Stevan Ridley

[DaBruinz]

We're all wrong sometimes. Everyone is. But when dumb picks turn out to be.......well.....dumb picks, there is no defense. The Pats drafted Kevin O'Connell in the 3rd round. Why? He was a late round prospect at best. But everyone talked about how the Pats would turn him into a quality pro QB. That never happened. So yes, I'm going to look back on that and question what the team was thinking.

As for this year, your team had six picks in the first 3 rounds. You drafted a project that isn't ready to play to address OT. I thought the Dowling choice was a really solid value so no problem there. You drafted Vereen over every RB in the draft except Ingram and you took a 4th-5th round prospect to double up on the position in the 3rd round. Then you took Mallett...who helps your team in no way at all. He's basically another lottery ticket toward yet another future draft pick.

Your analysis shows that you didn't do enough research on the Patriots.

1) Solder is about where Matt Light was when Light was drafted to be the LT on the Pats. The difference is that Solder has a much higher ceiling.

2) Dowling - I questioned the pick originally, then realized that the Pats have very little in the cupboard beyond this year at safety (which is where it's rumored that Dowling will end up) so this made sense because BB has a history of drafting players 1 year prior to the need arising. Though, in some cases (Samuel, Wilson) the player ended up getting thrust into the situation earlier than expected.

3) Vereen and Ridley - Going into the draft, the Patriots had all of Danny Woodhead signed. BJGE status as a free agent continues to be up in the air. He'll either be an RFA or a UFA. If he's a UFA, then it would figure that a lot of teams would be in line for his services and the Pats probably wouldn't be able to keep him..

4) Mallett - This was strictly a value pick. This kid was touted, until the last week leading into the draft, as a potential Top-5 pick. So, the Pats used a 3rd round pick to get him. With their track history with Cassel and Brady, there is a good chance that they can develop Mallett into a guy who can take over the reins from Brady or be traded to a team who needs a starting QB. Also, BB has said that the team has been extremely lucky over the past 2 years going with only 2 QBs. They tried to stash Zac Robinson on the Practice Squad, but he got snapped up by Seattle and then Detroit.

 

[DaBruinz]

I totally, totally agree with this. You can see it in the reverse case, too. Imagine a player who's widely projected as 2nd/high 3rd talent, but you manage to nab him in the 5th. Woo-hoo, great pick, right? Sure, unless his name is Ryan O'Callaghan.

I really liked the O'Connell pick at the time. I was surprised it came so early, but the potential of a smart 4-year captain with terrific size and athleticism was terrific. I was wrong, and the Patriots were wrong. But the wrongness was about the player, not the concept.

I still think that O'Callaghan was a great pick. The problem was that he had suffered concussions while playing for the Pats and the Pats doctors had him, basically, one concussion away from being a vegetable. O'Callaghan went to the Chiefs and is now their starting RT. And doing very well there.

I agree about O'Connell.

 

[DaBruinz]

Nnamdi Asomugha?

He was rated as a late 1st/early 2nd pick.. How is that being "over-drafted"?

If you want an example of over-drafting for the Raiders, the best example would be Michael Mitchell, their 2nd round pick. Mitchell was projected as a 6th round pick with a high of a low 4th/early 5th..

 

[DaBruinz]

1) He wasn't mentioned in the media as being a top 100 pick. But like I said, that's where I had him. Go check my record over at The Huddle Report.

2) You want to talk about the talent pool? Then you should have drafted Cam Jordan or one of the other defensive ends. The Vereen/Ridley picks certainly weren't the best "values" at their draft spots. How about taking a receiver with one of those picks (Hankerson, Jernigan, Gates, Cobb)? The Pats have Welker, Tate, Price, Branch, and Edelman at receiver. They also have Darnell Jenkins and Buddy Farnham whom the Pats like. I like Hankerson a LOT and said he was the only receiver I'd want the Pats to draft if they drafted one. Gates wasn't a fit for the Pats. Neither was Cobb.

