Team Needs going into next season

[DaBruinz]

I hope not

Why not? He was the best DB after Arrington. That being said, I think Moore is the 4CB next year, behind McCourty, Dowling and Arrington, unless McCourty is moved to FS on a permanent basis.

 

[WhiZa]

Why would you re-sign Guyton? The guy has fallen so far down the depth chart that Tracy White is seeing more time than he is. Guyton is gone.

I'm not sure the Pats will re-sign Koppen unless it's for the minimum. I think that them keeping McDonald on the active roster the rest of the season after both Wendell and Connolly were healthy says ALOT. I also wouldn't be surprised if Connolly wasn't retained.

That's true about Guyton. I just felt like he always produced when he was on the field and would make a good backup. White obviously has the edge to him on ST.

The Koppen/Connolly signings will get interesting. I think the team would like to have both, but both players probably want the starting position.

 

[Marqui]

I don't really consider him a pure rush OLB/DE. He's more of a jack of all trades, master of none. But a solid player, nonetheless.

I agree that we need a pass rushing DE/OLB in a bad way. Assuming we return to the 3-4 next season, we don't even have a starting OLB opposite Ninkovich, so that's where the investment should be targeted.

Me neither, that's my big problem with him. The main thing a DE/OLB should be able to do is dominate at the line of scrimmage, against the pass and the run. Everything else is completely secondary in my mind. Ninkovich just isn't a big time force up front which is all that really matters for that position.

My ideal situation would be to resign Carter if he's healthy, bring in another significant DE/OLB upgrade, start them 2 and have Ninkovich be the rotational backup (along with a resigned Anderson). You can't be really against that, can you?

 

[fumbrunner]

Re-sign Welker, Koppen, Connolly and Carter

Sign Brandon Lloyd

Add a WR who can fill Branch's role, or be another middle-deep threat

Add 2 DE/OLBs

Add S

Add CB

Add the re-signing of BJGE and I agree fully. Is Mark Anderson a FA? If he is, I'd add that too.

 

[JackBauer]

Me neither, that's my big problem with him. The main thing a DE/OLB should be able to do is dominate at the line of scrimmage, against the pass and the run. Everything else is completely secondary in my mind. Ninkovich just isn't a big time force up front which is all that really matters for that position.

My ideal situation would be to resign Carter if he's healthy, bring in another significant DE/OLB upgrade, start them 2 and have Ninkovich be the rotational backup. You can't be really be against that, can you?

Are we playing a 3-4, or a 4-3? If it's the former, then yes, I'd be against it.

Ninkovich is good against the run (setting the edge), and an average pass rusher. I'm not opposed to replacing him/relegating him to a rotation, but it's not something I consider a priority and not something I'd specifically devote resources toward accomplishing.

 

[DaBruinz]

Whether we re-sign or sign someone sin't as simple as deciding whether we want to keep their talent. If Andre Carter wants $8M/yr, I'm sure he's gone. If Welker wants too much, I'm sure he's gone. If Lloyd wants to much, we never sign him.

Instead of saying who we'd sign, how about we approximate what we'd be willing to pay. I'd say Welker is worth 3 years at $24 million. I don't see another team paying him more than that. I'd say Lloyd is worth slightly less, say 3 years at $22 million. We sign them both, plus rookies, and we start running out of cap room fast. I say let Welker go. Sign Lloyd. Leave the slot to Hernandez and Edelman. Draft a #2 WR.

Why would you let Welker go? That makes no sense. What you fail to acknowledge is that Welker is more than just a "slot" receiver. He lines up all over the place. The rapport that he has with Brady is on par with the rapport that Rice had with Montana. It's not something you can duplicate.

I think that Floyd comes in for less than 3/22. In fact, if he get's more than 3/15, I'd be surprised. Floyd has a lot of baggage, more than Moss or OchoCinco had. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 1yr prove yourself deal to Floyd.

