Is it time to give up on Dowling?

[doesntmatter1]

This guy is shawn crable 2.0. I have already braced for his cut and will be pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. Even if he is healthy, he is down on the depth chart and I don't believe he contributes anything to special teams.

 

[PatsFan2]

Dowling is behind Talib, Dennard, Arrington on the depth chart.

I will also add he's behind Rookie Logan Ryan. None of us can say that Dowling is or could be a good CB, becuase he has never been healthy enough to show us. Happy trails Glass-I break a leg on your next team.:snob:

 

[Gumby]

I will also add he's behind Rookie Logan Ryan. None of us can say that Dowling is or could be a good CB, becuase he has never been healthy enough to show us. Happy trails Glass-I break a leg on your next team.:snob:

Personally, I think I had enough evidence in the PITIFULLY few appearances he had to see that HE CAN BE a real good (almost shutdown) cb. What I remember seeing in the games he played in was QBs LOOKING TO THE OTHER SIDE; because he had coverage. Not so much ball skills-takeaways; but certainly FORCING THE QB to go to HIS CHECKDOWNs - 2d READs.

Being the eternal optimist; I think he can still be a viable part of the team. I think for sure he sticks now til final cut-downs at least; and then we'll see.

But knowing that BB has made his D work w/ 'Earthwind Moreland'; I trust that BB will find a way(another guy) if he ends up on the cutting room floor.

 

[AzPatsFan]

With the background of these posts, I think Mr. Dowling might recall the actor in a recent film who said:

"Hi Boys, I'm Baacckk!... yours!"

PS: Dowling returned to practice yesterday, along with several other dinged players. Which probably implies they all would have been available if it were a real game.

Mark Twain responded to rumors of his demise by saying, "I think the rumors are premature."

 

[BB4PRez]

I am still hoping Dowling can turn the corner. (pun intended ) the reports out of camp this spring were encouraging. After Talib, Dowling is the most athletic corner on the team at this position ( I am putting McCourty at safety at this point) and this is a position that athletism is important.

Despite my wishes clearly Dowling has a long way to go and he will not improve enough to help if he can not get on the field...

I don't think this guy is a Crable

 

[juny]

If Dowling really is the #3 CB going forward, I wouldn't call him a "bust". A bust is someone who can't contribute. If Dowling is a #3 CB, then I would say that he was drafted too early (as Dennard was drafted too late).

For example, we clearly "overpaid" in value for T Wilson and for Bequette. And whoever gets cut is certainly a bust. However, if either is a perennial backup, he's not a bust, just a solid backup (we need those too).

If Dowling is healthy, he may compete with Dennard, Ryan and a free agent (or 2) for reps in 2014.

i think we agree that, at this point, he was taken too high for his contributions.

 

[resdubwhite]

.

I don't think this guy is a Crable

but he's doing a great impression.

 

[patchick]

It's kind of weird to me how watching a hard-working player suffer a string of injuries that derail his career & life tends to bring out anger, scorn and derision toward the player. (Instead of, say, disappointment, or even sympathy.)

Maybe it's a special fan edition of our old friend, the "just world hypothesis": not only must a player's suffering be his own fault, but it's a personal insult to us.

 

[resdubwhite]

It's kind of weird to me how watching a hard-working player suffer a string of injuries that derail his career & life tends to bring out anger, scorn and derision toward the player. (Instead of, say, disappointment, or even sympathy.)

Maybe it's a special fan edition of our old friend, the "just world hypothesis": not only must a player's suffering be his own fault, but it's a personal insult to us.

Borne of frustration I bet.

in 2011 it seemed that pick 33 was going to be really valuable for the franchise.

It hasn't turned out that way though.

 

[fester]

I gave up on his 1st trip to the IR, and the 2nd and soon the 3rd...

That draft picked was a real head scratcher...

Why?

The pre-draft take on Dowling was a big, long, talented corner with injury concerns. If he was healthy, his true skill level was Top-15 or so. Due to injury concerns, his pre-draft stock evaluation dropped to end of the 1st or early 2nd. At the time, the Patriots were in the process of transitioning away from quick-twitch smurf corners to guys who could play press-man...

So the Patriots decided to pick a player who fit their defensive intention at roughly the point he was projected to go.

I find that a coherent picking process. I can see arguments for other players and choices, but the process made sense.

 

[sieglo]

It's a classic BB rope-a-dope. Like all the rumors about Randy Moss not being healthy before the 2007 season. Ras-I will be the 2007 Randy Moss of cornerbacks this year.

Trust me.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Who is this Dowling you speak of?

 

[supafly]

It's a classic BB rope-a-dope. Like all the rumors about Randy Moss not being healthy before the 2007 season. Ras-I will be the 2007 Randy Moss of cornerbacks this year.

Trust me.

I get what your point is, but those "rumors" about Moss not being totally healthy weren't entirely untrue. In the book "War Room," we hear of Josh McDaniels' thoughts regarding his uncertainty about the situation. There was some genuine concern and they felt it best to not even tempt fate during the preseason.

 

[condon84]

Hernandez is more likely to see the field before Dowling.

 

[ausbacker]

Assuming the Patriots could come to a reasonable contract restructure with Carlos Rogers, would he be somebody worth pursuing to help solidify the Secondary given the 49ers apparent interest in moving him?

 

[GIF Man]

It's a classic BB rope-a-dope. Like all the rumors about Randy Moss not being healthy before the 2007 season. Ras-I will be the 2007 Randy Moss of cornerbacks this year.

Trust me.

 

[supafly]

Assuming the Patriots could come to a reasonable contract restructure with Carlos Rogers, would he be somebody worth pursuing to help solidify the Secondary given the 49ers apparent interest in moving him?

I think in theory, he would be worth discussing--but then we'd be right back to square one in free agency when we had our choice of reasonably priced CBs in a buyer's market and Belichick passed on all of them.

It would seem to me that choosing a stopgap vet CB for a very low price at the moment would be a better option in the mind of Bill Belichick, and we're not even there yet; let alone considering restructuring a "name," or as we saw in free agency choosing any named CB with a reputation.

It would appear that Belichick is rolling the dice with the guy he paid 5m for in the offseason with Talib, the 4m dollar guy in Arrington, and the draft pick resources that he's recently dedicated.