So now how do your offseason needs look like..

[Fantasic4x50x54x59x55]

first and foremost, Thanks for the blood,sweat and tears corey...

now...

What do you do? Corey leaving is a bigger problem than I think most people care to acknowledge as great and faulk is, and how great maroneys upside is... Dillion was still our premeire back. Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming which would explain why maroney was used in power running situations..hmmm

secondly, I'd like to wish Chad Jackson a speedy recovery..luckily our team is jam packed with players who have had serious injuries in critical times..so i expect Chad Jackson will have alot of comfort in that sense..

do you throw RB/WR into a must draft/sign to the top or near the top of your needs list..or do you leave it as is..explain your reasoning!

 

[SoonerPatriot]

first and foremost, Thanks for the blood,sweat and tears corey...

now...

What do you do? Corey leaving is a bigger problem than I think most people care to acknowledge as great and faulk is, and how great maroneys upside is... Dillion was still our premeire back. Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming which would explain why maroney was used in power running situations..hmmm

secondly, I'd like to wish Chad Jackson a speedy recovery..luckily our team is jam packed with players who have had serious injuries in critical times..so i expect Chad Jackson will have alot of comfort in that sense..

do you throw RB/WR into a must draft/sign to the top or near the top of your needs list..or do you leave it as is..explain your reasoning!

At some point, we need to see what we've got with Maroney, if he truly can carry the load. I think he can. I'm grateful to Corey for his toughness and what he contributed these last few years. But there's a certain excitement in picking his replacement in the draft, which is what I hope happens. Who knows, we may find someone better than Dillon AND Maroney. Stranger things have happened.

 

[Fantasic4x50x54x59x55]

Good points..

Anyone know whats up with Greg Jones from Jacksonville?

 

[signbabybrady]

Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming

Yes they saw it coming they drafted maroney in the first round last year. Even more neither of them were really used in specific situations as they mainly alternated series.

 

[ChoWZa]

At some point, we need to see what we've got with Maroney, if he truly can carry the load. I think he can. I'm grateful to Corey for his toughness and what he contributed these last few years. But there's a certain excitement in picking his replacement in the draft, which is what I hope happens. Who knows, we may find someone better than Dillon AND Maroney. Stranger things have happened.

I agree.

I think we let Maroney be the featured back of NE, let him know you have confidence in him. Let him get more carries to get some consistency. I still feel a lot of Maroney's problems last season were due to lack of carries. I know you have to earn your field time but backs need to develop consistency and work out loose ends. Dillon was/is a great back and was just what the Patriots needed but I don't think you need a 6million dollar RB in the Patriots system, they did win 2 SB's with Antwain Smith, after all.

 

[shirtsleeve]

The WR thing has been beaten to death. I think Maroney is supposed to be Dillons replacement. But I wouldn't mind signing Pass if the money is right. I have also called elsewhere to sign Leonard if he goes in the third. Not worth a higher pick to me.

 

[patsgo]

first and foremost, Thanks for the blood,sweat and tears corey...

now...

What do you do? Corey leaving is a bigger problem than I think most people care to acknowledge as great and faulk is, and how great maroneys upside is... Dillion was still our premeire back. Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming which would explain why maroney was used in power running situations..hmmm

secondly, I'd like to wish Chad Jackson a speedy recovery..luckily our team is jam packed with players who have had serious injuries in critical times..so i expect Chad Jackson will have alot of comfort in that sense..

do you throw RB/WR into a must draft/sign to the top or near the top of your needs list..or do you leave it as is..explain your reasoning!

every year there is transistion, in football your real lucky to get qaulity production in your 30's ther are exceptions, rice, seau, brown,matthews, but not the norm. the pats are going through changes like every team and they have weathered the storm pretty good. im confident im bb and pioli they will reload, wiyh the draft and free agency, and they will be in a position to COMPETE FOE A CHAMPIONSHIP WHICH IS THEIR GOAL EVERY YEAR

 

[Jimke]

Corey Dillon was starting to slip but the Pats will miss his ability

for punching in a touchdown from up close. I don't think Heath Evans

has this ability.

 

[iguide]

The WR thing has been beaten to death. I think Maroney is supposed to be Dillons replacement. But I wouldn't mind signing Pass if the money is right. I have also called elsewhere to sign Leonard if he goes in the third. Not worth a higher pick to me.

To me there is no place on the team for Pass. Any player that drops the ball while reaching to grab an injury,(hamstring) does not belong nor deserve to be on the Pats! IMHO.

 

[captain stone]

To me there is no place on the team for Pass. Any player that drops the ball while reaching to grab an injury,(hamstring) does not belong nor deserve to be on the Pats! IMHO.

I agree. Re-sign Evans, sign a vet FB (there are a lot available), teach Mills the FB position, and tell Pass to go play with the jest.

