Building 2017 roster

[patfanken]

Agreed, he is no longer money on clutch kicks.

We need a dt, two de's, a lb, te and CB in this draft, and restructuring our kicker and amendola gives us room to sign some free agents in case draft picks flame out or get injured,

Wait a second. They guy has hit on 84% of his FG's last season. Talk about a guy who has been victimized by his own success. Just because he was over 90% the previous 3 years doesn't mean that hitting of 84% is a bad year.

Tell me OJ, are you going to be one of those guys who when Brady throws for 6 picks next year against over 30 TDs, you are going to claim its a sure sign he's falling off the cliff since its "3 times what he did last year".

Of course you aren't. Gotskowski will have to do a lot worse before you can hang the title of "no longer money" on kicks.

 

[long distance]

Just a side note . for our projections/shoppings with NE cap space

 

[long distance]

Not that there is much doubt . but here another hint from Reiss that Vollmer is not coming back/is retiring:

One item of Patriots football business that should yield more clarity before free agency starts March 9 is the future of veteran offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Vollmer, 32, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.25 million and the most likely scenarios are that he is either cut before the start of free agency as a courtesy of sorts (similar to Fletcher) or that he retires. Vollmer currently isn't registered with an official agent through the NFL Players Association, which could be a tip-off on his intentions to choose the latter option. The Patriots, who felt good about their right tackle depth in 2016 with Marcus Cannon backed up by Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle, would save $1.7 million on the cap either way.

 

[luuked]

Not that there is much doubt . but here another hint from Reiss that Vollmer is not coming back/is retiring:

One item of Patriots football business that should yield more clarity before free agency starts March 9 is the future of veteran offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Vollmer, 32, is scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.25 million and the most likely scenarios are that he is either cut before the start of free agency as a courtesy of sorts (similar to Fletcher) or that he retires. Vollmer currently isn't registered with an official agent through the NFL Players Association, which could be a tip-off on his intentions to choose the latter option. The Patriots, who felt good about their right tackle depth in 2016 with Marcus Cannon backed up by Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle, would save $1.7 million on the cap either way.

The writing was on the wall since fall really. Good for Sebastian to go out on his own terms without trying to squeeze out another contract just to end up injured again. He made more than enough money for a lifetimes anyway and is setup perfectly to be the face of the NFL media in Germany.

 

[long distance]

In light of exclusive FT for Bell by Pitt - their first in history - after reports that they are close on long-term . let me add Miguel's tweets re. Hightower situation..

 

[long distance]

Great to have Develin for two more years.
(OP updated with Vollmer released/retiring, Develin re-signing)




EDIT:

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Now we need a two year deal with branch as well.

 

[luuked]

Now we need a two year deal with branch as well.

Posted it in the main board but just for completeness sake:



Sounds like we might be close to that..

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Posted it in the main board but just for completeness sake:



Sounds like we might be close to that..

Great news! He is the engine that makes our DL work. I like Brown and Valentine, and think they're good pieces moving forward, but Branch has just been on another level. I hope we can find a suitable replacement for him in the next few years (Vea next year maybe).

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Posted it in the main board but just for completeness sake:



Sounds like we might be close to that..

With bb; until the papers are signed, I find it hard to believe.

Branch was an unsung hero of our 2016 season. He was beyond anything I could have forecasted.

 

[long distance]

And this is today's crop:

Butler - 1st round tender - 3.9M
Fleming - original round tender (4th) - 1.8M
Coleman - ERFA tender - 0.6M
Lengel - ERFA tender - 0.5M

(RFA M Williams is not expected to be tendered (not needed) and ERFA King probably getting a contract better than what the ERFA tender would bring - for him that is)

Pats now have 54 players signed.. 36 to go .. some 54M cap remaining
(feel free to add some 5M from Danny's restructure . or 6M+ if - hopefully not - released)


ps
I'll update OP tomorrow

 

[long distance]

And we have a new addition - at one of the most critical positions.



Trade for a solid, versatile, complete player on a reasonable deal - and no loss of picks.
Just a swap: #137 for #200.
Colts will have now 3 4th rounders and BB gets his beloved 6th back.
Colts have now no late round picks (6th or 7th). BB loves them because he knows all the players .. down to #1000 i guess.. and unlike many, he can find value there.