3) Marcus Cannon is unfortunately an unknown. There is no way you can pencil him in as filling a need right now. Ryan Mallett is a QB. QB is...uh..not a need for New England (3rd string QB?????? C'mon). Brady will still be playing when Mallett's first contract ends.

Cannon isn't an unknown. He's a guy who has 1st round talent and is projected to be an interior lineman. In case you missed it, the reports are that his cancer is gone already.

And yes, a 3rd string QB was needed. BB said as much. And while Brady might still be playing when Mallett's 1st contract is up, Hoyer will probably have been moved or have moved on, elevating Mallett to 2nd string for 1-2 years. That's pretty important.

 

[DaBruinz]

1) He wasn't mentioned in the media as being a top 100 pick. But like I said, that's where I had him. Go check my record over at The Huddle Report.


I don't remember exactly where I had him. He was definitely in the top 3 rounds though. Vollmer was a really good prospect. Everyone knew he had a high ceiling and that he was just inexperienced.

Mankins was before we started the site. I didn't think he'd go in the first round.

I also had Brandon Marshall ahead of Chad Jackson....but again, no website.

Why don't you look at my top 100 from this year? I had Demarcus Van Dyke, Rob Housler, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Jah Reid, and Chris Culliver.

I wouldn't come on here and just lie for no reason. I've been wrong before too, but I'm not too bad at figuring out value.

Really? You're not too bad at figuring out value? Well, tell me something. Do you actually take into consideration team needs? How many personal interviews do you do with the players? How many hours of film study do you do with each prospect?

 

[DaBruinz]

Ok. You didn't make the playoffs with Matt Cassell.

It's a QB-driven league and your team never won a Super Bowl before Brady came along. The QB has a HUGE impact on the overall success of the team (especially when he's one of the two top QBs in NFL history).

That wasn't the correct call. BB and Tom Brady themselves wouldn't even say that it was ha.

The CORRECT call would have been a 15 yard Roughing the Passer penalty on Charles Woodson. And BB did say that over-turning the fumble was the correct call.

Yes BB "chose" Brady, but there is no way he thought he'd develop into the QB he is now or he would have taken him MUCH earlier. So, sorry, there's an awful lot of luck that went into that.

You're right. BB didn't know how Brady would develop. But Former QB Coach, **** Rehbein (may he rest in peace) DID know that Brady was special and he was the one who pushed for Brady over Tim Rattay. Oh.. And the Pats had Brady as a 3rd round value that year..

I'm not a fan....I'm just telling you what the facts are.

You aren't telling anyone facts. You're telling people your Raider-biased opinion.

You want to accuse me of using hindsight to my advantage because I had a 2nd-3rd round grade on Vollmer, but then you turn around and say it was easy to see Russell was going to be a bust? I wouldn't have drafted Russell if I were the Raiders (and that one is on record), but I don't remember ANYONE that didn't have a 1st round grade on that guy.

Lastly, what's with all this name-calling? How about being a grownup?

You want people to be "grown-up", then how about you stop lying. As I said, I've already pointed out where your site isn't in the top 10 on the Huddle-Report and how you guys were #62 this year..

 

[ctpatsfan77]

3) Vereen and Ridley - Going into the draft, the Patriots had all of Danny Woodhead signed. BJGE status as a free agent continues to be up in the air. He'll either be an RFA or a UFA. If he's a UFA, then it would figure that a lot of teams would be in line for his services and the Pats probably wouldn't be able to keep him..

Green-Ellis has only been with the team for three seasons, so it is very, very unlikely he becomes a UFA.

They tried to stash Zac Robinson on the Practice Squad, but he got snapped up by Seattle and then Detroit.

This doesn't really change your point, but Robinson actually cleared waivers; he chose to sign with Seattle's PS, most likely because he figured it gave him a better chance to start in the next few years. . . .

