Where's the love for Kyle Love? Other notes as I watch the Saints game ...

[woolster22]

Watching the game finally...may have found a copy on the interwebs...

Given the hoopla around jones I have been watching him and Hightower. At the saints possession late first...kyle love is dominating the center and left guard. Beat doubles three plays straight to start their drive. He legitimately looked to me like what many of us wish fat Albert was last year.

Hightower looks like he is thinking too much. Seems par for the course given he is a rookie.

Jones...enough has been said, I hope he keeps it up.

Solder, I owe you an apology. He got beat a few times, but looks stronger than last year. He has locked himself up a few times but I am sure scar will beat that out of him. I'm going to channel my inner politician here and flip flop, this kid should be just fine. Good feet, and seems to have bulked up. His upper body and seat seem much more developed than last year.

Mayo is free to roam...look out NFL. When Hightower finally gets comfortable...let's say I'm incredibly optimistic. Mayo, Hightower, spikes? Holy ****, the ameoba is very real folks. Love and Vince are the big two, Jones and (insert here) as your "guess if I am rushing/dropping de's". And holy **** is Hightower strong...just threw a te six yards out if bounds (wrap please though). Again Hightower blows to ivory, but doesn't wrap. Great read, huge hit. I'm sure the coaches will be on his ass about wrapping up. He seems to be settling in as the game wears on. Could be the lowered competition, could be getting the jitters out.

Anyone else notice Wilson everywhere? One od the first two drives he was right behind mayo to make the stop on third down (mayo made the play unassisted). Seems to be all around the ball, committing to the run game.

Thomas (ol) has looked great so far. Koppen...not so much. Cannon seems to be having the rougher game than solder. Mallet. Ugh. Great arm, but Bledsoe had one too. Should have been pi on the bomb down the sideline before the pick. Where are the real refs, the tall black one looks like he can't believe he is on an nfl field, deer in the head lights comes to mind... Bolden looks like a law firm with speed/burst. Say good bye to addai. Run game seems to be doing fine. Looking forward to this year. Not expecting huge scores, but viciously efficient, up and down the field, well executed offense.

Most important however, Ridley, high and tight. Look out...

Hitting the half now, mallet seems to be dialing in for this two minute drill...and he skies one fifteen yards past everyone...anyone else think that his arm is too big for his own good?

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[BananaRepublican]

Mayo is free to roam...

Nobody is expecting sacks from Mayo but this is a whole new defense.

Anyone else notice Wilson everywhere? One od the first two drives he was right behind mayo to make the stop on third down (mayo made the play unassisted). Seems to be all around the ball, committing to the run game.

Yep somebody wrote an article about Wilson recently that revealed how versatile he is and how good he is in run support. He is going to line up in a bewildering number of ways.

 

[randomk1]

Say good bye to addai

Nice post but we said goodbye to addai before Bolden stood out.

 

[mayoclinic]

kyle love is dominating the center and left guard. Beat doubles three plays straight to start their drive. He legitimately looked to me like what many of us wish fat Albert was last year.

Wow, this is really great to hear. Love is a bit of an unknown quantity this year as far as his ceiling is concerned. He really has developed nicely over the past 2 years, and the question is whether he ends up being a solid rotational guy or can develop into something more. You suggest the latter. Having a second interior lineman (in addition to Wilfork, obviously) who can dominate the center and beat double teams would be an incredible plus for the defense, and create lots of opportunities both insisde and for the outside playmakers. And - not to jump the gun, but it's hard not to get excited - if, just if, Myron Pryor can ever come back and/or Jonathan Fanene can get back on the field and show the kind of combination of quickness and strength that he flashed during the first week of practices, then the DL might be in pretty decent shape. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Mayo is free to roam...look out NFL. When Hightower finally gets comfortable...let's say I'm incredibly optimistic. Mayo, Hightower, spikes? Holy ****, the ameoba is very real folks. Love and Vince are the big two, Jones and (insert here) as your "guess if I am rushing/dropping de's". And holy **** is Hightower strong...just threw a te six yards out if bounds (wrap please though). Again Hightower blows to ivory, but doesn't wrap. Great read, huge hit. I'm sure the coaches will be on his ass about wrapping up. He seems to be settling in as the game wears on. Could be the lowered competition, could be getting the jitters out.

I'm not worried about Hightower. The coaching staff will correct some basic stuff, and it was his first time on a pro stage. Mayo being "free to roam" should be a really nice change. Mike Reiss had a nice shout out on Mayo's oerformnance, including some high praise from BB:

"I think Jerod has a lot of strengths and he does a lot of things well -- that’s why he’s such a good player," coach Bill Belichick said Friday. "He can run, he can tackle, he can take on blockers, he can chase down plays. He can play good zone pass defense, he can cover guys man-to-man, he has the ability to blitz. He’s smart, he calls our defenses, he makes adjustments. He’s a versatile player, but he’s also a player that if you just put in one spot that can do a lot of things well and help your defense in a lot of ways. He gives you good flexibility on your team all the way around just because he does so many things well."

