Off The Grid
Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal
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- Apr 20, 2010
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Greetings, Fellow FootBall Fiends!! May this find you all very well!
Dry Run Time!! This is not yet complete, but I thought I'd contribute, for once!!
I can't claim that I am "caught up" by any means ~ indeed, I've not yet once been caught up since I started writing Scouting Reports at a bumbling level back in 2011, but I'm at least catching up. I've got the Top 100 of most Positions ~ sort of ~ written up, with the exceptions of CenterFielders, CornerBacks, and Slot Corners plus some Strays.
These I intend to recommence writing soon, and to dig deeper into the Depths of all Roles, over the course of May, before cranking out my official BackDraft on Memorial Day WeekEnd, which I've suggested as being the unofficial Due Date for these.
For those who aren't as obsessed with Brothers Max, Reamer, I, and others: I've recently added the BackDraft to my Lexicon and hoped ~ with some and hopefully increasing Success ~ to persuade others to join in the Fun. The Idea is simple: Mock Drafts are definitely lots of fun, but I personally find far greater Satisfaction in producing my BackDraft after we know when Prospects will actually be available.
I don't speculate when Prospect might be available, as Mock Drafts do.
I produce the BackDraft based on knowing when they're available.
We of course wouldn't have that Knowledge in Real Life, but I'ave found, nevertheless, that general expectations of when Prospects will be available usually prove to be accurate, therefore no enormous Advantage is afforded those'f us who make BackDrafts.
And we certainly aren't afforded access to the Inside Information ~ InterViews and Back Door Information that every Team's NetWork of Scouts digs out and keeps for their respective Teams ~ that these Teams have to their Advantage, over Fans.
So me, I consider it Even Stephen, more'r less.
Anyway: This is just a Dry Run, because I haven't scouted out as deeply as I intend to do by Memorial Day, but it's where I'm at now, and I absolutely love the Process, as we all do, and love to share my Perspective with y'all, as we all do, so here's my current Perspective on the Patriots's OffSeason Moves, what I'd've done, and a preliminary Mock Draft:
01 ~ I absolutely hated the Brandin Cooks Trade. For one thing: He's a SlotBack. Julian Edelman is arguably the greatest SlotBack on the Planet when it matters ~ in the Winter ~ and while I'm the Planet's hugest Fan of doubling down on Players whose composite Talents can provide a diabolically dramatic Advantage...I don't consider SlotBack that kind of Role.
2nd, this is a guy who squawked about not getting enough Targets after an enormous Win, when the Saints were fighting for their Lives. FootBall is a Team Sport, the last I heard, and I've got absolutely no use for the kind of Player who puts himself before the Team...And I could've sworn that Coach Belichick felt exactly the same way!!
3rd, we have, what with Christopher Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and, should Mad Bill wake up and sign'm, Michael Floyd, an extraordinary Crew of young, talented, potential Stars...whose Development is going to be crippled by having Brandin Cooks around, gobbling up Practice Reps all Year long. What an incredibly foolish Mistake.
4th, and above all the others: What in Hell was Mad Bill thinking of, trading a 1st Round Draft Pick and giving up additional Draft Value by swapping a 3rd for a 4th, for a young Veteran who's gonna soak up at least $10,000,000 a Year out'f the Salary Cap in the very near Future, unless Mad Bill simply cuts'm loose??? That's how Dynasties are destroyed.
Hey, I gave Cooks a Top 10/SuperBeast Grade & Rank a few Years ago, when he was rated as a borderline 3rd Rounder, and he and the Saints have proven both'f us correct...But to make this Move??? Horrible, horrible Trade.
02 ~ Malcolm Butler. I've always been concerned that Butler ~ who is built like a Slot Corner, after all ~ might not hold up to the Rigors of playing as a Boundary Corner forever...But the time to Cut Bait with such High Risk Players is usually when they're up for their third Contract, not their second. Butler is entering the Prime of his Career. Pay the man. No way in Hell do I cut'm loose now, with'm entering'is Prime.
