Patriots Hall of Fame - Who would you sign?

[RI Patriots fan]

If you could sign anyone who is currently in the Patriots Hall of Fame to help this team right now who would you sign? Assume that they would be at the height of their career.

Again, the person would have to be inducted in the Patriots Hall of Fame (so no Wes Welker or Randy Moss).

For those who might not know who the inductees are:


Hall of Fame | The Hall at Patriot Place


This is a real tough choice for me but I'd probably stay on the offensive side of the ball. I'm thinking a red zone target like Ben Coates in 1994 might make a hugh difference.

I'm also thinking that John Hannah or Bruce Armstrong might be necessary given the current state of the OL.

But, when push comes to shove, I think the Red zone target makes a big difference and I go with Ben Coates from 1994.

 

[IcyPatriot]

From that list IMO ... Andre Tippet would help us the most.

We are still a bit weak in the secondary and pass rush and he had coverage skills also that Hightower and Spikes struggle with.

If you asked me this question before game 1 I would have said Stanley Morgan or Mike Haynes.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Very interesting question!

I think I'd generally go with the most dominant player available, since you can never really tell how a stretch of games will turn out. So, until Brady retires and is enshrined, it's something like Hannah or Tippett for me I think. These days I'd go with Tippett.

I guess my general idea would be like the baseball equivalent of WAR. Just get the guy with the highest WAR available and put him on the field - plan everything else around his HOF level ability to change the game.

 

[RayClay]

Definitely Hannah. #2 even Haynes and Tippet.

 

[patsfan-1982]

John Hannah maybe the best G to ever play the game, give Brady time he can pick any defense apart

 

[RayClay]

John Hannah maybe the best G to ever play the game, give Brady time he can pick any defense apart

Especially throwing against nine in the box, which is what teams would need to do to stop Blount and Ridley and the rest from rushing 100+ every game.

Screen passes with hog out front? Foggetaboutit.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Is Ben Coates in there ? If so, we sure could use him to replace Gronk.

 

[IcyPatriot]

But the thread says play right now ...

Hannah was 6'2" ... 260 lbs ... a bit light he would need to bulk up first.

Tippet played at 6'3" ... 240 lbs ... still a good size for today's NFL.

 

[DarrylS]

Bruschi, Tippet or Troy.... all played with a lot of skill, and more heart.

 

[Rob0729]

Based on the biggest needs on the team right now, it is a toss up between Bruschi, Nelson, and Haynes. Tippett and Hannah may be the best players on the list, but the inside LB corp and secondary are far bigger needs.

 

[OhExaulted1]

Gino. I doubt he would shank a kickoff at a critical point in the 4th Qtr.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Tippett.....

 

[ivanvamp]

Really fun thread topic. Kudos.

So my thinking is along these lines. You need to have a major impact player, obviously. The Pats have needs in numerous areas, so which one is the biggest need and for which there is a player available to fill that need?

Initially my first thought was that the interior OL has been a mess all season long, so I thought of Hannah. But then I remembered that, even though he hasn't been at his best this year, they do have Mankins at the LG spot that Hannah plays. So the upgrade there, while real, isn't as big as it could be elsewhere. So Hannah is out.

As much as I like Troy Brown and Stanley Morgan, and even though Thompkins and Dobson are out, I think the WR corps is ok with Amendola and Edelman playing well. Don't get me wrong, adding Stanley Morgan would be awesome, but I think there's another spot more important.

What about LT? With Vollmer out and Solder dealing with concussions, Bruce Armstrong would be a great fit. Definitely a possibility. Keep him on the short list.

Defensively, they are getting roasted in the passing game again, by the likes of Tannehill and Jason Campbell. Why, though? Is it a coverage issue? Imagine having Mike Haynes and Talib manning the corners. Wow, that would be sweet. So that's a possibility.

I'd like to upgrade our LB situation, because Hightower is really struggling. Putting Bruschi, a natural playmaker, in there, or even a Steve Nelson, would be a major upgrade. In this defense, I'd prefer Bruschi.

But the pass rush could use some help too. Andre Tippett, also a LB, was one of the best pass rushers in AFC history. Him and Jones crashing down from the ends would be sweet.

And the last piece would be tight end, where they're decimated. Ben Coates would be an amazing fit there. In his prime, he was an absolute beast. Gronk before Gronk. Very good speed, great hands, an absolute load. 6'5", 245 pounds, he could run block and catch with the best of them. He'd upgrade this offense immensely.

