Patriot Whispers from Profootballweekly

[Aqua4Ever04]

Meh, if there's one thing I've learned from the past few years it's that you can't anoint a young player with any label until about year 3. So many moron Dolphins fans were calling Ronnie Brown a bust and every Dolphins fan thought Jason Allen was a bust but he has played quite well lately.

Merriweather will be fine.

 

[danny88]

the Patriots are 11-0 this season...have you even been paying attention? Did M and M steal your milk money or something. Every day it's a nonstop tirade against these two players...uh...we get it...we got it two weeks ago, You have ANYTHING pro Patriots to talk about?

We talk about that type of stuff all the time. It gets tiresome raving about how great we are.

 

[danny88]

Funny, because everyone jumped all over my arse when I pointed out that Pioli's last two drafts have been TERRIBLE!!!!!!!! You guys can make excuses for the last two drafts all you want, but the fact remains that other than Gostowkski, we are getting NOTHING from anyone other than Maroney who has been an outright DISSAPOINTMENT. If you guys can't look at the last two drafts and recognize that they have been BRUTAL, than I just don't know what else to say. Terrible. Absolutely terrible. You guys can blast me all you want, but it's the truth.

NSA we both love the pats. No one will admit some of the things are are talking about are true. I agree with you. I am not going to rave about how AWESOME we are 24 hours per day.

Do I think Maroney is a bust? Nope. I do think he is a part time back with durability issues.

There is reason to be concerned about Meri. The kid has done nothing in his first 12 games. I would not call him out if he got little to no playing time when we where up by about 30 points

 

[VJCPatriot]

Expect to see Kevin Faulk as the Patriots’ running back when they go to four-wide alignments. Faulk has better open-field quickness than Laurence Maroney, and the Pats are growing increasingly less fond of giving Maroney a full workload. We hear they’re beginning to doubt Maroney’s toughness and don’t see him as a 20-plus-carry running back.

Wow looks like I'm not the only ones having doubts about Maroney. His numbers have been in decline since week 7. And now this? Guess I was NOT wrong about the Pats needing to find RB help in the 2008 draft after all.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

I think if he's not panning out @ his desinated position we should try him elsewhere, like on special teams.

 

[mcbee]

Maroney sucks. It's his attitude. It's like he gets to the line and expects there to be a hole there...and when there isn't, he just stops. Faulk at least will blitz through the bodies and pick up 4 or 5 yards. Plus his build is wrong...skinny legs...and he runs too upright as has been said a million times.

Who would defenses rather face Faulk or Maroney? Tackling a stationary Maroney 2 yards behind the LOS would be easiest.

He's having a hard time adjusting from college where there were holes.

Many college players do. McFadden will to. There have been games when there weren't holes for him and he averaged 3 yards per carry.

Barber was a 4th round pick...lots of guys were low round and do fine. The idea that you need a first round RB and top of first round at that is pure idiocy.

Merriweather should be fine. Don't know why he has to gain 10 or 15 pounds, he's almost the same weight as Baker or Wilson. His frame isn't that big so I don't know if he'd be able to either. It's the Pats fault for drafting a small framed safety...that's what they wanted.

If you want Merriweather to improve...PUT HIM ON THE FIELD. Especially in the blowouts and the upcoming Miami and NYJets games. Give him some experience, that'll get him focused. Game experience is priceless.

At least he has a good attitude and tries to hit people. He was named "hit stick" in college.

 

[jbb9s]

Did Danny88 write that article?

Honestly, I am am a little bothered by Baker getting reps before Merriweather. But lets not worry about this until NEXT offseason.

 

[Deus Irae]

We talk about that type of stuff all the time. It gets tiresome raving about how great we are.

No.... what gets tiresome is seeing a bunch of dolts who can't handle success and have to piss on everyone else's parade by lying about players, speculating without information, deliberately twisting numbers and constantly moving the goalposts when their arguments are shredded. The team is undefeated and almost all that's been talked about this week has been Maroney, Meriweather, and all the other 'terrible' players this team is apparently comprised of. The reality is that if the players were as bad as you, NSA, and the rest of the clueless crowd claim they are, this team would be battling the Jets and Dolphins for last place in the division.