03 ~ Stephon Gilmore. Not the Move I would've made, but nevertheless a good Move. I do not approve of paying Top Dollar for CornerBacks, because I find their Value tends to be overrated, as I see things, relative to the Trench Gorillas, in who I am always happy to invest...But this is an unusual OffSeason, in that the Salary Cap is lurching violently upward...and so, consequently, is the Salary Floor. If you've got to spend a few Bucks to meet Minimums, as it were, it might's well be on Top Shelf Players entering their Primes...and Stephon Gilmore, who I gave a 1st Round Grade to, back in 2012, is most definitely that.
04 ~ Dwayne Allen. Hoo-wee. It's not the kind of Move that I necessarily would've made, but it's one that I definitely applaud. Allen's Contract may horrify many, and I can't blame'm. But I value Players differently than most. Allen hasn't racked up much Yardage in his Time, but he hasn't been deployed to do so, nor do I think that he ought to be.
Allen is a Tight End ~ not a Flex End like Aaron Hernandez but a classic Tight End like Rob Gronkowski ~ who possesses a remarkably compact Frame that is built to last...and the Power and Motor with plenty of Agility to develop into one'f the best Tight Ends in the Game, a bruising Blocker and a reliable and formidable Receiving Weapon.
And he's entering his Prime, tied up for all'f it.
His ostensibly Bloated Salary may in short order get revealed to be the startling Bargain that it already actually is.
05 ~ Martellus Bennett. Consequently, cutting loose Bennett, who looks like he's wearing out, is looking smart.
06 ~ Donta HighTower. Oy. I don't know. He's entering his Prime, and he's a great Leader with an extraordinary Mind and an excellent Motor...But he's got a Dragon's Frame, being asked to play MidFielder...That ain't natural, and I just don't know how long he's gonna last. He's already missed a lot of Snaps, and I don't see that situation improving.
07 ~ Alan Branch. Terrific Deal. Branch is 32, so there's Risk, but he's been phenomenal, the last 3 Years, in a Rotational Role, and makes the other 10 Players far, far better, when he's out there, crushing the Trenches. And you've gotta love the Price.
08 ~ Kony Ealy. Eh. Good Trade. Not a Fan of Ealy, but moving back from 64 to 72 for a 1 Year Flyer on Ealy? Not, again, what I would've done, but not a Trade that I'll squawk about. Ealy has some Talent, and it's a cheap Flyer that could pay off Big.
09 ~ Rex BurkHead. Magnificent Move. I split HalfBacks into SpeedBacks and PowerBackss because it's asinine not to, but BurkHead actually lies at that beautiful Confluence of Skill Sets where you could label'm as either...and where he exhibits the very best Aspects of both: Speed, Fluidity, and Power...and awesome Intelligence and Drive!!
Rex BurkHead is a Top Shelf Talent, capable of racking up 2000 Yards a Year as a Lead Back, were the Patriots foolish enough to take that approach...and we've got'm at classic Bargain Basement Pricing!! Woot!!
10 ~ Lawrence Guy. Not a bad Signing, but I wouldn't've bothered. There're only 63 Spots or so available, and usually better Moves to be made. Just A Guy. Sorry.
11 ~ Michael Gillislie. Meh. Solid Player, but not worth a 5th Rounder and the Money. There're far more intriguing Options at a fraction of the Price.
12 ~ LaGarrett Blount. He ain't one'f'm. A PowerBack with marginal Power ~ though he's improved ~ and with mediocre Blocking Skills and lousy Catching Skills, going on 30??
13 ~ Nate "Universal" Solder. I don't care for Tall Tackles. Solder's a Tall Tackle, but held in generally good Regard around the League, as indeed he should be, because he's remarkably agile for such a Towering Tackle, whose high Center of Gravity imposes on'm a Leverage Liability when battling in The Trenches. I want to draft his Replacement this Year.
14 ~ Trade Marcus Cannon, though. He just had a BreakOut Year, so he can probably fetch a 3rd Rounder and Change in an Offensive Tackle-starved Market. He played well under Coach Dante, but he's too big for my tastes. I want Tanks, not Cannons. Haw.
15 ~ Sign RT Ricky Wagner. Hell, yeah. Kid's poised for Stardom, and Dante would seal it.
16 ~ Sign OG Kelvin Beachum. Again: Star Potential. He thinks that he's a Tackle, but he's mistaken. I'd pay'm just as much as the Dog Ass Jets're paying'm to play Tackle, slap'm around a little, and then introduce'm to Coach Dante. Voila!! A Star Is Born.
