Sherman Signs with 49ER'S (Updated)

[luuked]

Similarly, the Foles touchdown pass came because Flowers didn't read the play and just stood there transfixed staring into the backfield.

Lets not forget that this play was a pass into double coverage that barely was complete (if it was complete). The route Ertz runs made DMac stuck between him and the RB for a fraction of a second too long. It was magnificent design and perfectly executed by Foles.

I guess it is easier to bash your team instead of giving credit.

 

[primetime]

agree but you have to inquire with Sherman's camp as to what he'd be willing to play for in NE. A number of players would take a discount to play with the GOAT.

He's already won a Super Bowl.

 

[primetime]

Lets not forget that this play was a pass into double coverage that barely was complete (if it was complete). The route Ertz runs made DMac stuck between him and the RB for a fraction of a second too long. It was magnificent design and perfectly executed by Foles.

I guess it is easier to bash your team instead of giving credit.

I meant the trick play. Bur agreed, the Clement touchdown catch probably wasn't a catch (but close enough that I'm not going to complain), and Flowers was draped on him. It was a perfect throw. Sometimes you can't defend those things no matter who you have on the field. Foles had a lot of those in the Super Bowl (as did Brady...)

Frankly, the only way you stop those kinds of plays are making sure the QB can't get a clean pass off.

 

[maineman209]

How do people think the secondary didn't crap the bed aside from Gilmore and Harmon in the Superbowl is beyond me.

Saying that the DL and LBs, and the run-D and pass-rush utterly failed and, thus, exacerbated existing problems in the secondary - is NOT equivalent to saying that the secondary didn't crap the bed. They're not a mutually-exclusive things.

 

[patsinthesnow]

The defense is only as strong as its weakest link. The DL and LB units were the weakest links by far in 2017, largely due to injuries and FA losses leaving the Pats relying on several inexperienced players.

It seems to me, then, that the place to start "fixing" the defense is the DL - especially in the middle. Once an accomplished and experienced player has been added to help with that, it affords the leeway to add a "lesser" (and less expensive), but experienced, LB (Bradham, Brown, Casillas) and a high-end draftee to improve the 2nd level.

After that, it may be prudent to add a high-end draftee to the safety group (where there's tons of experience), and a relatively cheap, but experienced player (e.g., Darby) to the CB group (where there's somewhat less experience than at safety).

Given the current state of the three levels of the Pats defense, paying a huge percentage of usable cap space to rent Sherman for a year would be like putting on a new roof to fix a leak while the foundation is crumbling and the walls are full of holes.

I’m 100% down for DL. You’ve been on the Dontari Poe train right? The decline of Alan Branch basically broke our 3-3-5/5-2 defense that was so good the 2nd half of 2016. Is Bennie Logan legit? Not sure who else is there.

My thing with LB: Hightower & Van Noy are both making top 25 off ball LB money. Signing a 3rd one would need to be on cheap as you point out but otherwise the draft makes sense for development.

I don’t think Sherman will get CB1 $ but we’ll see.

 

[Joey007]

Because dominant interior players are generally gone by the time we draft and those available via FA are expensive. There is a reason why people were so in love with Branch a year ago. He was consistent and relatively cheap.

I’m talking about more than interior pass rushers. And Branch never really rushed the passer anyway.

And in 2015 we landed Brown in the draft, who was supposed to be picked in the top half of the draft but fell to us. So we’ve acquired some higher end interior talent.

It just feels like we’ve swung at the fences so many times the last 5 years in the draft, only to come up with a few okay players. It seems like we’ve been spooked out of spending money for pass rushers ever since Adalius Thomas.

 

[luuked]

I meant the trick play. Bur agreed, the Clement touchdown catch probably wasn't a catch (but close enough that I'm not going to complain), and Flowers was draped on him. It was a perfect throw. Sometimes you can't defend those things no matter who you have on the field. Foles had a lot of those in the Super Bowl (as did Brady...)

Gotcha. Missed that you were talking about the trick play.

 

[luuked]

I’m talking about more than interior pass rushers. And Branch never really rushed the passer anyway.

And in 2015 we landed Brown in the draft, who was supposed to be picked in the top half of the draft but fell to us. So we’ve acquired some higher end interior talent.

