Thank god for getting rid of Sanders & Meriweather!

[Ring 6]

The cutting of Sanders and Merriweather was horribly mismanaged. The problem wasn't so much that they were cut but the timing. These guys were in the system for years. Their weakness were well known to this coaching staff. They should have cut them in the Spring or whenever this years rules allowed for them to be cut and the Pats should have then, long ago, set out to bring in at least one top notch Safety or draft one or more. Instead they spend second and third round picks on RBs they don't even use, sign a half dozen aging D lineman, and ignore the safety position Just putrid decision making here. I just don't get it.

They were cut because of their performance in camp. They went into camp almost locked to make the team and showed nothing. How do you predict that?

 

[hodgey]

They were cut because of their performance in camp. They went into camp almost locked to make the team and showed nothing. How do you predict that?

Maybe Bill can find us a couple of starting safeties at the Naval academy!

 

[patsfan-1982]

Barrett & Brown may look great in practice but lets face the reason teams were not doing this to the pats last year was because Meriweather was knocking WR's and TE's out, there is no one to fear on this defense

 

[Ring 6]

Maybe Bill can find us a couple of starting safeties at the Naval academy!

Maybe he can. Maybe he can find them at Blockbuster too.
Sorry that it has been so tough on you to be a Pats fan in the BB era. Poor baby.

 

[ATippett56]

Barrett & Brown may look great in practice but lets face the reason teams were not doing this to the pats last year was because Meriweather was knocking WR's and TE's out, there is no one to fear on this defense

There is no talent at the safety position either.

 

[Ring 6]

Barrett & Brown may look great in practice but lets face the reason teams were not doing this to the pats last year was because Meriweather was knocking WR's and TE's out, there is no one to fear on this defense

What? You are joking right?

 

[hodgey]

Maybe he can. Maybe he can find them at Blockbuster too.
Sorry that it has been so tough on you to be a Pats fan in the BB era. Poor baby.

Maybe you should put your teeth back in and remove your pucker from the shute and realize its time for a change at head coach you JA. Do yourself a favor and dont respond to any of my posts as I find your opinion useless. Typical of the orb washers resorting to starting name calling!!!

 

[Ring 6]

Maybe you should put your teeth back in and remove your pucker from the shute and realize its time for a change at head coach you JA. Do yourself a favor and dont respond to any of my posts as I find your opinion useless. Typical of the orb washers resorting to starting name calling!!!

Right, we fire BB after a 5 and 3 start. Real genius. You have a lot of nerve criticizing anyone if that is what you bring to the table. Leave please.

 

[skinnydog]

They were cut because of their performance in camp. They went into camp almost locked to make the team and showed nothing. How do you predict that?

You're mindless. Sanders was coming off of an injury with a high cap number and you think he was almost a lock? What color is the sky in your world? Meriweather spent the first few games last year doing his own thing by his own admission and collecting cheap shot penalties and fines and he was a lock? This board was pretty hard on Meriweather last year despite his Pro Bowl status. Guess the board was right. Anyone paying the slightest attention would have seen both as question marks, not near locks.

 

[ctpatsfan1]

At least the idiot who couldn't cover or tackle was more likely to grab a game clinching INT, rather than rape a receiver on the end zone line with 30 seconds to go!!!

heh, problem with that logic is that you think he would be in the general area of a WR to make that game clinching INT.

You guys are splitting hairs over which piece of garbage is better. Other than Chung (I completely disagree with whomever made the statement that he sucks or has regressed) the S's on this D are horrible and would be just as horrible if their names were Sanders and Merriweather. It is complete folly if you think having Sanders and Merriweather would have made this secondary any better they were liabilities when they played the last few years and would have been the same liabilities this year hence why they are no longer here. BB tried to inject new blood into the position and that experiment has failed.

 

[BlueHen]

So much better off with Sergio Brown and James Iggybo or whatever the hell his name is.

Umm we don't need safeties with the best defensive line ever assembled.

 

[Boston Tim]

BB tried to inject new blood into the position and that experiment has failed.

