Jabaal Sheard has a sprained MCL

[IllegalContact]

So have I and it's all relative.

Sheard goes down this team is hurting on the edge.

they would not be as good, but 'hurting'? may be a few less sacks......they'd survive

 

[FourierSeries]

The first 4 weeks will be rough. I'll be surprised if we win at Arizona, and 1-3 is very likely. I still feel confident that if the team can be healthy come playoff time, we win #5.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Doing conditioning work. Probably a daily thing to monitor.

 

[RobertWeathers]

they would not be as good, but 'hurting'? may be a few less sacks......they'd survive

I classify "hurting" as having two DEs over 30 in Nink and Long and two unproven DEs in Flowers (who looks great) and Grissom who do not have a track record to point to.

Anytime you have questions at a position that almost never ends well.

 

[IllegalContact]

The first 4 weeks will be rough. I'll be surprised if we win at Arizona, and 1-3 is very likely. I still feel confident that if the team can be healthy come playoff time, we win #5.

AZ - Fitzgerald is hurt and Palmer looks like crap as does their OL
BUF - they are circling the bowl
MIA - OL looks bad as does the defense
HOU - Offense looks shaky

everyone the pats are facing have flies

 

[IllegalContact]

I classify "hurting" as having two DEs over 30 in Nink and Long and two unproven DEs in Flowers (who looks great) and Grissom who do not have a track record to point to.

Anytime you have questions at a position that almost never ends well.

never? so next man up is a myth? how much time did sheard spend setting the edge on running plays last year?

sheard looked good out there last year, but he was a part timer.....Flowers has looked positive so far.....I'm not worried.......and 'hurting' is plain ole subjective

watching new players make good on their opportunities is fun.....hell, put anthony johnson on the edge.....he's looked active enough for the part

 

[Deus Irae]

Doing conditioning work. Probably a daily thing to monitor.

Good news, especially if we're not just talking bikes and the like.

 

[RobertWeathers]

never? so next man up is a myth? how much time did sheard spend setting the edge on running plays last year?

sheard looked good out there last year, but he was a part timer.....Flowers has looked positive so far.....I'm not worried.......and 'hurting' is plain ole subjective

watching new players make good on their opportunities is fun.....hell, put anthony johnson on the edge.....he's looked active enough for the part

Sheard was out there 1/2 the time last year. He did a better job setting the edge on the run than Jones. Only Nink was better and it was close.

Next man up is fine but there is a drop off after Sheard. I think hes on the verge of busting out.

Flowers looks great. My god. I'm tempering my expectations. Preseason is different than reg season as you know.

I'm high on Rufus as well but not sure he'll make the team as Anthony Johnson played so well and seems to be better on the inside than Rufus. I guess A Johnson can play at DE in the 4-3. Little concerned that he may not have the footspeed to go to the sideline but if Collins/High or another LB w/ speed can play behind him then that might just work.

 

[IllegalContact]

Sheard was out there 1/2 the time last year. He did a better job setting the edge on the run than Jones. Only Nink was better and it was close.

Next man up is fine but there is a drop off after Sheard. I think hes on the verge of busting out.

Flowers looks great. My god. I'm tempering my expectations. Preseason is different than reg season as you know.

I'm high on Rufus as well but not sure he'll make the team as Anthony Johnson played so well and seems to be better on the inside than Rufus. I guess A Johnson can play at DE in the 4-3. Little concerned that he may not have the footspeed to go to the sideline but if Collins/High or another LB w/ speed can play behind him then that might just work.

There is no need to worry at this time.......and no, Sheard was no better at setting the edge than Jones.......otherwise he would have been the RDE on 1st and 2nd down

 

[RobertWeathers]

There is no need to worry at this time.......and no, Sheard was no better at setting the edge than Jones.......otherwise he would have been the RDE on 1st and 2nd down

Looks like Sheard is fine anyway

It doesnt matter what down it is anymore. Teams throw all the time. Also depends on personnel groupings.

He is not light years better but he absolutely is better at setting the edge and vs the run and I never thought Jones was terrible. He just more stout. I do think Jones is a better pure pass rusher.

 

[Jackson 2]

I'm with you. Not only is it a bummer to me, I'm also getting more worried about first 4 weeks and beyond...

Of course you are! And I'm not just zeroing in on you, because you're not alone around here with this type of depressing, negative paranoia. I've done it myself. But, it never, ever ends up being anywhere near as bad as it's predicted to be around here. I swear, it's the Calvinist, fatalist phobia unique to NE people. Oh, and if you're not a New Englander and don't have that excuse, you, my brother, are f#####...

