He wasn't "fine". He was inconsistent before his injury as I posted in another thread. These things happen to all RBs, that's just one of the reasons I don't believe in drafting them in the 1st round.
How was Maroney inconsistent? Because he was like every other rookie running who goes up against tough defenses? Also, look at who was in and who was out for the games. Graham missed 4 games this year. They just happened to be 4 games that Maroney didn't do well in. Do you honestly think that is a coincidence? I don't. Not with how good a blocker Graham is.
Gostowski was a gamble. All rookie kickers are. It paid off. Moreover, I applauded the team for not caving into AV and Meion's demands. However, the 2006 draft will be judged on the success of Laurence and Chad. If these guys fail, this draft will go down as a disaster.
Gostkowski was no more of a gamble than any other pick in the draft. The 2006 draft will be based on how the entire group does, not just 2 players. Also, it seems like a pretty big IF that Maroney is going to fail.
I do like Thomas. I will discuss him later in this post.
As I posted, OC dropped because of his injury history. I agree that if healthy, OC will be a steal.
Andrews is a good gunner, but it's hardly something to hang your hat on.
The Pats special team coverages were greatly improved this year. Prior to Miller getting hurt, the Pats were allowed like 1.2 yards per punt return. After Miller got hurt and they had Walters in there, it was a different story.
Andrews is one of the reasons the special teams play was so greatly improved. If he plays for 7 years and is nothing more than a special teams ACE, then that is a good thing and a good pick.
I liked the 2005 draft under the circumstances: poor talent pool and picking last in every round. However, the Pats wound up with only a Guard in the 1st round. Mankins is a work in progress, but you can always get Guards. That's been an axiom since the Pats let Woody and Andruzzi walk.
The jury is still out on Kaczur, who was terrible in the SD game and the Pats were unable to run to his side.
Mankins is more than a work in progress. The guy is near ALL-PRO talent. Kaczur came in and filled in admirably in 2005, first working into the starting rotation at RT and then taking over LT when both Ashworth and Light were hurt. Then he held off Ashworth until Kaczur, himself, injured his shoulder. An injury that took him the better part of the year to recover from.
How was Kaczur terrible? You are only grading one part of the game. Kaczur was able to fend on Shaun Phillips for the entire game. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe that Phillips did much of anything.
Also, don't forget that the Pats got Ellis Hobbs, James Sanders and Matt Cassell in that draft. Sanders looks to be able to handle the strong safety position. Cassell continues to improve and Hobbs looks to be a solid #2 corner.
Actually, the 2006 draft is still subject to review you really can't say it turned out good. IMO, this draft is starting out on the wrong foot. If the '06 draft doesn't pan out (i.e. Maroney and Jackson are busts), that will make 2 poor drafts in the past 3 years - not a good track record.
How is the draft starting out on the wrong foot? Because you are too quick to judge? There is a reason people say it takes 3 years to judge a draft. Its because that's how long it takes for the impact to be truly felt.
As for the 2004 draft, its no worse than the 2001 draft. Or the 2002 draft. The 2004 draft the Pats got a terrific starting NT and an up and coming TE who has tremendous athletic ability. I'll admit that Marquis Hill is a bust now. I did like BB said and waited 3 years and the guy just hasn't produced. Hopefully the Pats will let him go or he will make a statement in camp that will floor everyone. The scary thing is that the guy turns 25 after training camp starts. So he is still really young.
I'm going to be blunt and say Watson sucks. He's an awful blocker, drops way too many passes, doesn't usually get open, and developed a case a fumble-itus. In the second half of the season, I cringed every time a pass was thrown his way. His per game numbers were dropping when Brady developed chemistry with the WRs.
Watson dropped 6 passes and had 3 fumbles on the season. He was the target for 91 passes. That is actually better than Graham was at his worst. Also, Watson's per game numbers were dropping because he was injured and not seeing the field towards the end of the season.
Watson isn't an awful blocker as you put it. He may be awful compared to Graham, but Graham is a superb blocker. Watson is average.
To say he sucks, is a gross over-statement.
Now for David Thomas. Getting him the 3rd round was a steal. He's a bit undersized and needs work on his blocking, but he improved in this area as the season progressed. In the Rose Bowl a year ago, I was impressed with both his ability to hold onto the ball after getting hit (something Watson doesn't do well), and his penchant for getting open. The Jags game showed that he can be a great check off receiver over the middle. Why the team never went to him after that game is beyond me. I will dare say that Thomas is a better player than Watson right now.
How is Thomas undersized? He is 6'3 and 248. Watson is 6'3 and 255. Graham is 6'3 257. WOW. A whopping 7 and 9 lbs difference.
I can't say that Thomas is a better player than Watson otherwise Thomas would have seen the field more than Watson did.
Again I will be blunt. Gusssss sucksssss. Every time he played with the regular defense, he'd limp off the field after making a tackle. Moreover, in the regular defense, Gussss showed that he couldn't cover and had zero ball skills. Against SD in the 41-17 loss, Gussss allowed a TD where he stood starting at ball w/o so much as lifting up his arm. The fact that he couldn't play in the NFL is echoed by his failure to stick with the Texans and Jets. To think we passed up on players like Gibril Wilson and Shaun Phillips to take this guy.
Reid was another guy who can't play safety in the NFL. He almost cost us SB 39 when he allowed a 30-yard TD to Greg Lewis to make it a 24-21 game. He had a chance to redeem himself in TC the following summer, but the Pats knew he couldn't play and let him go. As for his contributions with Indy, there's no way he'll crack the lineup with Sanders, Jackson, and Bethea on the depth chart. He's been nothing but a gunner on STs. We know how good his unit fared in SB 41.
This is just ridiculous. The guy was a ROOKIE, thrust in during the middle of the biggest game of the season. You are ignorant to not give ANY credit to McNabb and Lewis for making a great throw and catch. Reid was one of the last players cut in TC and he's stuck with the Colts.
Yes, we do know how those units fared in SB41. They gave up 1 opening TD and then shut down everything else.
PK Sam is another player that can't stick on a roster. He's now with the Dolphins where he'll probably fail another "numbers crunch".
Why are you complaining about PK Sam? He was a 5th round pick who came out early. He was the youngest player on the Pats team at the time and they hoped that the veteran leadership on the Pats could help mold him into a good player. Yes, they failed. But how many 5th round picks actually stick with teams?
I thought Hill was a great pick at the time, but I accuse the Pats of substituting diligent scouting with their connections to coaches. This mistake might be repeated with Chad Jackson, IMO. The Pats have taken some hits in their scouting department since 2003 and I wonder if it's affecting them.
If Laurence/Chad are busts, it will be 2 bad drafts in 3 years. Not good.
You have two years to wait before you can decide whether they are busts. Chad Jackson was used quite a bit at the end of the season on running plays. This was after he missed ALL of training camp with a hamstring injury that hadn't fully healed from the combine.
Maroney suffered the cracked rib and was very inconsistant after that. The line was inconsistent prior to that when they were also missing Graham.
