The Great and Powerful Belichick dropped the ball again when he used the first round picks on shiny new toys for Little Skippy McDaniels.
Sorry, I was on my burner account.
@captain stone
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Where do the Pats need to improve, and how do they improve them?
- OT, both Left & Right sides...Trent Brown is Not a LT, but he could make for a nice RT, as early as 2019. Cannon is Unreliable, and Waddle isn't the long-term answer. Unfortunately, Brown must stay at LT this season because of Wynn's injury and because neither Cole Croston nor Welcome Matt Tobin (recently released by SF) is the answer there either. I would seriously consider signing David Quessenberry from Tennessee's PS and see how he looks taking snaps at LT during practices. Would make for a nice story too as OLman #9.
- WR, though I believe that what we see now is what we'll have for the rest of the season, barring injuries & suspensions of course. IF ALL of Gordon, Edelman, Hogan, Dorsett & Patterson play up to and in some cases slightly exceed expectations, then this group might be enough for Brady. If there were room for a 6th WR then that spot should be reserved for a developmental player, such as Corey Coleman or Chad Hanson (or the return of Mal Mitchell?), instead of a STer such as Bennie Fowler.
- RB, or more specifically, Power/Big Back...We still haven't replaced the Blount/ Bolden/ Gillislee/ Hill role, and it hurt us a couple of times on Sunday. Orleans Darkwa is clearly the best RB available for that role, and he also has STs experience (on coverage teams, not as a PR). Just sign him already Bill.
- DT...Adam Butler has done nothing so far. He & Larry Guy need to make themselves more of a nuisance inside the pocket while Shelton & Brown need to do better jobs stacking, shedding & tackling. I would've seriously considered signing Johnathan Hankins before Oaksterdam did so just a couple of days ago. I'm also not holding my breath waiting for Vinnie Valentine to develop on the PS.
- DE...This Keionta Davis ahead of Derek Rivers experiment Must End Now. Either Davis or GeeNo Gruesome need to be waived/signed to PS and Rivers made a game-day Active. Time to see what if anything he has. And someone should inform Adrian Clayborn that pre-season is over.
- LB...What more can be said that hasn't already been said? This unit is bad at every single phase of a Professional Linebacker's job description, especially wherever coverage ability is required. Two players who were in the building during TC who might've maybe helped add more athleticism are no longer available: Marquis Flowers (Detroit) and Christian Sam (Foxboro Flu). Similar to the phenomenon of addition by subtraction regarding the Safety group and Glitch Richards, the same should be done with Elandon Roberts. He offers absolutely nothing now that JaWhaun Bentley has taken his place in 3-LB sets. The clueless Brandon King should also be considered a candidate for replacement; screw his STs "value"(snicker). Hit the rolodex and PS lists Bill.
- CB, or more specifically, our #2 CB who has been playing as if he's stepped in #2. Eric Rowe just doesn't have...for lack of a better word...It. I wonder exactly how much he really loves football. The time is coming, sooner than we might've hoped, to see what one or both of Crossen & JCJack have learned, and what kind of Outside/Boundary CB Jonny Jones can make, especially if the little Duke (but Not of Dorchester) is given Slot duties after Thanksgiving.
- Safety...Could be that the Cliff has now arrived for all 3 of Chung & the McCourtys? The really sad part is that there is NOBODY in the building ready to replace ANY of them. Thanks Bill.
