Practice, Injury Updates, Pressers, Transactions (Week 2) [Hightower, Amendola OUT]

[maineman209]

Perhaps, but he's not on the roster.

Flynn's comment was pretty stupid. I suspect that she meant they'll have to limit his snaps, but it unnecessarily implies things beyond that.

FWIW, the "three seasons in a row" rhetoric is decidedly misleading. First off, this is the 3rd season, so before this game it was only two seasons in a row. Second, Amendola was already injured before the punt return in 2015, so we're down to last year being the first time in Amendola's Patriot career that he suffered a new injury as a returner.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, there is no evidence that punt returns are any more dangerous than scrimage plays. I'll grant you that, given his injury history, NE was playing with fire last Thursday. But it had nothing to do with punt returns in isolation, it's that he was playing too many snaps overall. I expected NE to manage his playing time as if Edelman hadn't been put on IR, and was disappointed to be proven wrong, in part because I thought Cooks and the RBs would be more up-to-speed, but mostly because I thought it a risky gamble.

Hopefully, Danny's absence will force the rest of the arsenal to accelerate the acclimation process (alliteration is almost always awesome ), and make him that much more effective when he returns.

FWIW ...

In 12 games active in 2016, Amendola averaged 22 snaps per game on offense (about the same average as Lewis had for his seven games) and 4 snaps on ST.

On Thursday, Amendola had 32 snaps on offense and 7 snaps on ST.

 

[Thelonious]

OK, so understand whatever NFL player, any of them, that was in Amendolas place and got hit in the head on that punt return would be in concussion protocol and not practicing today.
Amendola may indeed be made of glass, but getting hit in the head and getting a concussion, is not an issue with the individual player and his injury proneness, anyone taking that hit would be on the sidelines today.

True enough, but it's always sumthin' with this guy, isn't it? That's the rock-solid empirical base of any discussion of this player. I love the way he keeps bouncing back and performing minor miracles, but you can only pull the Kirk Gibson rabbit out of the hat so many times. Eventually you pull up a dead rabbit, and it's time for a new act.

 

[Deus Irae]

I wonder how she thinks they could have been smarter about managing his snaps? I guess she means they should have held him out of the play he hurt his knee? She must think Bill's a real dumb ass.

Fewer snaps especially fewer consecutive snaps
Keep him off STs, unless he's just going to fair catch the freakin' ball


Not really all that complicated, and nothing people here haven't mentioned, in one form or another

 

[Tuck]

Fewer snaps especially fewer consecutive snaps
Keep him off STs, unless he's just going to fair catch the freakin' ball


Not really all that complicated, and nothing people here haven't mentioned, in one form or another

You're actually making my point. The need to reduce his exposure to injury is not very complicated to understand and it's easy to point out as if Bill and the rest of the coaches are oblivious to Dola's injury history which we all know is not the case. What's not so obvious is that he's their best remaining option for both kick and punt returns as well as catching the underneath stuf that Edelman normally takes. The problem is, they NEED him more than ever now that Edelman, jones and Mitchell have gone down. Managing snaps is an easy answer but in practice, when the games are being played it's just not a realistic one.

 

[Mack Herron]

Looking like Amendola is out, and now presumably Chung will be returning punts. So the discussion about snaps should focus on Chung, because if he gets dinged on a return we'll be seeing Richards again.

 

[Deus Irae]

You're actually making my point. The need to reduce his exposure to injury is not very complicated to understand and it's easy to point out as if Bill and the rest of the coaches are oblivious to Dola's injury history which we all know is not the case. What's not so obvious is that he's their best remaining option for both kick and punt returns as well as catching the underneath stuf that Edelman normally takes. The problem is, they NEED him more than ever now that Edelman, jones and Mitchell have gone down. Managing snaps is an easy answer but in practice, when the games are being played it's just not a realistic one.

Managing snaps for a brittle chain mover of a WR is easy, especially given the available alternatives. You put him in on most 3rd downs. You put him in on some first downs. You keep him off the field on most second downs and a lot of first downs. You either don't let him return punts or you tell him that his only job on punt plays is to choose between a fair catch and letting it bounce.

The idea that it's difficult to manage his snaps in the first quarter of the season is ridiculous.

 

[BradyFTW!]

You're actually making my point. The need to reduce his exposure to injury is not very complicated to understand and it's easy to point out as if Bill and the rest of the coaches are oblivious to Dola's injury history which we all know is not the case. What's not so obvious is that he's their best remaining option for both kick and punt returns as well as catching the underneath stuf that Edelman normally takes. The problem is, they NEED him more than ever now that Edelman, jones and Mitchell have gone down. Managing snaps is an easy answer but in practice, when the games are being played it's just not a realistic one.

I don't think Belichick is oblivious to injury histories or anything like that, but I do think there might be some kind of philosophical issue in how he coaches at play here. I hesitate to criticize the GOAT coach, and I'm going to tread very lightly here in doing so, but Belichick seems to operate under the philosophy that guys are either healthy enough to play or they're not, and that if they are he's going to give relatively little consideration to injury history and risk of injury/reinjury.

