47 Locks Or Close

[n6249c]

"Good god, how is it even fair that our bench strength are better than their starters?"

The Kommisar of the NYJFL agrees. Next year the Patriots will be prohibited from drafting any rookies, to preserve the integrity of parity.

Here's the part I love most about this roster.

Our 2nd team offense...

QB Garoppolo
RB Burkhead, Lewis
WR Hogan, Amendola, Mitchell
TE Allen
OL Garcia, Barker, Karras, Waddle, Fleming

... versus the Jets starting 11...

QB McCown
RB Forte, Powell
WR Decker, Enunwa, Peake
TE Bowman
OL Ijalana, Carpenter, Johnson, Winters, Beachum

Good god, how is it even fair that our bench strength are better than their starters?

 

[mgteich]

I don't worry about the end of the 53 that much really. It is always nice to fill it out.

I still feel like the Pats have a big hole at LB #2 and if Hightower goes down for a period of time they have no solution for it.

I suspect that Belichick disagrees about the weakness at linebacker. We usually play 2 linebackers. We have Hightower, Ninkovich, Van Noy, McClellan, Roberts, and Freeny. All have started for us.

While LB may be one of our weakest units (along with the interior of the OL), we have lots of options. IMHO, there is certainly not a hole. I would say that we have a hole at OG an OC, with Karras as our only backup. However, I believe that Belichick still has plenty of time to address this need in free agency, at very least with a veteran backup.

 

[mgteich]

Did McClellan make enough plays last year to warrant a guaranteed spot? IMO, no? Ninkovich is likely safe but he really seems to be a step slower last year. He wasn't as disruptive in the backfield and had a hard time setting the edge. I wonder whether the double dip at DE this weekend and the other DL additions foreshadows a change to LB.

Hmm

I would think a double dip at LB would indicate issues at LB, or perhaps lots of UDFA's signings at the position. As it is, Belichick made almost no effort to augment the linebacker corps, unless one considers that Ealy will play some downs.

We play 2 LB most of the time. We have six players who have started for us: Hightower, Ninkovich, Van Noy, McClellan, Roberts and Freeney.

Belichick could trade a 2018 2nd tomorrow for a linebacker. It simply seems unlikely. More likely is that he will choose from these six.

 

[Kdo5]

Barring injuries (admittedly a big if) there is only one thing I think that could possibly slow down this team. That is of course a defense that can cover and apply pressure all at once.

Even if there is a defense that could cause us such trouble, they'd need to shut down at least two of
Gronk, Cooks, or Edelman and wreak havoc on our OL. I'm really pleased that we worked to shore up the OL in the draft. It may still have struggles but then again we won the Super Bowl despite a subpar effort from them.

I hate to feel so confident about a team but really there isn't much of an excuse to not win a championship again this season.

 

[mgteich]

Barring injuries (admittedly a big if) there is only one thing I think that could possibly slow down this team. That is of course a defense that can cover and apply pressure all at once.

Even if there is a defense that could cause us such trouble, they'd need to shut down at least two of
Gronk, Cooks, or Edelman and wreak havoc on our OL. I'm really pleased that we worked to shore up the OL in the draft. It may still have struggles but then again we won the Super Bowl despite a subpar effort from them.

I hate to feel so confident about a team but really there isn't much of an excuse to not win a championship again this season.

I think that the OT additions are for 2018. IMHO, we still need 2017 help inside.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I still don't think this team is done in FA.

 

[DarrylS]

This may not be the greatest team the Pats have ever fielded at this point of the season, but the best overall team with quality depth. I suspect that BB and his inner circle will be lurking around guys like Jason McCourty and other players who have proven they can play the game at a high level.. then there are the UDFA's..

Then there are the June cuts.. this roster will turn over a bit.

 

[maineman209]

I was going to ask if McClellan and Van Noy were locks or just highly probable, but seeing as there's only 1 fa linebacker right now, they don't seem to have much competition.

That's always a problem when breaking down the roster exclusively by a the players' positional designations. When you starting thinking in terms of the actual roles individual players frequently inhabit on the field, you can see that there's substantial overlap between positions.

For instance, HT has always seen a fair amount of use with his hand in the dirt in a DE role (even a bit more in 2016, in spite of having Long and Sheard). Nink and Ealy have often dropped back at the snap into more of an OLB role, and Rivers has played quite a bit standing up and off the ball.

Also, ILB and OLB roles get mixed fairly often in Patricia's defensive sets and "looks". And then there are those sets/"looks" in which there are only two players in an off-the-ball/LB role, one of whom may be Chung.

And then there are those sets that initially present a 3-4 or 3-3 "look" in which Branch may be bracketed by two of Brown, Valentine, Guy, Wise, Flowers at "DE". Then, HT (or, now, Rivers) drops down to the line during the snap count and one of those "DEs" shifts to a 3-tech position, effectively becoming a DT (undertackle) in a 4-3 or 4-2 "look".

Anyway, due to the versatility of several players, both LB and DE roles may be covered more thoroughly by this roster (situationally) than it appears in a strictly positional breakdown.

That said, I'd agree that Van Noy is likely a "lock" this season, and that McClellin is "highly probable".

 

[maineman209]

I still don't think this team is done in FA.

Agree. Not even close to being done.

May 10, right after rookie camp, all UFAs who would count in the compensatory pick calculation, become SFAs, who don't. Kicks off the "second wave" of FA signings.

Of course, any player who's been waived/cut is already an SFA (Barnidge, Fusco, Mangold) and can be signed at any time without comp-pick consequences. And, now that the draft is over and rookie UDFAs are filling up 90-man rosters, teams will begin cutting their roster-end guys from last season, increasing the available SFA "inventory". In fact, the Jets cut five more guys on Friday.

