Score One For BB the GM

[BananaRepublican]

Remember all the threads 9 months ago about how foolish BB was not to have locked up Carter and Anderson for the long term?

"Where will we make up their sack number?"

It's a good rhetorical question for the reason that it can't be answered. Other than that it's not a good question when the implication is that all is lost.

Bean-counting sacks misses the point of a defense that plays as a unit and plays sound situationally. Who cares if your defense gets 50 sacks and your team is golfing this week? Where is all world JPP this week? Where is Rob Ninkovich this week? I'll take 35 sacks and sound situational football any day.

 

[BananaRepublican]

I wish BB had re-signed Steve Martin after 2002...

Wasn't he in The Jerk?

 

[BananaRepublican]

See: Jets, New York.

Thanks, I'll pass. Got me a belly full of NY Jets bilge already.

Urrrp ...

Can it be all belched out before Rex gets back from the Bahamas and begins a new round of promises?

Hey, how about the Sexy Rexy not saying a word to the media about Tannebaum's demise and then blowing town for the beach? Wow, I don't even know what to call that.

But I digress. Urrrrppp ..... it's the season to renew, to purge, to pretend that Rexy and the Jetsies don't exist.

 

[Dragda]

Not sure about the whistle part but Welker dropped that pass in the SB? So...do we not pay him? Thats silly. Samuel has been productive to this day.

There was a recent book (Bedards?) that discussed some displeasure at Samuel's play within the scheme. To summarize what I remember: He plays well, but doesn't play his assignment well.

 

[captain stone]

The front seven was good this year. It would have been absolutely dominant with Bryant lining up next to Wilfork.

True; but it also would've resulted in having the most expensive DTs in football.
What Bill should've done was draft Bryant at the end of the 3rd round in '08 instead of
5th-round talent Kevin O'Connell, or Ahtyba Rubin at the end of the 5th round instead of
"Pro-Bowler" Matt Slater.

As for the rest of Reiss' weekly list, I still want Koppen at Center if Connolly has to play RG;
Salas/Gaffney at WR instead of Kamar Aiken; Kopa at Swing Tackle instead of Zusevics;
Ihedigbo at backup SS/STer instead of Ebner; Sterling Moore instead of Mal Williams; and
Carter at DE instead of Bequette.

The Law Firm would also help ease my mind, but at $3M? I don't know...maybe.

 

[Deus Irae]

Were they having these problems three seasons ago? The Eagles were looking to trade him before Asomugha and DRC were brought in and before Castillo and Washburn were coaching, so before the real mess started.

They brought him in and accepted some "conditions" he'd put on his game (not a press man guy, etc...). They then tried to renege on the agreement and he wouldn't do it.

In short, they had a light tackling zone player, agreed that he'd play in a light tackle zone situation, and tried to change him to a big tackle press man guy almost immediately.

Again, the Falcons are benefitting greatly from the Eagles' folly.

 

[ATippett56]

People need to tell me again why Reid is supposed to be such a great HC.

Jim Johnson was a great defensive coordinator.

 

[ATippett56]

As for the rest of Reiss' weekly list, I still want Koppen at Center if Connolly has to play RG.

Nope!

Salas/Gaffney at WR instead of Kamar Aiken.

Stick a fork in Jabar Gaffney, he's done.

Kopa at Swing Tackle instead of Zusevics.

Zusevics has more long term potential than Kopa.

Ihedigbo at backup SS/STer instead of Ebner.

James Ihedigbo has no defensive upside.

Sterling Moore instead of Mal Williams.

Neither is fine with me.

Carter at DE instead of Bequette.

The Andre Carter ship has sailed. It's time to move on.

The Law Firm would also help ease my mind, but at $3M? I don't know...maybe.

Not for the contract BenJarvus Green-Ellis signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

 

[NormZauchin]

Carter was coming back from a major injury and he got better as the season went on. I'm not sure it's fair to the guy to take his numbers from this year and make a direct comparison to his numbers from last year.

I don't understand your point. If the Pats had signed Carter, he would have been coming back from a major injury and - presumably - would have gotten better as the season went on. No argument. But his numbers would have been down considerably from last year and would have been less than that of either defensive end who started this year.

I don't know if the Patriots offerred him a contract and he rejected it, or if the organization was in a wait and see mode with the new FAs and rookies, as someone else has said. I tend to think the latter.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Carter (saw a lot of him when he was down here with the Redskins), but I just wanted to give Belichick some credit for making a difficult decision that turned out right.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't understand your point. If the Pats had signed Carter, he would have been coming back from a major injury and - presumably - would have gotten better as the season went on. No argument. But his numbers would have been down considerably from last year and would have been less than that of either defensive end who started this year.

I don't know if the Patriots offerred him a contract and he rejected it, or if the organization was in a wait and see mode with the new FAs and rookies, as someone else has said. I tend to think the latter.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Carter (saw a lot of him when he was down here with the Redskins), but I just wanted to give Belichick some credit for making a difficult decision that turned out right.

You're claiming it turned out right. Others are disagreeing with that claim.

 

[NormZauchin]

You're claiming it turned out right. Others are disagreeing with that claim.

I guess I fail to see the criteria by which the decisions on Anderson and Carter are deemed failures? a wash? incomplete?