Amazing football man. Such blessing to watch him operate..


So let me share my thoughts here as well.
___

Well, friends, I can tell you my day is made.

TE was the only position that I was not comfortable with.
Now Pats have Gronk, Allen, Lengel, Housler and are also bringing back M Williams.
Reports are they will draft at least one TE. Plus there will be very good TE UDFAs.
(Hopefully this signing is also a small comment on Gronk being good to go.)

I am at peace.
__

This is from PFF from 4y ago. I bet he stayed on BBs mind all that time.
Secret Superstar: Dwayne Allen | PFF

And when Colts re-signed Doyle to hefty contract, he knew they need somebody to relief them of Allen's contract. Well, gladly.

Lets hope Josh, Tom & co can bring out Allen's “secret superstar“
__

A Complete Tight End

Coming out of Clemson he had a reputation as a complete tight end. So much so that Allen won the John Mackey award as the NCAA’s best tight end, despite having only the seventh-most receiving yards (590) and second-most touchdowns (eight). He was then lauded as a possible first-round pick when he declared for the draft, but his stock tumbled quickly from there.

At the combine his numbers were less than stellar. Questions arose after he measured at only 6-foot-3 after he was listed by Clemson at 6-foot-4. Allen then proceeded to run a sluggish 4.89 40-yard dash and showed average athleticism in the subsequent drills. It became apparent to scouts that he neither had elite size nor speed, and he dropped swiftly all the way to the top of the third round.

Translating to the Next Level

What teams underestimated about Allen’s game was his blocking prowess. One of the harder abilities to scout in tight ends, blocking is about size, coaching, and effort. What scouts didn’t see in Allen was prototypical size and they likely questioned if his blocking skills would translate to the next level. The good news for the Colts is they did.

For the season, Allen had a run blocking grade of +10.1, third-best among tight ends and best among full-time tight ends. We graded him as having 56 positive blocks and 31 negative blocks. However, Allen wasn’t just a successful run blocker, he also graded out very positively in screen blocking and pass blocking. One of his best assets as a blocker is the ability to line up anywhere on the field, and indeed he lined up at 21 unique positions over the course of the season. He did a great job of using his leverage to his advantage and was the type of tight end you’d feel comfortable having singled on a down lineman.

 

[manxman2601]

I doubt we draft a TE until day three now if any. Looking at Jonnu Smith as more of an athletic move option but wouldn't rule out Kittle just because I can see BB loving him. Also seems like the type of player you groom behind Allen.

 

[captain stone]

Not a Dwayne Allen fan, at all…especially at his salary.
Who cares what he did 4 seasons ago? He sucked this past season.
He took the money, and stopped working.

 

[28222]

I doubt we draft a TE until day three now if any. Looking at Jonnu Smith as more of an athletic move option but wouldn't rule out Kittle just because I can see BB loving him. Also seems like the type of player you groom behind Allen.

Agree this probably takes us out of a day 1 or 2 pick given the other needs especially on the defensive side. I like the move only if we still target a legit TE prospect, and not just a developmental project. Fortunately in this class, there should be some good values well into Day 3. Question is... if they like 1 of Williams/Lengel/Housler, the drafted TE may have to go to PS unless they decide to keep 4. But that may be an easier task this yr given how many teams will have drafted one of their own from this deep class.

As for Allen, he is coming off a tough year. But we have played him 3 times (2 reg season, 1 playoffs), so we have had to game plan for him plenty, so you know BB is comfortable with his evaluation. And if it doesn't work out, no dead money so there is very little risk with high potential 3 yr payoff.

Typical BB low floor, high ceiling move in terms of value.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Still lots of people writing about bb trying to get another wr.

Jackson runs a very limited route tree so I doubt bb goes there.

Did not dan Fran release wr Torrey?

 

[luuked]

And we have a new addition - at one of the most critical positions.



Trade for a solid, versatile, complete player on a reasonable deal - and no loss of picks.
Just a swap: #137 for #200.
Colts will have now 3 4th rounders and BB gets his beloved 6th back.
Colts have now no late round picks (6th or 7th). BB loves them because he knows all the players .. down to #1000 i guess.. and unlike many, he can find value there.

