Do you expect Samuel to play in Game One

[mgteich]

This is a simple poll.

 

[brdmaverick]

I suspect Bill would be willing to gamble the first game or two just to show that we can win without him....sort of making the statement of....

you need us more than we need you

 

[brdmaverick]

to answer the question though, no, I do not expect Samuel to be on the field in a Pats uniform for game one

 

[JackBauer]

We're going to be screwed if he doesn't. I expect Bill is fully aware of this, so I suspect something will happen between now and then which would allow Samuel to return for game one.

 

[Tunescribe]

This is looking more and more like Deion Branch Part II. I don't think he'll be with us, sorry to say.

 

[gomezcat]

This is a simple poll.

Yes, I think he will. I am hoping that the current position, as I understand it, is posturing. I see an improving player that I want the Pats to keep. Good corners are increasingly rare.

 

[DarrylS]

Seems that Assante is polarizing himself from this team on all fronts, the best value for the Pats is let him go for comparable compensation.

 

[JackBauer]

Seems that Assante is polarizing himself from this team on all fronts, the best value for the Pats is let him go for comparable compensation.

And go into the season with Hobbs and James/Scott/Gay as the starting CBs?

No thanks.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I suspect Bill would be willing to gamble the first game or two just to show that we can win without him....sort of making the statement of....

you need us more than we need you

and then what? we give him what he wants? we let him go?

 

[Rob0729]

We're going to be screwed if he doesn't. I expect Bill is fully aware of this, so I suspect something will happen between now and then which would allow Samuel to return for game one.

When did Asante Samuel become Champ Bailey? Samuel is an average CB who put up some good stats. You could still pick on him at times. Heck even Rex Grossman got a lot of big plays throwing at him. Samuel wasn't even considered an above average CB in early November of last year.

We play mostly a zone defense and use our front seven to disrupt the CB. Our front seven is the key to our defense. We won a Super Bowl with Gay and Samuel (and Hobbs is far better than Samuel was in 2004) because of our front seven.

Going back to his Giants days, other than Ty Law can you name a great CB who Belichick has had in his system? Quick, name the starting CBs on the 1990 Giants' Super Bowl team. Or how about the 1986 one. I bet unless you followed the Giants pretty closely back then, you can't. You can name guys like LT, Carl Banks, Pepper Johnson, Leonard Marshall, Harry Carson, and Jim Burt without even thinking too hard though. That is a clear sign that CBs aren't all that important to the Belichick system in comparisons to the front seven.

That all being said, I really doubt that Samuel will sit out. He will leave $5 million on the table if he sits until week #10. Branch risked losing about $1 million. Four million dollars is a big gap to make it worthwhile for Samuel to sit out especially since doing so could hurt his value in next year's market. Branch was risking far less.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

We're going to be screwed if he doesn't. I expect Bill is fully aware of this, so I suspect something will happen between now and then which would allow Samuel to return for game one.

We're not screwed for the regular season.
Wait until game 10 when he needs to report and have him prep for the playoffs where we DO need him.

 

[marty]

Yes I think Samuels will be playing for us this season. IMO it hurts him more to hold out. I can't see him walking away from 5mill.

 

[sieglo]

Samuel must have his own doubts about his performance last year -- whether it was indicative of his capability or it was a statistical anomaly. If he were confident enough, he'd accept the tag and negotiate for the Pats to agree not to apply it next year.

 

[PatsFan37]

Yes I think Samuels will be playing for us this season. IMO it hurts him more to hold out. I can't see him walking away from 5mill.

Mostly I agree with that, though I voted that he'll skip the first game to see if he can get an early season trade, and if not, come back for the remaining games.

One question I have: does Shavers get a full 3% of a new contract if it's a franchise contract? That may affect the whisper in Samuel's ear.

Lastly, if he sits out 10 games, he loses $4.8 million but he also eliminates 10/16th of the physical risk. After that, he plays in the highest profile games: the end of season and playoffs. So he maximizes his risk/reward and positions himself for free agency and if he gets hurt, he still walks away with plenty of money.

