....

Light signing alleviates the NEED for Solder to start right away.....

Believe it or not, Pats are in decent shape for starters all over....

Not All Pro's everywhere, but pretty solid.....

I'm still waiting for one more fairly significant signing not named Mankins.....

But that's just the homer in me

 

[Ring 6]

I think context matters. Was he injured going all-out Bob Sanders style, completely recklessly and just beats himself up too hard for a lot of those? Or did the wind blow his way and he just fell apart?

Wes Welker tore his ACL/MCL planting and making a cut. No contact. Things happen.

If Ras I broke his hand when a 200lb receiver fell on knee first with his full weight I don't really care. If he broke his hand catching a ball then I see an issue.

The hamstrings are a concern however, I wonder if that is just lack of proper stretching and warm-ups. Certain things are teachable to avoid, and you can be sure a pro team's conditioning coaches and medical staff will do whatever to fix that. If he's just frail then I could see the issue.

Broken bones are bad luck. Knee injuries also. And with todays medical technology the repaired knee isnt really more likely to be injured than a never injured one.

Leg muscle issues do seem to be habitual.

But I don't see that habitual nature here.

 

[crowell33]

Isnt 6 fractured ankle or are you saying he played on that and broke the other?

Good catch. I went back and checked the details. According to Pro Football Weekly the third 2010 injury was Hamstring, apparently the same one he reinjured at the Combine in February.

Hey, I'd love for this guy to work out. I'm just a little concerned about what happens when the NFL running backs come at him, ( or NFL TE's or offensive lineman for that matter ), and whether he can reverse his high school & college issues. In his last 6 seasons ( high school & college ) he has played in all of his teams games only two of those seasons.

Now he moves to a 20 game season ( 16 regular season / 4 preseason ) plus hopefully playoffs on top of that. Lets hope he stays healthy.

 

[Synovia]

The hamstrings are a concern however, I wonder if that is just lack of proper stretching and warm-ups. Certain things are teachable to avoid, and you can be sure a pro team's conditioning coaches and medical staff will do whatever to fix that. If he's just frail then I could see the issue.

There's not a receiver, CB, safety or RB in the NFL who hasn't at some time, missed time to a pulled hamstring (from highschool on)

Its a very common injury in any sort of athlete that needs to run fast and then stop quick.

 

[strngplyr]

Broken bones are bad luck. Knee injuries also. And with todays medical technology the repaired knee isnt really more likely to be injured than a never injured one.
Leg muscle issues do seem to be habitual.
But I don't see that habitual nature here.

I agree completely. You can have someone fall on you the wrong way and break 4 ribs, are you injury prone? No. You're just unlucky. The only thing on the entire injury list that bothers me are the hamstrings, which aren't even serious most of the time.

If that's your approach, you should be skipping message boards altogether, as well as any draft programs, preseason games, pregame shows, postgame shows, and sports commentaries (programs and segments) on the radio and television. I'd suggest watching all regular season games with the sound off, and only focusing in on the last moments of playoff games.

Do that, and you should be able to avoid something as dreadful as varying opinions on what's happened and what's happening.

BTW, how are the recent picks O'Connell, Wheatley, and Crable working out for the Patriots so far?

There is a difference in judging someone before they've ever played a down and players who have had ~3+ years to prove something.

Good attempt though.

There's not a receiver, CB, safety or RB in the NFL who hasn't at some time, missed time to a pulled hamstring (from highschool on)

Its a very common injury in any sort of athlete that needs to run fast and then stop quick.

Completely aware, I've pulled my own at least twice. Which is why I'm not one of the people calling him a bust before he's even played a down. I just think he needs to be careful. Hamstring injuries are usually pretty preventable.

 

[Synovia]

Now he moves to a 20 game season ( 16 regular season / 4 preseason ) plus hopefully playoffs on top of that. Lets hope he stays healthy.

He also moves to drastically better facilities. Drastically better training staff. Drastically better medical staff. Drastically better strenght coaching.

He also now is working for an organization that sees him as a long term investment, as opposed to a college coach who doesn't give a **** at all if playing with a tweak ends his career.

 

[Keyser Söze]

Hopefully he'll be better than Darius Bustler. Great athlete in college, too bad it didn't translate. That pathetic side step and swat at the ball against Edwards last season still irks me.

 

[Ring 6]

That's how I see it. Even with Meriweather around a healthy Dowling should be a valuable moving piece depending on matchups. Assuming Meriweather's gone in 2012, he becomes even more essential.

But maybe everybody who thought he was a bizarre pick sees it differently? Maybe they're ok with 5'9.5" Arrington in that long-term role? (Nothing against Arrington, BTW, he's been a nice surprise.)

Maybe its me, but I just see this organization as making as many low risk safe smart decisions as it can and having that add up to a very competitive team.

