Thank GOD we didn't Tie Up WoodHead & Vereen a Year Before they left!!

[Galeb]

Vereen is not doing so well in NY, may be a bit premature but it seems he was more a product of our system and GOAT QB than a pure talent capable of excel in any team, Woodhead for instance is the real deal, he picked up in SD just where he left here.

Vereen would get good numbers in SD. SD has traditionally used 3rd down type backs more than any other in the league. Rivers loves them.

 

[aluminum seats]

No disrespect, but the premise of this thread is a bit of a mess. A poll on whether the Pats should have signed two players they let leave....so signed them earlier than...they never did? I mean the idea here is so abstract as to be incoherent.

 

[Galeb]

No disrespect, but the premise of this thread is a bit of a mess. A poll on whether the Pats should have signed two players they let leave....so signed them earlier than...they never did? I mean the idea here is so abstract as to be incoherent.

The title was likely crafted to draw an audience. Reading and understanding the OP would relieve you of that false sense of incoherence. That doesn't mean that the opinion is correct, but it is certainly coherent.

 

[aluminum seats]

The title was likely crafted to draw an audience. Reading and understanding the OP would relieve you of that false sense of incoherence. That doesn't mean that the opinion is correct, but it is certainly coherent.

Ehh....still sort of disagree, but don't have the energy to parse that first post.

 

[Galeb]

Vereen would get good numbers in SD. SD has traditionally used 3rd down type backs more than any other in the league. Rivers loves them.

LOL @aluminum seats

 

[InRodWeRust]

Where's the poll option of: "I don't care. I can't stand it!"

 

[Triumph]

 

[Joey007]

I like eggs winning by a landslide!

 

[Joey007]

I would be very intrigued to see what OTG would do if he were ever a GM..

 

[JJDChE]

Gauging from his posting style, I doubt OTG was alive then.

You usually see that kind of writing style on nutjob woo conspiracy theory websites. I always assumed he was of that ilk and came here on his off time from spreading contrail conspiracy theories.

 

[Bill Lee]

You got to have somebody with some Talent back there, boy.

I miss 1995 when we had Butts and Gash!

We didn't get Cox till 2001 though.

 

[Bledsoehasaring]

I kinda of get what you are saying..but lewis and blount were the best rb combo we have had in forever. They both got hurt. Lewis is better than woodhead and vereen. Bb is not gonna pay a back up third down back 3-4 mil a year. He pays the best kicker in football 4mil. It was never gonna happen man. And frankly there is no reason for it. Also vereen is terrible in ny.

 

[supafly]

Bb is not gonna pay a back up third down back 3-4 mil a year. He pays the best kicker in football 4mil. It was never gonna happen man. And frankly there is no reason for it. Also vereen is terrible in ny.

Vereen is doing the exact same thing in NY as he did here, which is run the ball very ineffectively, disappearing for long stretches at a time, and chipping in for an average of 3 catches or so per game that come from a small handful of big games. While it's very easy to miss Shane Vereen right now with the injuries, he's been predictable throughout his NFL career. As a matter of fact, Vereen has 2 catches or less in 7/13 games this season, with the usual few games of 7-8 receptions that we saw from him here.

If a guy like James White, Dion Lewis, or future draft pick____ can't produce or even improve upon those types of numbers, then shame on them, and it's on to the next one. Replacing a role player's output on a cheap deal is not only a staple of a Belichick coached team, it's actually key to the whole concept of the salary cap itself. While the premise of OTG's thread makes sense, it may be difficult to project what kind of deal they may/may not have offered last season, since we have no way of knowing what kind of negotiations took place.

I am much more bitter about the Woodhead situation than I am the Vereen situation, but again--we don't really know what kind of negotiations took place, only that the Pats passed up on offering Woodhead the same amount. That's the one that I wouldn't mind having back, but again, we did have someone waiting in the wings on a cheaper deal, so the cycle continues.

 

[Danger Zone]

I would be very intrigued to see what OTG would do if he were ever a GM..

I certainly dont claim to be on OTG's level, but I think I know a little of how his mind works (involves a lot of cutting down trees, skipping and jumping, wild flower pressing and putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars).

He liked an idea of mine that involved trading away every early pick from year A for much earlier/better picks from the following year B.

In year B, you draft normally with the picks you got from the previous year but trade away again for earlier/better picks from next year. Once you've done this once (or maybe twice), the cycle becomes self-feeding.

The trick is, you'd have to make do that first year with ONLY late round and UFAs (what OTG calls UDFAs). However, this becomes a little more palatable as you can then throw much more money at the UFA market with the money you save from not signing a 1st through 3rd round draft choice.

I think OTG's idea involved trading away all your early picks for a plethora of 4th-7th round picks.

If he was GM, I'd like to think he'd do it.

 

[PScottman]

If I had a criticism of BB it wouldn't be about what he did in building the initial roster. I would only question why he didn't bring back TCadet after Lewis got hurt,

In the vast realm of team building, we only get the "what we can see" portion of it. A little slice of game day only evidence (sometimes with just a small bit more - say pre-season attendance or an CSNNE special report for example) with which to make our opinions on. BB has that, plus full practices, plus team interaction, plus contract negotiations vs cap considerations, etc, etc.

That doesn't discount these opinions, but it does provide context in that there is a TON we don't get to see that likely offers much more data for the coach to make his decisions with. The best examples are when T. Wilson or some other end of the roster guy is elevated to starter in a certain game and just kills it, then the next week is on the inactive list again. Maybe he had an awesome week of practice, or showed a particular skill versus a particular opponent in the past?

There's simply too much positive evidence of good decision making to throw out the baby with the bathwater in overanalyzing why we didn't keep guys at a position that we've seen BB value more for blitz pickup during the Brady era than almost any other skill. He simply uses that money elsewhere - like for Revis/Browner in a Super Bowl winning year - instead of extending a fan fave Woodhead who he can replace (and has replaced TWICE) pretty easily.

 

[RayClay]

It's been proven over and over, you can't replace Welker and Woodhead, again and again.

 

[RayClay]

We need more Shakespeare references. Lay on, and damned be who first cries "Hold, enough!"

All the world's a field, And all the men merely players...one man in his time plays many parts - if he wants to play for BB.

Go Bolden!

 

[reflexblue]

I have never understood why woodhead was let go, it wouldn't have cost very much to keep him. as far as vareen, i don't remember what he got signing with the gints, but the pats were right up to or over the cap, and i'd say Mad Bill thought other areas of the team were more important than signing a 3rd down back for $3 mill a year. in hindsight it was a mistake.

 

[lurker1965]

I'm going to get mucho dislikes for this, but...
Brady throws for like 50 attempts per game or whatever. Although an Adrian peterson or Corey Dillion is nice, they are not needed.
You can blame modern pass happy rules or Tom's accuracy turning short passes into long handoffs and the short passes with RAC are the running game. Whatever. The end result is the same.
Yes, Blount's injury sucks, but not because Blount is irreplaceable - any fairly competent back is OK...ish. Boldin will be fine. Whomever it is will not have to carry the offense.
What sucks is Boldin's special teams play will suffer - and we are already getting weak on special teams.
As gor replacing Vareen/Woodhead, I'd say Lewis was pretty good. And White, while no Lewis, seems to be a "Vareen."
If you must panic, do it over Easley or something.

 

[lurker1965]

All the world's a field, And all the men merely players...one man in his time plays many parts - if he wants to play for BB.

Go Bolden!

I do not bite my thumb at you sir, but I do bite my thumb - somehow made to mean Brady supports Trump but don't ask me how.