Win championships with DEFENSE

[shatch62]

This saying is so true so I have know that BB and Pioli know this so the Pats brain trust must like what we have on Defense. Last year down the stretch the D was playing very well but Bruschi can't play forever and when he was out there were major issues. I have faith but I would like to see one impact defender taken.

 

[JJDChE]

This saying is so true so I have know that BB and Pioli know this so the Pats brain trust must like what we have on Defense. Last year down the stretch the D was playing very well but Bruschi can't play forever and when he was out there were major issues. I have faith but I would like to see one impact defender taken.

Our next pick is in the sixth round, the "impact defensive player" ship has sailed.

 

[desi-patsfan]

Our next pick is in the sixth round, the "impact defensive player" ship has sailed.

Not really, we will just get defense in other ways. There are always FA's available and i dont think our D is so bad as is.

 

[BruschiOnTap]

I was concerned at first. After reading on this board I have been convinced a LB was a major need, but even if that's hte case, it seems more Beli's style to get FA 'backers who have proven speed and smarts (though last season produced mixed results...)

 

[edgecy]

I hope they take Stanley McClover as their first D player. Just because he's from Auburn

 

[oldrover]

Well, they haven't drafted for defense, but I can't complain about the draft quality. 2 TEs? Yes. We had only two, Graham's deal ends after this year or next, IIRC, and we run the 2TE set a lot. RB? Yes. WR? Obviously. K? Hello!!! O-Line? Bingo.

I'm not as worried about our D-backs as most here, assuming G@y is healthy. I think the biggest hole to fill really is Willie Mac, and I don't think you can draft a guy and expect him to fill those shoes. TBC may work out, but I think Piolicheck will grab some more FAs after June 1.

All in all, it's IMHO a very good draft.

 

[BradyBirdYazOrr]

Lb donnie edwards

 

[cubedoggy]

Well, they haven't drafted for defense, but I can't complain about the draft quality. 2 TEs? Yes. We had only two, Graham's deal ends after this year or next, IIRC, and we run the 2TE set a lot. RB? Yes. WR? Obviously. K? Hello!!! O-Line? Bingo.

I'm not as worried about our D-backs as most here, assuming G@y is healthy. I think the biggest hole to fill really is Willie Mac, and I don't think you can draft a guy and expect him to fill those shoes. TBC may work out, but I think Piolicheck will grab some more FAs after June 1.

All in all, it's IMHO a very good draft.

Not that I'm a big fan of his, but NFL Network's Adam Schefter has picked the Pats as the biggest winner in the draft through Round 5.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

This saying is so true so I have know that BB and Pioli know this so the Pats brain trust must like what we have on Defense. Last year down the stretch the D was playing very well but Bruschi can't play forever and when he was out there were major issues. I have faith but I would like to see one impact defender taken.

At least $15 mm under the cap. Inhale, exhale, inhale...

 

[letekro]

This saying is so true so I have know that BB and Pioli know this so the Pats brain trust must like what we have on Defense. Last year down the stretch the D was playing very well but Bruschi can't play forever and when he was out there were major issues. I have faith but I would like to see one impact defender taken.

1. Denver and Jax could not move the ball on us in the playoffs.
2. D Line is young and dominant.
3. LBs are substantially the same as last year. Vrabel goes outside, negating the loss of Willie. Beisel was much improved by the end of last year and will continue to improve as he learns the system. We also have Claridge and the ability to bring in FAs to compete for the remaining inside spot.
4. There's a very good possibility Ty Law will return to further solidify the secondary.
5. The impact defensive players were pretty much all gone @21. Hawk, Huff, Greenway, Carpenter and the Florida State guys would have been hard to pass up.

 

[oldrover]

Keep in mind, Piolichick also basically got 2 1st-rounders with Maroney and Jackson. Pretty good for a team who was a couple of turnovers away from the AFC championship game.