Mayo's night warrants notice - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Anyone else notice Wilson everywhere? One od the first two drives he was right behind mayo to make the stop on third down (mayo made the play unassisted). Seems to be all around the ball, committing to the run game.

That's consistent with the reports of Wilson in practice. He always seems to be around the ball, always in the right place, and very strong in run support. Shows an aptitude for blitzing, for playing a hybrid DB/LB role, and for handling TEs. If Wilson can do all of that on a consistent basis and just "be all around the ball", it will significantly improve the defense, especially with Chung and Gregory looking like a decent safety tandem.

Solder, I owe you an apology. He got beat a few times, but looks stronger than last year. He has locked himself up a few times but I am sure scar will beat that out of him. I'm going to channel my inner politician here and flip flop, this kid should be just fine. Good feet, and seems to have bulked up. His upper body and seat seem much more developed than last year.

Thomas (ol) has looked great so far. Koppen...not so much. Cannon seems to be having the rougher game than solder.

Nice observations on Solder. I think he'll be ok. He was pretty solid last year, and I'm confident Scar will keep him from slipping. Thomas has been a sleeper. Wendell got good reviews as well, and Nick McDonald has been my interior OL binky for a while now. I'm not sanguine on Koppen making the team at this point. Mankins-[Waters]-Connolly-McDonald-Thomas-Wendell is ok with me. I'm probably more worried about who the 4th OT is going to be, especially with Vollmer still out and Cannon looking a bit shaky at times.

Bolden looks like a law firm with speed/burst. Say good bye to addai. Run game seems to be doing fine. Looking forward to this year. Not expecting huge scores, but viciously efficient, up and down the field, well executed offense. Most important however, Ridley, high and tight. Look out...

I think Josh McD is just playing with his new toys at the RB position right now. Once he figures out what they can do and integrates them in to the offense ... look out. The numbers won't be astronomical, but if they can be "viciously efficient" then the offense will reach what OTG would call "Biblical" heights.

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[Tyler.Durden]

Thought Marcus Forston looked good as well, showed up a couple of times.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Love did look good and he's playing (for peanuts on a ERFA tender) for his first big contract they could not agree on this off season. So he's a motivated load. There was a lot to like on D out of the gate. Just enthusiasm has to be tempered because we've seen this before and need to see it consistently when the bell rings.

 

[doesntmatter1]

After watching the game twice here are a few things i would like to report on as well. I want to start with our pass rushers.

Jones is a flat out beast. He showed so much power and his long arms gave bushrod problems. Ninko was pretty good and looked the same as usual. Cunningham showed the most burst of all the rushers and was still good in the run game. Jake was okay. Jake isn't going to beat anyone with pure speed or power but he will get those effort sacks and held his own in the run game. Justin Francis was invisible. Now i differ from many on my views of T. Scott. He played exactly like I expected. Unlike the other rushers scott doesnt really let blockers get a hold of him. He consistently tried to turn the corner and tackles don't seem to really fear his speed. He was credited with a few hurries but the qb kinda seemed to ignore him more than once and just completed the pass for a first down. And the qb had plenty of time to get rid of the ball on his sack. And they seemed to have more success running the ball to the right side of the line where he was(not all him cause there are other defenders on that side but still). Another reason why I don't like rushers like scott are because he doesn't fully engage the tackle and it makes it harder to blitz when they can just pass him off to another blocker. I can't imagine bushrod passing off jones to a guard and picking up a blitzer with the way he is all up in his grill.

Now the dline. Wilfork is still a beast and kyle love blew up a few runs. Between them the saints didn't find much running room. m. harrison was so-so but he definitely had an interception. Forston was not really effective in the run game but as the game went on he started slipping off blocks and caused a few negative plays. Forston may be worth developing. Pretty much it for dline.

LBs. I would like to start off by saying how disappointed i am w/ fletcher's injury since he is really good. Mayo was all over the place and showed better coverage. Hightower is strong but played hesitant. Carpenter looked like he belonged and showed solid speed and power. Was very decisive when it came to taking on blocks. Koutivides showed some power taking on one block i saw and the surprise performer was mike rivera. Rivera was in the middle and was pretty good in stopping the run and even though he doesn't look that fast he seemed to have good coverage. Tarp does nothing for me. Clearly the least physical in the run game and he was targeted often with dump offs to the rb.

The secondary was pretty good. The safeties looked like actual safeties and wilson was around the ball often. I am actually a fan of arrington but he did get picked on a little. Sterling moore showed his strengths and weaknesses in this game. He is very tenacious and will go for the ball consistently on anything from short to intermediate, but watch out on the deep ball. He clearly lacks make up speed and doesn't seem to have much of a vertical jump. And even though it was against backups, ras-i looks like a bully just man handling receivers with perfect timing. Almost forgot dmac. Was very good in run support and wasn't tested often but he had great deep coverage on tight end thomas.

The qb's. Brady didn't have good protection but he still looked like Brady. Hoyer had his moments and showed nice touch on a few deep balls even though they didn't connect. Mallet kind of played like crap.

