Our Rb's

[PScottman]

You guys who want to bring back these players who are fumbles, you do realize that they may have lost 2 games and they are like to fumble again if it isn't properly addressed

I'd probably come down more on the "well, now everyone's contributed to fumbling..." and advocate for playing Stevenson again (unless obviously in the practices we don't see there's evidence as to habitual ball control issues).

That's the unknown is how practices are going. It's similar to the thought process of moving Onwenu back to RT (albeit he was pulled himself Sunday night for Karras). There's a ton of missing context that's just assumed.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I think we need to shore up the OL first and see what the guys on the roster can do, maybe then look for a RB if these guys cant get it done.

 

[Nunchucks]

Ball security is properly addressed at every training. Fumbling - like everything - is circumstantial as well. I see it more as part of frustration not being able to establish the run as a team. I dont see any RB on the roster as “fumbler“. To me these were mostly “team fumbles“ and that includes coaching. Its easy to say “take care of the ball“, “you must know when the journey is done“. But before that - give them a ****ing chance..

They fumbled in preseason and fumbled un yhe regular season. Sloppy ball handlinh

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I mean, I totally get it. He was a disappointment here. No way around it. We all expected more, based on his college production and draft slot. But all that aside, I was a bit nervous about parting with a veteran at a position that sees a lot of injuries. Now with White out, it would be nice to have someone other than Bolden as our pass-protector and receiving back. Michel may not be great, but he's a serviceable player. I'd take him over Taylor or Rham for this year. They may end up as better players in the long run, but I was pretty nonplussed about the trade initially, and nothing has changed my mind since.

Of course, getting everyone healthy on the OL and building continuity will also help.

yep, that trade hurts right now. Admittedly on my end i was okay with it, completely overestimated jj i guess from what i saw last year and in preseason.

 

[Scotty]

If we are going to see Rham again soon then best against the Texans and not the Cowboys ?

 

[captain stone]

Unlike the thread would suggest Wynn was actually by far most consistent run blocker on the night while playing through injury.
Onwenu who was by far highest rated NE OL over 3 weeks (by PFF fwiw) had a rough night and was possibly benched (no inj reported)
They are exchanging Herron and Durant at RT like its DL but both are big liabilities esp. in run game. It affects Mason as well.
@TE Jonnu is doing better - Hanry was in only on 1 run play (bad) which is not a good sign.
@WR - this is under the radar big problem. Harry is the only WR who can block. I noticed Myers bad blocking (borderline unwillingness) in preseason and unfortunately that continues. he did better last year iirc. Pats normally relied on good run blocking by WRs and now first 3 WRs look bad.
@FB - Jakub Johnson is just not on the level this year. If they want to use legit FB and carry one on 53 they should upgrade as i was saying going into FA. Ben Mason could be the answer but he was not here before the season so it might take time esp with how conservative (stubborn) BB is making changes.

So its not just about fixing OL (which should be fixable) but fixing blocking around the line as well.

Another ****ing injury with this dude?!?

 

[captain stone]

Lol that's the alignment @DropKickFlutie has been ranting about for months.

He's not alone either.

 

[captain stone]

Is Hoyer starting?

Stevenson is NOT playing until he can pick up blitzers.

It was One play... And it was less his fault than it was Jake Johnson's.

 

[sambam94]

Before the season..top 5 OL and loaded at RB. Not so much

 

[captain stone]

Before the season..top 5 OL and loaded at RB. Not so much

It was only a top-5 OL in the eyes of the willfully ignorant lemmings of Team Bill.

 

[Zuma]

It was only a top-5 OL in the eyes of the willfully ignorant lemmings of Team Bill.

It's a top 10 with a healthy Brown and Wynn.

 

[Uptown]

Where’s Ben Jarvis Green Ellis when you need him?..

 

[captain stone]

It's a top 10 with a healthy Brown and Wynn.

Top-12 with a healthy Brown & Wynn both performing at career-best levels.

 

[varjao]

Harris with another stupid fumble today

 

[archstanton543]

Harris with another stupid fumble today

That was a borderline call. Still he should have hung onto it...but I still think it was a TD. And I still think that if I was a Texans fan.

 

[Kdo5]

I like Harris a lot but ball security has been a major issue. He lost us one game and could have cost us a second. He is a valuable part of our offense but damn.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Another ****ing injury with this dude?!?

who drafted this bum over DJ Moore?

 

[DropKickFlutie]

who drafted this bum over DJ Moore?

same guy who loved Chad Jackson and Maroney, Tebow. deja vu with Michel, Wynn, Harry, Sanu.

.

 

[slash83]

Trading Sony ended up being a disastrous move.

 

[catent]

yep, that trade hurts right now. Admittedly on my end i was okay with it, completely overestimated jj i guess from what i saw last year and in preseason.

I still think JJ is *that* good athletically. Ball security is paramount, but hell, even if the guy can't pass block, get him in the game for a handful of designed screens, pitches, jet-sweeps, etc. He's someone like Patterson, Edelman, Dion - a person who is dynamic in space. Someone with his athletic talent and skillset should be getting touches on this offense, IMO.

The thing was, even when Michel was here, they didn't really use him as a 3rd-down RB doing pass blocking, screens, etc. They showed a little bit of that in the preseason but it was never something he did much of here. Now that he's in LA, they have him doing a lot of that, and he seems comfortable doing it. I tend to think if Michel was here, they'd still be using him in a limited role and we wouldn't be thinking all that highly of him beyond being a decent runner on 1st/2nd down.

The Michel trade hasn't aged well in hindsight, but honestly I think we might be focusing on the wrong thing. To me this is less about not having Michel than it is about not empowering the RBs who are here. Again, ball security is paramount, so yeah, at some point you can't play someone who is fumbling, but I'd like to see them be slightly less trigger happy with yanking RBs for mental mistakes (fumbles, missed blocks). Taylor and Stevenson both have similar athletic talent to Michel (in different ways), just let them play a bit and get experience. I was glad to see Stevenson hammer them late, he looked solid yesterday.