 

[the taildragger]

fact: we absolutely have a championship caliber defense.
fact: you do not build a team by wasting picks on crappy LBs and DBs.

balance and depth wins championships...not defense.

we nearly overcame poor depth and balance last year because of tom f'n brady. one way to get him killed next year is to take a bunch of defensive players (who eventually get released) and leave him with one receiver, a line featuring two recovering starters, a blocking TE, a young TE who is learning the ropes, and zero depth behind dillon/faulk.

 

[spacecrime]

Our next pick is in the sixth round, the "impact defensive player" ship has sailed.

True, but there is some help out there. Montavious Stanly and babatunde oshimowo NTs, and Oiver Hoyte LB. Has parham or roach been picked yeT?

 

[oldrover]

fact: we absolutely have a championship caliber defense.
fact: you do not build a team by wasting picks on crappy LBs and DBs.

balance and depth wins championships...not defense.

we nearly overcame poor depth and balance last year because of tom f'n brady. one way to get him killed next year is to take a bunch of defensive players (who eventually get released) and leave him with one receiver, a line featuring two recovering starters, a blocking TE, a young TE who is learning the ropes, and zero depth behind dillon/faulk.

Agree with the above post. At seasons end our D was excellent, and our offense reminded me of 2002... all on Brady. Even if Dillon comes back 100%, we needed to look to the future, and we absolutely needed a quality WR. I'd rather have Jackson at 2nd round money than Walker coming off an injury at #1-WR FA money.

More TEs means more 2TE sets, which means targets and protection for Brady. An OT also delivers the latter.

It's a good draft. We scored 60 points fewer last year than in 2004. I think we'll be back near the top of the league in offense... hopefully enough so that we can afford to have a rookie kicker.

 

[cubedoggy]

And hopefully we can kick from 40 yds. rather than wasting drives early in the game by having to go for a 1st down on 3-and-long and 4th down.

 

[CrazyDave]

fact: we absolutely have a championship caliber defense.
fact: you do not build a team by wasting picks on crappy LBs and DBs.

balance and depth wins championships...not defense.

we nearly overcame poor depth and balance last year because of tom f'n brady. one way to get him killed next year is to take a bunch of defensive players (who eventually get released) and leave him with one receiver, a line featuring two recovering starters, a blocking TE, a young TE who is learning the ropes, and zero depth behind dillon/faulk.

Dude, this post is absolutely dead-on.

 

[emoney_33]

I don't understand why so many people are worried about the defense. The second half of last year we had a dominant defense, we only lost willie. We will be getting Rodney back as well as G@y and others that were injured last year. Belichick surely has a plan to fill that void at LB. Beisel should have a much better year now that he's been in the system for an entire year already. We didnt' win the superbowl last year because our offense played poorly in Denver. We had a lot bigger concerns in offense than defense going into the draft and I think we've got some good players to fill needs.

Our defense will be fine, when hasn't it been

 

[primetime]

True, but there is some help out there. Montavious Stanly and babatunde oshimowo NTs, and Oiver Hoyte LB. Has parham or roach been picked yeT?

No, but if they haven't been picked yet, then teams have passed on them 160+ times. Probably not impact players, in that case.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Taildragger, you not only have the best avatar of anybody on here, except maybe that animated one of the hot chick with the butt, but you're also dead-on in your assessment.

The only tinkering I'd do is...

VALUE wins championships.

Which is pretty much saying the same thing. Don't know that we will or won't upgrade the D in free agency, although I wouldn't rule it out. But anybody unhappy with the value the Pats got in this draft - especially at the top - has to be loopy.

I can only speak for myself, but my knowledge of prospects doesn't go several hundred players deep, so I have to trust in Bill even more the deeper the draft goes... but past experience says that's not a bad strategy.

PFnV

 

[JJDChE]

Did you Parnham lovers notice he ran a 5.02 40? I'm not one to go by 40's, but 5.02 is wicked slow. I'm faster than Parham and I'm bigger than Parnham. I don't like the idea of putting someone on the field who is smaller and slower than I am.