The loss of Blount, Bennett, and Long is going to hurt us

[Bruins29]

I don't see any evidence that our new acquisitions are at the level of these three. .

Really? You dont see any evidence that the new guys are at the level of the past guys? What evidence do you see at all? You just stated that you were not that familiar with one of the Patriots starting players so how familiar could you be with players who did not play for us last year?

Who says we cant have a "classy" team this year and that these new guys wont buy into the Pats system?

You are just looking for things to start topics about aren't you.

 

[VectorPrime]

You're on crack

 

[Ivan]

********. And I say that respectfully.

Agree completely, this is the best roster they have ever had imo.

 

[goheels22002]

..and so, just as the swallows return to Capistrano year after year, so too does the flock of paulo pulla come bawking back to Patsfans...

Bartender, I'll have what Joker's having.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'm not sure I'm worried that 208 LB gillislee will be less effective in that role than blount.

Given that it's a physical impossibility for him not to be less effective in that role, your concern isn't relevant. Where your take comes in handy is in whether or not the size part of the equation will matter.

 

[Simpelton]

I'm not sure I'm worried that 208 LB gillislee will be less effective in that role than blount.

I would be. If it takes a big boy to break through, we really don't have one. This may turn out to be an issue against teams with good pass coverage. Either way it's an option that was in the playbook last year and isn't this year.

It's a source of very minor concern until we know that the team has an answer. I don't foresee any real difficulty but I want to see the team work through or around the problem a couple times before I completely relax.

I would have worried less if Blount wasn't such a big part of how we survived the Brady suspension.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

Blount started off strong but fell off a cliff in the back end of the season, Bennett was a one year rental who is now getting vastly overpaid in GB, and Long was a decent situational pass rusher who only played on 3rd downs.

Of these three, only the departure of Bennett has not been adequately replaced (unless you count the return of Gronk). The other two have been upgraded.

 

[Simpelton]

I don't really get this impression that Blount was anything other than acceptable last year. He had some bad games that hurt his YPC but he was absolutely money in the red zone. I was fully happy with him.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

AT 208 lbs, Gillislee can't replace Blount as a big back closer. This team is running without a big back, as of now.

If the implication here is that this team needs a big back closer like Blount, I'm not sure that Blount is, by his nature, that style of runner. He seemed to either get stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short or break out on a nice long run. Always thought of him as a little back trapped in a big back body.

He did have a solid season last year though - The guy played tough.

 

[Deus Irae]

@Ive_Killed_People

Instead of clicking on the "disagree" button, try thinking first. Gillislee is a 208 pound back. Even if he runs with the power of Thor himself, Gillislee is not going to be a big back. He's still going to be 208 pounds.

 

[Deus Irae]

If the implication here is that this team needs a big back closer like Blount, I'm not sure that Blount is, by his nature, that style of runner. He seemed to either get stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short or break out on a nice long run. Always thought of him as a little back trapped in a big back body.

No implication
Just an obviously seen observation about the players.

 

[Simpelton]

Of note, every Blount highlight I've seen doubles as a James develin highlight. He seemed to need that elite blocker. I think as long as we still get some good blocking from the roleplayers we should be alright.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Blount is a power back who doesn't run with power. He will be the least missed by far.

He's getting Rondo overrated at this point. And I'm sure the same people thought he was good too lol.

 

[Ring 6]

Given that it's a physical impossibility for him not to be less effective in that role, your concern isn't relevant. Where your take comes in handy is in whether or not the size part of the equation will matter.

How is it impossible for him not to be less effective? You run plays and get results there isn't a bonus for size.

Perhaps I don't understand what role you are talking about.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

we're up to triple negatives

You get what you get, you work with that. They didn't think (after 2nd half of last season, capped by SB51) that LaG was "indispensable," far from it.

Now re-watching SB51.

Said it before, will say it again, rule number 1 for running backs in NE: DO NOT score 18 TDs

(Especially if you plan to fumble in a SB....)

