Rapp: Bennett exit . real possibility

[luuked]

Edelman dipped his toes in FA waters and found his best opportunity was in New England. He is currently under contract. If he was a free agent this off season, I could see him seeing what's out there. He would owe it to himself to do so.

Depends on how you define opportunity.

Jules gave up a ton of money by coming back to NE and not signing with the Jaguars mostly because here he got to catch balls from Brady which translated to a better chance at championships as opposed to concussions when Bortles "throws" to you.

 

[luuked]

Not to diminish Bennet's contributions and the grit he displayed playing through injury, but I say, let him go.

I'd rather sign our young DB's. Keep the Rutgers alum together for a couple more years.

One has nothing to do with the other. Letting Bennett go doesn't mean we suddenly will overpay another player so he stays.

 

[patsfanincleveland]

It doesn't sound like there's any concern at all with this specific injury. There were some optimistic timelines that would have him on the field for the Super Bowl, but it's more typically 12-16 weeks. We're in the twelfth week right now, so if that timeline holds then he'll be ready to go within the next month.

It's fair to worry about the potential for new back injuries in the future given his history, but right now there's no reason to worry about his availability for week 1.

This is correct.

 

[PittPatriot]

Depends on how you define opportunity.

Jules gave up a ton of money by coming back to NE and not signing with the Jaguars mostly because here he got to catch balls from Brady which translated to a better chance at championships as opposed to concussions when Bortles "throws" to you.

I'm not sure what your sources and perhaps your memory is much better than mine. But I could not find offers to JE11. I know he had a visit with the NYG but no contract was offered. He came back on a 1 year deal...played his tail off and then got a bargain but for that time, respectable contract from the Pats.

Besides, it’s not as if Edelman had many/any other options. So the career of a guy who entered the league pocketing peanuts as a seventh-round pick in 2009 will continue with Edelman earning the minimum. Or, if he gets hurt, less than that.

Pats get Julian Edelman for bargain price

 

[PittPatriot]

Too much for what would be the No. 2 tight end.

While I don't disagree with you, where is it written that he is the #2 TE?
Just because the rest of the NFL ranks they're tight ends, perhaps the patriots look at them both as being a key part of the offense.
Most number two tight ends clearly see the field except on jumbo package type plays. We run so many plays out of too tight end sets, that I see them as being the same.

Additionally, with the absolute uncertainty of the availability and sustainability of Gronk, I don't know how we can feel at ease with him as our #1 and a big drop off in ability with our #2.

 

[PittPatriot]

Yeah thats not really fair. Firstly what ever injury Bennett had it was possible to play with it. If it wasn't or if it threatened the rest of his career he wouldn't have played.. he would have been put on IR. Is Bennett going through any off season surgeries?

Broken arms, torn up knees, and serious back injuries that require surgery..These issues cannot be played through. When Gronk got his lung punctured and his back messed up he went back in the game and made some great catches. Against Seattle.

My point is Gronk will play through injuries, he tried in Super Bowl 46.. but Broken Bones and torn ligaments are not possible to play through. They rushed Gronk back and he rebroke his bone and now has to wear a brace.. for I guess the rest of his career.

As far as Bennetts blocking, I don't think it was anything special. I didn't pay a lot of attenti0n to it. The reason New Englands running game racked up more yards and TD's this season is because they ran it more this last season than previous seasons. They did not average a very high YPC.

I don't disagree that Gronk is a very tough human being. I feel bad that he has been dealt some injuries beyond his control. That does not make him less than Bennett or Logan Mankins in the toughness category.
I also agree that Bennett's injury though perhaps painful, was able to be played through... so I do not mean to make the ankle sound the same as the arm or back injuries.

My point is simply that the tight end position in the patriots offense is one of the toughest, injury prone, but also important. I don't think we make it past the divisional round without Bennett's services. How lucky were we to land him in free agency? That signing alone could have saved our season.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Never felt Bennett. Always played much much smaller than his size. His dropped pass in the end zone the play before White's TS was emblematic of his play. A tease.

The production absolutely dropped off, but from all the reports about his ankle, it's no surprise his production took a hit in the second half of the season.

If we had a healthy Gronk, I wouldn't have been surprised to see the team bench Marty for a few games to his body get right for the playoff stretch, but we didn't have that option, and he toughed it out for the team.

 

[Jackson 2]

Yeah thats not really fair. Firstly what ever injury Bennett had it was possible to play with it. If it wasn't or if it threatened the rest of his career he wouldn't have played.. he would have been put on IR. Is Bennett going through any off season surgeries?

Broken arms, torn up knees, and serious back injuries that require surgery..These issues cannot be played through. When Gronk got his lung punctured and his back messed up he went back in the game and made some great catches. Against Seattle.

My point is Gronk will play through injuries, he tried in Super Bowl 46.. but Broken Bones and torn ligaments are not possible to play through. They rushed Gronk back and he rebroke his bone and now has to wear a brace.. for I guess the rest of his career.

As far as Bennetts blocking, I don't think it was anything special. I didn't pay a lot of attenti0n to it. The reason New Englands running game racked up more yards and TD's this season is because they ran it more this last season than previous seasons. They did not average a very high YPC.

