So how is depth now?

[Fencer]

K/P/LS -- It's hard to have great depth here. That said, within the past season Gostkowski has actually punted and Ninkovich has actually longsnapped, so we have more confirmation of depth than most teams do.

QB -- 2 guys. Neither suspended. We're good.

TE -- 4 guys. Lots of depth.

WR -- There's nothing wrong with Edelman and Amendola other than durability. LaFell should eventually come back fine. After that we're juggling Dobson, Harper, Slater, Thompkins and maybe Cadet, none of whom has produced on the NFL level with consistency. Good thing that 2 of the TEs are productive receivers (and that one of them is one of the great receivers in NFL history).

RB -- Brandon Bolden's career rushing numbers look like a decent single season for backup -- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BoldBr00.htm They'd be better than that until one notices that he neither punches it into the end zone nor catches a lot of passes. Much the same may be said of Dion Lewis. White of course has accomplished very little in games. So depth here is not dripping with proven talent.

OT -- We're down to 3 guys, 2 of them cancer survivors and the third chronically managing injuries. One of the cancer survivors is also hurt. And the TEs and OGs don't happen to include anybody who gives a lot of confidence at OT. Hmm. Let's hope that Fleming makes it through to the PS.

Interior OL -- depth is fine; the problem is mustering healthy guys with proven ability.

Edge rusher -- 3 excellent vets plus 3 promising rookies or quasi-rookies. Great depth.

DT -- 4 guys, plus Jones on PUP, plus likely some PS guys. Decent depth.

Pure LB -- 3 studs who hopefully are all healthy now. 1 other guy. Plus Ninkovich, who probably could be spared to play LB. Given the reality of playing in nickel so much, depth is not bad.

S -- Tons of depth.

CB -- After Butler/Brown/Fletcher, it's Ryan and McCourty. Not ideal. Ryan's unquestionably fine as a 6th or 7th DB, but it's "pick on the sub" time if he's in a starting role.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Good write up.
We are about as set on STs as can be expected.

Defense;
Loaded on the DL
Very good LBs but shallow depth
What the secondary is/will be, starters or depth, is painfully uncertain

Offense:
IMHO the OL will be good, better as the season goes on, has depth.
TEs - set
RBs, with Blount back, are good enough. Without Blount we really better see the best of Bolden and have a newby step up
WR's, good at the top but shallow as a puddle

As is always the case, how the injury gods favor or disfavor us will go a long way in determining how functional the roster, more accurately the eventual final roster, will be.

 

[rookBoston]

Somehow, having KT back on the PS makes me feel much better about the year.

The OL will come together, and the much improved pass rush will hopefully take pressure off the secondary. The RBs will turn heads before the end of the year; I've always respected Blount's game, and White and Lewis both look legit to me, very much in the caliber of Vereen.

Somehow, it all comes down to the WR spot for me. Dobson has size and hands but he plays soft, gets rerouted, DBs step in front of him, he triple clutches the catch. I have no confidence in him. TB12 is not going to throw it up there for him if he can't prove he can consistently win.

KT is exactly the opposite. Not as pure in raw talent, but physical, accurate, fights to the ball and makes plays.

One last thought, I really wish Develin wasn't hurt. Brings a lot to the power game and the mentality of the team.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Somehow, having KT back on the PS makes me feel much better about the year.

The OL will come together, and the much improved pass rush will hopefully take pressure off the secondary. The RBs will turn heads before the end of the year; I've always respected Blount's game, and White and Lewis both look legit to me, very much in the caliber of Vereen.

Somehow, it all comes down to the WR spot for me. Dobson has size and hands but he plays soft, gets rerouted, DBs step in front of him, he triple clutches the catch. I have no confidence in him. TB12 is not going to throw it up there for him if he can't prove he can consistently win.

KT is exactly the opposite. Not as pure in raw talent, but physical, accurate, fights to the ball and makes plays.

One last thought, I really wish Develin wasn't hurt. Brings a lot to the power game and the mentality of the team.

I don't understand the fixation over KT.

He is very, very average receiver. So average that the Pats didn't want him last year.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

We're on to Pittsburgh .

 

[rookBoston]

I don't understand the fixation over KT

He is very, very average receiver. So average that the Pats didn't want him last year.

BB was disappointed to lose him, said KT "would be a good pro". Was hoping he'd clear waivers, but he was actually too good to pass all 32 active rosters.

If you want to call him average, I won't argue it. Sad fact remains he's the third best wide out on the team, with LaFell down, and we're very lucky to have him.

If you'd rather entertain fantasies about a trade for Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss coming out of retirement, please do. For myself, landing KT is a sensible and practical roster upgrade at exactly the spot on the roster that is most suspect. If he gives us 4 receptions for 30 yards and 2 first downs on any game day, then it will be worth it.

With Gronk, Edelman, Chandler, Blount and Amendola as our playmaking headliners, KT just needs to give TB12 a good outlet against single coverage, which he's proven to us before that he can do. Dobson and Harper...not so much. I'm still hopeful for Harper, but Dobson needs a fork in him.

 

[RobertWeathers]

BB was disappointed to lose him, said KT "would be a good pro". Was hoping he'd clear waivers, but he was actually too good to pass all 32 active rosters.

