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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Our problem at safety is our need for both a starter and for depth. So, we are indeed answering part of the problem by signing Gregory.
starters: Chung, open
backups: Barrett (from IR), open
ST: Brown
Huge upgrade? Based on what? Just because he started for a team doesn't mean he is good or better than the crap we were throwing against the wall last year.I am happy that the Patriots signed a safety with starting experience, FS experience at that....a huge upgrade over what we had before...which was a ST and a failed corner playing safety.
My god people, I swear there is always one poster who compares a new signing to Vrabel. Hate to brake it to you folks, but Vrabel was signed 10 years ago, and still no new Vrabel. The career special teamers that we sign tend to be exactly career special teamers. Maybe Ninkovich is a slight acception
Huge upgrade? Based on what? Just because he started for a team doesn't mean he is good or better than the crap we were throwing against the wall last year.
gregory has not always proven to be very good in coverage. his size may not say SS, but it appears his ability does
I take it you have watched every game Steve Gregory has started in his career...I take it you didn't watch any games last year....
He also played in a system where he is supposed to be aggressive over reading and reacting although his strength from what I have read is more of a read and react type of skills. His coverage skills could improve quite a bit in another system. Maybe not, but I wouldn't write him off just yet.
I take it you have watched every game Steve Gregory has started in his career...
And there is nothing to guarantee he is much better either. Just because you go from a 1 to a 3 on a scale of 1-10 doesnt mean you got that much better. I'm just trying to figure how he is a huge upgrade. Just because he started for a team that was not named New England Patriots? What was his competition for that starting spot?There is no way he's worse than Sergio Brown or James Ihedigbo.
Well, the evidence evidence in the film room. I'm sure you've studied it extensively.Other than "In BB We Trust", is there any evidence this guy is better than any of our safeties last year? $2-3 million/year seems like an awful lot of money for a guy that does not seem to have been a playmaker at any point in his college and pro career. 29 yrs old seems a little late to hope he can turn into something. He's been a JAG his entire career, so I can only assume that's what we'll get from him this season. He doesn't make any plays, but I'm sure he's "coachable, smart, hard working, loves football, insert any other BB adjective here".
It blows me away when fans are so stingy/upset about how much money the Pats spent on some guy who isn't a big name . Also the idea of 'how can this guy be an upgrade over Ihedigbo/Barrett/Sergio Brown if he played for a bad team and I've never heard of him?'
Gregory sounds like a great under-the-radar find. Everyone agrees that FS was THE weakest position on the team last year and hopefully this solves a huge problem, especially given the alternatives:
Moving up in the draft in a year when the safety crop is horrible and throw a rookie in at FS? nope
LaRon Landry? Way overrated and overpriced.
Re-signing James Sanders? ummm, no.
Then again, our friend Brandon Meriweather was available. :bricks:
Overall the safety crop is weak however the top end safeties could be a significant upgrade to Gregory, Ihedigbo, Brown, Slater, etc.Moving up in the draft in a year when the safety crop is horrible and throw a rookie in at FS?
It blows me away when some poster thinks that a starter from a recent rival is somehow an "under the radar" find.
Overall the safety crop is weak however the top end safeties could be a significant upgrade to Gregory, Ihedigbo, Brown, Slater, etc.
NFL Draft - 2012 NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
Strong Safety
Mark Barron
Harrison Smith
NFL Draft - 2012 NFL Draft Prospects - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
Free Safety
Markelle Martin
Don't get me wrong--they might draft one of them and I'm all for it as long as they don't move up out of desperation. But hell will freeze over before BB starts a rookie at FS.
The only free safety left available in unrestricted free agency to my knowledge that is worth anything is Reggie Nelson. I seriously suspect the New England Patriots will draft a safety either in the first round in the 2012 NFL Draft or with the second round draft pick acquired from Oakland in the 2012 NFL Draft.And having been a starter for exactly one entire season and racking up zero Pro Bowls, he has definitely established himself as one of the top tier safeties in the NFL.