I couldn't agree with you more in this respect: if you don't think Bennett's blocking "was anything special", for sure you "didn't pay a lot of attention to it."

 

[1960Pats]

What's the deal with Lengel? Maybe he'll develop into a decent TE. He's definitely big enough.

 

[farn]

Bennett was such an excellent option - especially when NE lost Gronk. Even if the stats don't suggest "all-pro", (1) he did play in pain (2) he made it throught he SB (3) his blocking was very solid (4) he forced other teams to account for him.

I think he moves on - and I agree with letting him walk, because Bennett isn't worth a bidding war with desperate, poorly run teams.

But even on the last few plays of the SB : Bennett was a target. So to say he underachieved is a bit much, I think.

 

[varjao]

Don't forget Gronk will be on a pitch count from now on.

 

[RIpats88]

Regarding my edelman comment. Even switch it with hightower. Im sure hes looking to get paid. But you didnt see him yelling about getting paid right after he won the superbowl.

To me bennets comments show $$ is his main motivating factor. Which is funny because he complained and became a problem in chicago because they were losing. And those are the teams that will pay him. And he will go back to complaining about being on a losing team

 

[Nunchucks]

I still want to know what the **** BB was thinking when he took Richards. He was drafted 3-4 rounds to high and has proven so. Insane.

People said the same about Harmon.

 

[Jackson 2]

Regarding my edelman comment. Even switch it with hightower. Im sure hes looking to get paid. But you didnt see him yelling about getting paid right after he won the superbowl.

To me bennets comments show $$ is his main motivating factor. Which is funny because he complained and became a problem in chicago because they were losing. And those are the teams that will pay him. And he will go back to complaining about being on a losing team

Except that there are losing teams and then there is a losing team with Jay Cutler at the helm. He's the absolute worst, and I'm not referring to a lack of ability, although I don't think he's nearly as talented as some others do. His ***hole quotient is overwhelming.

 

[luuked]

I'm not sure what your sources and perhaps your memory is much better than mine. But I could not find offers to JE11. I know he had a visit with the NYG but no contract was offered. He came back on a 1 year deal...played his tail off and then got a bargain but for that time, respectable contract from the Pats.

Pats get Julian Edelman for bargain price

Yes in 2013 nobody was interested in Jules except for the Giants who invited him for a workout. But in the following offseason after he had somewhat of a breakout yearwith Welker in Denver and Dola getting injured in the first game against the Bills he actually had better offers according to Bill Simmons:

Retro Running Diary: Super Bowl XLIX

Quick tangent on Edelman (nine catches, 109 yards, one TD): Last winter, Edelman passed up more lucrative free-agent offers to stay with New England, and only because he was smart enough to realize, “My quarterback is Tom Freaking Brady.” He could have spent the past season in Jacksonville risking his body and brain to catch a never-ending slew of Blake Bortles wobblers over the middle; we never would have thought about him again.

Are Manning and Brady Cheating? How Rule Changes Have Helped Extend a Rivalry

One night earlier this year, I ran into friends in New York who happened to be with Julian Edelman. After a breakout season, Edelman had been debating whether to re-sign or leave for a bigger offer … which meant he’d be leaving Tom Brady. And his friends were busting his balls about it. Go ahead, leave Brady — see what happens.

 

[ivanvamp]

I considered him pretty much gone once they won the SuperBowl.

Me too. Thanks for a great season, MB. Glad you got a ring. Good luck.

Not sure we win it without him, because of the Gronk injury. Wish him nothing but the best.

 

[Tunescribe]

While I don't disagree with you, where is it written that he is the #2 TE?
Just because the rest of the NFL ranks they're tight ends, perhaps the patriots look at them both as being a key part of the offense.
Most number two tight ends clearly see the field except on jumbo package type plays. We run so many plays out of too tight end sets, that I see them as being the same.

Additionally, with the absolute uncertainty of the availability and sustainability of Gronk, I don't know how we can feel at ease with him as our #1 and a big drop off in ability with our #2.

My reference was in the context of a healthy Gronk. I don't think they see Bennett as a priority in the way you suggest, they just seized on the one-year bargain rental price and hoped he might stick around subsequently under a team-friendly contract. If they actually DID offer him $7 million to re-sign during the season, that's pretty generous, but I doubt the Pats would go above that and Bennett probably figures he can get more elsewhere. I'm not saying they don't value the dual tight-end scheme, they just won't pay a high premium for it.

 

[hornetfb85]

 

[TBR]

Never felt Bennett. Always played much much smaller than his size. His dropped pass in the end zone the play before White's TS was emblematic of his play. A tease.

It's kind of difficult to judge Bennett's season. While I'd say he definitely did not live up to what many of us were expecting, you have to consider that he had 3 different injuries throughout the year. Most notably a nagging ankle injury which began in the Cleveland game (I read there was a cracked bone) and I can't imagine he was anywhere near 100% after seeing the replay of his knee against Houston in the first playoff game.

 

[patsbrasilpatriotas]

He's gone since fev 5. Nothing new here...