Personally I think if you asked BB in a private moment about drafting Shawn Crable and having his entire Pat career to turn out to be an inury, he would say that they picked a guy they thought could help, and those injuries are the risk you take, and you really can't worry about one guy making it or not, because the game moves on and you need someone else ready to step up.

I often think this board in general feels all decisions are make or break gambles, and I think they are more often just the opposite.

 

[fumbrunner]

Another in a long line of Belichick mistakes. Lucky for him, most of his mistakes end up working out...

uh, wouldn't a "mistake" that worked out not be a mistake by definition??:bricks:

 

[Deus Irae]

There is a difference in judging someone before they've ever played a down and players who have had ~3+ years to prove something.

Good attempt though.

All that's different is what you're basing the judgement on. That changes with every day/practice/snap/game.

Also, while I think it's generally stupid to judge a player's long term success before you even see him, it's not as if we don't have the Wheatley case to focus peoples' concerns in this area (injury). I'm with you in thinking that calling the kid a bust already is stupid, but your "I've pretty much given up reading all draft related threads on these forums" rant was just as stupid. Hell, at least two of the players I noted didn't take anything near 3+ years to decide on, and were able to be called before their first training camps ended.

 

[Ring 6]

Good catch. I went back and checked the details. According to Pro Football Weekly the third 2010 injury was Hamstring, apparently the same one he reinjured at the Combine in February.

Hey, I'd love for this guy to work out. I'm just a little concerned about what happens when the NFL running backs come at him, ( or NFL TE's or offensive lineman for that matter ), and whether he can reverse his high school & college issues. In his last 6 seasons ( high school & college ) he has played in all of his teams games only two of those seasons.

Now he moves to a 20 game season ( 16 regular season / 4 preseason ) plus hopefully playoffs on top of that. Lets hope he stays healthy.

Did he not miss only 1 game in his first 3 years of college?

I don't know what his HS record was. But broken bones aren't habitual.

BTW, I would question how he could pull a hamstring AFTER a knee injury and a broken ankle.

 

[strngplyr]

All that's different is what you're basing the judgement on. That changes with every day/practice/snap/game.

Also, while I think it's generally stupid to judge a player's long term success before you even see him, it's not as if we don't have the Wheatley case to focus peoples' concerns in this area. I'm with you in thinking that calling the kid a bust already is stupid, but your "I've pretty much given up reading all draft related threads on these forums" rant was just as stupid. Hell, at least two of the players I noted didn't take anything near 3+ years to decide on, and were able to be called before their first training camps ended.

Maybe you enjoy discussing which players are a bust before they ever play, I don't, which is why I stated I've given up reading draft threads here. There are very few draft picks people don't shake their head at every season and end up discussing how awful A was and how we should have gotten B without ever seeing either play in the NFL.

Did he not miss only 1 game in his first 3 years of college?
I don't know what his HS record was. But broken bones aren't habitual.
BTW, I would question how he could pull a hamstring AFTER a knee injury and a broken ankle.

...high pain threshold.

 

[Deus Irae]

Maybe you enjoy discussing which players are a bust before they ever play, I don't, which is why I stated I've given up reading draft threads here. There are very few draft picks people don't shake their head at every season and end up discussing how awful A was and how we should have gotten B without ever seeing either play in the NFL.

I'm sure you've never spoken with anyone about some low round player or UDFA that you thought didn't have a prayer.

 

[Ring 6]

Good catch. I went back and checked the details. According to Pro Football Weekly the third 2010 injury was Hamstring, apparently the same one he reinjured at the Combine in February.

Hey, I'd love for this guy to work out. I'm just a little concerned about what happens when the NFL running backs come at him, ( or NFL TE's or offensive lineman for that matter ), and whether he can reverse his high school & college issues. In his last 6 seasons ( high school & college ) he has played in all of his teams games only two of those seasons.

Now he moves to a 20 game season ( 16 regular season / 4 preseason ) plus hopefully playoffs on top of that. Lets hope he stays healthy.

Can you link the Pro Football Weekly info, Im having trouble finding it.

 

[strngplyr]

I'm sure you've never spoken with anyone about some low round player that you thought didn't have a prayer.

Not really, I'm not an NFL scout, I don't work these players out, they don't get drafted because the media said they should be drafted there.

Whatever team drafts them obviously sees something of value to draft a player where they did, they don't throw darts. Generally the management makes better football judgement than I do, so I let them do their thing and hold my judgement until I've seen them do something. I'll fully admit that I would sometimes prefer a flashy WR over a LT but like I said, I don't see things the same way the coaches and management do, so I generally have no issue at all with who we pick and when we do.

We can't change it by arguing about how stupid it was 3 weeks later.

edit: why mention UDFA? You make it sound like we risk something by signing UDFA's, theyre undrafted, it's not like we have to cut TFB to bring in training camp fodder.