So my short list is these five guys, and adding any of them would help this team out a lot.

LT Armstrong
CB Haynes
LB Bruschi
LB Tippett
TE Coates

If Solder is ok, then I'll pass on Armstrong. If Solder is not ok, then I think Armstrong may be what the offense needs. I'll assume Solder can finish out the season. Cross Armstrong off.

In terms of defense, I think I'd rather have Tippett than Bruschi. Spikes in the middle, put Tippett outside, opposite Jones, and let him wreak havoc. Of course, in order to maximize him, Patricia would have to blitz, and he doesn't seem to really want to do that, so the biggest part of Tippett's game is wasted. So no to the LBs.

That leaves Haynes vs. Coates. Haynes and Talib would be an amazing cover duo, and I'm very tempted to go that way. The Pats could blitz more knowing they had the corners locked down. But TE is a glaring weakness right now and Coates would fill the need so well.

But I think they can still find ways to score, and even though the Pats have both Talib and Dennard, I think Haynes helps NE more than Coates does. Dennard can then play a slot and the opponents' three top WR options are all blanketed pretty well.

So long story short: Mike Haynes.

 

[Timbo717]

At first I was thinking Tippett but even though the defense is a bigger concern for me, Hannah or Armstrong are worthy choices as well. Probably Armstrong unless Mankins or Hannah could play LT given my concerns with sentences including the phrases: "Left Tackle", "Multiple concussions" and "Nate Solder".

 

[RI Patriots fan]

Really fun thread topic. Kudos.

So my thinking is along these lines. You need to have a major impact player, obviously. The Pats have needs in numerous areas, so which one is the biggest need and for which there is a player available to fill that need?

Initially my first thought was that the interior OL has been a mess all season long, so I thought of Hannah. But then I remembered that, even though he hasn't been at his best this year, they do have Mankins at the LG spot that Hannah plays. So the upgrade there, while real, isn't as big as it could be elsewhere. So Hannah is out.

As much as I like Troy Brown and Stanley Morgan, and even though Thompkins and Dobson are out, I think the WR corps is ok with Amendola and Edelman playing well. Don't get me wrong, adding Stanley Morgan would be awesome, but I think there's another spot more important.

What about LT? With Vollmer out and Solder dealing with concussions, Bruce Armstrong would be a great fit. Definitely a possibility. Keep him on the short list.

Defensively, they are getting roasted in the passing game again, by the likes of Tannehill and Jason Campbell. Why, though? Is it a coverage issue? Imagine having Mike Haynes and Talib manning the corners. Wow, that would be sweet. So that's a possibility.

I'd like to upgrade our LB situation, because Hightower is really struggling. Putting Bruschi, a natural playmaker, in there, or even a Steve Nelson, would be a major upgrade. In this defense, I'd prefer Bruschi.

But the pass rush could use some help too. Andre Tippett, also a LB, was one of the best pass rushers in AFC history. Him and Jones crashing down from the ends would be sweet.

And the last piece would be tight end, where they're decimated. Ben Coates would be an amazing fit there. In his prime, he was an absolute beast. Gronk before Gronk. Very good speed, great hands, an absolute load. 6'5", 245 pounds, he could run block and catch with the best of them. He'd upgrade this offense immensely.

So my short list is these five guys, and adding any of them would help this team out a lot.

LT Armstrong
CB Haynes
LB Bruschi
LB Tippett
TE Coates

If Solder is ok, then I'll pass on Armstrong. If Solder is not ok, then I think Armstrong may be what the offense needs. I'll assume Solder can finish out the season. Cross Armstrong off.

In terms of defense, I think I'd rather have Tippett than Bruschi. Spikes in the middle, put Tippett outside, opposite Jones, and let him wreak havoc. Of course, in order to maximize him, Patricia would have to blitz, and he doesn't seem to really want to do that, so the biggest part of Tippett's game is wasted. So no to the LBs.

That leaves Haynes vs. Coates. Haynes and Talib would be an amazing cover duo, and I'm very tempted to go that way. The Pats could blitz more knowing they had the corners locked down. But TE is a glaring weakness right now and Coates would fill the need so well.

But I think they can still find ways to score, and even though the Pats have both Talib and Dennard, I think Haynes helps NE more than Coates does. Dennard can then play a slot and the opponents' three top WR options are all blanketed pretty well.

So long story short: Mike Haynes.

You're welcome


I think you came to some very good logical conlusions but I think Coates was the way to go. I think he would improve the offense much more than Haynes would improve the defense.