Armond Armstead

[Oswlek]

And to count on him having a serious impact this year is equally ridiculous.

He has zero reps in the NFL. He has zero practice sessions in the NFL.

People want to consider him the equivalent of a 2nd or 3rd rounder, as was Cannon (or Buchanan or Dennard or anyone else we so designate). The reality is that he was not a 2nd or 4rd rounder. More importantly, even if he were, I would not expect someone with no NFL experience and no offseason and no practice for a half season to have a major impact in his first year.

Armstead in a good prospect, a fine acquisition. He may be of some use this year, or not.

Unlike all those other players you mention, Armstead wasn't eligible for the draft this year, so it is more reasonable to consider him a "2nd rounder" than someone who was actually draft later. It is interesting to note that the guys you compare him to did have impacts their rookie seasons, so fans have proven to have a discerning eye on that one.

Most importantly, though, I don't see anyone saying they are counting on him to have serious impact this year. Just that is isn't a stretch to think he'll carve out a role and that NE's own actions demonstrate that they hoped he would.

 

[mgteich]

What actions?

Do you mean counting on him so much, without one day of practice, that the team didn't even sign any competition for his DT roster spot (before or after he was put on the NFI list)?

I do think that it was a fine idea to pick up Armstead. I do favor Belichick taking this kind of chance. The cost is low, the opportunity for return high. So, that is why I mentioned Cannon and Dennard. There were other more minor successes, like Deaderick.

 

[Oswlek]

What actions?

Do you mean counting on him so much, without one day of practice, that the team didn't even sign any competition for his DT roster spot (before or after he was put on the NFI list)?

Yup. If NE viewed him as a generic flyer, they would have had at least one other dependable body in camp. By not having one, they viewed him as the solid guy satellited by bunch of lottery tickets.

 

[strngplyr]

If he does come back it will be a boost to the D-Line.

Give me, Nink-Armstead-Jones-Buchanan on 3rd and long.

Keep Jones outside, take off Buchanan, and keep Kelly as the other DT, IMO.

 

[Ring 6]

Keep Jones outside, take off Buchanan, and keep Kelly as the other DT, IMO.

Jones is a beast as an inside rusher. I hope him playing DT on obvious passing downs is a permanent move.

 

[Ring 6]

What actions?

Do you mean counting on him so much, without one day of practice, that the team didn't even sign any competition for his DT roster spot (before or after he was put on the NFI list)?

I do think that it was a fine idea to pick up Armstead. I do favor Belichick taking this kind of chance. The cost is low, the opportunity for return high. So, that is why I mentioned Cannon and Dennard. There were other more minor successes, like Deaderick.

The team feels Vellano is competant even if you don't.

 

[strngplyr]

Jones is a beast as an inside rusher. I hope him playing DT on obvious passing downs is a permanent move.

I agree but, Buchanan seems to end up a few yards behind the QB too often.

 

[Kontradiction]

I agree but, Buchanan seems to end up a few yards behind the QB too often.

That's because, right now, Buchanan is a speed rusher. Speed rushers tend to take a wider angle around the tackle that is covering them. Most of his sacks will come from behind the quarterback. As long as the DT's stay home and/or we continue playing two gap discipline (we one gapped a lot Thursday night), the pass rush should be fine. The one complaint I have about Buchanan is that he needs to learn more moves.

 

[Ring 6]

I agree but, Buchanan seems to end up a few yards behind the QB too often.

We are better with Jones disrupting from the inside and Buchanan coming around the outside than Jones being 10 feet further away from the QB and someone who can't rush the QB playing inside.
Sacks are great, but really the key to a good pass defense is CONSISTENTLY hurrying the QB, even if you never touch him.
A rush that gets the ball out sooner than the QB wants to 20 times a game is much, much better than one that gets 4 sacks and little else.

 

[BradyFTW!]

We are better with Jones disrupting from the inside and Buchanan coming around the outside than Jones being 10 feet further away from the QB and someone who can't rush the QB playing inside.
Sacks are great, but really the key to a good pass defense is CONSISTENTLY hurrying the QB, even if you never touch him.
A rush that gets the ball out sooner than the QB wants to 20 times a game is much, much better than one that gets 4 sacks and little else.

Totally agree. I love Jones at DE, so I wasn't sure how I felt about him at DT on passing downs, but it's hard to argue with the results. It suits his style. Guards just can't handle his length and athleticism - I expect him to get even better as the season goes on, and guys like Buchanan will definitely reap the benefits of him destroying the pocket on a fairly consistent basis.

That's the tactic that teams have been using against the Patriots, with some success, for years now. If your defensive tackles can generate interior pressure and collapse the pocket, then pocket QBs' mechanics start to break down, either out of fear or necessity. I expect to see more opposing QBs throwing off their back feet this year than we've seen in quite some time.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Yeah, it has something to do with an infection. I hope we see him in the lineup soon.

 

[mgteich]

I think that we all feel that Vellano is competent.

I am certainly suggesting that we should not and need not count on Armstead contributing this year, although he certainly is a welcome addition for the playoff run, given injury possibilities.

IMHO, we are in fine shape on the DL. Other than the mystery of Bequette, all is good.

WE HAVE
4 solid STARTERS
a solid pass coverage situation (move Jones to DT, and add Buchanan)
a solid backup at DT in Vellano, and perhaps also in Jones
a couple of good prospects on the Practice Squad (Forston and AJ Francis)
and the possibility of getting back Armstead, Cunningham and/or Francis.

The team feels Vellano is competant even if you don't.

 

[DocHoliday]

Armstead

Interesting that Francis is on the PS while Vellano is a top backup, particularly when Francis was considered the better if the pair on that Maryland line.

 

[supafly]

Armstead will obviously be a welcome addition just due to the addition of the depth on the DL, and it was worth taking a shot on him due to the low risk/higher reward situation.

That said, many here have been making Armstead out to be an instant HOF candidate for whatever reason, much like they did Jake Ballard. I'm all for optimistic hype to some degree, but Armstead in my opinion is still an enormous unknown, and my level of expectation for him this season is pretty low.

It's possible that he could grow into a productive player throughout the season, and/or by next year if he can still play and gets enough opportunities.