Defense - old, slow, bad

[mgteich]

Life cycle of Defensive players (using 2021)

category #4: old, slow and cooked - Hightower, Collins and guy!

category #3: Old and slowing down, but may have a tiny bit left in the tank - mccourty and van noy.

category #2: meh - wise, godchaux, Bryant, uche, winovich, Davis and mills.

category #1: solid/studs/future studs - Phillips, jackson, Duggar, judon, j jones and barmore!

Best case scenario; guys come in as category 1 or 2. Over time they slide down into category 3 and 4.

the patriots rebuild is about adding players to categories 1 and 2 faster than categories 3 and 4 grow. That is why good drafting is so important.

I would just call #2 "contributors"
=================
MY LIST (not counting free agents)

CATEGORY 1 (5): no changes. Of course, Jackson is a FA.

CATEGORY 2 (5): I agree on Wise, Godchaux, Bryant, and Mills. I would add McMillan.
I don't think that we know yet whether we can depend at all on Uche and Winovich (or Jennings or Perkins or McGrone)

CATEGORY 3 (3): Van Noy and Guy (I expect to see them on the team at least into August.
================
POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTORS (8): Uche, Winovich, McGrone, Perkins, Jennings, Anderson, Cowart, Wade, Tavai, Williams

UNLIKLY CONTRIBUTORS (3): Collins, Bledsoe, Langi, Hall, Williams

==============
WHERE WE ARE
DL (7): Barmore, Wise, Godchaux, Guy, Anderson, Cowart, Winovich
LB/EDGE (9): Judon, McMillan, Uche, Van Noy, Winovich, McGrone, Perkins, Tavai, Jennings,/Langi
DB (8): Phillips, Dugger, Mills, Jones, Bryant, Wade, Williams, Bledsoe
ST (2): Bethel, Davis

 

[captain stone]

I wouldn't say Mills was a good player but he clearly was missed in the Bills game. Good value on his contract too. Mills and Jon Jones both out was basically a practice squad secondary.

The PatsD held up most of the year due to a good pass defense and crappy run defense. Missing Mills broke down the whole defense, as the passD had no chance and the runD was laughably bad all year with 10M Godchaux and crappy Bentley routinely being pushed back ot taking bad angles all season long.

Yes, Mills (& Jonathan Jones) were indeed missed; but...

No, his contract is certainly Not good value, at all.

 

[DaBruinz]

As I see it, I’m getting more positive ratings on my posts while you’re getting, let’s see… none. Maybe you’re the one being absurd here? I thought you might have considered that the morning after you slept it off and realized that you were blaming a 30-point loss on the officiating. Defending the personnel on defense by citing Anderson and Cowart just adds a whole new layer to the absurdity.

This is the complete BS garbage you make up. I wasn't blaming the ENITRE 30 point loss on officiating. Yet again, you read only what you choose to read and not what's actually posted. This is one of the biggest problems with you. You insist that your moronic exaggerated takes on what people say are factual. They aren't. What I said was that the officiating was 99% in Buffalo's favor. Then I pointed out EGREGIOUS penalties that would have been called in any other game. Penalties that would have taken points off the board and probably changed the outlook of the game. YOU took me saying that as blaming the entire game on the refs.. Something I didn't do at all.

I wasn't "defending the personnel on defense" by mentioning Cowart and Anderson. I was mentioning them as players coming back who should help improve the DL rotation. Cowart should be better than Ekuale or Davis. Anderson, provided he improves, would give someone who can rotate in with Wise and Guy. What you've also IGNORED is that I also mentioned that I believe that the Pats will add a DL to go next to Barmore, which would help out Barmore and Judon.

The fact that you think that getting "positive ratings" from the bottom of the barrel posters such as DropKickFlutie 203Pats and captainstone somehow make your statements correct shows the ignorance the rest of us have to deal with.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yes, Mills (& Jonathan Jones) were indeed missed; but...

No, his contract is certainly Not good value, at all.

Mills contract is excellent value. You just don't have a clue how to fairly evaluate talent or contracts.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Is mills a free safety disguised as a corner?

 

[mgteich]

Is mills a free safety disguised as a corner?

I hope so. We need a free safety.

Of course, without Gilmore and Jones, we needed Mills to play corner.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I hope so. We need a free safety.

Of course, without Gilmore and Jones, we needed Mills to play corner.

did anybody really think Gilmore was coming back last season?

 

[jdlboot14]

LB is actually an exciting position to watch. I believe HT, Collins & Wino are gone. I really believe Bentley can be good - with guys like Perkins and McMillan around him. even Uche and KVN will probably improve from this year with a better core (and coaching?). I can see 1 big FA splash being made here, and likely a high draft pick. But with all the recent investment in that area, they probably want to reap some reward rather than starting all over. Tavai, Langi, Jennings & Mcgrone are on the bubble.