One of many. But IMO, the key failure of this season hasn't been:
-- the draft (though...2 running backs? a broken CB?, no pass rushers again?)
-- or the head-scratching cuts that followed (Sanders, Meri, Bodden, etc.)
-- or the bone-headed insistence on trying to jam the proverbial square-shaped Ocho through the proverbial round hole (though there is a type of round hole where his performance fits nicely...)
-- or forcing the offense to have to score 28+ points every game in order to have a chance to win.
-- or the quality of the backups (Iggy? Barrett? Adams? Really?)

The biggest failure was the abysmal self-scouting that was done prior to the draft. BB really got some dreadfully wrong answers about the quality of personnel and critical team needs. So in a nutshell, I blame all the 2011 woes on the lockout. Problem solved.

 

[Dutchmaster617]

People hating on Merriweather (better than any safety on this roster) and Sanders (who I still love, never changing this avy) don't realize that they still would have given us a BETTER chance to win these 3 games we lost.

Last year our defense sucked too but remember we had the best offense, now our offense is middle of the pack game managing esque, no longer deadly, so any veteran presence back there would help. Sanders doesn't get that PI and it gives us a respectable shot at stopping Manning (look at Sanders stopping the other Manning last year), instead they trip a guy with their back turned, I mean really? Why not let physics do the defending and see if the pass goes incomplete? Even if it isn't at least we get more than 15 seconds to come back, pathetic safeties, I would take Darren Sharper in a heart beat but Pats management is too conservative, they think Brady is still 24.

 

[satz]

Of the 2 Sanders was a big loss. For what 2 million dollars.
every time over the years when sanders becomes a backup we hit a rough patch he will comein and settle things down. Last year with him in the back McCourtney and Chuck had to play and not worry about communication and being a leader.

Now with the pressure on chung he seems to have disappered. its probabily going to take time to either be a play maker or another safety to take over the duty for him to return to his old self.

How many players have referred to sanders as the smartest guy in the back field and always keeps the group together. I do not care if he does not work out in atlanta as i care about the patriots .Some players fit certain systems . I care less that deion was bad in seattle .Ocho stinks in our system and maybe if he goes to his old system he will be more productive.


Anyway the ripple effect is not only them moving on but other players failling due to the added responsibilty.

satz

 

[ctpatsfan1]

Of the 2 Sanders was a big loss. For what 2 million dollars.
every time over the years when sanders becomes a backup we hit a rough patch he will comein and settle things down. Last year with him in the back McCourtney and Chuck had to play and not worry about communication and being a leader.

Now with the pressure on chung he seems to have disappered. its probabily going to take time to either be a play maker or another safety to take over the duty for him to return to his old self.

How many players have referred to sanders as the smartest guy in the back field and always keeps the group together. I do not care if he does not work out in atlanta as i care about the patriots .Some players fit certain systems . I care less that deion was bad in seattle .Ocho stinks in our system and maybe if he goes to his old system he will be more productive.


Anyway the ripple effect is not only them moving on but other players failling due to the added responsibilty.

satz

I will concede the point that Sanders leadership of the group is missing this year. Chung has not stepped into that leadership role. He is a far better player with tons more upside than Sanders but he doesn't or hasn't filled the leadership vaccum that was left when Sanders was cut.

I still say if it came down to Sanders being on the field his coverage skills were extremely poor and what he brought in leadership would be lost in on the field skills. Conversely Iggybo, Barrett and Brown really don't bring much either on the field skills other than they are younger and faster, so at least they have a chance to stay with a TE in coverage or screw up twice as fast.

Merriweather was so over hyped and useless as a FS it was scary. I don't know how many times I wanted to throw something at the TV when he got a stupid penalty to keep a drive alive or took the wrong angle to make a play.

 

[satz]

Conversely Iggybo, Barrett and Brown really don't bring much either on the field skills other than they are younger and faster, so at least they have a chance to stay with a TE in coverage or screw up twice as fast.

Disagree i have seen nothing that says Barrett and Iggybo are faster. They are like Sanders in speed and size.Again rather have a guy slower who knows where to go then a guy who is faster and has no idea where to go.

You believe this guys can read a qb and do a interception sanders did by peyton.