Thornton - 'Grading the Patriots Gambles with 'Bad Character' Guys'

[Ring 6]

What made Adalius Thomas a “bad character guy?”

Missing practice when it snowed evidently.

 

[Ring 6]

Thomas had one good year, Icy...not an abject failure

His second year was good too but limited by injury.

 

[dtbrks]

F him
F all of them who sit on the sidelines and judge guys who actually do sh!t.

So tired of this. Six SB wins. Every one else can bow to the Kings

 

[IcyPatriot]

What made Adalius Thomas a “bad character guy?”

He was a 'fugazi'

 

[Patjew]

I like Jerry but this post stinks. You can blame who he gave it credit for. I’m a Stoolie from way back but even I don’t get the Uncle Buck stuff.

Is that other Pats board that Jerry used to post on dead now? I used to have an affair with that board every now-and-then circa 2010. Patsfans used to go down a lot back then and not in the good way.

 

[TB_Helmet]

85 made 1 reception in the Super Bowl.

I knew it was 0 or 1, took the under, nice catch. Either way he didn’t come through when we needed him most. What a waste.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Yep but just to get paid... double or triple F for that so the average is F - IMO

Two years, actually. It wasn't until 2009 that he . . . turned.

Remember in 2008 when he sacked Brett Favre and Leon Washington?

 

[TheRainMaker]

This list is garbage.

First, Harrison, Thomas and Corey Dillon shouldn’t be on the list. They were never “bad characters” with their former teams. Harrison was just known as a dirty player. And Dillon just hated playing for the Bengals. I’ll always remember as a teenager telling the media he’d rather “flip burgers” then return playing for the Bengals. They ended up giving him more money so he showed back up at camp. They traded him because he was over 30 and Rudi Johnson showed promise.

Was Terry Glenn a “bad character” coming out of college?

 

[Froob]

Not sure why Adalius Thomas doesn't get an F also ...

AD was awesome until he broke his arm mid 2008. He was almost Super Bowl MVP.

 

[slam]

This list is garbage.

First, Harrison, Thomas and Corey Dillon shouldn’t be on the list. They were never “bad characters” with their former teams. Harrison was just known as a dirty player. And Dillon just hated playing for the Bengals. I’ll always remember as a teenager telling the media he’d rather “flip burgers” then return playing for the Bengals. They ended up giving him more money so he showed back up at camp. They traded him because he was over 30 and Rudi Johnson showed promise.

Was Terry Glenn a “bad character” coming out of college?

Exactly! Adalius Thomas shouldn't be on the list. He wasn't a guy we got at a discount because of known character issues. He was a premium free agent we had to outbid teams for. He developed an attitude later on his career, but played well at first before getting injured.

If you're going to make a list like this, know what you're trying to measure. Terry Glenn shouldn't be on this list, even in hindsight. If we're talking about draft picks with character flags, then Aaron Hernandez should've been on this list. And you'd give him an "A" for on-field production and an "F" for off-field activities. And Alan Branch and his drunk driving who was good until he wasn't. And are we grading onfield production and/or locker room demeanor and/or off-field conduct?

Dumb list that needed several rounds of editing. An interesting discussion could be had from this topic, but this isn't it.

 

[Danger Zone]

Ive said it a 100 times and I'll say it a 100 more because I think this is a dynamic that is very much under appreciated even by the people that acknowledge its existence.

The Patriots have been steadily drafting dead last (by average draft position) for 20 years.

The Patriots unbroken success means they are given the last (worst on average) draft picks of any team in the NFL. Take any 5 year stretch and the Patriots picked in a worst position than every other team. This has been going on for almost 20 years. Ot

Think of it. 31 teams get to pick before you. Your firsts are seconds. Your seconds are thirds. Sure at 32 there are still good players on the board, but every player that gets picked before your turn makes your job that much harder. Do this for 20 years straight and you have an environment in which the Patriots are forced to take risks on players other teams can afford to be picky about.

 

[PittPatriot]

Missing practice when it snowed evidently.

This list is about bad apples we signed.
AD was by no account a bad Apple. The “jetsons” snowstorm/traffic comment was well publicized.

If this list is about what guys behaving badly, AH needs to be on it. So does Kevin Falk.

 

[TheRainMaker]

So does Kevin Falk.

What did he do? I don’t remember him being a bad apple out of college. Nor was he a problem during Carrol’s last year. He just had a bad fumbling problem.

 

[TheRainMaker]

AD was awesome until he broke his arm mid 2008. He was almost Super Bowl MVP.

Yep. He was my pick had they won. He almost got a 3rd sack and funneled Manning into Seymour and Green before the you know what play happened.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Without Glenn they never win that Super Bowl in the 2001 season. Certainly not as a high seed. There is no snow bowl. Ridiculous. F Barstool. They still owe me a Goodel towel.

 

[Ring 6]

This list is about bad apples we signed.
AD was by no account a bad Apple. The “jetsons” snowstorm/traffic comment was well publicized.

If this list is about what guys behaving badly, AH needs to be on it. So does Kevin Falk.

Right. I was being facetious.

 

[Triumph]

Rodney Harrison does not belong on that list.

Seau and Harrison played their guts out for the Chargers and were the whole team.

What a bogus list.

Haynesworth was just lazy.
Ocho stupid

 

[DarrylS]

Harrison, Ocho Cinco and Dillon do not belong on that list, they were disgruntled players on crappy teams.. Thomas probably fits into that group as well.

Gordon is not a "bad character"guy he is a substance abuser coupled with depression.. that is not bad character, if so it would deny the basic premise of any addictions recovery program (admission of powerlessness over alcohol or drugs step 1 of AA or NA)... what Gordon has done he has done to himself.

The #1 guy not on this list is Aaron Hernandez, he had red flags all over him coming out of Fla. should never have been drafted....

 

[sean10mm]

I think you have to judge "risky" guys based on what they cost in cap space and/or draft picks. If a guy busts but it cost nothing, who cares?

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

What made Adalius Thomas a “bad character guy?”

When Adalius first arrived in NE, he had some bad words for some of the Ravens players and aired out his dirty laundry publicly. This upset Ray Lewis who ripped his former teammate on his radio show. They trash talked back and forth like a couple idiots, which probably didn’t sit well with Bill.

Not sure if that marked him as having “character issues” from day one, but it was a red flag.