There's a bunch of examples here: continually using Edelman and Amendola on punt returns is one. Seymour suffering a knee injury when he was rolled up on while blocking as a fullback is another; that cost him half of a season and severely diminished his effectiveness in 2007. Wilfork playing on a bad foot and rupturing his achilles seems like another example - can't say with certainty but it's either a lame coincidence or it's related. Dobson reinjuring his foot was another one. Gronk reinjuring his arm is potentially another one, though that's tough to say with full confidence.

And that's fine, it's not like the strategy is without its merits. The Pats have won a lot of games because they played their best players, and those players didn't get hurt, and they benefited from the extra talent on the field that other, more cautious teams might have taken away from. This isn't a blanket criticism, more a statement that this philosophical outlook does have its drawbacks, and those drawbacks are made especially apparent when dealing with relatively fragile players like Amendola.

 

[Tuck]

Looking like Amendola is out, and now presumably Chung will be returning punts. So the discussion about snaps should focus on Chung, because if he gets dinged on a return we'll be seeing Richards again.

Apparently they just need to "Manage" Chung's snaps and he'll be fine. Nothing to see here.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Looking like Amendola is out, and now presumably Chung will be returning punts. So the discussion about snaps should focus on Chung, because if he gets dinged on a return we'll be seeing Richards again.

You're probably right, but I don't think that's a sure thing. It's possible that someone else has been practicing fielding punts over the past week, so as to be prepared to take over the role. I'm not sure who it would be, but I suppose we'll find out on Sunday. Burkhead and Lewis have both returned kicks, but never punts, so who knows. Looks like we have limited options.

 

[Tuck]

I really don't want to see Chung back there if McCourty is looking at missing time with a groin.

 

[mgteich]

I really don't want to see Chung back there if McCourty is looking at missing time with a groin.

I would note that McCourty also plays some special teams.

 

[Mack Herron]

You're probably right, but I don't think that's a sure thing. It's possible that someone else has been practicing fielding punts over the past week, so as to be prepared to take over the role. I'm not sure who it would be, but I suppose we'll find out on Sunday. Burkhead and Lewis have both returned kicks, but never punts, so who knows. Looks like we have limited options.

Anything is possible, but Bill isn't going to trust someone who hasn't done it before. I thought they might call up Ayers but there is no sign of that happening. As it stands, I believe Chung is the only guy on the roster (excluding PS) with PR experience. Hogan was also a back-up Thursday and he said that he continues in that role. If it is Chung, I doubt BB tells him to fair catch everything (he didn't do it with a more fragile DA). So I expect to see Chung running returns as I hold my breath each time because I consider him to be one of the irreplaceable guys.

 

[maineman209]

I thought they might call up Ayers but there is no sign of that happening.

Ayers could be practicing punt returns and with the #1s on offense right now without us knowing about it. And the team doesn't need to formally "call him up" until the weekend.

 

[Mack Herron]

Ayers could be practicing punt returns and with the #1s on offense right now without us knowing about it. And the team doesn't need to formally "call him up" until the weekend.

I am aware and hopeful. I wanted to use Ayers last week. I just doubt they use a roster spot with several guys expected back soon.

 

[luuked]

I really don't want to see Chung back there if McCourty is looking at missing time with a groin.

Why ? Both play completely different positions... unless for some reason you think Chung could fill in as FS which would be hilarious..

 

[luuked]

True enough, but it's always sumthin' with this guy, isn't it? That's the rock-solid empirical base of any discussion of this player. I love the way he keeps bouncing back and performing minor miracles, but you can only pull the Kirk Gibson rabbit out of the hat so many times. Eventually you pull up a dead rabbit, and it's time for a new act.

As long as that dead rabbit is one of the most essential cogs of a SB run as Dola has been twice so far I dont care. He is worth every dollar they paid him and the roster spot he occupies. Key scores and catches in playoffs and SBs so who cares if he is on a snap count for the majority of the regular season ?

 

[mgteich]

I am aware and hopeful. I wanted to use Ayers last week. I just doubt they use a roster spot with several guys expected back soon.

hmmm

Is everyone back soon?

Is anyone coming back soon a punt returner?

 

[mgteich]

Why ? Both play completely different positions... unless for some reason you think Chung could fill in as FS which would be hilarious..

I wouldn't want to risking having two safeties injured. harmon is next up no matter which starter is injured. Next is Richards. So, there are two different positions, backed up by the same player.

 

[maineman209]

I am aware and hopeful. I wanted to use Ayers last week. I just doubt they use a roster spot with several guys expected back soon.

It would be tricky, but they might be able to do it. They're carrying 9 OL, for example.

 

[Thelonious]

As long as that dead rabbit is one of the most essential cogs of a SB run as Dola has been twice so far I dont care. He is worth every dollar they paid him and the roster spot he occupies. Key scores and catches in playoffs and SBs so who cares if he is on a snap count for the majority of the regular season ?

I agree with all you say about him, and keeping him on has been more than worth it up to now, but there is a REASON he has to be on a snap count, and at some point, inevitably, that becomes the reason he has to go. He didn't make it through ONE game. That's worrisome.