Let Koppen go. Sign Waters for $3-4million on a 1 or 2 year deal. He was invaluable and worth paying, despite our OL depth. Draft a center.

Waters is under contract through next year. Why would they have to sign him to another deal?

Let Hoyer go. Let BJGE go. It's great he doesn't fumble, but we need a little more from our #1 RB. Draft a RB late or sign someone cheap.

Why the hell would you let Hoyer go when he's an RFA and you can legitimately get a draft pick for him? As for BJGE, I think that he's gone because I think someone is going to give him a better deal and use him more effectively than the Pats do.

Pats will sign a UDFA RB, they won't use a draft pick. Not when they have Vereen and Ridley on board already.

Sign more FA DLs off the scrap heap. Let Anderson and Carter walk unless they can be had for under $4M. They both had their moments but only Carter appeared dominant at times and the injury makes him questionable.

Anderson solid all year and he stepped up his game, particularly against the run after Carter went down. I wouldn't be surprised to see Anderson back at all. I think that Carter might retire.

Re-sign Ninkovich for something around $2-3M. I'd like to see Fletcher converted to OLB, so we start him along with Nink, Mayo, and Spikes.

What is it with you and Signing guys to contracts when they are already under contract? First Waters and now Ninkovich. It detracts from your posts when you say they should sign guys who are already under contract.

Draft a DB with one of the top 4 picks. Draft an OLB with a top 4 pick.

Re-sign Slater and Love for less than $1M each.

Love is an RFA. He's going to be re-signed at the 2nd round level. Slater will be re-signed for a decent about. Probably a little over a million a year for 4 years.

That uses up most our cap room and our top 4 draft picks.

Cut Stinko and I assume Wright retires. Let any FA not mentioned above walk. Any cap space remaining fills in the gaps. If I've woefully underestimated the available space, it'd certainly be nice to keep Welker or make a move for Ledarius Webb, which would have the added benefit of weakening the Ravens.

Not sure where you get that you used up most of the Pats cap when you signed people who were already under contract. Not only that, you really didn't bother to talk about the money spent. You just kinda threw garbage at the wall to see what would stick..

 

[AluminumMessiah]

As has pretty much been stated ad nauseam, a DE/OLB with pass rush skills but strong enough to play the run, also, a WR who is taller than 5'9". If we could get a 6' 2 or 3" WR, that would make a world of difference. That guy with Welker working the slot and the two tight ends would make the offense much better. We just didn't have a guy with the size or speed on this roster who could beat a CB deep and make a big catch every now and then.

I hope Markell Carter and Myron Pryor can provide some help to a young and improving D next year. I look forward to watching the young core of defensive players grow as a unit and improve.

 

[DaBruinz]

More like, get an offensive coordinator that will make a real, concrete commitment to the run. Eff TB's ego at this point.

Eff your nonsense at this point. Seriously, you talk out your arse more than anyone and it's truly laughable.

What you clearly missed is that Tom actually audibled INTO a run yesterday from a pass. First time I've seen him do that in awhile. But, yeah. Let's Eff TB's ego. Dumbarse..

 

[DaBruinz]

We didn't watch the same game, then, because I saw Moore getting beat all night long.

You must be mistaking Moore for Molden. Molden got beat all night long. Moore, not so much. Arrington got beat on a couple of plays to Cruz. McCourty got beat as well. Moore got beat once on the perfect catch by Manningham on the sidelines.

I think you need to go back and re-watch the game, Deus.

 

[Marqui]

Are we playing a 3-4, or a 4-3? If it's the former, then yes, I'd be against it.

Ninkovich is good against the run (setting the edge), and an average pass rusher. I'm not opposed to replacing him/relegating him to a rotation, but it's not something I consider a priority and not something I'd specifically devote resources toward accomplishing.

Not sure why it matters what front they're using, 4-3 DEs/3-4 OLBs basically do the same thing. And if your not against ultimately regulating him to a rotation then we probably more or less agree on this topic.

