What is our plan for ILB?

[mgteich]

Shouldn’t draftees be included in additions?

.

not if you purpose is to criticize the coach and GM.

 

[n1997y]

not if you purpose is to criticize the coach and GM.

Exactly.

That post was not meant to be informative. It was meant to throw gasoline on a fire.

I just wanted to make sure the purpose was clearly understood.

 

[Wozzy]

Shouldn’t draftees be included in additions?

Otherwise this presents a misleading picture of the number of players available.

And UDFA’s?

 

[mgteich]

Last year, Ponder and 5th rounder Swinson fought it out for a roster spot. Perhaps, this year it will Jacobs competing with 6th rounder Obiazor.

This would give us
Spillane, Elliss
Britt, Muma
Jacobs or Obiazor

This seems about the same situation as last year.

Of course, Vrabel will continue to have the options of signing, trading for or claiming a player, up until the time of the trade deadline. A 6th seems a reasonable compensation for someone who would compete to be a backup. Last year, Vrabel decided to bring back Tavai after four weeks on IR.

 

[p8ryts]

Last year, Ponder and 5th rounder Swinson fought it out for a roster spot. Perhaps, this year it will Jacobs competing with 6th rounder Obiazor.

This would give us
Spillane, Elliss
Britt, Muma
Jacobs or Obiazor

This seems about the same situation as last year.

Of course, Vrabel will continue to have the options of signing, trading for or claiming a player, up until the time of the trade deadline. A 6th seems a reasonable compensation for someone who would compete to be a backup. Last year, Vrabel decided to bring back Tavai after four weeks on IR.

Still not very inspiring.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Issue with Swinson seems to be that he isn’t doing the work to add muscle to his body

 

[rkarp1]

Still not very inspiring.

otherwise known as "thin"

 

[DaBruinz]

The patriots started 2025 with Gibbens and Mapu as the ILB backups, and Tavai on IR. Surely, we should have signed or traded for a veteran ILB, or not.

Gibbens was someone from Vrabel's past, a non-performing player from MIA.

Gibbens played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in College and the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. Where do you see he played for Miami?

 

[DaBruinz]

Still not very inspiring.

As people have said, you can't fix all the holes at once.

LB was one of the "Big 3" I felt going into the off-season. Unfortunately, the guys many of us in the draft forum saw as potential fits went off the board in the 2nd round before the Pats moved to take Jacas. Guys like Rodriguez and Golday. The only way the Pats would have gotten one of them is by having an additional 2nd round pick or forgoing Lomu and reaching..

It just sucks that Rodriguez and Louis BOTH went to Miami.. Add to them Trey Moore and Max Llewellyn and the Phins completely revamped their LB corps.

 

[rkarp1]

Last year, Ponder and 5th rounder Swinson fought it out for a roster spot. Perhaps, this year it will Jacobs competing with 6th rounder Obiazor.

This would give us
Spillane, Elliss
Britt, Muma
Jacobs or Obiazor

This seems about the same situation as last year.

Of course, Vrabel will continue to have the options of signing, trading for or claiming a player, up until the time of the trade deadline. A 6th seems a reasonable compensation for someone who would compete to be a backup. Last year, Vrabel decided to bring back Tavai after four weeks on IR.

same situation as last year? how so?
last year had Gibbons, who had played for Vrabel before, and played almost 50% of the teams defensive snaps. . also Jennings who has been a bona fide NFL LB with 75 games played. Tavai, also a bona fide NFL LB with 107 games played.
Britt has 75 games played, with last year only 14% of the defensive snaps. the other players have yet to make any impact in the NFL.

 

[mgteich]

same situation as last year? how so?
last year had Gibbons, who had played for Vrabel before, and played almost 50% of the teams defensive snaps. . also Jennings who has been a bona fide NFL LB with 75 games played. Tavai, also a bona fide NFL LB with 107 games played.
Britt has 75 games played, with last year only 14% of the defensive snaps. the other players have yet to make any impact in the NFL.

keep on mentioning Jennings as the solution to the value of our ILBs! If that's OK, Jacas is this year's replacement for Jennings.

