WR Greg Salas Waived, OL Markus Zusevics Signed off Reserve/NFI

[MP-Logick]

I know he was inactive. Doesn't change the fact that they needed another OT on the team in case of injury with Vollmer's back acting up. And yes, I understand that they had to activate him or lose him for the season. Doesn't change the fact they need another OT.

Nothing you've said changes the fact that the idea that the Pats didn't care if they lost Salas makes no sense at all.

Not remotely what I said at all. But carry on.

 

[jason423]

Yes, the patriots wanted to keep Salas. It always good to have Practice Squad backups. After all, we were willing to pay Salas roster money for being on the Practice Squad.

HOWEVER, Salas apparently is worth less to the team than having an additional special teamer. We have several defensive players who are on the roster to play special teams: Koutouvides, White, Martin, Rivera, and Ebner. Cole, a top special teamer, was not even active against the jets.

This is also impressive given that we don't have a #4 WR. As of now, if Edelman isn't healthy, no one will be the #3 WR, other than the few garbage reps that Slater might get. But then, that's the point. This underscores the value the patriots put on Salas.

My gut tells me that when the Patriots released Salas they did not think another team would claim him. That was really the reason for the timing behind the release. It was at a point in the week where its so late a team likely isnt going to make a roster move to bring a player in. The Jets were probably their main concern (they were clearly the team that put a bid in on him early in the season), but with that the Pats having played them twice and the Patriots confident in victory more or less eliminating the Jets it would be less likely that the Jets make the move. My guess is Belichick was surprised that both the Eagles and Jets made claims.

 

[fnordcircle]

My gut tells me that when the Patriots released Salas they did not think another team would claim him.

Then why would they have been paying him more to stay on their practice squad? If they thought there was no demand they wouldn't have made that step.

Here's what I think happened: The team made a calculated move and let the chips fall where they may. With the injury to Vollmer being an unknown it was important to get another OL on the team to begin taking reps after Thursday to provide depth that was more important than another WR.

It's what this team always does, though. They only worry about the factors they can control.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

My gut tells me that when the Patriots released Salas they did not think another team would claim him. That was really the reason for the timing behind the release. It was at a point in the week where its so late a team likely isnt going to make a roster move to bring a player in. The Jets were probably their main concern (they were clearly the team that put a bid in on him early in the season), but with that the Pats having played them twice and the Patriots confident in victory more or less eliminating the Jets it would be less likely that the Jets make the move. My guess is Belichick was surprised that both the Eagles and Jets made claims.

I don't see the thinking that says the Jets wouldn't take him as the Jets are beyond desperate for anyone at WR. Although I have a functioning brain, I have hands like Hill so they're not interested in me.

BB was desperate for OL backup and probably rated MZ's potential as a player higher than Salas.

 

[Ring 6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deus Irae

Salas will not be returning to the Patriots anytime soon:



https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status...90488696352768

If Edelman is unable to go, that would seem to enhance the likelihood of Branch returning.

Posted from Patsfans.com App for Android

 

[mayoclinic]

Here's what I think happened: The team made a calculated move and let the chips fall where they may. With the injury to Vollmer being an unknown it was important to get another OL on the team to begin taking reps after Thursday to provide depth that was more important than another WR.

It's what this team always does, though. They only worry about the factors they can control.

That's pretty much how the team always does business, as you note. Every move is calculated. The calculations aren't always correct. They obviously valued Salas since they traded for him and bumped his PS salary to keep him away from other teams, and promoted him. But they didn't value him enough to risk losing him when they needed to address depth at the OT position, and they didn't value him enough to cut someone else like Mike Rivera instead. It was probably partly a calculus of value and partly one based on expectation of likelihood that he might go unclaimed, but once they cut him things were outside of their control, and they had to realize that someone might put a waiver claim in on him. There will be no Jake Ballard-style hand wringing over this. It was a calculated move, and the chips fell one way they could foreseeably have fallen. Move on.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Salas is a fringe NFL player on his 3rd NFL team in the last 3 months. Fringe NFL players get released by NFL teams in favor of other players all the time. What's with the page after page of expert analysis of how much the Patriots really valued him?