Amazing football man. Such blessing to watch him operate..


So let me share my thoughts here as well.
___

Well, friends, I can tell you my day is made.

TE was the only position that I was not comfortable with.
Now Pats have Gronk, Allen, Lengel, Housler and are also bringing back M Williams.
Reports are they will draft at least one TE. Plus there will be very good TE UDFAs.
(Hopefully this signing is also a small comment on Gronk being good to go.)

I am at peace.
__

This is from PFF from 4y ago. I bet he stayed on BBs mind all that time.
Secret Superstar: Dwayne Allen | PFF

And when Colts re-signed Doyle to hefty contract, he knew they need somebody to relief them of Allen's contract. Well, gladly.

Lets hope Josh, Tom & co can bring out Allen's “secret superstar“
__

A Complete Tight End

Coming out of Clemson he had a reputation as a complete tight end. So much so that Allen won the John Mackey award as the NCAA’s best tight end, despite having only the seventh-most receiving yards (590) and second-most touchdowns (eight). He was then lauded as a possible first-round pick when he declared for the draft, but his stock tumbled quickly from there.

At the combine his numbers were less than stellar. Questions arose after he measured at only 6-foot-3 after he was listed by Clemson at 6-foot-4. Allen then proceeded to run a sluggish 4.89 40-yard dash and showed average athleticism in the subsequent drills. It became apparent to scouts that he neither had elite size nor speed, and he dropped swiftly all the way to the top of the third round.

Translating to the Next Level

What teams underestimated about Allen’s game was his blocking prowess. One of the harder abilities to scout in tight ends, blocking is about size, coaching, and effort. What scouts didn’t see in Allen was prototypical size and they likely questioned if his blocking skills would translate to the next level. The good news for the Colts is they did.

For the season, Allen had a run blocking grade of +10.1, third-best among tight ends and best among full-time tight ends. We graded him as having 56 positive blocks and 31 negative blocks. However, Allen wasn’t just a successful run blocker, he also graded out very positively in screen blocking and pass blocking. One of his best assets as a blocker is the ability to line up anywhere on the field, and indeed he lined up at 21 unique positions over the course of the season. He did a great job of using his leverage to his advantage and was the type of tight end you’d feel comfortable having singled on a down lineman.

I knew who disagreed with your post without even looking first.

It could only be the myth, the legend..

 

[Gabriel_p94]

Agree this probably takes us out of a day 1 or 2 pick given the other needs especially on the defensive side. I like the move only if we still target a legit TE prospect, and not just a developmental project. Fortunately in this class, there should be some good values well into Day 3. Question is... if they like 1 of Williams/Lengel/Housler, the drafted TE may have to go to PS unless they decide to keep 4. But that may be an easier task this yr given how many teams will have drafted one of their own from this deep class.

As for Allen, he is coming off a tough year. But we have played him 3 times (2 reg season, 1 playoffs), so we have had to game plan for him plenty, so you know BB is comfortable with his evaluation. And if it doesn't work out, no dead money so there is very little risk with high potential 3 yr payoff.

Typical BB low floor, high ceiling move in terms of value.

Im still holding out for engram but it seems a lot less likely now.

 

[luuked]

Im still holding out for engram but it seems a lot less likely now.

I don't see a reason to assume that a TE in round 3 is out of question. Signing Allen just maximized their flexibility to say no if the price to trade up gets too high in case there is a run at TEs.

You still wanna have a younger guy on a rookie contract that you can groom to maybe fill Gronk's shoes in case they move on after this year (if his value is on the upper end again) or if he is not the same.

 

[Dexter]

I don't see a reason to assume that a TE in round 3 is out of question. Signing Allen just maximized their flexibility to say no if the price to trade up gets too high in case there is a run at TEs.

You still wanna have a younger guy on a rookie contract that you can groom to maybe fill Gronk's shoes in case they move on after this year (if his value is on the upper end again) or if he is not the same.

Especially considering their history with injuries. BB is always thinking ahead and drafting someone with potential in such a strong TE class is a no brainer.