Abundance of tight ends

[supafly]

To be fair, there was more than one analyst who was expecting the Patriots to get a first rounder for Cassel.

OTOH, the optimists weren't anywhere near as loony as the folks who expected the Pats to KEEP Cassel at that number.

The hype was high, I don't mean to dispute that. Then again we've seen the hype of proposed trade value pretty high in the media regarding Ryan Mallett too. I think that the average fan and mediot seriously overvalues NFL trade value, which was pretty much my point.

It may not have been quite as clear cut as I stated it to be, but there were many who were throwing around 1st and 2nd's, or 1st and 3rd's etc...

To me, that was never going to happen--and we've seen why with the play and talent of Cassel since he was taken out of this system.

 

[supafly]

Which of you guys want to keep all 5 TE's on the 53 man roster? And why? because we could't enough trade value for Hooman outside our division. I'm not buying.

I've stated dozens of times in various threads that we need 4 TE's, since 3 will be active sometimes.

Gronk, Fells, Ballard, and Sudfeld are all needed on the 53 man roster.

That leaves Hooman....what the hell are we going to get in trade value for Hooman?

 

[ATippett56]

That leaves Hooman....what the hell are we going to get in trade value for Hooman?

You'd be lucky to get a ham sandwich, a bag of chips, and a non-alcoholic beverage of your choice.

 

[mgcolby]

This board is going to be a dull place if Tebow gets cut. What else could we discuss? We can't have a thread about the D line without someone bringing up Tebow good or bad. I personally don't have much of an opinion one way or the other about Tebow. But he definitely gets people's panties in a bunch on both sides of the argument.

I guess I'll just get my popcorn and read it as it plays out over the next few weeks. opcorn:

Now there is no reason to trade Ballard. If Sudfeld proves to be the real deal and not just a pre-season sensation then the combination of Gronk, Sudfeld and Ballard will be an excellent one. I don't think we can say we have the best combo in the league anymore, I think that designation will soon go to Cincy. But you will be hard pressed to find a team three deep with that much size and athleticism at the TE position. I'm not big on Fells and Hoo I could take or leave. If Gronk is PUP'd then I think I would prefer Ballard, Sudfeld and Hoo to start the season. And I think that will put NE in a lot of 11 personnel early on.

 

[supafly]

1)Gronk is Gronk...putting him on the in season PUP so that he cannot even practice for almost 3 more months seems to be kind of pointless in my opinion. We have a 10 day mini bye after game 2 on TNF in NY. It's possible that he can miss the first 2 games and then return in 6 weeks at the end of September for game number 3.

2)Fells was the TE1 as recently as last week. He is clearly a very good blocker and proved to be leagues ahead of Hooman even last season when he was injured. He also has a good knowledge of the system and can pose a threat to the passing attack at times (at least as much as the average TE can do). He'll be needed while Gronk is still hurt, Ballard is slowly returning to full strength, and Sudfeld is getting his legs under him.

3)Ballard seems to be progressing from the "limping and hobbling" reports that we heard as recently as about 10-12 days ago when he missed some practices. He had his reps increased from 12 to 19 in Friday's game. Either way, he's staying.

4)Sudfeld looks like a keeper and is overachieving for a rookie. He appears to be developing some chemistry with Brady and the offense, and is definitely worth keeping. He obviously wouldn't make it to the PS.


That leaves Hooman....unless you want to believe that James Devlin is going to make the team because Belichick gave him 2 handoffs with the starting unit on Friday (which I personally do not believe). Even if Devlin somehow made the team, which is highly doubtful--why would that change our TE situation? He's not a clear cut TE and we'll be needing 3 active TE's at times, especially if/when Gronk misses some time, or Ballard needs a rest for a game.

 

[BlueThunder]

Now I read where Suds (my binkie) already had the nickname Flint in college and some writer referred to him as Baby Gronk.

If he continues to develop and becomes proficient, what do I call him?

Suds Flint Gronkowski Jr ?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I'd trade Hoo to MIA for a 7th since keeping 5 TEs is crazy. However MIA probably figures it can get Hoo and their choice of other teams' extra TEs because of their early waiver wire position so they'd bite only if convinced that he is just what they need.

I can't believe that some here worry about helping a division rival after BB let Milloy go to Buffalo and traded Bledsoe there. Both were FAR better upgrades to our div rival.

 

[IllegalContact]

timing is everything......if a team has a need and there's nobody free, then something decent could be had for fells......which is the first guy I'd move due to his cap hit and lack of ability to contribute much last year when one or the other TE was down......

 

[chasa]

Maybe a third was overly optimistic, Which ever tight end gets cut wont clear waivers, so we might as well at least shop them and see what we get.

 

[primetime]

You'd be lucky to get a conditional 7th for anyone but Sudfeld. For Sudfeld you might get an actual 7th. We're talking about combined single-digit catches last season between Ballard, Fells, and Hooman and an undrafted rookie who's yet to play a down in anger.

This is an abundance of mediocrity outside of Gronk and a guy with potential to be more than that in Sudfeld.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

To me, that was never going to happen--and we've seen why with the play and talent of Cassel since he was taken out of this system.

(A) Cassel had his limitations, to be sure, but he could thrive in the right system.
(B) Pioli did him absolutely no favors, whatsoever, by saddling him with a not-ready-for-prime-time coach. [If he was going to bring in an inexperienced coach, he SHOULD have hired McDaniels, who at least knew how to use Cassel.]
(C) He did pretty darn well when Charlie Weis was the OC, but then by all accounts Todd Haley drove Weis off.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I was wondering what the Dolphins did with Will Yeatman, lacrosse player turned TE who showed some flashes 2 years ago, but we cut him only to see the Dolphins claim him.

They've bulked him up to 330 lbs. and he's now an OG! He played backup tackle last year.

 

[IllegalContact]

You'd be lucky to get a conditional 7th for anyone but Sudfeld. For Sudfeld you might get an actual 7th. We're talking about combined single-digit catches last season between Ballard, Fells, and Hooman and an undrafted rookie who's yet to play a down in anger.

This is an abundance of mediocrity outside of Gronk and a guy with potential to be more than that in Sudfeld.

still more than what other teams are looking at on their rosters

 

[primetime]

still more than what other teams are looking at on their rosters

Not really. Those teams have guys who have been with them through camp and are either just as talented as Fells and Hooman or have a higher ceiling than the two of them. 3rd TE isn't usually a priority position for most teams.

 

[chasa]

Not really. Those teams have guys who have been with them through camp and are either just as talented as Fells and Hooman or have a higher ceiling than the two of them. 3rd TE isn't usually a priority position for most teams.

the dolphins are looking at charles clay as the starter and michael egnew as the backup

I'll take fells or hoom over both of those nobodies.

 

[primetime]

the dolphins are looking at charles clay as the starter and michael egnew as the backup

I'll take fells or hoom over both of those nobodies.

Charles Clay had more receptions the last two seasons than those two players combined.

 

[chasa]

Charles Clay had more receptions the last two seasons than those two players combined.

hes also listed as a fullback.

 

[jah]

hes also listed as a fullback.

Who cares what he's listed as if he can catch passes?

 

[manxman2601]

I wonder if they're any excess DTs out there. Trading for some depth would be more likely I suspect than a draft pick.

 

[chasa]

Who cares what he's listed as if he can catch passes?

Different formations, Different schemes, having a fullback lining up as a tight end, as opposed to being an outlet coming out the backside from the backfield.


They are different positions so the dolphins listing him as their primary tight end at the moment is pretty telling that their depth is pretty much non existent, thus my thoughts that one of the TE that we may cut could instead result in a draft pick.