If you want to call him average, I won't argue it. Sad fact remains he's the third best wide out on the team, with LaFell down, and we're very lucky to have him.

If you'd rather entertain fantasies about a trade for Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss coming out of retirement, please do. For myself, landing KT is a sensible and practical roster upgrade at exactly the spot on the roster that is most suspect. If he gives us 4 receptions for 30 yards and 2 first downs on any game day, then it will be worth it.

With Gronk, Edelman, Chandler, Blount and Amendola as our playmaking headliners, KT just needs to give TB12 a good outlet against single coverage, which he's proven to us before that he can do. Dobson and Harper...not so much. I'm still hopeful for Harper, but Dobson needs a fork in him.

KT is not a better receiver than Dobson. You are kidding yourself if you believe otherwise. People forget that in 2013 his drop % and catch % was worse than Dobson's. He doesn't have his talent and he doesn't have his ability. If he did BB never would have cut him.

 

[captain stone]

Neither Dropson nor KT would be on the Roster, Practice or otherwise, if I had anything to say about it,
beginning in 2010.
Our WR depth is therefore, to put it very very kindly, unproven.

Same for our OL, especially LG; hell, we don't even have a starter at LG.
And we don't have a legit backup LT unless we move our starting RT there.

We have plenty of 3rd-down RBs, but no backup workhorse RB. Oh, and our starter isn't even playing
Thursday night.

We have plenty of 4-3 DE/3-4 OLB types; too bad we usually don't employ a 3-4 alignment.
And too bad also that we have Zero LBs who can cover RBs or TEs.

We have plenty of Safeties; whether any of them save one is actually any good is an entirely different matter.

Logan Ryan is our 4th CB. Need I say more? Didn't think so.

 

[mgteich]

DEPTH ISSUES

WR
This does suck. We're counting on Amendola having his first productive season as a pro. And Dobson, Harper and Thompkins are our backups.

OT
I'm not as concerned as you are. Cannon must be ready to go. And Fleming is on the Practice Squad. Three tackles ready to start is all that we can expected. And we are OK at #4 OT on the 53 with our OT/TE hybrid. We've simply replaced one hybrid with another, while keeping the incumbant on the Practive Squad. The REAL issue for me is that Solder needs to be extended, but that doesn't effect the present.

CB
We are fine at outside corner with three starter quality players. If Ryan is really not able to be the nickel back if ssomeone is injured, then I expect that we would field three safeties. I thinl Ryan is good enough to be a backup nickel back. Obviously, this is a position where we could add a player.

K/P/LS -- It's hard to have great depth here. That said, within the past season Gostkowski has actually punted and Ninkovich has actually longsnapped, so we have more confirmation of depth than most teams do.

QB -- 2 guys. Neither suspended. We're good.

TE -- 4 guys. Lots of depth.

WR -- There's nothing wrong with Edelman and Amendola other than durability. LaFell should eventually come back fine. After that we're juggling Dobson, Harper, Slater, Thompkins and maybe Cadet, none of whom has produced on the NFL level with consistency. Good thing that 2 of the TEs are productive receivers (and that one of them is one of the great receivers in NFL history).

RB -- Brandon Bolden's career rushing numbers look like a decent single season for backup -- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BoldBr00.htm They'd be better than that until one notices that he neither punches it into the end zone nor catches a lot of passes. Much the same may be said of Dion Lewis. White of course has accomplished very little in games. So depth here is not dripping with proven talent.

OT -- We're down to 3 guys, 2 of them cancer survivors and the third chronically managing injuries. One of the cancer survivors is also hurt. And the TEs and OGs don't happen to include anybody who gives a lot of confidence at OT. Hmm. Let's hope that Fleming makes it through to the PS.

Interior OL -- depth is fine; the problem is mustering healthy guys with proven ability.

Edge rusher -- 3 excellent vets plus 3 promising rookies or quasi-rookies. Great depth.

DT -- 4 guys, plus Jones on PUP, plus likely some PS guys. Decent depth.

Pure LB -- 3 studs who hopefully are all healthy now. 1 other guy. Plus Ninkovich, who probably could be spared to play LB. Given the reality of playing in nickel so much, depth is not bad.

S -- Tons of depth.

CB -- After Butler/Brown/Fletcher, it's Ryan and McCourty. Not ideal. Ryan's unquestionably fine as a 6th or 7th DB, but it's "pick on the sub" time if he's in a starting role.

 

[Deflatemyballs]

Neither Dropson nor KT would be on the Roster, Practice or otherwise, if I had anything to say about it,
beginning in 2010.
Our WR depth is therefore, to put it very very kindly, unproven.

Same for our OL, especially LG; hell, we don't even have a starter at LG.
And we don't have a legit backup LT unless we move our starting RT there.

We have plenty of 3rd-down RBs, but no backup workhorse RB. Oh, and our starter isn't even playing
Thursday night.

We have plenty of 4-3 DE/3-4 OLB types; too bad we usually don't employ a 3-4 alignment.
And too bad also that we have Zero LBs who can cover RBs or TEs.

We have plenty of Safeties; whether any of them save one is actually any good is an entirely different matter.

Logan Ryan is our 4th CB. Need I say more? Didn't think so.

They really should have hired you as a player personnel director instead of caserio and stripped Bill of his Gm duties because of how awful our roster is right now. Right?