17 ~ Sign OC/OG Stefen Wisniewski. Not Star Potential, but a definitively superior Center who's fully established, but keeps making bad Business Decisions and ending up screwed. He'd be invaluable, because he's a strong, B+ level Starter, yet he's Dirt Cheap. He could absolutely step right in and thrive as a Center, Left Guard, or even Right Guard, and, developing under Coach Dante, could become a genuine Impact Player.
18 ~ Sign SE Michael Floyd. I don't know what happened there to cause him suddenly to lose Mad Bill's Grace at the end of the Year, but unless it's something egregious, I want'm back. He's a Top Talent who plays with extraordinary Passion and Precision when he's focused, and if that is the case, I wouldn't run'm out'f town over a Mistake or two.
19 ~ Sign Dragon End Datone Jones. A tremendous Talent but 1st Round Flop who's entering his Prime, Jones started to flash his true Potential, last Year, after burning off about 16 Pounds to drop to 270, and playing more in Space. The Vikings got'm Dirt Cheap on a 1 Year/$3,750,000 Deal. I'd insist on adding a Team Option for at least a 2nd Year.
20 ~ Sign WingBack Kyle Juszcyk!! The Miners rang'm up for 4 Years and $21,000,000, and the World stared in bemused Horror, but I'm here to tell you that I believe that Juszcyk possesses extraordinary Potential as a invaluable Dual Threat Blocker/Receiver who both Blocks and Catches at a high level, and thus offers an enormous deceptive Tactical Advantage, he's incredibly dependable, and is just entering him Prime.
21 ~ Sign WingBack Lance Kendricks. He's Dirt Cheap at 2 Years and $4,000,000, is nearly as talented as Juszcyk, and is every bit as versatile. WingBacks can line up all over the Formation, offering an enormous and deceptive Tactical Advantage if they can play effectively ~ which both these guys can!! ~ and tend to be very durable ~ Juszcyk and Kendricks have played 158 out'f a possible 160 Games!! ~ because of their compact Frames, a huge Advantage for a Team that usually plays deep into the Winter!!
Dry Run Time!! This is not yet complete, but I thought I'd contribute, for once!!
I can't claim that I am "caught up" by any means ~ indeed, I've not yet once been caught up since I started writing Scouting Reports at a bumbling level back in 2011, but I'm at least catching up. I've got the Top 100 of most Positions ~ sort of ~ written up, with the exceptions of CenterFielders, CornerBacks, and Slot Corners plus some Strays.
These I intend to recommence writing soon, and to dig deeper into the Depths of all Roles, over the course of May, before cranking out my official BackDraft on Memorial Day WeekEnd, which I've suggested as being the unofficial Due Date for these.
For those who aren't as obsessed with Brothers Max, Reamer, I, and others: I've recently added the BackDraft to my Lexicon and hoped ~ with some and hopefully increasing Success ~ to persuade others to join in the Fun. The Idea is simple: Mock Drafts are definitely lots of fun, but I personally find far greater Satisfaction in producing my BackDraft after we know when Prospects will actually be available.
I don't speculate when Prospect might be available, as Mock Drafts do.
I produce the BackDraft based on knowing when they're available.
We of course wouldn't have that Knowledge in Real Life, but I'ave found, nevertheless, that general expectations of when Prospects will be available usually prove to be accurate, therefore no enormous Advantage is afforded those'f us who make BackDrafts.
And we certainly aren't afforded access to the Inside Information ~ InterViews and Back Door Information that every Team's NetWork of Scouts digs out and keeps for their respective Teams ~ that these Teams have to their Advantage, over Fans.
So me, I consider it Even Stephen, more'r less.
Anyway: This is just a Dry Run, because I haven't scouted out as deeply as I intend to do by Memorial Day, but it's where I'm at now, and I absolutely love the Process, as we all do, and love to share my Perspective with y'all, as we all do, so here's my current Perspective on the Patriots's OffSeason Moves, what I'd've done, and a preliminary Mock Draft:
01 ~ I absolutely hated the Brandin Cooks Trade. For one thing: He's a SlotBack. Julian Edelman is arguably the greatest SlotBack on the Planet when it matters ~ in the Winter ~ and while I'm the Planet's hugest Fan of doubling down on Players whose composite Talents can provide a diabolically dramatic Advantage...I don't consider SlotBack that kind of Role.