 

[mayoclinic]

Salas is a fringe NFL player on his 3rd NFL team in the last 3 months. Fringe NFL players get released by NFL teams in favor of other players all the time. What's with the page after page of expert analysis of how much the Patriots really valued him?

1. It's a long week between games and people are board.

2, There are page after page of analysis on just about every topic under the sun related to the Pats, no matter how minute or obscure. Why should this be any different?

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

1. It's a long week between games and people are board.

2, There are page after page of analysis on just about every topic under the sun related to the Pats, no matter how minute or obscure. Why should this be any different?

That's all good, it's the "I definitively know what the Pats are thinking and you have no clue part." that I was commenting on. In the case of Salas, they valued him to the point of being expendable in favor of Zusevics, that's all we know. If he was a must keep, they could have released Derrick Martin or another player. The Pats are aware that anytime a player is exposed to waivers there's a chance they lose the player and were willing to do that with Salas.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

That's pretty much how the team always does business, as you note. Every move is calculated. The calculations aren't always correct. They obviously valued Salas since they traded for him and bumped his PS salary to keep him away from other teams, and promoted him. But they didn't value him enough to risk losing him when they needed to address depth at the OT position, and they didn't value him enough to cut someone else like Mike Rivera instead. It was probably partly a calculus of value and partly one based on expectation of likelihood that he might go unclaimed, but once they cut him things were outside of their control, and they had to realize that someone might put a waiver claim in on him. There will be no Jake Ballard-style hand wringing over this. It was a calculated move, and the chips fell one way they could foreseeably have fallen. Move on.

Mike Rivera. That says it all. Alas, Salas Josh's butt buddy was not really that valued by BB.

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

Greg Bedard shares my puzzlement over Greg Salas being waived and lost.

"Puzzling why the Patriots would release a young receiver who has played in Josh McDaniels’s system like Greg Salas, who was claimed by the Eagles. New England doesn’t exactly have an assembly line for those guys, and right now only Brandon Lloyd and Matthew Slater are under contract for next season."

Here is how the New York Jets can correct things - Sports - The Boston Globe (scroll down #3)

 

[Deus Irae]

Greg Bedard shares my puzzlement over Greg Salas being waived and lost.

"Puzzling why the Patriots would release a young receiver who has played in Josh McDaniels’s system like Greg Salas, who was claimed by the Eagles. New England doesn’t exactly have an assembly line for those guys, and right now only Brandon Lloyd and Matthew Slater are under contract for next season."

Here is how the New York Jets can correct things - Sports - The Boston Globe (scroll down #3)

Unless Bedard thinks the Eagles are going to franchise Salas, he's missing a pretty obvious situation there.

 

[mgteich]

The obvious situation is that we could franchise Welker.

There is no reason to believe that the patriots would sign Salas in the offseason rather than any of the other available wide receivers. If we do not retain BOTH Welker and Edelman, I would hope that we would acquire someone much better than Salas.

Unless Bedard thinks the Eagles are going to franchise Salas, he's missing a pretty obvious situation there.

 

[Deus Irae]

The obvious situation is that we could franchise Welker.

There is no reason to believe that the patriots would sign Salas in the offseason rather than any of the other available wide receivers. If we do not retain BOTH Welker and Edelman, I would hope that we would acquire someone much better than Salas.

Since the context was about Bedard's comments regarding Salas, the obvious situation is that, unless he sets the world on fire, Salas will likely be available if the Patriots want him back. Also, as you imply, if it does turn out that he's not available, it's not exactly like losing Calvin Johnson.

 

[Ring 6]

Greg Bedard shares my puzzlement over Greg Salas being waived and lost.

"Puzzling why the Patriots would release a young receiver who has played in Josh McDaniels’s system like Greg Salas, who was claimed by the Eagles. New England doesn’t exactly have an assembly line for those guys, and right now only Brandon Lloyd and Matthew Slater are under contract for next season."

Here is how the New York Jets can correct things - Sports - The Boston Globe (scroll down #3)

Never ceases to amaze me the amount of Monday Morning GMing that goes on over JAGs who can't even make the 53 man roster.
Easy answer, he spent 3 months here and they figured out he wasn't very good.