Trade Cole Strange to a Team That Runs A lot of Outside Zone

[Patriot Missile]

we should have kept Jake Andrews... there was no reason to release him... he was playing on a cheap rookie deal...

Andrews / Bradbury / Brown / Wilson? competition for the the Center position would have been a good thing

If you look at the Houston Texans depth chart Andrews is ahead of Jarrett Patterson as the starter. That’s gonna be a battle during TC to watch. All Andrews has to do is show as well as Patterson and he may be winning the job. There’s also Cole Popovich and his familiarity with Andrews.

Good for Jake, at the very least he’s a backup. Always happy to see a former player bounce back and succeed as long as he’s not on the 5 headed hate train. Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Colts and Donkeys.

 

[mgteich]

I don't know about Robinson yet. They tried him with the 1s during mini camp but I wouldn't read too much into that.

Sows good rookie year was followed up by the mess of last year. Sow was dealing with injury and I can't pin the mess on him so I'm still pretty hopefully with Sow.

While he's obviously been in the league longer which typically indicates less of a ceiling I'm intrigued to see what Doug Marrone can get out of him and maybe the ceiling is still a little higher than we think.

We have lots of possible backups at RG. Sow looked good as a rookie. L. Robinson look OK as a backup RG and as a good run-blocker. Even Wallace looks like he could be a backup at RG if needed.
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OBVIOUSLY, THE ISSUE IS AT LEFT GUARD
We don't know whether Strange can play. Of course, if he is healthy, some think that means that we should trade him. ROFL
Sow looked good as a rookie RIGHT guard. He played well as a LG in college, but has shown nothing so far as an NFL LG.
Neither Robinson has shown that they are good enough to be a starter or backup at LG. Brown may be a better choice than either.
Could Durant be good enough to make the 53 as a LG? It seems unlikely. He was a good pickup to possibly make the PS.
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THE MOST LIKELY
choice with our current players is having Strange and Sow as our LG's, with either one as a starter. If both are healthy, that might be an OK situation for this year.

However, it seems quite likely that we will sign a veteran LG in camp or even after the season starts.

 

[Pape]

Good for Jake, at the very least he’s a backup. Always happy to see a former player bounce back and succeed as long as he’s not on the 5 headed hate train. Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Colts and Donkeys.

100% this... i hate it when former Pat players turn heel and wind up in those places you named

 

[Huckleberry1]

Where the Pats need help trade wise is WR and OL. Strange wouldn't get a WR that matters, he'd just be another cut option fighting for a final spot. As far as OL for OL... I wouldn't be against it and i wouldn't know who they would trade for. Whoever it is would be a guy who has a lot of issues who also isn't all that good and we'd have little reason to believe much in.

To this day i am still not happy they didn't address guard in FA... There were options for guys we KNOW are capable starters. Not guys we hope can be.

They tried to address guard with Will Fries and Patrick Mekari but lost out on both. It wasn’t the priority other positions were but they did try to address it. You can’t get everything you want done in one offseason when you have the worst roster in football, but they still got a ****load done.

 

[stinkypete]

They tried to address guard with Will Fries and Patrick Mekari but lost out on both. It wasn’t the priority other positions were but they did try to address it. You can’t get everything you want done in one offseason when you have the worst roster in football, but they still got a ****load done.

The issue with trading Strange is that he remains, as of now, our best option.

Since Vrabel took over, Strange was declared to be competing for center, then re-auditioned at LG, them re-emerged as the top candidate to start at LG? What does this mean? It means that we tried to upgrade at LG, couldn't, so we pivoted to C. We auditioned Sow, Robinson and Robinson at LG, and fell back to Strange. He is clearly the best option on the team today.

May a better option become available after camp cuts? Not likely. In this case, there is zero benefit to downgrading at the position you ID'ed as most crucial for improvement.

 

[DaBruinz]

Henry and Hooper make a very good tandem. But both are not blockers and are over 30 and, to be blunt, are injury prone.

Where’s the talented young guy? Not to be seen. Just camp fodder behind these two old guys.

McDaniels is going to be frustrated he can’t line up in 11 personnel and have a blocking TE.

Just stop with your BS,

Henry has missed 4 games in 4 years with the Pats. That's NOT injury prone.,
Hooper hasn't missed a game the last 3 seasons,.
So, no. they are NOT injury prone. That's you making s**t up.

Both are better blockers in the run game than you are giving them credit for. They're not Dwayne Allen or Daniel Graham, but they aren't Travis Kelce either.


McDaniels isn't going to be Frustrated at all. Hooper and Henry are both capable blockers. They brought in Brock Lampe as a FB/TE. Dippre and Bell are both talented, young players. One of the PLUSES to Bell's game was that he was an excellent LEAD BLOCKER in the run game. OH.. and hey.. Look at that. Dippre is also a very good blocker. Maybe try paying attention instead of doing whatever you're doing.

 

[DaBruinz]

Since Kevin O'Connell arrived three years ago the entire line went from 4th fewest sacks and 5th lowest sack percentage in 2021, to three straight years of being one of the worst pass blocking units in the NFL.

PFF player grades are toilet paper…

Maybe you should pay attention instead of making stupid assumptions. I wasn't using PFF Grades. I was using actual STATS. And Bradbury is barely Average in pass blocking. PERIOD. Deal with it.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Just stop with your BS,

Henry has missed 4 games in 4 years with the Pats. That's NOT injury prone.,
Hooper hasn't missed a game the last 3 seasons,.
|
So, no. they are NOT injury prone. That's you making s**t up.

