Player Signing Patriots sign Gerard Warren

[Patriot_in_NY]

Tossing another name into the hat to start at RDE.

Totally... Not a bad one either. Other then being a low-pick disappointment, he's not the worst out there. We'll see what he has in camp.

 

[RayClay]

We didn't have Seymour last year. I'm talking last year to this year.

What does that have to do with Brace? We had a hole at DE last year. We lost another backup. We replaced Seymour and Green this year.

Again, nothing to do with out backup NT project.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

What does that have to do with Brace? We had a hole at DE last year. We lost another backup. We replaced Seymour and Green this year.

Again, nothing to do with out backup NT project.

You're the one who brought up Seymour, I didn't.

I'm saying we have multiple candidates to be the backup NT, Wright, Pryor, Brace and Weston and there is no reason to blindly think Brace has a spot on the team just because he was a #2 pick last year. He has legitimate competition and needs to earn his roster spot.

 

[RayClay]

You're the one who brought up Seymour, I didn't.

I'm saying we have multiple candidates to be the backup NT, Wright, Pryor, Brace and Weston and there is no reason to blindly think Brace has a spot on the team just because he was a #2 pick last year. He has legitimate competition and needs to earn his roster spot.

It has nothing to do with where he was picked. You're saying all those people are good candidates to be nose tackles in the NFL.

If Belichick doesn't think Brace has much better upside as a NT than them, he will be dropped, there is no other reason to keep him.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

It has nothing to do with where he was picked. You're saying all those people are good candidates to be nose tackles in the NFL.

If Belichick doesn't think Brace has much better upside as a NT than them, he will be dropped, there is no other reason to keep him.

Which is what I'm saying. A lot of people think he's going to make the team a second year because of where he was picked. All I'm saying is there's lots of competition and he'd better come ready to play.

 

[Ring 6]

Which is what I'm saying. A lot of people think he's going to make the team a second year because of where he was picked. All I'm saying is there's lots of competition and he'd better come ready to play.

I think the proper argument is that if he had enough talent to be drafted in the 2nd round its hard to believe he can't make the team. Of course 95% of what a player becomes is what he does with the talent that got him drafted but there is nothing to indicate Brace is wasting away.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

I think the proper argument is that if he had enough talent to be drafted in the 2nd round its hard to believe he can't make the team. Of course 95% of what a player becomes is what he does with the talent that got him drafted but there is nothing to indicate Brace is wasting away.

Agreed but you can't help but notice the competition.

From last year's team only Green is gone. Added are vets Lewis and Warren. Practice squader Richard. Draftees Deaderick and Weston. As you said, Brace was the highest pick, by far, out of Richard, Deaderick, Weston and also Pryor. But something has to give with these players and roster spots.

 

[Ring 6]

Agreed but you can't help but notice the competition.

From last year's team only Green is gone. Added are vets Lewis and Warren. Practice squader Richard. Draftees Deaderick and Weston. As you said, Brace was the highest pick, by far, out of Richard, Deaderick, Weston and also Pryor. But something has to give with these players and roster spots.

Deaderick was a 7th round pick for a reason, same with Weston.
Pryor was ahead of Brace for the most part on the dc last season,but its not like he was a stud or anything.
I thnk no matter who was signed or who was here Pryor is the kind of guy who is fighting for a job in camp each season. All of these guys are on the bubble, but Brace clearly is the most talented, if he can get that out on the field.

 

[RayClay]

Which is what I'm saying. A lot of people think he's going to make the team a second year because of where he was picked. All I'm saying is there's lots of competition and he'd better come ready to play.

He'll make the team as long as he projects as a viable future nose tackle. He's only competing against his own potential. They didn't draft a nose tackle prospect, they drafted some low round, various backup DEs or various.

They drafted Brace specifically to train at nose tackle, a position neither he nor most tackles ever played in college. If they didn't think he had that potential he wouldn't have been drafted nearly as high IMO. He's slow and doesn't translate to anything else except a marginal 4-3 tackle, of which there are loads.

NT is a very hard position to fill, with most teams trying to convert veteran 4-3 tackles that are big.

They did not draft people to compete with him. At any point that he isn't worth all the time they will spend with him, compared to a low round versatile backup, he will be dropped like a bad habit, unless they find another team who wants to take him on as a project.

He is not a generic lineman competing with whatever other linemen they happen to acquire. He is a nose tackle project, the only one until they believe he's not worth it.

It's possible another player might stick and later be trained as a nose tackle, but they aren't holding auditions, they are seeing if Brace can fulfill that potential.

Those aren't bad options considering how hard it is to find talented linemen who can play the middle in a three-man line.

"You're looking for a guy who has pop, power, great lateral movement in a 3-yard range to both sides of the center," former Florida State guard Jamie Dukes, an NFL Network analyst, said Tuesday. "A lot of guys don't have that."

Beyond natural gifts, the ideal nose tackle has run-stopping heft — 325 pounds or more is ideal.

"There's no question it's a tough position to fill, and one big reason is a lot of teams don't run a 3-4 (defense) in college," said draft guru Scott Wright of NFL Draft Countdown. "It's hard to find guys with that combination of size, athleticism and strength. They're a rare breed."

Replacing a nose tackle in NFL is no easy task — and Miami Dolphins must replace Jason Ferguson

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Deaderick was a 7th round pick for a reason, same with Weston.
Pryor was ahead of Brace for the most part on the dc last season,but its not like he was a stud or anything.
I thnk no matter who was signed or who was here Pryor is the kind of guy who is fighting for a job in camp each season. All of these guys are on the bubble, but Brace clearly is the most talented, if he can get that out on the field.

You're right but I want to see how it plays out on the field. Brace was largely considered an over draft and it showed on the field. This year's guys were underdrafted due to supremely strong depth. I expect Brace will make the team but he won't coast to a spot.

 

[RayClay]

You're right but I want to see how it plays out on the field. Brace was largely considered an over draft and it showed on the field. This year's guys were underdrafted due to supremely strong depth. I expect Brace will make the team but he won't coast to a spot.

I think, if Brace is progressing in his technique, Pryor could back up all year instead of him and the Patriots would keep Brace.

They don't equate. Brace could be the huge NT specimen, Pryor couldn't.

I would liken it to a big green NBA center. If he's 7'2" and can just block shots, he'll be developed. Tons of slightly smaller guys might be better than him, but the team doesn't care. They want to develop one physical backup center and will continue the project unless he's hopeless.

Doesn't matter if some guys look better now, NT is a similar project. There are never ever enough decent nose tackles, and more teams convert to 3-4 every year. Just like the Cassell QB project. He looked horrible in spots, but the team thought he had upside and stuck with him.

Look at Cody on the Ravens. Is that slob better now than the other 5 rounds worth of Dlinemen? Is a hot 290 lb rookie going to affect his chance of sticking? Same as Brace, they either progress at the hardest 3-4 position to fill, or they don't.

 

[PatsChamp88]

On a side note, can some please tell me what JAG stands for? I know the context of it and see it all the time, but I cannot figure out what exactly it stands for.

Jacksonville Jaguar player.. I mean their team is filled with them