If it were me, I'd play all 16 games and take the money. But I'm 50-year-old desk jockey, not a 25-year-old tattooed professional athlete who spends his Sundays in body armor running like the wind. I doubt we think alike.

 

[Rob0729]

Mostly I agree with that, though I voted that he'll skip the first game to see if he can get an early season trade, and if not, come back for the remaining games.

One question I have: does Shavers get a full 3% of a new contract if it's a franchise contract? That may affect the whisper in Samuel's ear.

Lastly, if he sits out 10 games, he loses $4.8 million but he also eliminates 10/16th of the physical risk. After that, he plays in the highest profile games: the end of season and playoffs. So he maximizes his risk/reward and positions himself for free agency and if he gets hurt, he still walks away with plenty of money.

If it were me, I'd play all 16 games and take the money. But I'm 50-year-old desk jockey, not a 25-year-old tattooed professional athlete who spends his Sundays in body armor running like the wind. I doubt we think alike.

Shavers does get his commission if Samuel signs his franchise tag. Orlando Pace fired his agent just to avoid that one year.

Overall, word is Shavers has done a pretty good job not turning this thing into a nuclear meltdown. Word is that Samuel wants to get really nasty with the Patriots and Shavers has made him tone down his rhetoric.

 

[foxborofan]

We're going to be screwed if he doesn't.

I can't agree that we will be "screwed". Randall Gay started Super Bowl 39 and is very capable. Chad Scott still has the talent to be a started in this league and I honestly think that we will have better DB depth going into this season the we have the last 2-3 seasons. Tory James ads even more veteran depth. There is an article in today's Herald about this very issue.

Samuel has come into his own, and had a career year last season. Does last hear mean he is one of the top 5 corners in the NFL? I am not sold.

I just don't think Asante Samuel is critical to the defense having great success this season. With the amount of pressure we are going to bring defensively this season, the different looks we will be able to show given the enormous amount of talent we have, and the additional depth we have at DB over what we had at the end of last season (No Harrison, Gay, Wilson...) I think our DB's are going to be fine with or without Asante.

I see another guy leaving for a big pay check that will have a mediocre career somewhere else (never getting even close to another ring)...and the Patriots using that (8+ million per season) money to hold the nucleus together for another couple of years (and having a shot at winning a coouple more rings)...

foxborofan

 

[RIP#40]

You left out an option in the poll. I don't think he'll be back b4 game 10 as he threatened. IMO this is a crucial negotiation that the Pats can't blink on. After Sey and Branch "won", I think the team needs to hold the line. The other players will correctly get the impression that all you need to do is hold out and you get your way. They need to show the players that holding out holds some financial risk. Why wouldn't players hold out if they always get their way by doing so? The Pats should tell Samuel's agent that if he doesn't agree to a deal they will welcome him back for game 10 and he will lose about 5 million in salary and they will franchise him again next year and the year after, right through his peak earning years. They need to be very tough with him.

 

[marty]

Lastly, if he sits out 10 games, he loses $4.8 million but he also eliminates 10/16th of the physical risk. After that, he plays in the highest profile games: the end of season and playoffs. So he maximizes his risk/reward and positions himself for free agency and if he gets hurt, he still walks away with plenty of money.

.

The risk he runs playing in the last 6 games is that he won't be "game ready" to play. No matter how hard you work out, if you're not actually playing you're not in shape. IMO if he comes back at game 10, he increases the risk of injury not to mention poor overall play. But as you say, the risk/reward debate goes out the window when dealing with a potentially angry young jock!

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

I really wouldnt mind him on another team. Maybe we would have 5 first rounders in the next 2 years.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

I'm very confident he plays Week 1 for someone this year. That wasn't an option, though, so I voted for Week 1 for us as that seems more likely than a trade. But as a second option, I see a trade more likely than him sitting at home.