Two Major Issues Have Been Solved

[maineman209]

Fleming and Waddle don't seem
to be breaking down the door to re-sign

OTOH, there hasn't been a peep of rumored interest in either of them from other teams. They may be getting cheaper to re-sign with every hour that passes.

 

[patriot1136]

I do like Burkhead and as long as he can stay healthy, I think he will be very effective. He had a good yard per carry last year actually, just missed time with injuries. I like the rotation of him and White and hopefully Gillislee gets in there more and improves. I actually like Bolden as a RB, even though that is not his primary role.

 

[Wozzy]

The Patriots don't really carry 5 RBs just like they don't really carry 6 WRs.

Bolden is a core special teamer who just happens to be a dire-emergency backup RB.

It's possible that a late-round draftee or UDFA RB with no NFL experience and no experience in the Pats offensive system could be a better contributor as a rookie coming off the bench than Gillislee. But I wouldn't count on it.

Bolden became the goal line back when Rex got hurt last season and they still kept Gillislee on the bench, Mike is only useful when they have a substantial lead and it doesn't matter if the other team knows they're running. Bill can't put a guy like that on the game day roster and he's severely overpaid. We could bring numerous rookie RB's into camp, at least one of them will make it.

 

[Wozzy]

OTOH, there hasn't been a peep of rumored interest in either of them from other teams. They may be getting cheaper to re-sign with every hour that passes.

Agreed, the market will determine their worth and the Pats will likely match it.

 

[maineman209]

Actually my argument is very much the opposite, it advocates for a ratings system not against discussion. Hence the "Understanding it's the nature of being on a sports forum to engage in discussion doesn't mean every douche needs or merits engaging." I am more than content to engage in valid discussion, like you it's the reason I am here. I just don't want to wade through 20 no/u posts to get to one post that has merit. I'm not suggesting for a moment the system be done away with. I will not hesitate to engage when I disagree with a worthwhile post but there still needs to be a quick and simple method for expressing dislike/disagreement that is obvious in it's nature. Telling a Stevenson they are a douche only invites more of the same, which only serves to validate their existence and on and on it goes. There are comments even on this thread that show how pointless it can be to engage some folks.

To sum up, when folks post obvious nonsense they don't deserve an explanation. Short of that by all means let's have at it, it is after all why we are here.

And there's always banishment to the Phantom Zone. Fewer posts to wade through that way. And far less temptation to go Full Stevenson.

 

[maust]

And there's always banishment to the Phantom Zone. Fewer posts to wade through that way. And far less temptation to go Full Stevenson.

Something that works well so long as the offending party isn't a prolific poster that other people quote.

 

[maineman209]

Bolden became the goal line back when Rex got hurt last season and they still kept Gillislee on the bench

Umm, no.

Bolden got 34 of his 40 total offensive snaps last season in the season finale against the Jets - when Gillislee was out with a knee injury.

Bolden got two carries the week before that in Q4 of the blowout of the Bills, and neither were at the goal line. And those two carries came well after Gillslee had already contributed 6 totes for 28 yds (4.67 ypa) and a TD, and had caught 1 of 1 tgts for 15 yds in that game (before injuring his knee).

Bolden's only other touches came in week-10 @DEN - when Burkhead was healthy and active.

 

[maineman209]

Something that works well so long as the offending party isn't a prolific poster that other people quote.

That hasn't happened to me very much because I iz selective.

 

[Wozzy]

Umm, no.

Bolden got 34 of his 40 total offensive snaps last season in the season finale against the Jets - when Gillislee was out with a knee injury.

Bolden got two carries the week before that in Q4 of the blowout of the Bills, and neither were at the goal line. And those two carries came well after Gillslee had already contributed 6 totes for 28 yds (4.67 ypa) and a TD, and had caught 1 of 1 tgts for 15 yds in that game (before injuring his knee).

Bolden's only other touches came in week-10 @DEN - when Burkhead was healthy and active.

You're correct, and in week one against the Titans in the playoffs Dion carried the water only to have Bolden take over goal line duties. Dion was never a "workhorse" back and Bolden can play some. My point is he's not only a special teams ace, he can actually play some runningback, he's not Slater.

 

[maineman209]

You're correct, and in week one against the Titans in the playoffs Dion carried the water only to have Bolden take over goal line duties. Dion was never a "workhorse" back and Bolden can play some. My point is he's not only a special teams ace, he can actually play some runningback, he's not Slater.

Still doesn't make Bolden into Gillislee's "near-equivalent" at RB.

Anyway, in 2016, Slater had 52 snaps at WR, and Bolden had 13 at RB. In 2017, that was more or less reversed - but then, Slater missed nearly half the games with a bad hammy.

 

[Tony2046]

OTOH, there hasn't been a peep of rumored interest in either of them from other teams. They may be getting cheaper to re-sign with every hour that passes.

That would be a strange but welcomed outcome. Lose Solder to a new max setting bid but keep both Waddle and Fleming on moderate offers. Are there any football God rituals I need to know about?

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I hate reality.

so that makes you a blue pill guy?

 

[mgteich]

Bolden became the goal line back when Rex got hurt last season and they still kept Gillislee on the bench, Mike is only useful when they have a substantial lead and it doesn't matter if the other team knows they're running. Bill can't put a guy like that on the game day roster and he's severely overpaid. We could bring numerous rookie RB's into camp, at least one of them will make it.

Bolden was active because he is a top Ster. Gillislie was the #4 back and almost always inactive. Therefore, it is not surprising that Bolden got more carries than Gillislie, or that he was active and Gillislie was not.

I don't know what the team thinks of Gillislie. It is possible that the team will keep Gillislie and signs developmental RB who would likely end up on the Practice Squad. Alternatively, we can cut Gillislie and count on a draftee as our #4 RB. It is a good RB class, so the question is the value seen by the coaches.

 

[Jangles]

And took a major step toward fixing the second worst run-D in the league in 2017.

For a mere $2M 2018 cap hit.

So a potential fix to the Run D solves our problem at running back

 

[IllegalContact]

the pats are substantially weaker now than they were at the end of the superbowl

but hey, Jonathan Casillas may come back so let's party

 

[maineman209]

That would be a strange but welcomed outcome. Lose Solder to a new max setting bid but keep both Waddle and Fleming on moderate offers. Are there any football God rituals I need to know about?

Aside from the usual unintelligible incantations and the practice of ritually sacrificing live WRs going over the middle that Manning perfected, I don't know.

 

[maineman209]

So a potential fix to the Run D solves our problem at running back

Sorry. I didn't read the specific comment you were responding to. I thought your "signed one guy" was a general comment on the thread topic.

My bad.

 

[Tony2046]

So a potential fix to the Run D solves our problem at running back

 

[Tony2046]

Sorry. I didn't read the specific comment you were responding to. I thought your "signed one guy" was a general comment on the thread topic.

My bad.

Not your bad.

 

[maineman209]

Former teammates dissect Danny Shelton’s departure from Browns, value of ‘fit’ with Patriots

Love this quote from Hawkins:

“Look, Danny never really quite fit into what the Browns were doing, and maybe that had something to do with the fact we couldn't even figure out what we were doing half the time, right?"