2012 New England Linebacker Rotation

[Spiral]

Tracy White started at ILB in the SB. Nuff sed.

Every position on this defense is an area of need. The Patriots could simply pick the best defensive player available at every pick in the first two or three rounds of this draft.

 

[JackBauer]

He's not elite.

Top 3 at a position = elite.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Top 3 at a position = elite.

i don't know about top 3. Top 10 for sure, but not in the Patrick Willis class.

Power Rankings: Top 10 NFL linebackers - NFC West Blog - ESPN

 

[Deus Irae]

He's not elite.

He's the second best ILB in the game. That's "elite".

 

[goheels22002]

No question that Mayo is an elite linebacker.

Bobby Carpenter was the oddest pick-up of the off-season. A teammate, Marc Colombo, on the Cowboys referred to him as "Barbie Carpenter." Ouch.

 

[SirApropos]

I wouldn't condiser Gary Guyton to the Dolphins a loss but more of a plus on our side.

 

[Armchair Quarterback]

Y'all forget that it takes 4-6 years to train a starting linebacker for the NFL. It was so for Bruschi, Mcginnest and Vrabel so why should it be different for others who are not in the elite category?

Only a handful of LBs come out and ar eimmediately productive like Butkus, Erlacher, and Mayo. Other mere motals have to work at it for a while.

McGinest started all 16 games at LB and had 11 sacks in his 2nd season.

Bruschi had 38 starts in his first 5 seasons at OLB before being switched to MLB in season 6. 30 starts in years 4 and 5 and only 18 in years 6 and 7 after the switch to the inside.

Vrabel was simply behind others in a stacked LB corp in Pittsburgh and became a starter in NE.