Who are these guys and why did they make the team?

[captain stone]

Forgive me for not following our roster very closely since the Super Bowl, but I see that these rather unknown names made the final 53.

So what can you tell me about them (as far as hype/potential, camp/preseason performance, etc.) and why I should or shouldn't be excited that they're still Patriots?

RB Brandon Bolden
OL Nick McDonald
OL Donald Thomas
DL Marcus Forston
DL Justin Francis
LB Mike Rivera

Bolden - would try to sneak thru waivers if Jacob Hester, who can help more now, is signed;

McDonald - most versatile OLman on Pats, if healthy;

Thomas - liked him in 2008 draft, is bigger & better than Wendell;

Forston - Tampa2 DT, replaces Pryor, but as 5th DT belongs on PS;

Francis - draftable DE project, can never have enough Pass-Rushers, PS candidate if Andre Carter re-signed;

Rivera - major screwup by Bill, useless on defense, much much <<<< Carpenter

 

[BradyFTW!]

Besides the obvious "there wasn't a better option" here are my positive thoughts on each:

RB Brandon Bolden: Ran well in the preseason and took reps at FB. With Vareen hurt and all the FBs gone we need a guy on the team with his skill set
OL Nick McDonald: Started at center last year, and can play every position on the line. This is perfect for a 3rd string OL
OL Donald Thomas: Probably wasn't going to make it if Waters came back, but the Pats tried him out at center and he didn't disappoint. Like McDonald, if you are a backup OL you need to play multiple positions on this team. Hence Koppen getting cut.
DL Marcus Forston: I didn't see him do much in the preseason, but he also didn't do anything negative. I think this one is the case of he was the best of the rest
DL Justin Francis: Francis was great in practice (wowing the media) and even showed up in games pressuring the QB. Great potential
LB Mike Rivera: Same as Francis, showed up in preseason (led the team in tackles) and showed potential.

x2 on being excited by Francis' potential. I think he has a shot at being pretty good.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Forget about those guys. Someone please explain to me how Tracy White made this team from the tub.

The same way Dave Thomas did in 2007, whatever that might be.

 

[bagwell368]

Bolden is the most interesting out of the group. BB must really like him to make him the 4th RB on the 53, considering his ST gaffs

Who cares about ST for Bolden, he won't be fielding the ball. He's the only back with heft on the roster and the only one that doesn't seem to get hurt every other day. When we're beating the Bills by nine with 3:12 to go, you want to use any of our delicate backs, or do you want to smash mouth the game to is conclusion? If so, Bolden is your man.

He had a lot of hype coming out of camp, but he didn't really show much in the preseason except that he is a solid downhill runner. The O-line sucked for our backs though, especially Vereen and Bolden.

Disagree. On plays that the OL didn't allow Bolden to be touched in the backfield he did pretty well. Better in fact then BJGE did in his first camp per my memory.

Right the O-line sucked and the FB's as group either sucked or were injured. That yields Bolden as the sensible answer.