 

[mgteich]

same situation as last year? how so?
last year had Gibbons, who had played for Vrabel before, and played almost 50% of the teams defensive snaps. . also Jennings who has been a bona fide NFL LB with 75 games played. Tavai, also a bona fide NFL LB with 107 games played.
Britt has 75 games played, with last year only 14% of the defensive snaps. the other players have yet to make any impact in the NFL.

So, Vrabel brought in Gibbens because of his experience with him.

And, after a year of much more expeince with Gibbens, Gibbens wasn't worth a tender.

Vrabel judged that he had better backup options than Gibbens.
==========
Why don't you trust Vrabel's judgement THIS YEAR?

 

[rkarp1]

keep on mentioning Jennings as the solution to the value of our ILBs! If that's OK, Jacas is this year's replacement for Jennings.

I mention Jennings because of his production and versatility. strong against the run. 5 TFL. 7 QB hits. 2 sacks. 33% of the defensive snaps played. 45% of the ST snaps played.
I do not believe that has been replaced, never mind Gibbons production.

 

[mgteich]

I mention Jennings because of his production and versatility. strong against the run. 5 TFL. 7 QB hits. 2 sacks. 33% of the defensive snaps played. 45% of the ST snaps played.
I do not believe that has been replaced, never mind Gibbons production.

Jennings didn't play inside

OUTSIDE OLBS/EDGE PLAYERS
OUT: Chaisson, Jennings
IN: Jones, Jacas, Hutchins
CONTINUING: Landry, Ponder, Swinson

 

[rkarp1]

Jennings didn't play inside

OUTSIDE OLBS/EDGE PLAYERS
OUT: Chaisson, Jennings
IN: Jones, Jacas, Hutchins
CONTINUING: Landry, Ponder, Swinson

yes, I understand the positions
I am commenting on production that is no longer here
Gibbons, Jennings, Tavai and even Mapu played a lot of snaps. made a lot of tackles.
the new additions have not shown anywhere near that level of play (Britt, Muma) and the rookies are....rookies (one that was undrafted)

 

[State]

New thread needed, asking a more important question: What to do if Grandpa Moses goes down with injury? Who plays RT. Onwenu? Too immobile.

 

[mgteich]

yes, I understand the positions
I am commenting on production that is no longer here
Gibbons, Jennings, Tavai and even Mapu played a lot of snaps. made a lot of tackles.
the new additions have not shown anywhere near that level of play (Britt, Muma) and the rookies are....rookies (one that was undrafted)

fair enough

However, Jennings played OLB and ST's and he has been replaced by Jacas and several STers.
=========
I am nitpicking but I don't think that Jennings is part of the ILb discussion unless you are suggesting that he should have been re-signed and moved inside.
==========
In the end, it gets down to Vrabel choosing to move on from Gibbens and folks thinking that they know the worth of Gibbens better than Vrabel does.

If the choice are not working out, then Vrabel acquire help. For now, I trust Vrabel on evaluating LB's and LB play,

 

[Wozzy]

New thread needed, asking a more important question: What to do if Grandpa Moses goes down with injury? Who plays RT. Onwenu? Too immobile.

Marcus Bryant probably, Lomu potentially.

 

[rkarp1]

fair enough

However, Jennings played OLB and ST's and he has been replaced by Jacas and several STers.
=========
I am nitpicking but I don't think that Jennings is part of the ILb discussion unless you are suggesting that he should have been re-signed and moved inside.
==========
In the end, it gets down to Vrabel choosing to move on from Gibbens and folks thinking that they know the worth of Gibbens better than Vrabel does.

If the choice are not working out, then Vrabel acquire help. For now, I trust Vrabel on evaluating LB's and LB play,

also fair enough

I was simply lumping Jennings in as a LB (not DE/edge)
fwiw, Jacas is a rookie. perhaps he "gets it" immediately and plays a lot week 1
perhaps not

 

[Wozzy]

Last year, Ponder and 5th rounder Swinson fought it out for a roster spot. Perhaps, this year it will Jacobs competing with 6th rounder Obiazor.

This would give us
Spillane, Elliss
Britt, Muma
Jacobs or Obiazor

This seems about the same situation as last year.

Better… Vrabes didn’t move on from Gibbens and Tavai because they were good.

He moved on from them because when Spillane and Elliss got dinged up, neither backup filled either of those roles well.

The people here pretending they knew who Gibbens was this time last season is hilarious.