Fencer
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 14,293
- Reaction score
- 3,986
Kicker, punter, and long snapper aside, the roster projection for 2011 before changes would be something like what's bolded below. That said:
QB -- Brady, Hoyer. I think this position is set.
RB (Feature/Bruiser/FB) -- BJGE, ? ?. Even if they try to bring Taylor back, they need bodies here.
RB (Passing sets) -- Woodhead, Faulk? I think Faulk will be kept. This is a major position for the Pats; also, leadership counts.
TE -- Hernandez, Gronkowski, Crumpler. I think this position is set.
WR -- Welker, Branch, Tate?, Edelman?, Price?, Slater? A lot of the young guys remain unproven. But do you address that by bringing in yet another young guy?
OL -- Light?, Mankins?, Koppen?, Neal?, Vollmer, Kaczur, Connolly, ?, ? Honestly, I've come to realize that I don't have much in the way of opinions about OL personnel. But as guys age, this is an area where new blood will be needed soon.
Total offense -- 25
CB -- Bodden, McCourty, Butler?, Wilhite?, Arrington? Frustrating as that is, I expect a rookie CB or two in camp.
S -- Chung, Sanders, Meriweather, Brown/Page/McGowan/Lockett. I think this position is set.
ILB -- Mayo, Spikes, Guyton, Fletcher?, White. I think that in BB's opinion this position is set. I infer that in part from McKensie's release.
OLB -- Cunningham, TBC, Ninkovich, Woods? I think that in BB's opinion this position is set. I infer that in part from the Crable/Woods exchange. But clearly Woods could be upgraded.
DL -- Wilfork, T. Warren, G. Warren, Wright, Brace, Deaderick, Pryor/Love? Tough call. One could argue that there are already enough DL players inhouse. But if I'm right that OLB, ILB, and S won't be upgraded -- and if we note that the defense could certainly play a lot better than it has been -- then I bet BB will take a shot at finding another beast for DL.
Total defense -- 25
What's confusing about this kind of analysis is that the offense is aging but playing really well this year, while the defense is young but having its troubles. Age suggests that the offense needs more new blood. Performance suggests that the defense does.
QB -- Brady, Hoyer. I think this position is set.
RB (Feature/Bruiser/FB) -- BJGE, ? ?. Even if they try to bring Taylor back, they need bodies here.
RB (Passing sets) -- Woodhead, Faulk? I think Faulk will be kept. This is a major position for the Pats; also, leadership counts.
TE -- Hernandez, Gronkowski, Crumpler. I think this position is set.
WR -- Welker, Branch, Tate?, Edelman?, Price?, Slater? A lot of the young guys remain unproven. But do you address that by bringing in yet another young guy?
OL -- Light?, Mankins?, Koppen?, Neal?, Vollmer, Kaczur, Connolly, ?, ? Honestly, I've come to realize that I don't have much in the way of opinions about OL personnel. But as guys age, this is an area where new blood will be needed soon.
Total offense -- 25
CB -- Bodden, McCourty, Butler?, Wilhite?, Arrington? Frustrating as that is, I expect a rookie CB or two in camp.
S -- Chung, Sanders, Meriweather, Brown/Page/McGowan/Lockett. I think this position is set.
ILB -- Mayo, Spikes, Guyton, Fletcher?, White. I think that in BB's opinion this position is set. I infer that in part from McKensie's release.
OLB -- Cunningham, TBC, Ninkovich, Woods? I think that in BB's opinion this position is set. I infer that in part from the Crable/Woods exchange. But clearly Woods could be upgraded.
DL -- Wilfork, T. Warren, G. Warren, Wright, Brace, Deaderick, Pryor/Love? Tough call. One could argue that there are already enough DL players inhouse. But if I'm right that OLB, ILB, and S won't be upgraded -- and if we note that the defense could certainly play a lot better than it has been -- then I bet BB will take a shot at finding another beast for DL.
Total defense -- 25
What's confusing about this kind of analysis is that the offense is aging but playing really well this year, while the defense is young but having its troubles. Age suggests that the offense needs more new blood. Performance suggests that the defense does.