Both are better blockers in the run game than you are giving them credit for. They're not Dwayne Allen or Daniel Graham, but they aren't Travis Kelce either.

I think State went off his meds. What used to be a fairly rational draft poster has gone off the deep end repeatedly over the last year or so.

 

[DaBruinz]

are you the same nitwit that uses Dapatriots as a handle?

No. I'm the intelligent guy that tries to educate you whenever you post stupid crap. Which is most of the time you post.

 

[DaBruinz]

it's also not insignificant that when he did return last year, it was not at LG.
it is also not insignificant that the team went out and signed Scweitzer (since retired) and last year drafted Robinson. the team is also trying T Robinson and Wallace and Conley in that spot.

Strange played CENTER because they didn't have anyone else who was healthy to play there. Thinking that he was moved there because of his knee shows a complete lack of understanding of how much MORE pressure is put on the knees of centers than that of a guard.

The team went out and got Schweitzer because it was lacking at depth at center. Teams need to have 3 centers. 2 on the main roster and 1 on the PS. Schweitzer was brought in because of his positional flexibility (OC/OG) and his meanness. He would have been vying with Wilson for the #2 OC.

Layden Robinson was a garbage pick and has no bearing on Strange's ability to play guard.

No. The team isn't trying Caeden Wallace at LG.

Teams need DEPTH. Clearly that's a concept you're not familiar with.

 

[mgteich]

Just stop with your BS,

Henry has missed 4 games in 4 years with the Pats. That's NOT injury prone.,
Hooper hasn't missed a game the last 3 seasons,.
So, no. they are NOT injury prone. That's you making s**t up.

Both are better blockers in the run game than you are giving them credit for. They're not Dwayne Allen or Daniel Graham, but they aren't Travis Kelce either.


McDaniels isn't going to be Frustrated at all. Hooper and Henry are both capable blockers. They brought in Brock Lampe as a FB/TE. Dippre and Bell are both talented, young players. One of the PLUSES to Bell's game was that he was an excellent LEAD BLOCKER in the run game. OH.. and hey.. Look at that. Dippre is also a very good blocker. Maybe try paying attention instead of doing whatever you're doing.

I agree

TE is one of our most solid positions, with a very good starter, backup, and good options for the #3 TE or even TE/FB.

 

[Wozzy]

Maybe you should pay attention instead of making stupid assumptions. I wasn't using PFF Grades. I was using actual STATS. And Bradbury is barely Average in pass blocking. PERIOD. Deal with it.

So was I…. 4th fewest sacks and 5th lowest sack percentage in 2021, to three straight years of being one of the worst pass blocking units in the NFL.

Those ^are team stats. In 2021 they gave up the 4th fewest sacks in the NFL… then Kevin O’Connell arrived and that changed for the next three years to league worst.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Jaheim Bell will have an opportunity to carve are that role for himself

Bell isn’t going to make the team.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

I have my doubts as well.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

I didn’t know who they got to replace him, I assumed it was someone younger without bothering to look. I was wrong.

The Patriots signed an aged center, nobody is giving a 30 year old player a long term deal.

Bradbury’s athleticism is not a question, it’s not my opinion… his RAS score was amazing and thorough. He benched it 34 times, an absurd amount.

2019 Draft Scout Garrett Bradbury - C - North Carolina State

2019 Draft Scout Garrett Bradbury - C - North Carolina State

draftscout.com

You seem to forget that athleticism is measured. And again, before Connolly arrived in Minnesota, Bradbury and that line gave up some of the fewest sacks in the NFL. So what…. he was great then but forgot how to play center the moment a new coach arrived?

Sounds silly….

 

[WhatJustHappened]

I'm going out on a limb and say that he's better than the Journeyman Brown we had last year(In my non-Pro analysis, he was horrible after his first game - team with outside rushers) and hoping one of the youngings can push/replace him.
Less $More athletiscism/longer cheap years isn't a bad thing.
We'll see, we're months away from knowing anything.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

I feel INSIDE RUSHERS are where you win CONSISTENTLY, if you can rush 3 or 4 STUDS, you will win the LOS.
Winning the LOS will win more than you lose IMO.
Ask Brady, when Neal went down it was a **** show...TWICE.
FREENEY was a pest, but Banks and Crew caused more problems IMO

 

[TommyD4207]

Like the LA Rams for their starting TE Tyler Higbee and a late draft pick.

They dealt with Higbee being injured for a season and drafted Terrance Ferguson from Oregon in the second round this year. And they have two quality backups.

That way the Patriots have better depth at that critical position and won’t be held hostage if and when Hunter Henry is injured.

Plus, Strange was broken by Quinnen Williams. No need to have him face that monster twice a season.

His apex athleticism is uniquely suited to outside zone runs. The Rams had researched him thoroughly but could only laugh in an unguarded moment when BB took him in the first round, which was going against the grain to put it mildly.

No.

 

[Wozzy]

This ^ is what negative nancy’s here don’t understand…. athleticism and strength is measured… it’s not my opinion.

Could he be too injured, old, have too many miles on him… sure, but if healthy and in a scheme that works well he is great. The Vikings line was tops before Kevin O’Connell showed up.

 

[Wozzy]

Bell isn’t going to make the team.

Somebody has to play fullback.