There seems to be consensus that the Patriots were wise not to give Anderson what he got from the Bills. No one has advanced any knowledge of Carter's situation with the Pats. We don't know if he asked for more than he got from the Raiders or if he was willing to take a modest one or two year contract, but the Patriots weren't interested. As another poster mentioned, even if signed, Carter's time would have been limited given the emergence of Jones and the improved play of Ninkovich.

 

[Deus Irae]

I guess I fail to see the criteria by which the decisions on Anderson and Carter are deemed failures? a wash? incomplete?

There seems to be consensus that the Patriots were wise not to give Anderson what he got from the Bills. No one has advanced any knowledge of Carter's situation with the Pats. We don't know if he asked for more than he got from the Raiders or if he was willing to take a modest one or two year contract, but the Patriots weren't interested. As another poster mentioned, even if signed, Carter's time would have been limited given the emergence of Jones and the improved play of Ninkovich.

1.) Anderson was not a difficult call. He was a part time player who was looking for big money. Most people here were fine with him going. So, calling that a difficult decision really doesn't seem accurate.

2.) The only issue with Carter, in the minds of many here, was whether or not to either carry him as the 53rd guy while he healing (or pick him up when he was capable of signing on his own). Most weren't looking to give him any kind of big dollar long term deal. The idea was to let him come along slowly as needed in order to be ready to really help come playoff time. I'd still like him here for the playoffs as a situational pass rusher. Wouldn't you?

 

[Patsrock]

As for the rest of Reiss' weekly list, I still want Koppen at Center if Connolly has to play RG;

Ryan Wendell has been perfectly fine at center.

 

[NormZauchin]

1.) Anderson was not a difficult call. He was a part time player who was looking for big money. Most people here were fine with him going. So, calling that a difficult decision really doesn't seem accurate.

2.) The only issue with Carter, in the minds of many here, was whether or not to either carry him as the 53rd guy while he healing (or pick him up when he was capable of signing on his own). Most weren't looking to give him any kind of big dollar long term deal. The idea was to let him come along slowly as needed in order to be ready to really help come playoff time. I'd still like him here for the playoffs as a situational pass rusher. Wouldn't you?

The question still is what did Carter want from the Patriots and were they interested in him at all. I don't recall any stories about a locker with his name on it, a la Brian Waters. After some time without a team, he may have signed with Raiders for less than he wanted from New England. Sure, I'd like him as a situational pass rusher, but I have a sense from the way things evolved, that Belichick may not have been interested in resigning him.

 

[Deus Irae]

The question still is what did Carter want from the Patriots and were they interested in him at all. I don't recall any stories about a locker with his name on it, a la Brian Waters. After some time without a team, he may have signed with Raiders for less than he wanted from New England. Sure, I'd like him as a situational pass rusher, but I have a sense from the way things evolved, that Belichick may not have been interested in resigning him.

If you're right and BB wasn't interested, how was it a difficult decision?

 

[supafly]

Ryan Wendell has been perfectly fine at center.

Not only has Wendell done just fine at center, he has played the most snaps this season of ANY player in the entire league.

Nate Solder also was quite durable, leading the NFL in offensive snap participation.

Wendell received more snaps due to contributing on ST's.

I was a big Koppen fan, but my wishes for retaining Koppen were much more based on the fact that I believe that Connelly is better utilized at RG. I also underestimated Wendell's potential to play starting center on every down and handle himself pretty well in the process, so I assumed that keeping Koppen would allow Connelly to play RG instead of C, and allow us more depth. I also never bought into the return of Waters nearly as much as many others did. After about the 2nd week of August, the writing was on the wall there in my opinion.

All in all, I am pleased for the most part with the production of the interior spots, especially considering the fact that Brian Waters didn't return, plus the injury issues with Logan Mankins.

Donald Thomas filled in well, as did Wendell, Connelly, and even McDonald (and Cannon saw some limited reps there as well towards the end).

 

[NormZauchin]

If you're right and BB wasn't interested, how was it a difficult decision?

I hesitate to get involved in grammatical parsing, but here goes. I did not say that Belichick wasn't interested. I indicated that from the flow of events, that he may not have been. And if that had been the case, it may have been a decision that he made with some difficulty. Those kind of determinations are pretty opaque to the public.

"If a man makes a slip, admonish him gently and show him his mistake. If you fail to convince him, blame yourself, or else blame nobody." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 10, Paragraph 4.

 

[Bhelmet]

Since hindsight is 20/20 - I believe it was win. The D improved and we lost little in terms of sack production with our best rusher going down with injury. I agree with a couple of people in that I would like to see Carter here - especially since Brace was expendable.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

"If a man makes a slip, admonish him gently and show him his mistake. If you fail to convince him, blame yourself, or else blame nobody." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 10, Paragraph 4.

Classic!!!!!!

 

[Deus Irae]

I hesitate to get involved in grammatical parsing, but here goes. I did not say that Belichick wasn't interested. I indicated that from the flow of events, that he may not have been. And if that had been the case, it may have been a decision that he made with some difficulty. Those kind of determinations are pretty opaque to the public.

"If a man makes a slip, admonish him gently and show him his mistake. If you fail to convince him, blame yourself, or else blame nobody." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 10, Paragraph 4.

You're the one who put forth the notion of BB possibly not being interested. If the decision was difficult, it would have likely have been because there was interest, which is why I posed the question in response. Your argument makes no sense unless you have information that's not yet been brought forward. That being the case, posting that Marcus Aurelius quote was not only spurious, but rather ironic, as well.