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Excuse me, I'm going to go jump off a bridge. Bye

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Even outside of Lewis/Vollmer, we don't currently know how Ninkovich's arm will hold up and we don't currently know if Sheard will get back to 100% (remember Mayo struggling pretty much all year after an MCL injury?).

Look, I get that some here want to play the part of Kevin Bacon in Animal House, and insist that all is well even under the most dire of conditions. I also get that just missing those two players for an undisclosed amount of time is not the most dire of conditions, so there's no need for anyone to go full Chicken Little. However, for people who prefer to take a rational, reasonable, approach to following the Patriots, losing Vollmer and Lewis in a year where Brady's missing at least 4 games is a legitimate bummer, particularly given the depth questions at those two positions.

I get what you're saying. I'm certainly not thrilled we'll be without Brady, Lewis and Vollmer. I'm certainly not saying all is well. I'm just saying all could be a hell of a lot worse, considering the other key players feared to be seriously injured. It's all perspective.

When I was a kid, my parents, sister and I were driving to my cousin's house to visit. About 10 minutes into the hour long drive, our car had a bad blowout, my dad lost control and we ended up spinning out into the grass. We were fine but my dad was shaken up so he put on the spare and we drove back home.

I was just a kid and was disappointed I didn't get to hang out with my cousin's that day. But when the car came to a stop in the grass on the side of the road, we were about 50 feet in front of an overpass with a guardrail that didn't start until about halfway up. So yeah, the blowout and lost day sucked, but when considering a blowout 10 seconds later might have been the difference in life and death, things weren't too bad.

 

[aluminum seats]

I get what you're saying. I'm certainly not thrilled we'll be without Brady, Lewis and Vollmer. I'm certainly not saying all is well. I'm just saying all could be a hell of a lot worse, considering the other key players feared to be seriously injured. It's all perspective.

When I was a kid, my parents, sister and I were driving to my cousin's house to visit. About 10 minutes into the hour long drive, our car had a bad blowout, my dad lost control and we ended up spinning out into the grass. We were fine but my dad was shaken up so he put on the spare and we drove back home.

I was just a kid and was disappointed I didn't get to hang out with my cousin's that day. But when the car came to a stop in the grass on the side of the road, we were about 50 feet in front of an overpass with a guardrail that didn't start until about halfway up. So yeah, the blowout and lost day sucked, but when considering a blowout 10 seconds later might have been the difference in life and death, things weren't too bad.

Stop being so reasonable & focus on not hanging out with your cousin. Be sadder!

 

[SHOWTIME15]

AZ - Fitzgerald is hurt and Palmer looks like crap as does their OL
BUF - they are circling the bowl
MIA - OL looks bad as does the defense
HOU - Offense looks shaky

everyone the pats are facing have flies

Don't forget JJ watt is out in the houston game. Could see us at 4-0.

 

[BradyFTW!]

AZ - Fitzgerald is hurt and Palmer looks like crap as does their OL
BUF - they are circling the bowl
MIA - OL looks bad as does the defense
HOU - Offense looks shaky

everyone the pats are facing have flies

Alex Okafor tore a bicep tendon too. He says he hopes to play in the opener, but I'd be surprised if he's at all effective. With Freeney in ATL now, Chandler Jones is pretty much Atlanta's only credible edge rusher.

 

[deters]

Of course you are! And I'm not just zeroing in on you, because you're not alone around here with this type of depressing, negative paranoia. I've done it myself. But, it never, ever ends up being anywhere near as bad as it's predicted to be around here. I swear, it's the Calvinist, fatalist phobia unique to NE people. Oh, and if you're not a New Englander and don't have that excuse, you, my brother, are f#####...

Sorry for rationally looking at the situation. We're without our star QB for 4 games, our best rb for probably half the season and our best OL for possibly the entire year. While I'm still excited and hopeful for the season, I also understand were in a tough spot.

 

[Jackson 2]

Sorry for rationally looking at the situation. We're without our star QB for 4 games, our best rb for probably half the season and our best OL for possibly the entire year. While I'm still excited and hopeful for the season, I also understand were in a tough spot.

You don't need to apologize.

 

[Jackson 2]

Don't forget JJ watt is out in the houston game. Could see us at 4-0.

Knock that crap off!

 

[long distance]

AZ - Fitzgerald is hurt and Palmer looks like crap as does their OL
BUF - they are circling the bowl
MIA - OL looks bad as does the defense
HOU - Offense looks shaky

everyone the pats are facing have flies

Crossed my mind as well. Bills did surprisingly well the other night though.
Of course we should wait for this weekend to have a better picture.
But sure - a lot of hurting going on around the league, especially OL.

It feels like OTs might be overtaking DEs on draft capital soon.
You can dance around lesser talent at DE. Its painful without solid OTs.