 

[captain stone]

Is mills a free safety disguised as a corner?

He would be, except he doesn't like tackling either.

 

[masterbouncer]

LB is actually an exciting position to watch. I believe HT, Collins & Wino are gone. I really believe Bentley can be good - with guys like Perkins and McMillan around him. even Uche and KVN will probably improve from this year with a better core (and coaching?). I can see 1 big FA splash being made here, and likely a high draft pick. But with all the recent investment in that area, they probably want to reap some reward rather than starting all over. Tavai, Langi, Jennings & Mcgrone are on the bubble.

hows McGrone on the bubble? they just drafted him in 2021?

 

[captain stone]

hows McGrone on the bubble? they just drafted him in 2021?

Yep, though I do agree about Tavai, Langi & Jennings... Maybe Jennings gets one more season then goes on the 2023 bubble...

 

[masterbouncer]

Yep, though I do agree about Tavai, Langi & Jennings... Maybe Jennings gets one more season then goes on the 2023 bubble...

agree, though I do not expect Jennings to cut it, he is as well one of the slower LBs, doesn't posses the quickness for nowdays LBs that are flying around the field, had already a lot of health issues during college and seem to have issues to stay on the field in the NFL as well, if they let Bentley and HT leave (hopefully they do) he might get the run stuffer LB job on obvious running plays

 

[RobertWeathers]

hows McGrone on the bubble? they just drafted him in 2021?

Yea bubble is premature. I guess as a default status he's on the bubble because at this point we have no idea if he'll make the team or not as he is not a shoo-in

 

[masterbouncer]

Yea bubble is premature. I guess as a default status he's on the bubble because at this point we have no idea if he'll make the team or not as he is not a shoo-in

with the cheap contract and potential he has, he is more in than some of the vets with higher cap, right now I think the only thing that might hold him back to see the field next year is health, if he is healthy he will play

 

[JackBauer]

I didn't find anything Brutus-esque in any of those notes.

To me that read like some not-so-subtle shade on the defensive coaching.

 

[RobertWeathers]

with the cheap contract and potential he has, he is more in than some of the vets with higher cap, right now I think the only thing that might hold him back to see the field next year is health, if he is healthy he will play

They will give him every opportunity to play meaningful snaps. That we all know.

 

[JackBauer]

I would just call #2 "contributors"
=================
MY LIST (not counting free agents)

CATEGORY 1 (5): no changes. Of course, Jackson is a FA.

CATEGORY 2 (5): I agree on Wise, Godchaux, Bryant, and Mills. I would add McMillan.
I don't think that we know yet whether we can depend at all on Uche and Winovich (or Jennings or Perkins or McGrone)

CATEGORY 3 (3): Van Noy and Guy (I expect to see them on the team at least into August.
================
POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTORS (8): Uche, Winovich, McGrone, Perkins, Jennings, Anderson, Cowart, Wade, Tavai, Williams

UNLIKLY CONTRIBUTORS (3): Collins, Bledsoe, Langi, Hall, Williams

==============
WHERE WE ARE
DL (7): Barmore, Wise, Godchaux, Guy, Anderson, Cowart, Winovich
LB/EDGE (9): Judon, McMillan, Uche, Van Noy, Winovich, McGrone, Perkins, Tavai, Jennings,/Langi
DB (8): Phillips, Dugger, Mills, Jones, Bryant, Wade, Williams, Bledsoe
ST (2): Bethel, Davis

Not to nitpick but I would say Tavai is an unlikely contributor considering I probably run faster than he does.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

They will give him every opportunity to play meaningful snaps. That we all know.

They brought McGrone off IR for a few weeks in December with Bledsoe for no real reason other than to look at them. I assume they both were being considered for 2022. Jennings on the other hand was MIA all year - can not be a good sign, even Uche and Wino made an appearance.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

LB is actually an exciting position to watch. I believe HT, Collins & Wino are gone. I really believe Bentley can be good - with guys like Perkins and McMillan around him. even Uche and KVN will probably improve from this year with a better core (and coaching?). I can see 1 big FA splash being made here, and likely a high draft pick. But with all the recent investment in that area, they probably want to reap some reward rather than starting all over. Tavai, Langi, Jennings & Mcgrone are on the bubble.

I do not expect any FA or high draft picks at LB. We need DT (hopefully two) and outside CB before any LBs. We need to improve the DL to ensure the opposing OL stays off our LBs who can then make plays.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Yes, Mills (& Jonathan Jones) were indeed missed; but...

No, his contract is certainly Not good value, at all.

I think his salary is within the range for his talent level. So the question is would you have signed him? I wouldn’t. I made it clear last off-season and still don’t care for him.

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