Patriots are signing Patrick Chung

Basically the off-season until now

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120725123334/icarly/images/2/24/Huh.gif

We have 6 safeties on the squad competing for 5 positions. McCourty and Harmon are locks for the 53.

COMPETING FOR THREE ROSTER SPOTS
Wilson, Wilson, Ebner, Davis

I guess I am fine with Chung as camp competition with this groups, and as injury protection.

I would be fine with signing another safety and drafting one. We are populating a 90 man roster for camp.

SOME posters do not like the idea of having over the hill veterans competing for bottom of the roster spots. I do like that approach.

BTW, this is different that over the hill veterans (like Gregory and Wilson) competing for starting or first off the bench roster spots. This is also important.

everlong said:

I don't think his role, if he sticks, is going to be that of a safety but more as a sub package hybrid LB/S. I think he'll be used in the box and will get to play downhill which he's good at. I think\hope this also means they'll be drafting somebody for this exact role to compete with him. Shazier, Mosley, Van Noy, Christian Jones and others could fill that role.

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I agree, but Shazier is the best of the bunch. I have my doubts if the others would be competitive enough in coverage or had the range to play an LB/S hybrid. While I am not as down on Chung as others (I can understand the move), I think it could also be upgraded.

I would love to grab Shazier and have him play SS as well as act as LB depth. If a starting LB goes down, Shazier moves to LB and Harmon/Chung take over at S.

Perhaps we should have a poll.

Which ONE of these three would you cut: Adrian Wilson, Tavon Wilson, Patrick Chung?

Perhaps some would want to wait for camp to make a decision.

KontradictioN said:

He's decent but overrated against the run. And saying that he's better than two late round prospect special teammers isn't saying much at all. He's an absolute waste of a roster spot that literally all of the forum has bad mouthed since last offseason and hopefully he's cut after camp.

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Well, Philadelphia is where DBs basically go to die, and so I'm reticent to take his crappy play there and project it forward. Granted, when last we left Chung, he had really been struggling for us. But he was asked to cover a lot of ground alongside James Ihedigbo.

As Unorginal said above, with McCourty playing centerfield, we'd be asking him to do something a lot different.

I'm not saying I have a ton of confidence in Chung. In fact, I was killing on him in 2011, IIRC. But he is a good special teamer, so he's not a waste of a roster spot if he supplants Wilson or Ebner by playing better safety.

It's a harmless flier.

mgteich said:

Perhaps we should have a poll.

Which ONE of these three would you cut: Adrian Wilson, Tavon Wilson, Patrick Chung?

Perhaps some would want to wait for camp to make a decision.

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No lets not and just pretend we did.

Perhaps we should have a poll.

Which ONE of these three would you cut: Adrian Wilson, Tavon Wilson, Patrick Chung?

Last year, we had Wilson, Wilson and Gregory to choose from.

Atleast Adrian Wilson has competed at a very high level in this league. His drop-off is probably still better than Chung's ceiling at this point.

but but but but whhhyyyyyyyy?

BradyManny said:

Well, Philadelphia is where DBs basically go to die, and so I'm reticent to take his crappy play there and project it forward. Granted, when last we left Chung, he had really been struggling for us. But he was asked to cover a lot of ground alongside James Ihedigbo.

As Unorginal said above, with McCourty playing centerfield, we'd be asking him to do something a lot different.

I'm not saying I have a ton of confidence in Chung. In fact, I was killing on him in 2011, IIRC. But he is a good special teamer, so he's not a waste of a roster spot if he supplants Wilson or Ebner by playing better safety.

It's a harmless flier.

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The excuse for keeping Tavon has been that he's young and a great special teamer.

The excuse for keeping Ebner has been that he's young and a great special teamer.

How many "Can't play safety and can't cover worth a damn, but can play special teams" safeties do you think are needed?

BradyManny said:

Well, Philadelphia is where DBs basically go to die, and so I'm reticent to take his crappy play there and project it forward. Granted, when last we left Chung, he had really been struggling for us. But he was asked to cover a lot of ground alongside James Ihedigbo.

As Unorginal said above, with McCourty playing centerfield, we'd be asking him to do something a lot different.

