I do not believe anyone is proposing #2 and you know it. With "All Pro" Matt Light and the equivalent of two 6'8" #1 picks (I think Vollmer easily if he hadn't been so raw) and the highest paid left guard on the planet (is he? must be close). the Pats need to find some way to get by with less than all pros at a couple spots, there's still a salary cap.
I'm sorry, but guys like Gorin, Ashworth and Andruzzi, all of whom were attained for less than Starbuck's charges for a cup of mud, led us to the promised land.
Guys gotta play, or get on the waiver wire and find some who can.
I really am losing hope for him. I've been one of his biggest supporters (sort of). By that I mean that I've been hoping for him to snap out of it and play like the flashes he showed more frequently. I just doesn't look like it's going to happen. It's all in his head now.
I never thought it would be possible, but he's been awful this preseason - poor route running, not grasping the playbook, and now dropping balls. His body looks oddly contorted on just about every play he's targeted. I still don't think it will happen, his pedigree is enough to keep him here, but he might not be as much of a factor as we thought. He has a LOT of work to do.