Tell me about LB Gary Guyton

[FarScapeR]

Guyton is a promising player. BB said they kept throwing new responsibilities at him and he did very well with them. Sure, he wasn't up to snuff in his only showing at OLB, but that was a desperate situation.

ILB should be an interesting position to watch in training camp with (possibly) Seau, Bruschi, Mayo, Ruud, Guyton and... well, Alexander returning.

 

[RayClay]

I'm sorry but I don't really understand what you are trying to say. Is it, that lots of people were drafted before him so he must suck? That really is a very weak argument. First of all he made the team, second of all he played a bunch, third of all he ended up starting. The odds were completely stacked against him just to do those things, but he did. Hell look at Brady, how many players were picked before him, but hell, we may as well dump him now, he was a later round pick.

You aren't one of those, the Patriots would much rather get the 25th pick in the draft than the 3rd pick in the draft for Cassel are you?

You said he sucked, I didn't. Yes, being drafted first is an indication of greater potential than being undrafted behind 230+ players.

Rod Smith was undrafted and had a great career. Many 1st picks were busts. That doesn't mean Rod Smith is the norm.

First of all he made the team, second of all he played a bunch, third of all he ended up starting. The odds were completely stacked against him just to do those things, but he did.

I disagree. Who did he beat out? I would say the odds of a free agent linebacker sticking with the Patriots are fairly good, once in camp.

After that, it only takes one or two injuries to get a chance to play.

BPF mentioned the Steelers weren't loaded with lbs in 2002. Nevertheless, the Steelers drafted 4 LBs from 2001-2003.

You make out I don't like Guyton, quite the opposite. He's looked quick and hustled when I saw him. We simply have not restocked or spent on that position. Thank God we did last year I hope they keep it up.

 

[RayClay]

Gildon, Porter and Bell were their only sure things at the time. Not much depth.

2002 Steelers LB's:

As I said they drafted four between 2001-2003. You certainly get luckier if you attempt to stock the position. Obviously, Farrior is an indication the also will use vets.

Let's make a direct comparison of LB drafts by round in the BB era before this year when the Pats drafted three.

2000-2007 1 2 2 2 4 5 5 6 Pittsburgh

2000-2007................5....6 6 7 7 7 Patriots

 

[satz]

BB loves a good collection of LB . Mayo and Guyton play in the same weight of around 240 but mayo just plays more physical and at the LOS. guyton is more speedy guy who seems faster in open field and weak at the LOS. it might have sometihng to do with being taller too and lacking getting leverage.

Mayo and Guyton are going to be in our ILB core , what we need desperately is a 260LB thumper who can take on gaurds every down. seau and brushi[a bit undersized] do this effectively .Being more experienced what they give up in speed they make up with technique when engaging gaurds .

Mayo,Guyton and Big ILB can anchor this line for years. i do not even mind Older experienced LB like seau and brushi in redzone where experience and play reading is more important than speed.

 

[jmt57]

I was checking the roster and seen his name on it. Don't remember seeing him in the few games I got to see on TV.

Next season I highly recommend either getting (a) NFL Sunday Ticket, (b) a slingbox, or (c) watching the Pats games for free on the internet on sites like channelsurfing.net - three viable options for any budget. No need to miss a Pats game even when you're in Carolina.

Is he someone with a future with us?
thanks

Billdog and Urgent pretty much summed it up.

Seriously?
Wow.

Yeah, he was a key contributor.
Played a lot of special teams.
One of the first guys off the bench in the rotation at LB.
Played behind Bruschi, and played a lot of coverage LB, sort of like Phifer.
Had enough versatility that he also played some OLB, although he is clearly a better coverage ILB than OLB. Great speed at ILB, good range, decent instincts.
Tremendous value as an udfa.
He seems typical of the many faster LB's that have come out in the past three drafts, where we have said, post-draft, yeah, none of those guys really would have fit the Pats scheme, but he came right in as an undrafted player and had a major impact.

If I had a choice of Guyton or Izzo for next year on this roster, I would go with Guyton - he can play a similar role on ST with minimal drop-off, but can play a lot of defense.