I'm not saying I have a ton of confidence in Chung. In fact, I was killing on him in 2011, IIRC. But he is a good special teamer, so he's not a waste of a roster spot if he supplants Wilson or Ebner by playing better safety.

It's a harmless flier.

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Chung essentially went back to the same defense that he played at Oregon where he actually excelled in at the college level and still managed to suck when he was in Philly. That defense only improved when they began taking him off the field for extended periods of time. So that takes the "maybe it was the system" argument off the table because he continued to suck in a system where he had previously had success.

As for Chung, it's not a harmless flier if he has to start and is continuously just a second or two too late to the play again and again like he was before he left here. And his presumed role would still see him in coverage, where he struggled against WR's, TE's, and RB's. It's a head scratching move that, hopefully, does not prevent the team from looking for a safety in the draft.

dannydyn said:

Please tell me this is a f******ing joke!

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Or an April's Fools joke, two days late. It's like dating your ex-wife. There is a reason it didn't work out in the first place. Why do you think it will now?????


(and I don't even have an ex-wife)

Wow! Didn't see that coming. Well after seeing the expected negative responses from the masses, I too am trying to make sense of it all, because I join in the majority who would have rather had Steven Gregory back, if we had to do a 2.0 with a former Pats S. But the fact is that he's here, warts and all, and its up to all us great thinkers ( ) to figure out the why of it all.

1. I image that the contract will be at the vet minimum, so this might not even count against our top 51.

2. I'm wondering it this is LESS about signing another safety, and more about signing a good general special teams guy who could be used as a S in a pinch. IIRC Chung was always a pretty good special teams guy.

3. BB knows him well, the good and bad. Perhaps there is a situational defense that fits Chung's skill set, that no one else on the current roster fills? Hey, I"m just guessing here like everyone else. Trying to make sense of this.

4. Or the one most likely reason. Just another camp body for the vet minimum who has the upside of already knowing the system, who will fight for a ST's job.

If Adrian Wilson is healthy enough to play at a reasonable level, he will be the #3, and Chung and Tavon Wilson would compete for the #4 position.

Perhaps a draftee or another free agent will compete for any of the positions (#3-#5).

BTW, most here had Adrain Wilson being cut early, along with Sopoaga and Gregory.

West Philly Patriot said:

Atleast Adrian Wilson has competed at a very high level in this league. His drop-off is probably still better than Chung's ceiling at this point.

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KontradictioN said:

Chung essentially went back to the same defense that he played at Oregon where he actually excelled in at the college level and still managed to suck when he was in Philly. That defense only improved when they began taking him off the field for extended periods of time. So that takes the "maybe it was the system" argument off the table because he continued to suck in a system where he had previously had success.



As for Chung, it's not a harmless flier if he has to start and is continuously just a second or two too late to the play again and again like he was before he left here. And his presumed role would still see him in coverage, where he struggled against WR's, TE's, and RB's. It's a head scratching move that, hopefully, does not prevent the team from looking for a safety in the draft.

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This. Just because it's single high safety doesn't mean Chung would see no coverage responsibilities. And if he starts,..... Which is very possible if they don't draft another safety or hybrid for that role. He only has to beat out A. Wilson and Tavon who is a stiff.

Do some people think he was signed to be a starter?

Camp fodder who will probably battle Tavon Wilson ($1.3m cap hit in '15. Only a $300k hit if cut.) for the last Safety spot.

BradyManny said:

he's better than Wilson & Ebner. He's 3rd on the depth chart right now.

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I don't know about that...

Seriously?! So BB was lookin into gettin a Safety and Chung was his best option?

Low risk.. possible reward. Or it might be as simple as lighting a fire under the butt of Harmon.. TC competition.

Wonder if he took some geometry courses while in the City of Brotherly Love???....

Patsfanin Philly said:

Or an April's Fools joke, two days late. It's like dating your ex-wife. There is a reason it didn't work out in the first place. Why do you think it will now?????


(and I don't even have an ex-wife)

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you didn't have to tell us you didn't have an ex wife, because IF you did, you would surely never even dream of dating her again!

I have no problem with taking a flyer on Chung, he is a terrible safety but then again, who on the Patriots isn't? He was a decent special teams player in his time with the Pats. I think he is in more competition with Ebner than anyone else.