 

[danny88]

No.... what gets tiresome is seeing a bunch of dolts who can't handle success and have to piss on everyone else's parade by lying about players, speculating without information, deliberately twisting numbers and constantly moving the goalposts when their arguments are shredded. The team is undefeated and almost all that's been talked about this week has been Maroney, Meriweather, and all the other 'terrible' players this team is apparently comprised of. The reality is that if the players were as bad as you, NSA, and the rest of the clueless crowd claim they are, this team would be battling the Jets and Dolphins for last place in the division.

So you are saying there is no issues whatsoever with any of the players in question?

 

[Metaphors]

I didn't read all 11 pages of posts so I'm sorry if I duplicate any points...

The Patriots are really starting to sour on rookie DB Brandon Meriweather. Not only is he looking mentally lost in trying to grasp the Patriots’ playbook,

There is a difference between "playbook" and "gameplan". I'm actually fairly confident he understands the playbook, but I'm equally certain he wouldn't know all his responsibilities for the last several weeks of gameplans. Remember all the fuss when Thomas didn't play much against the Colts. You can't expect them to know all the details of the exotic gameplans that are rolled out every week. Guys who have gone through it (even 1 year like Seau) are going to have an advantage getting responsibility on the field.

As for why Baker is getting time over Meriweather...he must have earned it. Just like Gay and Wright before him. Is Baker playing poorly in the time he has received? He has looked ok to me in his limited time...just like Meriweather looked ok in his time during Rodney's suspension. Meriweather will have to earn his time, but his solid play on ST shows me he wants to work to get on the field.

but he is looking physically overmatched, as well.

Just plain wrong. "looking" implies some kind of observation. What has anyone seen that hints at him not being able to hit, wrap up and tackle?

If he is to play safety, which the Patriots want him to play over cornerback, the 5-11, 200-pounder needs to gain at least 10-15 pounds.

Wilson 5-10, 195
Gay 5-11, 190
Baker 5-10, 198

Not saying that Meriweather wouldn't benefit from hitting the weights, but saying he "needs" to gain weight to play safety for the Pats doesn't make sense in any way.

Expect to see Kevin Faulk as the Patriots’ running back when they go to four-wide alignments.

You mean like he has been for the last decade?

Faulk has better open-field quickness than Laurence Maroney,

When have you seen Maroney in space where he hasn't shown both speed, quickness and moves. Ask the Bengals about his game last year. Faulk is better in protection and is a polished receiver...pretty important in a 4-wide set.

and the Pats are growing increasingly less fond of giving Maroney a full workload.

Does anyone know what a "full workload" is? I would imagine it changes from game-to-game. In the first 3 games (all blowouts), he had 20, 15 and 19 carries with a 4.7 ypc...with Morris splitting time. Project that out over a season and you get 288 carries for 1344 yds. Sounds pretty full to me.

We hear they’re beginning to doubt Maroney’s toughness and don’t see him as a 20-plus-carry running back.

He got a groin injury...not unusual for a RB. He missed 3 weeks with a healthy Morris running well. Would he have been able to go sooner if needed? We'll never know. The games since he returned have been a mishmash of blowouts and spread formations. Tough to make any judgements there. Maroney will be judged by his performance in the playoffs.

Asante Samuel has always been a very good cornerback, but his outstanding play this season makes it very likely that the Patriots will go to great lengths to lock him to a long-term, lucrative deal this offseason. It was formerly believed that Samuel would demand too much money for the salary-cap-conscious Pats to pony up to, but we hear they no longer view him as a “system guy” and now see him as an elite talent.

The Pats' braintrust knows what Asante can do. They knew last year.They have a valuation of Asante and if they can sign him within that value system, I expect that they will.

"salary-cap-conscious"??? Besides the Redskins, what team isn't?

"system guy"??? He is paid for his ability to excel in the Pats' system. Being a "system guy" is a good thing. As for if he could excel in other systems, why would the Pats do this evaluation?

"elite talent"??? Asante has a solid skill set but the NFL rules have affected how much teams value these skills. The shutdown CB is extinct, so what exactly are you paying for?