 

[fumbrunner]

If the Pats are going to continue playing primarily a four man front with press man coverage, then (dare I say it) they need to look at CB at the draft again. Mccourty excelled in zone coverage but his struggles this year wre evident all year long. He may play better at FS, which opens up a spot behind Arrington and Ras-I. Moore may be that guy, but they will have to get better depth than what they had this year.

 

[DaBruinz]

Considering how long it takes a WR to learn the playbook I would be surprised if Welker is gone.

The Pats have so many holes its not funny.

Really? They have so many holes it's not funny? Do tell. Let's hear all these "HOLES" they have. Most people acknowledge they need help at S, CB, OLB, and DL Depth. But at each of those, people are talking about 1 player. The Pats need a center because Koppen and Connolly are UFA and Wendell is an RFA. The Pats need 2 WR, (one starter and one depth). That's not "a LOT" of holes. That's a few. Which is no different than every other team in the league.

The Pats have an amazingly solid O-line in Light, Mankins, Waters, and Vollmer with Solder, Cannon, McDonald as the back-ups.

The Pats have Woodhead, Ridley, Vareen and Polite under contract for next year. We can expect another RB to be added more than likely.

At WR, the Pats have only OchoCinco and Edelman and most people think that Ocho is gone. If that is the case, then the Pats will need to bring in 3 WR. Probably 2 via free agency and 1 in the draft. They'll probably also bring in several UDFA for TC.

Brace, Wilfork, Love, Deaderick. That is an extremely good group to build around. The Pats still need a RDE for the 3-4, unless they move Wilfork over there permanently. The only issue then is that Deaderick isn't nearly as good at LDE as Ty Warren was. So they would need a runstopping LDE.

ILB is set with Mayo, Spikes, Fletcher and Tarpinian. OLB has Ninkovich and Markell Carter, though Carter is a huge questionmark. And a lot depends on what they do with Andre Carter and Mark Anderson. Anderson actually stepped up and held up well at the end of the season while playing more. He isn't ELITE against the run, but he played a lot better than a lot of people gave him credit for.

 

[ATippett56]

I would retain the following players currently on the New England Patriots roster:

Dan Connolly, Wes Welker, Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis

I would select the following unrestricted free agents:

Brandon Lloyd, WR

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Wide Receivers

Richard Marshall, CB/FS

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Cornerbacks

I would select a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 3-4 defensive end in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

2012_OLB NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Heck, I would seriously consider trading up in the first round with the New England Patriots first and second round draft picks for Courtney Upshaw if available at the 19th overall selection or lower.

2012_DT NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

I would select a free safety in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft

2012_FS NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

 

[vyrago]

We wasted 2 draft picks on RBs last year.

No way we take another RB.

Perhaps they weren't wasted. This will be year two. If Ridley's drop problems are solved (remember Kevin Faulk had a terrible case of the fumbles early on), we might really have something there. Vereen? Who knows? But it would dumb to write him off before we find out.

 

[DaBruinz]

If the Pats are going to continue playing primarily a four man front with press man coverage, then (dare I say it) they need to look at CB at the draft again. Mccourty excelled in zone coverage but his struggles this year wre evident all year long. He may play better at FS, which opens up a spot behind Arrington and Ras-I. Moore may be that guy, but they will have to get better depth than what they had this year.

They started the year that way, but didn't finish it that way. By the middle of the year, they were playing primarily a 3-4. Their Nickle package was a 2-4-5 most of the time. Even last night, when it looked like a 4-2-5, it was Ninkovich and Anderson lining up at DE

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Really? They have so many holes it's not funny? Do tell. Let's hear all these "HOLES" they have. Most people acknowledge they need help at S, CB, OLB, and DL Depth. But at each of those, people are talking about 1 player. The Pats need a center because Koppen and Connolly are UFA and Wendell is an RFA. The Pats need 2 WR, (one starter and one depth). That's not "a LOT" of holes. That's a few. Which is no different than every other team in the league.

