Patjew said:
Give him a break, he's just questioning authority.
Thanks, PJ. Upon further review, however, I feel it is proper for me to offer my sincerest apologies to Terry Jones, Chris Jones, James Patrick and Ray Williams. My use of the word "garbage" to describe them was inappropriate and cruel. A more appropriate word would have been "admirable". These young men have overcome long odds, and through perseverence and hard work, have put themselves in a position to say to their children some day: I once worked out for the SB XLI Champion New England Patriots. I know I wish I could say that.
And had I been less lazy, I would have learned that Terry Jones not only was a 5th round choice of the Ravens in 2002 (not a reach at that spot, either), but also has played in 53 NFL games, incl. 34 starts, and has caught 59 passes, incl. 5 TDs. Should Graham ever be placed on the IR, Terry Jones could absolutely be considered as a possible replacement for the Blocking TE role.
These men have already faced rejection and disappointment in their young careers; they certainly don't need, or deserve, to be cowardly insulted by some old wannabe cyber-Coach/GM, who promises to try his best, in the future, to refrain from resorting to such crude words, born out of frustration and impatience.
That all being said, my original thought that the FO needs to bring in better quality players for tryouts and possible signings, esp. at ILB, CB, FS, SS and WR, still stands.
Fnordcircle mentioned the undrafted Wright, Neal and Gay, and the FAs Vrabel, Davis and Evans as examples of castoffs finding success here; GoWhalers added Hawkins.
Wright and Gay were undrafted, but not unknown. Wright was somewhat overshadowed by the more well-known LBs on the U of Cincinnati D; Gay was a starter during his sophomore and junior seasons at LSU, but due to injury, lost his job to Travis Daniels and Corey Webster. No shame there. Neal was one of the most decorated college wrestlers of all time, and carried a 3.24 GPA to boot. He then spent a year on the Eagles' PS in 2001.
As for the castoffs, Vrabel was a 3rd-round choice by Pittsburgh in 1997; Evans was a 3rd-round choice by Seattle in 2001; Hawkins was a 2nd-round choice by Cincinnati in 1998.
Folks, those are exactly the type of players I want the FO to add to our depth chart: experienced and successful in college, draft-worthy (First Day quality, if possible), and experienced (or showing potential, or needing a change of scenery) in the pros. The FO has acquired these players in the past; I see no reason why the FO should stop now.