I would love to see Asante stay, but there are going to be teams with more cap space than they can possibly spend in free agency. Why not spend above market value and pick off a piece of the Pats' environment? Hard to compete with that.

Look no further than to Ravens S Ed Reed as the player Bill Belichick deems as the league’s best safety. We hear that the Patriots coach, who squares off against the Ravens this Sunday, is infatuated with Reed. Tom Brady joked this week that Belichick would adopt him if he could. “His name would be Ed Belichick,” the Pats’ quarterback said.

Wonder where they heard this "whisper"? Could it have been on just about every media outlet in the country? Some incredible insider knowledge there...

 

[frankiesfly]

If you watched the Pats all year, that Maroney news isn't breaking.

 

[PaulNEPats]

The verdict will be out on Maroney after the playoffs. The weather won't be great in Foxboro, most likely, so it should be a prime setting for running the ball.

 

[jman924]

Funny, because everyone jumped all over my arse when I pointed out that Pioli's last two drafts have been TERRIBLE!!!!!!!! You guys can make excuses for the last two drafts all you want, but the fact remains that other than Gostowkski, we are getting NOTHING from anyone other than Maroney who has been an outright DISSAPOINTMENT. If you guys can't look at the last two drafts and recognize that they have been BRUTAL, than I just don't know what else to say. Terrible. Absolutely terrible. You guys can blast me all you want, but it's the truth.

I suppose when the Patriots collapse from these "brutal" drafts, you can gloat and say "I told you so!":bricks: The trolls have been predicting downfall for years. Just so I know, which season will these "terrible" drafts cause the Pats to become the cellar dweller you seem to see in the future?

 

[Deus Irae]

So you are saying there is no issues whatsoever with any of the players in question?

No, I'm not saying that, as you well know, because I don't pretend to know all about the inner workings of the team. However, as you have shown in post after post, you have no idea what the hell goes on behind the closed doors of the New England Patriots. You, therefore, have no idea why these players are "only" getting the playing time they are getting, but you still keep making up crap as if you're the team priest and know everything. In every case where there has been any real evidence one way or the other, it's gone counter to what you and the other Chicken Littles have argued, yet you people continue to post thread and post after baseless thread and post on the same points you've already been shown to be wrong about.

 

[Boston Tim]

I find it hard to believe that the front office is already "soured" on a rookie player. But I can see how they would be upset about two things:

1. His slow adjustment to the NFL game rates him as a second rounder at best.
2. Jonathan Beason (who the Pats passed on and was selected by Carolina with the very next pick) leads the Panthers with 91 tackles. Wouldn't it be nice to have another LB right now? (but Heaven forbid we take a LB in round one...)

 

[National Sports Advisors]

I suppose when the Patriots collapse from these "brutal" drafts, you can gloat and say "I told you so!":bricks: The trolls have been predicting downfall for years. Just so I know, which season will these "terrible" drafts cause the Pats to become the cellar dweller you seem to see in the future?

Why would I gloat? I wouldn't be so pizzed off about the last two drafts if I didn't care about the Pats and the future. Hey, do you honestly think we could not have drafted ANYONE that could have made the roster ahead of Baker and Jackson with our 4th rd pick that we flat out WASTED on Kareem Brown??? Do you NOT think we could have drafted someone with last years wasted 4th rd pick on Garret Mills(who we CUT) that could still be on this roster ahead of the likes of Kyle Eckel, Eddie Jackson, Rashad Baker, and Chad Brown? Hey, it would be somewhat tolerable to waste lower round draft picks if we were getting good productiom from our 1st and 2nd rd picks. Guess what? We are NOT! Maroney is a JAG and a DISSAPOINTMENT to anyone with a pulse, Jackson has given us NOTHING since he's beem drafted, and Meriweather can't even give us fill-in duty ahead of the immortal Rashad Baker's and Eddie Jackson's of the world. Sugar coat it all you want, but the Asante Samuel's, Eugene Wilson's, Richard Seymour's, Ty Law's, and Randall Gay's of the world weren't sitting LAST on the depth chart by game 11 of their rookie season. I mean, for cris sakes, why is it we can kiss Pioli's arse when he drafts STUDS but we can't question him when he drafts DUDS? You do NOT have your 1st Rd defensive back playing behind Rashad Baker and Eddie Jackson in game 11 of the season. I am sorry. That raises questions my friends.

