Ty Law on ESPN: Pats made big mistake gutting team of SB veterans

[groundgame]

On ESPN NFL Program tonight (Friday), Ty Law, in studio, criticized the Patriots for parting ways with all almost all of their multiple Super Bowl winning veterans. Law said the sudden loss of these veteran players (Seymour, Varvis Green etc.) left the young players without the strong locker room role models that have been the hallmark of the Patriots in the Belichick era up to this prior season.

The ESPN NFL panel rated the Patriots as a team with the "window closing", but also noted that any team with Tom Brady at QB can not be counted out. The consensus was New England's offense not the problem, but the lingering question mark remains: Can their young defense emerge to resemble their past Super Bowl winners which were anchored by a stout defense?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I believe Varvis Green was here last year and didn't help and left as a UFA...

I believe Seymour was here in 2005-2008 and it didn't win us a damn thing...

I saw Willie playing for Cleveland and that didn't do a damn thing for RAC...

Vrabel was a shadow of his former self last season in KC. Rodney and Tedy retired because they felt they couldn't play anymore.

Bill's problems arose when he miscalculated on a couple of veteran FA as well as how long it would take a youngster like Mayo or players like Vince or Ty Warren who grew up in the shadow of some exceptional leaders to man up and start leading themselves.

Somebody should have asked Ty about something he probably knew about first hand, like veterans importing road groupies in KC under everyone's favorite player coaches nose...

 

[signbabybrady]

No mistakes were made. (well as far as the vets and maybe a mistake or two was made there but Ty is making a blanket statement not saying player x was a mistake and collectively there is nothing anyone can do to keep old players from aging except try and replace them and the replacements still have time to prove themselves)

Guys just got old and were not the same.

 

[RussFrancis]

ESPN is like Donald Trump. They bait you into saying things you really dont wanna say, and before you know it, BOOM, "Youre fired!".

 

[Deus Irae]

Nothing new here. Brady, and the team in general, noted essentially the same thing.

 

[capetide]

After asking Ty about team construction, did they get around to asking about how to fix that pesky oil spill in the Gulf?






PS I wonder if Ty has been able to feed his family the past couple of years. I really became concerned about their welfare during the Hungry Man Tour.

 

[Sciz]

Pretty much the only player that I can think of that left and then played well (or at all, in some cases) was Samuel, and he wasn't worth anywhere near the contract he got. Am I missing anybody?

 

[Patjew]

If Law was talking about locker room presence, then I don't know why you guys are dismissing it based on on-the-field performance of the older guys. Me, I would have liked to have a Vrabel and/or Willie and/or Seymour in that combustible locker room last year, not to mention that they probably would have started on last year's awful front 7 anyway (obviously Seymour would have). So yeah, I agree with what I read that Ty said. I'll never understand the antipathy towards Law shown here. That man played like a beast for the Pats.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Me, I would have liked to have a Vrabel and/or Willie and/or Seymour in that combustible locker room last year, not to mention that they probably would have started on last year's awful front 7 anyway (obviously Seymour would have).

For me, the worst part is that they had to trade Vrabel in part because of the bloated contract that Afailius had. [The real kicker: IIRC Afailius turned down more money to play elsewhere. . . .]

 

[pats1]

I believe Varvis Green was here last year and didn't help and left as a UFA...

I believe Seymour was here in 2005-2008 and it didn't win us a damn thing...

I saw Willie playing for Cleveland and that didn't do a damn thing for RAC...

Vrabel was a shadow of his former self last season in KC. Rodney and Tedy retired because they felt they couldn't play anymore.

Bill's problems arose when he miscalculated on a couple of veteran FA as well as how long it would take a youngster like Mayo or players like Vince or Ty Warren who grew up in the shadow of some exceptional leaders to man up and start leading themselves.

Somebody should have asked Ty about something he probably knew about first hand, like veterans importing road groupies in KC under everyone's favorite player coaches nose...

Garin Green or Jarvis Veris?

 

[ausbacker]

Whilst keeping the veterans around is a pertinent point most media pundits were talking about the age of the New England defense and how it needed to be rejuvenated. Correct me if I am wrong but Bill Belichick is in the middle of doing exactly that.

You can't have it both ways. I like where the Patriots are headed.

 

[DaBruinz]

On ESPN NFL Program tonight (Friday), Ty Law, in studio, criticized the Patriots for parting ways with all almost all of their multiple Super Bowl winning veterans. Law said the sudden loss of these veteran players (Seymour, Varvis Green etc.) left the young players without the strong locker room role models that have been the hallmark of the Patriots in the Belichick era up to this prior season.

I find it funny that Ty claims that there aren't strong locker room role models left on the Patriots. To me, that's a direct slam at guys like Kevin Faulk and Tom Brady. The Pats traded away TWO of their "locker room" guys in Vrabel and Seymour. The rest (as has been pointed out) either CHOSE to move on or retired.

I find it hard to believe that there were that many "locker room" role models to begin with. Ty definitely wasn't one of them.

 

[RayClay]

Seymour is a great player, but role model?

The problem they have is they didn't start a few young defensive players 4-5 years ago who would be those vets now.

 

[ausbacker]

Seymour is a great player, but role model?

The problem they have is they didn't start a few young defensive players 4-5 years ago who would be those vets now.

Would these two suffice RayClay? I wouldn't be opposed to bringing them in for tryouts .

 

[spacecrime]

Pretty much the only player that I can think of that left and then played well (or at all, in some cases) was Samuel, and he wasn't worth anywhere near the contract he got. Am I missing anybody?

Greg Spires.

 

[spacecrime]

Whilst keeping the veterans around is a pertinent point most media pundits were talking about the age of the New England defense and how it needed to be rejuvenated. Correct me if I am wrong but Bill Belichick is in the middle of doing exactly that.

I think it is funny that the Pats are doing two things wrong:

1. They are not keeping their veteran players

2. They are too old and should be getting younger

 

[Water Boy]

PS I wonder if Ty has been able to feed his family the past couple of years. I really became concerned about their welfare during the Hungry Man Tour.

Me too. Pray for the Law family everyone.

 

[Patjew]

Getting younger isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. I would have preferred Vrabel and/or Willie over Burgess and/or A. Thomas, not to mention Seymour over Brace or Pryor. Seymour may be a me-first guy, but there's no way the defense lays (lies?) down like they did vs the Ravens if Seymour was out there.

 

[ausbacker]

Getting younger isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. I would have preferred Vrabel and/or Willie over Burgess and/or A. Thomas, not to mention Seymour over Brace or Pryor. Seymour may be a me-first guy, but there's no way the defense lays (lies?) down like they did vs the Ravens if Seymour was out there.

I prefer to think of the Patriots-Ravens game as the Devin McCourty Cup thanks Patjew.

 

[PatsChamp88]

Garin Green or Jarvis Veris?

Neither he's talking about Garvis Jreen...