The loss of Blount, Bennett, and Long is going to hurt us

[PatsDeb]

Nah. I never thought Blount was all that (his ability to get one yard on the goal-line, particularly early in the season, notwithstanding), Bennett had flashes of greatness & clutch-ness but was often injured, and Long was getting long-in-the-tooth and was often one-dimensional. I think the Pats have done a good job replacing all 3, particularly in the running game. I am excited for the new season to start! Go Pats!

 

[scott99]

The only thing I think we will miss is their personalities. Chemistry goes a long way towards winning a championship. You never really know if the chemistry the team had last year, will be repeated this year with the replacements. Having guys like Brady, Gronk, Edelman, is a great thing. I'm sure they will make guys feel like part of the family.

 

[mikey m]

Finally someone says it. And if all that wasn't enough Rob Housler is also gone. This team is F*****.

 

[Tony2046]

Are people actually upset about LG lol and think his role can't be filled?

He wasn't this brawler power back that made a hole when there wasn't one.

I can't think of 3-4 times where he lowered his shoulder and trucked over guys. Hell Michael Floyd showed more physicality in one play than Blount did all season.

This is absolutely nonsense.

18 TD's and 1161 yards isn't nonsense.

And if you think of it from a production vs salary perspective, Blount was one of the most productive players (per dollar) in the league.

He didn't ***** about his salary. He had fun posing with the minutemen. And he was a great locker room guy.


And yeah he lowered his shoulder a few times as well.

 

[TommyD4207]

18 TD's and 1161 yards isn't nonsense.

And if you think of it from a production vs salary perspective, Blount was one of the most productive players (per dollar) in the league.

He didn't ***** about his salary. He had fun posing with the minutemen. And he was a great locker room guy.


And yeah he lowered his shoulder a few times as well.

 

[BelizePats]

What a load of crap. As soon as you mentioned "funny" and "classy" as important player attributes, I should have stopped reading right there. My mistake!
Your naivete is cringe worthy.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

18 TD's and 1161 yards isn't nonsense.

And if you think of it from a production vs salary perspective, Blount was one of the most productive players (per dollar) in the league.

He didn't ***** about his salary. He had fun posing with the minutemen. And he was a great locker room guy.


And yeah he lowered his shoulder a few times as well.

C'mon man lol. His TD'S were the result of our offense and 1161 yards in today's NFL isn't anything special whatsoever.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

C'mon man lol. His TD'S were the result of our offense and 1161 yards in today's NFL isn't anything special whatsoever.

1000+ yard rushers are a big deal for the Patriots though lol

I liked Blount and I think his production vs salary was off the charts.. but I think overall our RB position is stronger going into 2017 than it was in 2016, with more depth to boot

 

[Tony2046]

C'mon man lol. His TD'S were the result of our offense and 1161 yards in today's NFL isn't anything special whatsoever.

I'm not saying he was elite. I'm just saying that he was an asset to the team. Especially during the first four Brady-less games. They leaned on him heavily and he delivered. That should be appreciated.

I do think Gillislee is an upgrade but he's getting paid to be an upgrade as well.

 

[Joey007]

I saw the OP had one agree rating. I had a guess of who it was.

And I was right.

 

[Off The Grid]

Damn, it's good to be a Patriots Fan.

When you can post a Pic of your HalfBack fumbling in the SuperBowl and get Laughs out'f it ~ happy Laughs, not Phuck Me Laughs ~ you've got to be a Patriots Fan.

***

You know, I remember Back In The Day...My Bro and I often harken back, shaking our Heads in Wonder, to that grim late November Day in 1992 when those very same Falconians were demolishing our sad Team, and my Bro and I journeyed out at HalfTime in search of more Bacardi to Ease Our Pain, having to sail all the way into New HampShire to do so.

We were happy, merry Lads, but it certainly wasn't due to our FootBall Team, I can tell you!!

To've Sailed The Seas of bemused, indulgent Affection for our evidently accursed Team for so many Years ~ so many, many Years ~ and to come out on the other side to...this...this abandoned Joy which defies any attempt at description...is mesmerizing.

 

[K. Dog]

As soon as you mentioned "funny" and "classy" as important player attributes, I should have stopped reading right there.

