Two Major Issues Have Been Solved

[maineman209]

Hill doesn't suck. First 3 years he was very good for cincy..lost snaps to bernard year 4.

Hill was very good in his first two seasons, except for the fact that he was a fumble machine (8 of them). However, he seemed to have fixed that in 2016 (0 fumbles). Last season, he was hobbled by an ankle injury that ultimately put him on IR and required surgery.

If he can get most of the way back to his 2016 form, he could be a valuable piece on the 2018 RBBC. However, it's good to keep in mind that his 3.8 ypa has been generated via the occasional long, breakout gain embedded among a bunch of 0-2 yard clunkers. In contrast, while Gillislee never really "broke one" in 2017, he was much more consistent in getting at least 3-4 yards, and was among the best in the league at gaining the required yardage for down-and-distance.

Anyway, at only $1.33M with a mere $150k guaranteed, there's still a possibility that Hill doesn't make the final roster.

 

[primetime]

Hill is one of those players where you can see a good player if you squint really hard, and this board has been doing a ton of squinting since the Patriots signed him. If you asked the board about him the day before he was signed, people would have said he wasn't very good. If the Patriots draft a running back, he probably won't even make the team. He's just a dart throw.

 

[mgteich]

agreed

Hill was very good in his first two seasons, except for the fact that he was a fumble machine (8 of them). However, he seemed to have fixed that in 2016 (0 fumbles). Last season, he was hobbled by an ankle injury that ultimately put him on IR and required surgery.


Anyway, at only $1.33M with a mere $150k guaranteed, there's still a possibility that Hill doesn't make the final roster.

 

[Love The Drake]

agreed

My binky

 

[RobertWeathers]

Hill is one of those players where you can see a good player if you squint really hard, and this board has been doing a ton of squinting since the Patriots signed him. If you asked the board about him the day before he was signed, people would have said he wasn't very good. If the Patriots draft a running back, he probably won't even make the team. He's just a dart throw.

Hes the very definition of "taking a flier"

 

[primetime]

I'd like to see Derrius Guice consign Jeremy Hill to the dustbin of history.

 

[maineman209]

I'd like to see Derrius Guice consign Jeremy Hill to the dustbin of history.

At this point, a decent 4th-rounder might be able to accomplish that.

 

[TomPatriot]

Hes the very definition of "taking a flier"

We'll see. Blount's career was pretty similar. Strong rookie year, then tailed off. Maybe he rejuvenates his career here the way Blount did.

Hill's a big back, which the Pats lacked last year and it showed in the red zone.

 

[captain stone]

And when Lewis plays 23 games in the next 3 years you will see why matchable didn’t become matched.

While you're looking into your crystal ball, what are the winning numbers for the next MegaBucks?

 

[Tony2046]

While you're looking into your crystal ball, what are the winning numbers for the next MegaBucks?

Six, Three, One, Nine, Eleven.

 

[supafly]

Hill was very good in his first two seasons, except for the fact that he was a fumble machine (8 of them). However, he seemed to have fixed that in 2016 (0 fumbles). Last season, he was hobbled by an ankle injury that ultimately put him on IR and required surgery.

If he can get most of the way back to his 2016 form, he could be a valuable piece on the 2018 RBBC. However, it's good to keep in mind that his 3.8 ypa has been generated via the occasional long, breakout gain embedded among a bunch of 0-2 yard clunkers. In contrast, while Gillislee never really "broke one" in 2017, he was much more consistent in getting at least 3-4 yards, and was among the best in the league at gaining the required yardage for down-and-distance.

Anyway, at only $1.33M with a mere $150k guaranteed, there's still a possibility that Hill doesn't make the final roster.

Some of these lower level FA adds may simply be placeholders for draft picks. Like you said, this could certainly be true with Hill, Gilleslee, or even both, should we pick up 1-2-3 in the draft + UDFAs and they look anything close to serviceable.

I’m guessing that one of Hill/Gilleslee makes it, but I’m also expecting a younger pickup from the draft or UDFA process. Should a young rookie step up (Belichick’s preference), we could apply the same logic at a number of positions, WR included.

 

[maineman209]

We'll see. Blount's career was pretty similar. Strong rookie year, then tailed off. Maybe he rejuvenates his career here the way Blount did.

Hill's a big back, which the Pats lacked last year and it showed in the red zone.

I wouldn't say that Blount's career in Tampa "tailed off" as much as it got sidelined by a coaching change.

Blount produced 1021 yds from scrimmage and 6 TDs as a rookie, sharing totes with Cadillac Williams and Josh Freeman. In his second season, Tampa barely ran the ball at all (346 total attempts divided among Blount, Freeman, Earnest Graham and Kregg Lumpkin), and Blount produced 929 yds from scrimmage (including 148 receiving) and 5 TDs .

In Blount's third season, Schiano became the new HC, acquired V-Jax and drafted the Muscle Hamster - who immediately took virtually all the available carries (319 himself), while Blount's role was drastically reduced.