Instead of drafting a power back of the future with a first-day pick (all of which should be used on LBs and DBs), I would use a 2nd-day pick, sign a UDFA or two, and sign at least one vet FA before the draft. This way, if Maroney's not ready for prime time, then an Antoine Smith-type can help carry the load.

 

[koolaid23]

i would like to see maroney get 20-25 carries a game. and maybe sign a FA RB, like labrandon toefield or even chris brown to back him up

 

[cstjohn17]

If Dillion leaves there is one more roster spot to fill at a key positon, he may not be a true starter but did get a lot of reps and was quite productive. The worst thing about this move from a roster building perspective is that there will be a cap charge and a new player will have to be brought in. I don't think it that difficult of a position to fill but takes resources away from other roster areas.

Impact on roster - a lot of questions and open positions, there us likely to be 10-15 new faces on the 07 team

Assumptions
- Dillion does not return
- Samuel plays in 2007
- all ERFA and RFAs are retained

As of today (Feb,23), I have our current roster needs rated as:

1. LB - ILB is short 1 starter and both positions have no depth (2-3 open spots)
2. WR - requires upgrade at top end and some additional backend depth (2 open spots, 1 Starter and a fight for #5 between Kight, Chidlress, Draftee and T Brown if he returns)
3. TE - 1 open spot
4. RB - 1 open spot for a situational starter plus competition for backups and FB
5. S - no open spots, but upgrades can occur at starting FS or backup SS
6. CB - backup spot(s) open, 3rd CB position is open (Scott, Gay plus whoever)
7. Oline - no open spots but can be upgraded
8. Dline - no open spots - solid, possible depth added spot 6 or 7
9. SPEC - no open spots, competition for P
10. QB - open spot for 3rd string

A lot will change within the next month, nothing to get worried about but there are a lot of open positions.

first and foremost, Thanks for the blood,sweat and tears corey...

now...

What do you do? Corey leaving is a bigger problem than I think most people care to acknowledge as great and faulk is, and how great maroneys upside is... Dillion was still our premeire back. Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming which would explain why maroney was used in power running situations..hmmm

secondly, I'd like to wish Chad Jackson a speedy recovery..luckily our team is jam packed with players who have had serious injuries in critical times..so i expect Chad Jackson will have alot of comfort in that sense..

do you throw RB/WR into a must draft/sign to the top or near the top of your needs list..or do you leave it as is..explain your reasoning!

 

[AzPatsFan]

first and foremost, Thanks for the blood,sweat and tears corey...

now...

What do you do? Corey leaving is a bigger problem than I think most people care to acknowledge as great and faulk is, and how great maroneys upside is... Dillion was still our premeire back. Wonder if F.O/Coaching saw this coming which would explain why maroney was used in power running situations..hmmm

secondly, I'd like to wish Chad Jackson a speedy recovery..luckily our team is jam packed with players who have had serious injuries in critical times..so i expect Chad Jackson will have alot of comfort in that sense..

do you throw RB/WR into a must draft/sign to the top or near the top of your needs list..or do you leave it as is..explain your reasoning!

If you look realistically at the Pats, they rebuilt the Offense and ST over the last two years; after having spent lots of time on the Defense the years before.

Off the 2006 results, the Defense performed better than the Offense statistically. But that was last season. The Offense was so new that it wasn't fully functioning as a finished product. Meanwhile the Defense has sprung a leak at ILB where the starters are good bu the depth is poor.

In spite of what the junior GMs here think, the secondary is both fine, young and deep. A CB trio of Samuels, Hobbs and Gay backed by swing CBs like Scott, Hawkins, and Geno is much more than most teams have. At S the Patriots have Geno and Sanders, backed by veterans starters Hawkins and Harrison with ex-starters Scott and Gay able to swing in and Mitchel from ST able to contribute too. The DL and depth at DL is fine; and the OLBs are fine and young too. Only in the Inside LB position does the Team need some new additions.

Bill and Scott will address that as they always do with a combination of draft picks, veteran ex-starters, and low level FAs, and perhaps a trade. The current ILB position is Tedy and Vrabel. Next season I could see it composed of Tedy and Mike, Jr, and Nap Harris; and Barry Gardner taking Izzo's place as ST LB. Add one of Willis, Harris or Poslusny from the Draft. I assume both Izzo and Davis are done, and their replacements will be both ST players, but also playable reserves at LB, like Gardner.

The offense is now young without a single starter under thirty and only two reserves over thirty. (Brown & Faulk) I see the Pats investing another first day draft selections in a RB and WR and a mid round pick on a QB. Other wise the draft picks will be second day LBs and secondary picks, looking for ST and perhaps a defensive find. A late first or second day pick I like is Prescott Burgess as a coverage LB. I assume that Pats will resign TBC and Jr and perhaps keep Corey.