If you still want to read more comments and opinions about Guyton, check out some of these past threads.

4/29: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/81927-udfa-gary-guyton-signed-pats.html
8/24: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../10/102622-quandry-ilb-position-analysis.html
10/7: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...wilhite-over-wheatley-guyton-over-crable.html
10/10: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...64624-defensive-participation-mike-reiss.html
10/11: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/165204-bb-praises-guyton.html
11/4: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england.../177381-ot-draft-whiffs-bit-unbelievable.html
11/5: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...0/177632-reiss-patriots-defensive-trends.html
1/12: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/206707-front-seven-weak-link.html
1/16: http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...08108-reiss-special-teams-tackle-leaders.html

 

[PittPatriot]

He was a hell of a lot better than Victor Hobson who is complaining

about having been cut to make room for Guyton.

Yes, but destiny shines on Hobson who will be playing in the SB in the next 2 days.

 

[BPF]

From Reiss's football notes today:

Schwartz now a Lion king - The Boston Globe

A shred of humility
One sign that unexpected success hasn't inflated linebacker Gary Guyton's opinion of himself after he made the Patriots as a rookie free agent last season: Guyton has returned to his alma mater (Georgia Tech) this offseason and is working the same on-campus job he did as a student. He told his agent, Richard Kopelman, that he's now a "professional paper shredder."

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

I don't see why some people are going to great lengths to downplay Guyton.

Are you just trying to offset what you consider to be an overreaction of positive outlook by other fans? Did he bed your wife? Did he refuse an autograph? Did he fail to you leave you 15% gratuity? What?!

Honestly... The guy played pretty decent. Better than woods, alexander, and every other LB we drafted lately (other than Mayo of course). I'm pretty happy with how he played.

If I'm the Pats, I'd would cover all my bases at LB, but I think it is reasonable to assume that Guyton will get some significant playing time this season.

 

[mayoclinic]

I don't see why some people are going to great lengths to downplay Guyton.

Are you just trying to offset what you consider to be an overreaction of positive outlook by other fans? Did he bed your wife? Did he refuse an autograph? Did he fail to you leave you 15% gratuity? What?!

Honestly... The guy played pretty decent. Better than woods, alexander, and every other LB we drafted lately (other than Mayo of course). I'm pretty happy with how he played.

If I'm the Pats, I'd would cover all my bases at LB, but I think it is reasonable to assume that Guyton will get some significant playing time this season.

I wouldn't downplay Guyton at all. He was an amazing steal in FA, and should be part of the ILB rotation for a long time. He's in a whole different league from the Alexander's of the world as far as I am concerned.

The big question is whether Guyton will develop into a 3-down starter at SILB opposite Mayo, or will be more of a rotational guy. He certainly needs to get stronger in order to take on a regular SILB role. I wouldn't bet against it given how much he surprised and how quickly he developed, but I also wouldn't be willing to bet the farm on it. Which gives the Pats some options:

- Pair Mayo and Guyton as the starting ILB duo, depending on how they see Guyton progress during the offseason
- Move AD (or, less likely, Vrabel) back to SILB and use them along with Mayo, Guyton as Bruschi as the ILB rotation for 2009, giving Guyton more time to show what he does.
- Draft or sign another SILB candidate to share time with Guyton and form a core rotation along with Mayo at WILB. Barring some miraculous FA signing (Karlos Dansby would be my ideal choice at SILB, but he's likely to resign with Arizona and with Cassel's situation unresolved we couldn't sign him anyway) the draft is the more likely way to go. There's been a lot of discussion on this board about which potential candidates could possibly move inside to SILB, with Clint Sintim, Larry English, Connor Barwin, Clay Matthews, and Cody Brown being some of the names mentioned.

Whichever way they go, I can't see Guyton not being a major part of the Pats' plans at ILB for the foreseeable future.

 

[RayClay]

Honestly... The guy played pretty decent. Better than woods, alexander, and every other LB we drafted lately (other than Mayo of course). I'm pretty happy with how he played.

You realize you're talking about 3 guys that went undrafted. The other was unnecessary.