 

[PatsFanInVa]

PS, Bennett works when Gronk's not around. That can be 14 games, that can be 0 games, whatever. What we get from Gronk is the difference between outstanding and "everybody else." The difference in the #2 TE target is not as severe as the dropoff from having Gronk to not having Gronk.

 

[Tony2046]

Blount in particular was a great player during his time here. His performance in 2016 was spectacular. So many times no matter how Brady or the OL was doing, get the ball to Blount and he'll bring home the TD.

Blount was also a class act off the field. He had a quiet wit to him.

Bennett I'll kind of remember for his humor. That line about how the natural prey of the falcon was the raccoon, but the natural prey of the patriot was the redcoat, was a classic.

I don't know much about Long but he seemed like a highly skilled, intelligent player. He was famously involved in the SBLI turnover.

These guys from what I saw exemplified the Patriot team philosophy. They were intelligent, funny, and their play ranged from excellent to superb.

I don't see any evidence that our new acquisitions are at the level of these three. And in the case of Blount, I feel he was underappreciated for what he did for the Patriots. He was a quiet guy who was under the shadow of the much flashier passing game. But he was a key reason for the last two rings. I'm in fact disappointed that Patriots fans don't appreciate Blount more.

As I kind of have said before, I've seen winning teams before, but I've never seen a team with the intelligence and all round classiness of the 2016 team. I think frankly that was a secret to how we outperformed. I'm pessimistic we can recapture the magic.

Blount wasn't underappreciated by most. Some sure but not most.

Most of the comments in this thread were appreciative.

Thanks LeGarrette Blount for the Good times

As to the rest of your concerns I think @robertweathers covered them perfectly.

And don't forget about the addition of Cooks. He could turn out to be a game changer.

Anyways I'm very optimistic about the upcoming season.

 

[JayNM]

Oh man, At least is some football talk!

Long will be missed, and he was perfect for his role, great in the beginning and nice relief for Flowers later in the season. I think we are going to be ok, but we don't have a clear picture on how well our rushers will be, but there's plenty untapped potential. Flowers' play in the Play Offs was really good.
Verdict: Better

Blount was great in the beginning last year, however his decline was very noticeable as the season went on, even if remained effective as 1 yard runner).In any case, there's just too much talent in this backfield and they are so diverse, too. All of our 4 main backs are capable with some solid potential. BB will keep rotating and, more imporantly, mismatching
Verdict: Way Better


Bennett was a good RZ Target, but he simply can't get separation like Gronk, so I think he should be better at that. However, I don't trust guys with catching problems, so I can only hope for the Best.Also, Marty was an awesome blocker for us, which can be easily forgotten and I don't know if Allen will be as effective. PS - Hopefully Gronk can stay healthy, too
Verdict: Slightly worse.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

The thing that is sad about Marty is that it really didn't have to happen. IIRC he ended up getting pretty much what the Pats were offering from GB. It was very much like the Welker situation where the player/agent over valued the marketplace. The Pats had him in the $6-7MM range and that's what he ended up getting.

The only question I have is whether there was any urgency in the Allen deal that forced the Pats to consumate it so quickly after Marty turned down their offer. I'll always have a feeling that if BB had given him the time to see what the market really was, he would have resigned with us. Most likely it was unavoidable.

Couldn't agree more. That to me was the most disappointing event of this offseason, but there has been way more good than bad.

When you hear that Bennet was offered $7M annually from the Patriots, though, you really don't know what that meant, as there can be huge differences in guaranteed money, offset language, etc.

I would feel much better with Bennett (rather than Allen) as the TE2/TE1, but that's why I am here and BB is there. I did always feel like it was a ticking time bomb, though, with Bennett last season, just hoping this guy wasn't going to blow up for a number of potential reasons. I still think his past indicates he will have a contentious ending to his career with some team.

 

[FCB02062]

Blount averaged like 1.2 a carry in the playoffs Vs anyone other than Indianapolis...i think they'll be OK without him