The Pats to meet with Wesley Woodyard

[BelichickFan]

I liked Woodyard but he got 4/$16, more than I thought he would.

 

[borg]

I liked Woodyard but he got 4/$16, more than I thought he would.

Starter money vs 4th LB money NE likely offered

 

[BadMoFo]

I get the feeling Fletcher will be back.

 

[Kontradiction]

I liked Woodyard but he got 4/$16, more than I thought he would.

I would have gladly seen the Pats pay $4M per to solidify the pass coverage in the LB corps.

 

[Rob0729]

Damn it. I wanted Woodyard, but they couldn't pay him that much money to be a specialist.

 

[upstater1]

It all depends on the structure of that contract. If it's $2.5m, $3m, $4.5m, $6m, you pay him. That's a good break for the team (cuttable in his 3rd year).

 

[Rob0729]

I would have gladly seen the Pats pay $4M per to solidify the pass coverage in the LB corps.

If they do sign Browner and Collins continues to progress, I think Woodyard is more of a luxury than a need. Mayo became pretty decent in coverage last year. Revis will allow Browner play more coverage closer to the line because the Pats can go a lot of one deep safety coverage.

 

[50-yard-line]

If they do sign Browner and Collins continues to progress, I think Woodyard is more of a luxury than a need. Mayo became pretty decent in coverage last year. Revis will allow Browner play more coverage closer to the line because the Pats can go a lot of one deep safety coverage.

Well, given that one deep safety possibility, here's hoping Adrian Wilson has something left in the tank, as well. They haven't cut him yet, I notice, and he's ready for OTAs

His range is down, but he might fit in there pretty well.

 

[Sicilian]

Starter money vs 4th LB money NE likely offered

Likely a starter role as well. Probably will get more snaps in Tennessee than he would here.

 

[mayoclinic]

Well, given that one deep safety possibility, here's hoping Adrian Wilson has something left in the tank, as well. They haven't cut him yet, I notice, and he's ready for OTAs

His range is down, but he might fit in there pretty well.

If the Pats had signed Browner and Woodyard, then Adrian Wilson would clearly have been obsolete. As things currently stand, if the Pats sign Browner I could see them nominally making Wilson a "LB" and using him purely as a LB/S hybrid.

 

[jmt57]

Tennessee had a bigger need at OLB than the Pats did, and therefore were going to be more willing to pay Woodyard more money. Zach Brown was benched last year, and he plays the position best suited for Woodyard, WLB. Brown is still on a rookie contract, so they can easily afford to keep him on the roster and see if he still develops, or at least keep him for depth. The Titans may have also had a bit of an inside edge in that Woodyard's college DC is on the Tennessee staff, and he is closer to home (grew up in Georgia, played at Kentucky in college).

The Titans still have a major hole to fill at MLB; for their sake I hope they don't intend on using Woodyard there. Last year showed that he is much better suited to playing outside than inside.


Bummer that the Pats were unable to sign Woodyard, but I can understand why that happened. The next best free agent OLBs available are a step down (Rob Jackson, Parys Haralson), but will also cost less.

Pats also need an ILB; Pat Angerer is still on the market, is only 27, and should be better than last year when his knee injury limited his productivity. Angerer was a tackling machine his first two years, but missed a lot of time the last two. If he can pass a physical then he could be a decent signing.

 

[hwc]

As one of those teams teetering on the brink of perpetual loser status, the Titans had to show Woodyard "more respect".

 

[patfanken]

I'm deeply saddened by the Titans signing of Woodyard........ OK, I've moved on.

An additional speed LB is still need. Maybe not a top priority, but in the top 4 Woodyard had been in the league since 2008 (a fact which surprised me). Its taken him 5 years to get to the point where he had his "breakout" season. Before that he wasn't even on anyone's radar.

So the question becomes, who out there is the NEXT Wesley Woodyard. Some 5th year player who has played mostly special teams and is now ready to take the next step. Could it really be Dane Fletcher? Or perhaps another unknown. I'll be interested in hearing some potential names.

BTW- Woodyard is a great lesson for those who demand immediate satisfaction from their players. Another is Rob Ninkovich who appeared in just 8 games and amassing the grand total of 3 tackles in the 4 years he spent with the Saints and Dolphins. Even his first year with the Pats was unmemorable, with most of his play restricted to special teams. (23 tackles) In fact it wasn't until his SIXTH season that he started to display the starting quality play that has made him a key performer on the Pats D. Perhaps maybe there IS some hope for Jake Bequette after all.

For that matter, think about the contract that Everson Griffin got from the Vikes after starting just ONE game in 4 years and having an earth shattering 5.5 sacks (fewer than Chris Jones, btw), and a career high 27 tackles Clearly the Vikes see] getting more from him in the next 4 years than they saw in the first four.

Who knows maybe Tavon Wilson or Harmon really are the answer to our "other" safety problems. Maybe Buchanon or Bequette can BE the 3rd DE. The fact is there are dozens of players who took more than a year to two before they became VERY good pros. Too many people here are too eager to dismiss players out of hand, if there careers do start off with a bang. Some after a bad year, some after a bad game, and even a few after a bad play.