It just feels like we’ve swung at the fences so many times the last 5 years in the draft, only to come up with a few okay players. It seems like we’ve been spooked out of spending money for pass rushers ever since Adalius Thomas.

Makes you almost wonder why other teams surprisingly passed on him...

I think at this point we can all agree that he is not high end talent but Tier 2 talent on his best days and borderline Tier 2 on average.

 

[maineman209]

And the fact that Belichick already tried to get Talib earlier this week ...

"Fact"? Or speculative media report that remains unverified by anyone directly involved with the Pats organization, the Broncos organization, or the Rams organization?

 

[primetime]

Arguably the Patriots best front seven player (and the word "best" is doing a lot of work here) in the playoffs was a 40 year old who a healthy scratch all season on a different team with a middling defense who was cut after the Steelers lost a top front seven player for the season (and possibly career).

That fact should be more concerning than the corners.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

He's already won a Super Bowl.

You don't say...

According to reports is he intrigued on playing here. Unless the reports are false, this likely means he is intrigued at the thought at playing with Brady and Belichick. No one's coming here just to play with Jordan Richards...

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I am just surprised the pats haven't shown interest but they did with talib.

 

[luuked]

I am just surprised the pats haven't shown interest but they did with talib.

When ?

 

[maineman209]

You'e quietly competing with a certain long term poster as the worst one here.

But your sign up date indicates a bandwagon troll. To be expected.

The age of a one's registration date on a fan forum doesn't equate to a deeper understanding of football or even of how the Pats' systems work (and how they fail).

 

[maineman209]

I understand the argument the pass rush couldnt get there so the secondary was at a disadvantage because they had to cover longer.
Watching the game could also prove the opposite the Quarterback immediately had one to 2 good options to go to every play.
Part of that is great play design of course but a big part of that was the secondary aside from Gilmore couldn't lock down their guy causing Foles to get rid of the ball a second before it seemed James Harrison was closing on him each snap.
It could equally be argued that the pass rush not getting there caused Foles to get to multiple reads.
At the end of the day we all agree the defense needs upgraded via free agency and draft combination.
No need to bash myself or other posters here because we all want the same thing a defense that will keep us in or better yet win us games.
The fact we all have different views and avenues and thoughts of how we get there shouldn't be a surprise.
We are all different people and I hope the front office of the Patriots are having the same discussions and arguments and the end result is improvement.

The crappy run-D, and especially their inability to diagnose and respond correctly to run-fakes, disadvantaged the secondary just as much as the lack of pass rush. The pass-rush itself was also somewhat thwarted by the ineffectual run-D.

 

[maineman209]

Yea and if butler wasn' so bad he was benched. That might if helped

Butler wasn't going to be playing DL or LB (where the problems started), or even safety.

Rowe and several other Pats players have stated that he practiced as the starter all week. In the game, the Pats used two corners almost exclusively - the only exception being bringing ST ace Bademosi in as an additional safety for a few snaps.

 

[Todd Bradley]

Hello darkness my old friend

 

[Hammer of Thor]

The crappy run-D, and especially their inability to diagnose and respond correctly to run-fakes, disadvantaged the secondary just as much as the lack of pass rush. The pass-rush itself was also somewhat thwarted by the ineffectual run-D.

Elandon Roberts is the Bizarro Brandon Spikes. Like Spikes, he can be a great run stopping specialist but can't cover anyone worth a damn. Difference is that Spikes had phenomenal instincts - he was never fooled on pass/run fakes, knew which gap to shoot, knew when to time pass breakup attempts even if he was really slow in coverage so actually managed to grab some key interceptions. Roberts has the exact oppsite instincts, and as I said before, his best way to stay in the NFL is to pull a George Costanza and do the opposite of whatever his instincts are.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

looks like 49ers is it..will try and get deal done per the usual sources

 

[zimmy]

If we improve the front 7 the corners will all look better. If we don't then Sherman isn't helping us much anyway.

Given our cap space we can only really take Sherman on a below market deal. We aren't giving him $10m a year. We need to resign Solder and some depth players and that will take most of the cap room. Simply don't have space at the minute for a luxury signing and Solder.