2nd, this is a guy who squawked about not getting enough Targets after an enormous Win, when the Saints were fighting for their Lives. FootBall is a Team Sport, the last I heard, and I've got absolutely no use for the kind of Player who puts himself before the Team...And I could've sworn that Coach Belichick felt exactly the same way!!
3rd, we have, what with Christopher Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and, should Mad Bill wake up and sign'm, Michael Floyd, an extraordinary Crew of young, talented, potential Stars...whose Development is going to be crippled by having Brandin Cooks around, gobbling up Practice Reps all Year long. What an incredibly foolish Mistake.
4th, and above all the others: What in Hell was Mad Bill thinking of, trading a 1st Round Draft Pick and giving up additional Draft Value by swapping a 3rd for a 4th, for a young Veteran who's gonna soak up at least $10,000,000 a Year out'f the Salary Cap in the very near Future, unless Mad Bill simply cuts'm loose??? That's how Dynasties are destroyed.
Hey, I gave Cooks a Top 10/SuperBeast Grade & Rank a few Years ago, when he was rated as a borderline 3rd Rounder, and he and the Saints have proven both'f us correct...But to make this Move??? Horrible, horrible Trade.
02 ~ Malcolm Butler. I've always been concerned that Butler ~ who is built like a Slot Corner, after all ~ might not hold up to the Rigors of playing as a Boundary Corner forever...But the time to Cut Bait with such High Risk Players is usually when they're up for their third Contract, not their second. Butler is entering the Prime of his Career. Pay the man. No way in Hell do I cut'm loose now, with'm entering'is Prime.
03 ~ Stephon Gilmore. Not the Move I would've made, but nevertheless a good Move. I do not approve of paying Top Dollar for CornerBacks, because I find their Value tends to be overrated, as I see things, relative to the Trench Gorillas, in who I am always happy to invest...But this is an unusual OffSeason, in that the Salary Cap is lurching violently upward...and so, consequently, is the Salary Floor. If you've got to spend a few Bucks to meet Minimums, as it were, it might's well be on Top Shelf Players entering their Primes...and Stephon Gilmore, who I gave a 1st Round Grade to, back in 2012, is most definitely that.
04 ~ Dwayne Allen. Hoo-wee. It's not the kind of Move that I necessarily would've made, but it's one that I definitely applaud. Allen's Contract may horrify many, and I can't blame'm. But I value Players differently than most. Allen hasn't racked up much Yardage in his Time, but he hasn't been deployed to do so, nor do I think that he ought to be.
Allen is a Tight End ~ not a Flex End like Aaron Hernandez but a classic Tight End like Rob Gronkowski ~ who possesses a remarkably compact Frame that is built to last...and the Power and Motor with plenty of Agility to develop into one'f the best Tight Ends in the Game, a bruising Blocker and a reliable and formidable Receiving Weapon.
And he's entering his Prime, tied up for all'f it.
His ostensibly Bloated Salary may in short order get revealed to be the startling Bargain that it already actually is.
05 ~ Martellus Bennett. Consequently, cutting loose Bennett, who looks like he's wearing out, is looking smart.
06 ~ Donta HighTower. Oy. I don't know. He's entering his Prime, and he's a great Leader with an extraordinary Mind and an excellent Motor...But he's got a Dragon's Frame, being asked to play MidFielder...That ain't natural, and I just don't know how long he's gonna last. He's already missed a lot of Snaps, and I don't see that situation improving.
07 ~ Alan Branch. Terrific Deal. Branch is 32, so there's Risk, but he's been phenomenal, the last 3 Years, in a Rotational Role, and makes the other 10 Players far, far better, when he's out there, crushing the Trenches. And you've gotta love the Price.
08 ~ Kony Ealy. Eh. Good Trade. Not a Fan of Ealy, but moving back from 64 to 72 for a 1 Year Flyer on Ealy? Not, again, what I would've done, but not a Trade that I'll squawk about. Ealy has some Talent, and it's a cheap Flyer that could pay off Big.