 

[patsgo]

Why would I gloat? I wouldn't be so pizzed off about the last two drafts if I didn't care about the Pats and the future. Hey, do you honestly think we could not have drafted ANYONE that could have made the roster ahead of Baker and Jackson with our 4th rd pick that we flat out WASTED on Kareem Brown??? Do you NOT think we could have drafted someone with last years wasted 4th rd pick on Garret Mills(who we CUT) that could still be on this roster ahead of the likes of Kyle Eckel, Eddie Jackson, Rashad Baker, and Chad Brown? Hey, it would be somewhat tolerable to waste lower round draft picks if we were getting good productiom from our 1st and 2nd rd picks. Guess what? We are NOT! Maroney is a JAG and a DISSAPOINTMENT to anyone with a pulse, Jackson has given us NOTHING since he's beem drafted, and Meriweather can't even give us fill-in duty ahead of the immortal Rashad Baker's and Eddie Jackson's of the world. Sugar coat it all you want, but the Asante Samuel's, Eugene Wilson's, Richard Seymour's, Ty Law's, and Randall Gay's of the world weren't sitting LAST on the depth chart by game 11 of their rookie season. I mean, for cris sakes, why is it we can kiss Pioli's arse when he drafts STUDS but we can't question him when he drafts DUDS? You do NOT have your 1st Rd defensive back playing behind Rashad Baker and Eddie Jackson in game 11 of the season. I am sorry. That raises questions my friends.

last years draft sucked, what dont you understand, all teams felt the same way thats why we couldnt trade the picks, do you understand that if not go back to kindergarten

 

[National Sports Advisors]

last years draft sucked, what dont you understand, all teams felt the same way thats why we couldnt trade the picks, do you understand that if not go back to kindergarten

Ya, ok. Keep drinking the Pats front office kool-aid. I'm sure the pats front office's moles will leak out that this year's draft "sucks" too to cover their arses when they draft more DUDS. Funny, but didn't Jacksonville draft Jones-Drew in the 4th rd last year? How come they can get a running back that is every bit as good as Maroney in the 4th rd??????? How come the Colts have 12 rookies on their roster from this past draft???? Is our roster that much better than the Colts that 12 rookies can make their squad but 4th rd picks can't make our's?????? Puhleaze. Pioli is a master at trading for vets, signing free agents, and choosing who and who not to spend money on for players entering free agency from our team. His drafting college players has been a mixed bag to say the least. Bethel Johnson, Marquisse Hill, and Chad Jackson all say hello from the 2nd rd.

 

[patsgo]

Ya, ok. Keep drinking the Pats front office kool-aid. I'm sure the pats front office's moles will leak out that this year's draft "sucks" too to cover their arses when they draft more DUDS. Funny, but didn't Jacksonville draft Jones-Drew in the 4th rd last year? How come they can get a running back that is every bit as good as Maroney in the 4th rd??????? How come the Colts have 12 rookies on their roster from this past draft???? Is our roster that much better than the Colts that 12 rookies can make their squad but 4th rd picks can't make our's?????? Puhleaze. Pioli is a master at trading for vets, signing free agents, and choosing who and who not to spend money on for players entering free agency from our team. His drafting college players has been a mixed bag to say the least. Bethel Johnson, Marquisse Hill, and Chad Jackson all say hello from the 2nd rd.

teams are judged by championships not draft classes in bill and pioli we trust end of story

 

[BHSL2]

Funny, but didn't Jacksonville draft Jones-Drew in the 4th rd last year?

Jones-Drew was a 2nd round pick.

Is our roster that much better than the Colts that 12 rookies can make their squad but 4th rd picks can't make our's??????

1. Our roster is better than the Colts roster.
2. They had serious cap restraints, so they HAD TO SIGN CHEAP ROOKies
3. The majority of the rookies who made the Colts are defensive playuers. The Colts defensive system is easy to learn. See the correlation?
4. The Colts had many holes to fill in their roster.

You know nothing about the rest of the NFL.