It's a good time of year to start watching the transaction wires regularly.

 

[maineman209]

I suspect that Belichick disagrees about the weakness at linebacker. We usually play 2 linebackers. We have Hightower, Ninkovich, Van Noy, McClellan, Roberts, and Freeny. All have started for us.

While LB may be one of our weakest units (along with the interior of the OL), we have lots of options. IMHO, there is certainly not a hole. I would say that we have a hole at OG an OC, with Karras as our only backup. However, I believe that Belichick still has plenty of time to address this need in free agency, at very least with a veteran backup.

I'd include Rivers with the LBs as well as with the DEs. He played a fair amount in college standing up and off the ball (as has Ealy). And then there's Trevor Bates - essentially a UDFA who's already had a year on NFL rosters in which to become adjusted to NFL routines.

I think that the "weakness"/thinness at LB (and at DE) becomes apparent after the season when Van Noy, Nink and Ealy all become UFA.

Then, too, the defense often sets up with a 2-LB "look" with HT on the LoS. While this would seem to reduce the need for LB's, it maybe increases the need for quality LBs. If you only have two off the ball, they'd both better be very good.

 

[maineman209]

Hmm

I would think a double dip at LB would indicate issues at LB, or perhaps lots of UDFA's signings at the position. As it is, Belichick made almost no effort to augment the linebacker corps, unless one considers that Ealy will play some downs.

We play 2 LB most of the time. We have six players who have started for us: Hightower, Ninkovich, Van Noy, McClellan, Roberts and Freeney.

Belichick could trade a 2018 2nd tomorrow for a linebacker. It simply seems unlikely. More likely is that he will choose from these six.

Mychal Kendricks may still be available for a 2018 5th or 6th.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Agree. Not even close to being done.

May 10, right after rookie camp, all UFAs who would count in the compensatory pick calculation, become SFAs, who don't. Kicks off the "second wave" of FA signings.

Of course, any player who's been waived/cut is already an SFA (Barnidge, Fusco, Mangold) and can be signed at any time without comp-pick consequences. And, now that the draft is over and rookie UDFAs are filling up 90-man rosters, teams will begin cutting their roster-end guys from last season, increasing the available SFA "inventory". In fact, the Jets cut five more guys on Friday.

It's a good time of year to start watching the transaction wires regularly.

Yep. Lots of decent vets still out there and as you say a 2nd wave of cuts is on the short horizon.

 

[maineman209]

I don't know if I would call Lewis a lock, which feels weird to say.

At this point, Lewis' only challenger on the roster would be Foster (though that could change by Camp). Then, too, during his (unseen by us) practice time in 2016, Foster may have been continuing the transition to slot receiver that he began during his last college season (Arizona State had even listed him as "WR" for the 2015 season).

 

[luuked]

I don't worry about the end of the 53 that much really. It is always nice to fill it out.

I still feel like the Pats have a big hole at LB #2 and if Hightower goes down for a period of time they have no solution for it.

If HT suffers a serious injury BB and Patricia will frankenstein a few players together to replace him. It's true that there is not a single player signed that can replace him but they are deep enough to work around him. Will there be a dropoff? Yep. Will it be a catastrophe? Nope.

 

[Ring 6]

I suspect that Belichick disagrees about the weakness at linebacker. We usually play 2 linebackers. We have Hightower, Ninkovich, Van Noy, McClellan, Roberts, and Freeny. All have started for us.

While LB may be one of our weakest units (along with the interior of the OL), we have lots of options. IMHO, there is certainly not a hole. I would say that we have a hole at OG an OC, with Karras as our only backup. However, I believe that Belichick still has plenty of time to address this need in free agency, at very least with a veteran backup.

One point. It's become fashionable to call nink a LB. But when we only have 2 LBs on the field he isn't one of them. In other words if you call nink a LB we have 3 lbs on the field when he is out there. Easier to call him a de.

 

[Ring 6]

I think that the OT additions are for 2018. IMHO, we still need 2017 help inside.

Unless you are sold in karras and I don't know how anyone could be it seems obvious we need to bring in a vet IOL.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

Here's the part I love most about this roster.
.................................
Good god, how is it even fair that our bench strength are better than their starters?

Reminds me of the 85-86 Celtics roster where Bill Walton once commented ,"our backups ( Walton, Wedman, Sichting and Carlisle) could win 50 games" and the toughest games they had were when they scrimmaged each other...

I have a feeling many teams are going to be scouring the waiver wire at cut down time to grab Patriots' cast offs or there will be some last minute trades to pick up late round 2018 picks or conditional ones....

 

[50-yard-line]

RFA tenders are not guaranteed at all, right? I'd say that Fleming will need to play his butt off, and show the ability to move inside to stay with the team.

I think he'll do it. I like the guy.

 

[BelichickFan]

RFA tenders are not guaranteed at all, right? I'd say that Fleming will need to play his butt off, and show the ability to move inside to stay with the team.

I think he'll do it. I like the guy.

We drafted 2 OT and signed a 3rd (Max Rich) that's a legitimate prospect. I would consider Fleming an underdog at this time.

 

[50-yard-line]

We drafted 2 OT and signed a 3rd (Max Rich) that's a legitimate prospect. I would consider Fleming an underdog at this time.

I doubt either OT is ready to step in if Solder gets hurt. Fleming can and has. My feeling is that BB and Scar like him more than people here do - much like Cannon.

In another thread, I was told he had played some OG for the Pats, too, which I hadn't even noticed. That kind of versatility, if it's true, will help him.

I don't expect both Fleming and Waddle back.