09 ~ Rex BurkHead. Magnificent Move. I split HalfBacks into SpeedBacks and PowerBackss because it's asinine not to, but BurkHead actually lies at that beautiful Confluence of Skill Sets where you could label'm as either...and where he exhibits the very best Aspects of both: Speed, Fluidity, and Power...and awesome Intelligence and Drive!!
Rex BurkHead is a Top Shelf Talent, capable of racking up 2000 Yards a Year as a Lead Back, were the Patriots foolish enough to take that approach...and we've got'm at classic Bargain Basement Pricing!! Woot!!
10 ~ Lawrence Guy. Not a bad Signing, but I wouldn't've bothered. There're only 63 Spots or so available, and usually better Moves to be made. Just A Guy. Sorry.
11 ~ Michael Gillislie. Meh. Solid Player, but not worth a 5th Rounder and the Money. There're far more intriguing Options at a fraction of the Price.
12 ~ LaGarrett Blount. He ain't one'f'm. A PowerBack with marginal Power ~ though he's improved ~ and with mediocre Blocking Skills and lousy Catching Skills, going on 30??
13 ~ Nate "Universal" Solder. I don't care for Tall Tackles. Solder's a Tall Tackle, but held in generally good Regard around the League, as indeed he should be, because he's remarkably agile for such a Towering Tackle, whose high Center of Gravity imposes on'm a Leverage Liability when battling in The Trenches. I want to draft his Replacement this Year.
14 ~ Trade Marcus Cannon, though. He just had a BreakOut Year, so he can probably fetch a 3rd Rounder and Change in an Offensive Tackle-starved Market. He played well under Coach Dante, but he's too big for my tastes. I want Tanks, not Cannons. Haw.
15 ~ Sign RT Ricky Wagner. Hell, yeah. Kid's poised for Stardom, and Dante would seal it.
16 ~ Sign OG Kelvin Beachum. Again: Star Potential. He thinks that he's a Tackle, but he's mistaken. I'd pay'm just as much as the Dog Ass Jets're paying'm to play Tackle, slap'm around a little, and then introduce'm to Coach Dante. Voila!! A Star Is Born.
17 ~ Sign OC/OG Stefen Wisniewski. Not Star Potential, but a definitively superior Center who's fully established, but keeps making bad Business Decisions and ending up screwed. He'd be invaluable, because he's a strong, B+ level Starter, yet he's Dirt Cheap. He could absolutely step right in and thrive as a Center, Left Guard, or even Right Guard, and, developing under Coach Dante, could become a genuine Impact Player.
18 ~ Sign SE Michael Floyd. I don't know what happened there to cause him suddenly to lose Mad Bill's Grace at the end of the Year, but unless it's something egregious, I want'm back. He's a Top Talent who plays with extraordinary Passion and Precision when he's focused, and if that is the case, I wouldn't run'm out'f town over a Mistake or two.
19 ~ Sign Dragon End Datone Jones. A tremendous Talent but 1st Round Flop who's entering his Prime, Jones started to flash his true Potential, last Year, after burning off about 16 Pounds to drop to 270, and playing more in Space. The Vikings got'm Dirt Cheap on a 1 Year/$3,750,000 Deal. I'd insist on adding a Team Option for at least a 2nd Year.
20 ~ Sign WingBack Kyle Juszcyk!! The Miners rang'm up for 4 Years and $21,000,000, and the World stared in bemused Horror, but I'm here to tell you that I believe that Juszcyk possesses extraordinary Potential as a invaluable Dual Threat Blocker/Receiver who both Blocks and Catches at a high level, and thus offers an enormous deceptive Tactical Advantage, he's incredibly dependable, and is just entering him Prime.
21 ~ Sign WingBack Lance Kendricks. He's Dirt Cheap at 2 Years and $4,000,000, is nearly as talented as Juszcyk, and is every bit as versatile. WingBacks can line up all over the Formation, offering an enormous and deceptive Tactical Advantage if they can play effectively ~ which both these guys can!! ~ and tend to be very durable ~ Juszcyk and Kendricks have played 158 out'f a possible 160 Games!! ~ because of their compact Frames, a huge Advantage for a Team that usually plays deep into the Winter!!
