Live ammo testing...
flutie2phelan said:
As usual with personnel assesment, fans have to be content with analyzing
shadows on the wall ... while coaches watch everything in 3-D and bright sunlight.
What is telling is that Piolichick not only let Willie go, without a murmur ...
but also let Matt Chatham go without an audible murmur.
Matt, of course, was a role player here (his role apparently being to block in the back on returns.)
But quite a few of us think he was a real linebacker, humbly awaiting his turn.
His unit coach seemed to agree, for it was Eric Mangia who brought him to the Jersey Jets to play defense.
Letting the pair abscond ... strongly implies that Belioli is convinced that somewhere - and they know where -
among TBC ... Beisel ... Claridge ... and even 2-yr PS-er Alexander ... they have their replacement for McGinest.
Drafting a good linebacker (or two) would be just the usual re-loading.
You forgot to add that Piolichcick also cut OLB Chad Brown. Another tea leaf to read.
I went back and looked at the Gamebook stats for the Miami end-of-season game,but did not review tape. That is the one that the Patriots, in effect, had an audition for all their second, third stringers. As a real game, it was much easier to see how your youngsters were able to compete against a respectable team's first string, actually playing hard as opposed to perhaps loafing in an exhibition.
Much more realsitic tthan a pre-season contest for self-scouting your depth.
At the time, everyone said it was an attempt to purposely lose for better Playoff matchups. But I think BB was being as cagey as "Brer Rabbit" when he pleaded not to get tossed in to the brair patch, instead of getting eaten by "Brer Fox".
BB knew he had a lot of transitions to make this offseason and needed some good evaluations of his youngsters,
Many came through with flying colors; Chatham, Hobbs, Poteat, Sanders and TBC had good games. TBC was the fifth rated tackler with 5 tackles and a sack, while playing most of three + quarters of action. The others had 8,7,6,and 7 tackles respectively. Sanders had a a pair of ST tackles, amongst his stats, a good omen.
Chatham demonstrated an ability too, that probably won him his FA contract with the Jets, as maybe something a bit more than prime backup depth.
TBC's play probably convinced BB/SP that letting Willie and Matt and Chad Brown go was not a complete disaster waiting to happen. Projected over a season TBC would end up with 80 tackles and 16 sacks, hardly inferior stats.
We already know he is a above average ST who can contribute there as well.
TBC might not star, but he would not be an embarassment either.
