I am as far from " pessimist" as it gets but that doesn't and shouldn't mean that I can't recognize and appreciate valid criticism when people offer it , and posters like Jack, kontra, and even Deus, and others aren't "pessimists" or "cranks" they are actually able to look at the team critically and make valid commentary about their strengths and weaknesses, and whether I agree with them on any particular issue or not I can understand that they are usually making sound arguments and decent points. Minimizing that and mistaking it for knee jerk negativity does nothing to advance any reasonable discussion of it.
Definitely agreed. I'm in my 30's, so don't count me in the "old man" or "cranky old ass" category
We come here to look at the pluses and the minuses on the team and its decisions. In most cases I am much closer to a homer than I ever am to being a pessimist or chicken little, but there are times when the situation calls for concern too.
They are set at DE and DT contrary to the pessimists and they are set on the offensive line.
Everything here is opinionated, so I respect yours and everyone elses thoughts on any matter...but how do you feel we are "set" at the position of DL when all of Ninkovich, Love, Deaderick, Cunningham, and Pryor are in the last years of their deals; and both Wilfork and Kelly only have next year left after that? Obviously we aren't keeping all of those players, so there will be some decent holes to fill at the end of the season.
There are 7 players on the DL with two yrs or less (5 of them in their last yr) of service remaining. How, pray tell, does that make the position "set?" This team has made its bones by drafting a year early in just about every situation, where these kinds of problems are avoided.
The OL can always be added to, and we currently have nothing at all at the position of OT if someone gets hurt besides maybe McDonald or Cannon, who played in less than 15% of all snaps last year and is green as hell. The position of RG can certainly be improved upon over Connelly, who would be better served to be a backup. So right now, we need immediate backups at both outside OL and interior OL, even despite having McDonald, Hix, Svitek, and Cannon which isn't much. It sucked losing Thomas, who allowed only ONE sack in 7 games, but he wanted starter money and deserves it.
There was an article today on PFT that spoke about some GM's feeling that this was a "meat and potatoes" draft, meaning that the depth and talent is in the trenches on OL and DL. I'd find it hard to think that Belichick won't address this situation in the first 3-4 rounds at least in one of the two areas. The interior rush has been pathetic lately, and the depth has been even worse. It is one of the more glaring positions of weakness on the entire team, next to WR.