So many fans here seem to buy into the ESPN narrative that football is about getting a bunch of people as fast and strong as possible - who have "talent" - and letting them win. But that' just can't be done consistently. Every team tries to get these players.

They win through two things, things which are clear from the all-22 and some analyses out there:

1. They use much sophisticated schemes on offense, and I think on defense, than any other teams.

2. Their players execute with far fewer mistakes than other teams.

3. Their players have the drive and ability to make the kinds of plays that don't show up on their stat lines, their salaries or to casual fans.

That's how they win. Look at say the week 14 Baltimore game, where they won defensively with the constant pre-snap defensive shifts and multiple fake blitzes, with Butler blitzing at one point e.g. Or all the micro presnap adjustments they did on multiple TDs. Or e.g. Edelman's blocking, which led to if I recall three key scoring plays in SBLI. Receivers don't even have blocking stats, at least no one pays for them, but Edelman had multiple key blocks winning SBLI.

Items 1 and 2 require intelligence. The Patriots players have to be smarter than players on other teams - otherwise those players could execute their own complex schemes, and maybe anticipate the Patriots.

Item 3 requires chemistry. You have to find a bunch of guys willing to sacrifice a lot: salary, recognition, sometimes health - just to help the team.

So having smart players on the team is very helpful for (1) and (2). And having players with some wit and deftness is helpful for (3).

The more I think about this the more pessimistic I am. I think this board has become some kind of weird echo chamber where people have totally unrealistic ideas about the upcoming season, which to my eyes is shaping up to be more like '02 than anything. (In fact, if this Gilmore thing doesn't work out, this could be the end of the whole dynasty).

The players I named in my thread seemed to me to be the kind of players who, like Brady, make the other players function better. They help make the 2016 the most intelligent and most selfless team I've ever seen.

 

[Joker]

"(In fact, if this Gilmore thing doesn't work out, this could be the end of the whole dynasty)."

ChicKen Dog Little. This is probably the wackiest take I've ever read here at Patsfans.

 

[Off The Grid]

What a load of crap. As soon as you mentioned "funny" and "classy" as important player attributes, I should have stopped reading right there. My mistake!
Your naivete is cringe worthy.

(In fact, if this Gilmore thing doesn't work out, this could be the end of the whole dynasty).

"(In fact, if this Gilmore thing doesn't work out, this could be the end of the whole dynasty)."

ChicKen Dog Little. This is probably the wackiest take I've ever read here at Patsfans.

Seriously.

 

[luuked]

18 TD's and 1161 yards isn't nonsense.

And if you think of it from a production vs salary perspective, Blount was one of the most productive players (per dollar) in the league.

He didn't ***** about his salary. He had fun posing with the minutemen. And he was a great locker room guy.

And yeah he lowered his shoulder a few times as well.

For every time he lowered his shoulder and successfully trucked people there are two other times where he got stopped before the line of scrimmage because he couldn't do much on his own until a hole formed right in front of him.

Once he was past the LOS he was a great back, no question.

 

[supafly]

Finally someone says it. And if all that wasn't enough Rob Housler is also gone. This team is F*****.

They just haven't been the same since getting rid of Mike Cloud.

 

[supafly]

For every time he lowered his shoulder and successfully trucked people there are two other times where he got stopped before the line of scrimmage because he couldn't do much on his own until a hole formed right in front of him.

Once he was past the LOS he was a great back, no question.

I'd have liked to see him return on another cheap deal where he could be used as a 2nd half runner who wore opposing defenses down and chewed up clock. I didn't want to see him return as the lead back though, for the reasons you've mentioned.

Not taking anything away from him or his strengths, but I thought that the team could improve on the lead rushing role. We'll have to see if Gilleslee can do that, or if we're having late night conversations about wanting LG back. Hope it's the former.

 

[Tunescribe]

The more I think about this the more pessimistic I am. I think this board has become some kind of weird echo chamber where people have totally unrealistic ideas about the upcoming season, which to my eyes ...

 

[supafly]

View attachment 17565

Putting up the latest pictures of Michael Phelps isn't going to help here.

 

[Tunescribe]

Putting up the latest pictures of Michael Phelps isn't going to help here.

Does this make more sense? (I think it demonstrates infinitely more logic than the OP.) I wonder how this guy decides which way to trot.