The Pats traded for him the following season - yet another example of the Pats taking advantage of a coaching change to acquire proven talent on the cheap.

Slightly different situation with Hill. Although the Bengals did add Joe Mixon via the draft in 2017, and did change OCs (Zampese to Lazor, after Hill was on IR), Hill's 2017 production dropoff was largely due to his ankle injury.
----------

It's difficult to say exactly how much not having a "big back" actually hurt the Pats last season. There was really a sea change in the type of ground game the Pats ran between 2016 and 2017.

In 2016, it was basically a one-man show, with Blount getting over 75% of the totes (and almost no passing tgts). In 2017, it was a committee, with the lead back (Lewis) getting only 45% of the totes with the strategy shifting to rotating three RBs who were all roughly equal threats to run or catch a pass (RB tgts increased dramatically).

The 2017 ground game was actually more efficient, too.

While rushing attempts dropped from 3rd in the league to 11th, rushing yards only dropped from 7th to 10th, and rushing TDs only dropped from 5th (19) to 6th (16), while yards per attempt actually increased from 25th (3.9) to 12th (4.2).

So, it's really not clear to me that having a "bigger back" would've made a significant difference, especially if he wasn't much of a receiving threat. While Hill seems to be a somewhat more capable receiver than Blount ever was (or that Gillislee has been), he's still nowhere close to the level of White and Burkhead.

 

[goheels22002]

Ok, that got me laughing. Good one

I copied it to my notepad to respond to DI's next ludicrous assault on one of my posts.

 

[goheels22002]

I think it only makes sense that if someone is going to register a "dislike" or "disagree," they should follow up with a post explaining why.

I disliked your post because it seemed like that was something you wanted someone to do.

 

[RayClay]

And that "middling" category produced the 10th most rushing yards in the NFL last season, and the 6th most rushing TDs.

Not sure you understood my post

And that "middling" category produced the 10th most rushing yards in the NFL last season, and the 6th most rushing TDs.

No idea what you're talking about. Sammy Morris and BJGE were mentioned by you. Middling at best. Blount turned into a devastating power back, Gillislie needs to find a role, or Jeremy Hill will take that, and he's bigger. Dion won't be replaced, but White is an outstanding receiver, Burkhead a good versatile back.

Pats have had worse backs than Gillislie, but it's hard to see any role for him if Hill gets time. It's just math.

 

[Ring 6]

While you're looking into your crystal ball, what are the winning numbers for the next MegaBucks?

Interesting comment from a guy who criticizes every decision and thinks his would worked out better.

 

[Jackson 2]

I cannot overstate how insecure someone must be to have to make a post specifically calling someone out about hitting the thumbs down icon on their post.

A reasonable opinion can be disliked because it was delivered in a smug manner.

Zing...

 

[maineman209]

Not sure you understood my post


No idea what you're talking about. Sammy Morris and BJGE were mentioned by you. Middling at best. Blount turned into a devastating power back, Gillislie needs to find a role, or Jeremy Hill will take that, and he's bigger. Dion won't be replaced, but White is an outstanding receiver, Burkhead a good versatile back.

Pats have had worse backs than Gillislie, but it's hard to see any role for him if Hill gets time. It's just math.

Dude! I had to scroll all the way back to March 15th to see where this started, and I can't even remember what I walked into the room to do, much less what I was thinking way back then!

It's entirely possible that I was trying to agree with you.

As far as Gillislee is concerned, if he ends up as their #4RB out of four again, the Pats could certainly be in much worse shape at RB. Most teams are.

Gillislee will almost certainly never be a devastating power back, and the odds seem strongly against him suddenly blossoming into a reliable, regular receiving back or becoming the Pats leading rusher. But that's not to say that he can't or won't perform better and contribute more in his second season with the Pats than he did in his first.

Anyway, Blount had more totes and yards in his rookie season alone (201 for 1007 yds & 6 TDs) than Gillislee had had in his entire 4-year career before coming to the Pats, so it's not as if Blount went from nothing to something with the Pats.

 

[Tunescribe]

I disliked your post because it seemed like that was something you wanted someone to do.

No, why would you think that? I simply believe that explaining one's opinon after lodging a contrary gesture is the civilized thing to do.

 

[RayClay]

Dude! I had to scroll all the way back to March 15th to see where this started, and I can't even remember what I walked into the room to do, much less what I was thinking way back then!

It's entirely possible that I was trying to agree with you.

As far as Gillislee is concerned, if he ends up as their #4RB out of four again, the Pats could certainly be in much worse shape at RB. Most teams are.

Gillislee will almost certainly never be a devastating power back, and the odds seem strongly against him suddenly blossoming into a reliable, regular receiving back or becoming the Pats leading rusher. But that's not to say that he can't or won't perform better and contribute more in his second season with the Pats than he did in his first.

Anyway, Blount had more totes and yards in his rookie season alone (201 for 1007 yds & 6 TDs) than Gillislee had had in his entire 4-year career before coming to the Pats, so it's not as if Blount went from nothing to something with the Pats.