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The CORRECT call would have been a 15 yard Roughing the Passer penalty on Charles Woodson. And BB did say that over-turning the fumble was the correct call.

Heck, if you go back and listen to Gil and Gino, they KNEW the call would be overturned, and said so well before the reversal was announced, b/c they had seen the same thing happen earlier that year against the JEST.

 

[s3antana5757]

Cannon isn't an unknown. He's a guy who has 1st round talent and is projected to be an interior lineman. In case you missed it, the reports are that his cancer is gone already.

And yes, a 3rd string QB was needed. BB said as much. And while Brady might still be playing when Mallett's 1st contract is up, Hoyer will probably have been moved or have moved on, elevating Mallett to 2nd string for 1-2 years. That's pretty important.

Agreed. Cannon is a bigger player, who's not that quick on the end, who I think should make an easy move inside.

As far as the WR's, this class was atrocious after Green and Jones IMO. Next year, guys like Sanu, Broyles, Fuller, Floyd, Jones, Childs, Posey who could all be available around the end of the 1st, the end of the 2nd.

 

[DaBruinz]

Green-Ellis has only been with the team for three seasons, so it is very, very unlikely he becomes a UFA.

There has been talk of players becoming UFA after 3 seasons with the new CBA.. Only time will tell if that is the case.

This doesn't really change your point, but Robinson actually cleared waivers; he chose to sign with Seattle's PS, most likely because he figured it gave him a better chance to start in the next few years. . . .

There are conflicting reports, but since he went to Seattle's Practice Squad, he had to have been signed after clearing..

 

[Off The Grid]

Our site is always in the top-10 on The Huddle Report's top-100 board rankings.

I'm pretty good at figuring out what a player's actual value is.

Sorry. Gotta call BS here.

The Huddle Report

You ranked 62 this year and you aren't in their Top 26 over the last 5 years.

If you are going to make a statement, the least you could do is make one that isn't so easily checked and proven wrong.

What a pathetic @#$%&!!

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

Let me make two points.

First, you don't have to be an expert, just a PatsFan, to know that neither Sam Acho or Chris Carter met BB's measurables for the OLB position. Acho at 6' 1 1/2 inches and 262 lbs is closer than Carter at 6' 1" and 248 lbs. but both are short of the expected 6' 3"+, 250 lbs+ for the position. Acho went in round 4 and Carter in round 5. If BB had not packaged the Pats 3rd and 4th for the Raiders 2nd next year, he might have, could have done a lot of things. I'm not sure BB wanted to take a "flyer" on either in the first three rounds. He traded his 4th, and took Cannon and Carter in the 5th and 6th. If you had to fault him, it is not for getting Ridley in the 3rd. After all, Ridley is an easy bet to make the team as RB #4. It is for expending the 7th rounder on a part time college player who might be a STer at best. He could have chosen to double up on a player like Romeus -- but did not. The same criticism could be applied to some of BB's late picks last year.

Second, Hankerson should have been really tempting in the 3rd hwere BB passed on him for Ridley and Mallett. Hankerson was the 9th receiver drafted. Mallett and Hankerson were both in the "windfall in the lap" for BB. Of the two, Mallett was the bigger catch because he would never have been available for the Pats in round 3 but for off-field issues (BB viewed as fixable.) BB knows the Pats always draft late in rounds. Here was a top 5 or top 10 pick available at # 74. Hey, possibly trade bait in a couple of years for a 1st rounder.

So, for NFLroughdraft, as an expert, you need to factor in how a talent decision-maker like BB views his choices for your draft pick accuracy. That is your game after all. If Jerry Jones or some other GM was making the Pats picks they might pick someone all together different.

Finally, in fairness. NFLroughdraft, has contributed to a surprisingly robust discussion on this thread. I did look at his record on the Huddle Top 100. He did rank 3rd this year as claimed. (See 2011NFLMOCKDRAFT.COM) So agree or disagree, (and skepticism is always in order), let's give the man his due.