Trevor Pryce: Junior Seau is their best defensive player, point blank

[Snake Eyes]

Because there is a difference between a top college QB, and a QB who didnt play at all in college and sat behind Brady till he got hurt. Sure he won 10 games in the NFL, which is no small feat. But projecting the future with that small a sample of games is VERY risky

Yeah, there's a HUGE difference, namely that NFL experience is a LOT more applicable to the NFL than college football, how many QBs were complete disasters in the NFL but were stars in college? I think that makes Cassel a lot less risky than Sanchez/Stafford.

 

[bigfandan]

Seau played less than 20% of defensive snaps... it could be that Trevor Pryce meant that when Seau was on the field, he was their best player. Seau does seem to make some key plays while he was able to get on the field. But there are many situations dictating/limiting his snap count. Pryce was likely less than impressed with our other LBs and DLs (from his vantage point) although they had more snaps.

Game, season lost months ago - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Interesting article....

 

[RyanP421]

I believe that we would have been better with Seau in their for much of the year.

Basically, Mayo never hits the gaps or stuffs a run in the backfield. How many big hits did Mayo have?

I'd bet that in about 9x less playing time than Mayo, Seau has just as many TFL's and more big hits than Mayo. Also, Seau has 100x less missed tackles than Mayo.

People who blame Meriweather for missed tackles are INSANE, as he has to play both containment and make the tackle on just about every play, because the LB's stand around with their thumbs up their asses.

WAR SEAU, and please get us a real MLB... I just dream of what this D would look like if we had signed Jon Vilma or Ray Lewis when they were available this past offseason... true big play backers, not glorified safeties playing MLB (Urlacher and Pat Willis), who make tackles 12 yards down field.

Um what?

First of all,Vilma is a 4-3 LB, doesn't fit a 3-4 very well, that is evidenced by his time in NY.

And are you really putting down Patrick Willis? Claiming he only makes tackles down field? Do you watch football, or know football?

Not everyone works in every team's system. I wish some of you people would grasp that for once.


"Oh, oh, Laurinitas is having success in St. Louis 4-3, he would have dominated in our 3-4!! OMG"

Jeus Christ.

 

[BritPat]

Patrick Willis is the best MLB/ILB this league has seen since Lewis was in his peak years.

And he may well end up being a better player.

 

[mgteich]

Tributes to Junior are fine. He was a great player, but he was not an important factor this year. You can choose between Wilfork and Bodden for our top defender.

Seau played less than 20% of defensive snaps... it could be that Trevor Pryce meant that when Seau was on the field, he was their best player. Seau does seem to make some key plays while he was able to get on the field. But there are many situations dictating/limiting his snap count. Pryce was likely less than impressed with our other LBs and DLs (from his vantage point) although they had more snaps.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Stop being such homers people. That article is all true. As soon as a negative is written the first thing people do on this site is discredit the writer. People on this site look like bigger homers by the day.

Actually, it's not true. At least not yet. Basically what he's saying is that every member of the 2009 draft class is a bust. He's also implying, or rather using an opposing player to do it for him, that Mayo is a bust without offering at least the slightest qualifier that oh by the way, the dude tore a knee ligament in the first game of the season and was never right after that.

 

[mmasterkillah]

Jon Vilma is so terrible in the 3-4 that he still had 110+ tackles in while playing under Mangini (in, you guessed it, the 34) in NY. Also, do you think there was a reason why Mangini said to Vilma's agent that he can negotiate a trade with anybody other than the Patriots.

Give me a ******* break! I am entitled to my opinion. Both of the players that I mentioned have succeeded far more (at least statistically) in the 4-3, than the 3-4... but exactly what skills do you believe that Lewis and Vilma lack that Mayo and Guyton possess, Mr. Football IQ?

If you say block shedding, or play recognition, I will laugh hysterically, as both the aforementioned players are 3x the athletes in those facets than any of our current LBs. Vilma could've gone to Harvard for christ sakes, I'm sure he could have mentally adjusted to our schemes and he is a pure playmaker. He certainly is no less physical than Roman Phifer or Tedy Bruschi were in their tenures with the Patriots.

I haven't seen Willis a whole lot this year, but he is far from the physical demon that I was hoping for when I first heard of him. PLEASE watch the gametape of the 9ers vs. The Patriots when we played them last year (or the year before), and you will see what I mean, he is far too much like Mayo for my liking (finesse).

I don't mind if you disagree, as I realize my opinions aren't necessarily common, but please don't disrespect my opinions.

 

[CrazyDave]

Dumb article. Period.
Does that make me a homer?
And I'm fine with the Butler pick. It seems to me that he more than "cracked" the secondary,the writer is an Idiot.

 

[pats_premi]

I wonder what the average gain on those tackles was for both years. I'm not saying this in a negative light but the knock from the critics has been his tackles are always at least 5 yards down field. If would also be interesting to see if there was a drop off in this average from 08 to 09.

He did look awful against the Ravens.

Do they Patriots practise tackling ? It was annoying to watch Mayo/Banta-Cain miss tackles in the back field on 3rd and 2 in WC game.

 

[WhoaDirty]

Do they Patriots practise tackling ? It was annoying to watch Mayo/Banta-Cain miss tackles in the back field on 3rd and 2 in WC game.

Based on the state of tackling in the game today (NFL-wide), I am not sure any team practices tackling anymore.

 

[bigfandan]

Stripping the ball and creating turnover is more important now for many teams. Colts are very good at that. Bears practice that too. Lovie Smith is a Tony Dungy deciple. With an efficient offense like Colts, if they win the turnover battle, the game is over. Saints are even more scary; at times they can score TDs at will.

Based on the state of tackling in the game today (NFL-wide), I am not sure any team practices tackling anymore.