Can Pats win SB with Hobbs and Gay as starters?

[moss8803]

I'll open up this question to anyone who has better insight into what I think is a big problem, no matter how well Meriweather performs in camp. I think they need help at corner. What do you all think? Is it more likely the club can make arragements to get Samuel in quicker? Go ahead be honest. I can accept any negative responses. lol

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Regarding "I think they need help at corner" - that ship has sailed. All that's sitting at home is journeyman JAGs.

Will it get Samuel in quicker? No.

Can they win the SB with Hobbs and Gay? Yes but it would be a weakpoint of the team.

Will they need to? Nope. Samuel will be in uniform (and playing) Week 1.

 

[pats1]

How are the Pats ever going to win a Super Bowl with Samuel, Gay, Brown, Poteat, and Moreland?!?!?

 

[BAM!]

I'll open up this question to anyone who has better insight into what I think is a big problem, no matter how well Meriweather performs in camp. I think they need help at corner. What do you all think? Is it more likely the club can make arragements to get Samuel in quicker? Go ahead be honest. I can accept any negative responses. lol

I think you are underestimating the potential impact Meriweather could have on our D. Also, we have a lot of other guys that are just as good if not better than Scott. I haven't been that impressed with him. He hits hard but other than that I think there are guys on the team that can cover better than he can. By all reports, Tory James seems to be having a positive impact in TC.

Now if we start to get thinner back there closer to the beginning of the season, then I would see it as a problem but like the poster above stated, there isn't anyone out there right now. Also, I don't think that there is anything the Pats could do (nevermind the fact they probably wouldn't anyways) to get Samuel into camp faster. He will be playing week 1 though, he seems to be driven by money right now so why would he let X amount of $millions slip through his fingers by not doing what he has done for years?

To answer your question though, why not? Gay was a starter for the last SB the Pats won and Hobbs (IMO) is extremely underrated. Plus our front 7 will make any DB instantly better and BB is a master at disgusing weaknessess in the backfield. Do we forget Troy Brown played DB during the 2004 SB run?

 

[Fixit]

I'll open up this question to anyone who has better insight into what I think is a big problem, no matter how well Meriweather performs in camp. I think they need help at corner. What do you all think? Is it more likely the club can make arragements to get Samuel in quicker? Go ahead be honest. I can accept any negative responses. lol

They've won with worse, and that was when they had nowhere near the offensive weapons they have now.

 

[dhamz]

Can they? Possibly but this is not going to be the secondary by game 1 nevermind Jan 1. There will be more injuries and Samuel will show at some point.

The secondary on this team is clearly the question mark on the team right now. 3 of the 4 projected starters (with Samuel not here) have to be looked at as injury prone with a capital I at this point. A

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

Whats Earthwind up to these days.....

 

[PATSNUTme]

With the front seven playing as well as expected and Rodney back there directing traffic, the answer to the question is: absolutley.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Let's not forget Hobbs played most of last year with a heavy cast around his wrist and played pretty good other than the almost weekly PI calls against him,he did O.K. and should improve off 2006

What he needs to work on IMO is the aggressiveness he shows his assigned receiver,sometimes he bumps em a bit too much causing PI calls,needs to back off slightly and use the speed we know he has to make plays.

 

[RobertWeathers]

With the front seven playing as well as expected and Rodney back there directing traffic, the answer to the question is: absolutley.

I think they can as long as their front 6 or 7 or 8 or whatever BB puts out there pressures the QB and stops the run on a regular basis.

Hobbs will be ok. If Gay, James, Merriweather and other DBs BB puts in there and play the system, we should be ok.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

How are the Pats ever going to win a Super Bowl with Samuel, Gay, Brown, Poteat, and Moreland?!?!?

We got bingo!

 

[DaBruinz]

I'll open up this question to anyone who has better insight into what I think is a big problem, no matter how well Meriweather performs in camp. I think they need help at corner. What do you all think? Is it more likely the club can make arragements to get Samuel in quicker? Go ahead be honest. I can accept any negative responses. lol

The Pats won with Gay and Samuel as starters back in 2004 and they were a LOT greener than Hobbs and Gay are now.

 

[Robdude]

I think it is unfair to say "no matter how well Meriweather performs in camp." I realize he is a rookie and none of us seen what he can do. But, BB and company picked him in the first round and I think first round talent should be expected to have an impact on the team. So for good or bad we have to look at the entire picture which Merriweather is a part of. And i do not think we can say with "Hobbs and Gay" because there are some very good safties back there with them, along with an experienced DB (james) to fill in.

Overall I still do not think our Dbs are bad at all. I would take them over many other team's DBs regardless of Samuel. And if/when Samuel comes back I think it could be argued that we havce one of the most talented defensive backfield.

 

[dhamz]

The Pats won with Gay and Samuel as starters back in 2004 and they were a LOT greener than Hobbs and Gay are now.

If Harrison and Wilson play up to their 2004 standards then the secondary will better than it was in 2004. But that is a huge IF.

 

[rabthepat]

Yes, the Pats sure can. Just look at the last 2 Superbowl winning teams.

Steelers - 6th seed, wins 3 road playoff games, Big Ben has the worst QB rating of any SB QB and still wins.

Colts - worst run defense I've ever seen. I could have run for 100 yds against them. The gave up 100 or more yards all 16 regular season games last year.

6th + Worst SB QB Rating = Steelers SB

worst run defense + lost Edgerin James = Colts SB

Hobbs + Gay = Patriots SB, why not?

 

[patsox23]

They've won with worse, and that was when they had nowhere near the offensive weapons they have now.

EX. ACT. LY.

 

[Pat_the_Patriot]

Why does everyone forget about James? With Gay, Hobbs, and James as our top two plus nickel (in alphabetical order, as I'm not sure that James doesn't start for this team until we get Samuel back)... and then Meriweather coming in at dime and to fill rotation with Harrison and Wilson we should be more than ok until we get Samuel back. It would be the weakest portion of our team.... but it's not that bad as long as no one gets hurt.

Further, once we get Samuel back... I like Samuel and Hobbs in the backfield with James, Gay, and Meriweather/Wilson playing in the nickel and dime packages or rotating in for fresh legs.

 

[sieglo]

Hobbs is on his way to becoming one of the elite corners (top 15) of the league. Gay is an average starting corner when healthy. We're hearing positive things about James as well. The corners will be fine unless we continue to be decimated by injury.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I haven't been following the Asante stuff too carefully, maybe blissfully assuming it would all work out. But let me see if I understand something correctly.

The consequence of Samuel sitting out the entire year would be too great for him to bear, even if he wanted to give a big FU to the patriots. He would essentially lose a year of eligibility, get no money, and be at risk of having the same exact thing happen to him again, right?

So, at the absolute maximum, he will be available to the patriots after game 10, right? So we're not talking about having to get all the way through the superbowl without him, just the first 10 weeks. Admitedly, that's a long, tough stretch.

So is the concern here that even after week 10, he won't give maximum effort or will be too disruptive to be on the team? Doesn't that really hurt him as much as us?

In short, is this all a bit of hyperbole. What we're talking about is 10 games, right?

 

[Kdo5]

Well if they all are healthy (Hobbs, Gay, James) I can see it happening. We did it with Samuel & Gay (Samuel ofcourse wasnt half the player he is now.)