The Pats have an amazingly solid O-line in Light, Mankins, Waters, and Vollmer with Solder, Cannon, McDonald as the back-ups.

The Pats have Woodhead, Ridley, Vareen and Polite under contract for next year. We can expect another RB to be added more than likely.

At WR, the Pats have only OchoCinco and Edelman and most people think that Ocho is gone. If that is the case, then the Pats will need to bring in 3 WR. Probably 2 via free agency and 1 in the draft. They'll probably also bring in several UDFA for TC.

Brace, Wilfork, Love, Deaderick. That is an extremely good group to build around. The Pats still need a RDE for the 3-4, unless they move Wilfork over there permanently. The only issue then is that Deaderick isn't nearly as good at LDE as Ty Warren was. So they would need a runstopping LDE.

ILB is set with Mayo, Spikes, Fletcher and Tarpinian. OLB has Ninkovich and Markell Carter, though Carter is a huge questionmark. And a lot depends on what they do with Andre Carter and Mark Anderson. Anderson actually stepped up and held up well at the end of the season while playing more. He isn't ELITE against the run, but he played a lot better than a lot of people gave him credit for.

You've just identified four critical areas they have big needs in and glossed over another (OL) making a huge assumption that Waters and Light are back next year, which as of Feb. 6 are huge assumptions.

But yeah, they have no holes.

Also Tarpinian is barely a JAG. Get real Fan Boy.

 

[DaBruinz]

I would retain the following players currently on the New England Patriots roster:

Dan Connolly, Wes Welker, Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis

I would select the following unrestricted free agents:

Brandon Lloyd, WR

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Wide Receivers

Richard Marshall, CB/FS

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Cornerbacks

I would select a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 3-4 defensive end in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

2012_OLB NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Heck, I would seriously consider trading up in the first round with the New England Patriots first and second round draft picks for Courtney Upshaw if available at the 19th overall selection or lower.

2012_DT NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

I would select a free safety in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft

2012_FS NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Upshaw is only 6'1 1/2 inches. He also has short arms (31 1/2") and small hands (8 5/8"). I just don't see him fitting the mold that BB looks for (6'3-6'4, 32+ in arms, and large hands).

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pats take a FS in the 2nd round. George Iloka, Stephon Gilmore or Trumaine Johnson. (Gilmore and Johnson would be conversions from CB).

Marshall would be a good consolation prize if the Pats couldn't get Brandon Carr.

 

[Marqui]

I would retain the following players currently on the New England Patriots roster:

Dan Connolly, Wes Welker, Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis

I would select the following unrestricted free agents:

Brandon Lloyd, WR

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Wide Receivers

Richard Marshall, CB/FS

WalterFootball.com: 2012 NFL Free Agents - Cornerbacks

I would select a 3-4 outside linebacker and a 3-4 defensive end in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

2012_OLB NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Heck, I would seriously consider trading up in the first round with the New England Patriots first and second round draft picks for Courtney Upshaw if available at the 19th overall selection or lower.

2012_DT NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

I would select a free safety in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft

2012_FS NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Everything is perfectly lined up for BB to fill all the holes on this team. They have more than enough cap space and draft picks to get it done. I'm going to be pissed if Belichick screws this offseason up, there's no excuse this time!

 

[Deus Irae]

You've just identified four critical areas they have big needs in and glossed over another (OL) making a huge assumption that Waters and Light are back next year, which as of Feb. 6 are huge assumptions.

But yeah, they have no holes.

Also Tarpinian is barely a JAG. Get real Fan Boy.

I can understand the question about RG, but why is it a huge assumption that the Patriots best OT will return when he's got a contract?

As for holes, they seem pretty obvious to me.

DE/OLB
WR
DB


Then again, they seemed obvious last year, too.

 

[JackBauer]

Also Tarpinian is barely a JAG. Get real Fan Boy.

I'm not sure how you'd possibly know this, but then again, what echelon are you expecting your #4 ILB to fall into?