The running backs were good. Ridley has great burst and i love vereen's cutting ability. Vereen may even be a better third down back than woodhead. Bolden had inconsistent blocking. Kettani was okay but i prefer my fullback to smash into his blocks instead of just getting in the way.

Now the wrs. I will discuss the lower tier wideouts. stallworth didn't really get a chance to do anything. Gaffney runs pretty good routes and he kind of boxes out like a big guy even though he's not. Edelman had some easy catches over the middle that weren't really contested. I still need to see alot more from edelman as a wideout. The rest of the receivers didn't stand out and holley had one horrible drop on a 15-20 yard pass from hoyer.

Special teams. Slater is the best gunner ever. And there is a battle going on between cole and williams as the next best gunner. Cole seems to have a slight edge. Its hard to judge special teams because you can't see it all but one thing im certain is i am tired of seeing edelman return kicks. Let anyone else do it, i don't care. Especially after he botched one badly.

Lastly, the oline. Solder's issues seemed more technical but Cannon just had a rough go. I also thought connoly struggled just as bad. And I feel koppen isn't our best option a c. Imo donald thomas and ryan wendell(besides one whiff) had a solid night.

 

[Sfpat]

After watching the game twice here are a few things i would like to report on as well. I want to start with our pass rushers.

Now the wrs. I will discuss the lower tier wideouts. stallworth didn't really get a chance to do anything. Gaffney runs pretty good routes and he kind of boxes out like a big guy even though he's not. Edelman had some easy catches over the middle that weren't really contested. I still need to see alot more from edelman as a wideout. The rest of the receivers didn't stand out and holley had one horrible drop on a 15-20 yard pass from hoyer.

Did it occur to you that the reason Edelman "had some easy catches" is because he has a great ability to run routes, get open and catch? You know, be a good receiver.

 

[patchick]

Thought Marcus Forston looked good as well, showed up a couple of times.

Glad you mentioned Forston, he caught my eye too. He has plenty of talent...maybe going undrafted was the wake-up call he needed to realize talent isn't enough? IMO the final DT job is still up for grabs.

 

[signbabybrady]

Love is the man and quickly becoming one of my favorite players. Last year he broke out and this camp and through one preason game he seems to have continued to get better. Right now I consider him to be our second best DL although it looks like Jones is gonna take that title quickly.

Also don't forget he will still be restricted next year so still time to get a long term deal done.

 

[Raymond]

I've also been a fan of Love. Looking forward to him creating more of these.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Love did look good and he's playing (for peanuts on a ERFA tender) for his first big contract they could not agree on this off season. So he's a motivated load. There was a lot to like on D out of the gate. Just enthusiasm has to be tempered because we've seen this before and need to see it consistently when the bell rings.

I don't think it's so much "couldn't agree" as that he wouldn't take the standard deal the Pats offer (viz., s two-year deal worth a bit less than the ERFA + 2nd round RFA tender the next year).

If he plays as well in 2012 as he did in 2011, a second-round tender might not be enough to keep him for 2013. . . .

 

[mayoclinic]

Glad you mentioned Forston, he caught my eye too. He has plenty of talent...maybe going undrafted was the wake-up call he needed to realize talent isn't enough? IMO the final DT job is still up for grabs.

When the Pats signed Forston I thought they were planning to PUP him and prep him to take over as a penetrating DT if/when Myron Pryor leaves after this year. But if Forston is showing nice signs and Pryor can't get on the field, it opens things up.

The other guy I'm curious about is Marcus Harrison. Very little mention of him so far, but the guy has some serious talent, and is only 27.

 

[mayoclinic]

After watching the game twice here are a few things i would like to report on as well. I want to start with our pass rushers.

Jones is a flat out beast. He showed so much power and his long arms gave bushrod problems. Ninko was pretty good and looked the same as usual. Cunningham showed the most burst of all the rushers and was still good in the run game. Jake was okay. Jake isn't going to beat anyone with pure speed or power but he will get those effort sacks and held his own in the run game. Justin Francis was invisible. Now i differ from many on my views of T. Scott. He played exactly like I expected. Unlike the other rushers scott doesnt really let blockers get a hold of him. He consistently tried to turn the corner and tackles don't seem to really fear his speed. He was credited with a few hurries but the qb kinda seemed to ignore him more than once and just completed the pass for a first down. And the qb had plenty of time to get rid of the ball on his sack. And they seemed to have more success running the ball to the right side of the line where he was(not all him cause there are other defenders on that side but still). Another reason why I don't like rushers like scott are because he doesn't fully engage the tackle and it makes it harder to blitz when they can just pass him off to another blocker. I can't imagine bushrod passing off jones to a guard and picking up a blitzer with the way he is all up in his grill.

Nice to hear that Cunningham continues to look good. I could live with Jones/Ninko/Bequette/Cunningham at DE. Scott has underwhelmed so far.

Now the dline. Wilfork is still a beast and kyle love blew up a few runs. Between them the saints didn't find much running room. m. harrison was so-so but he definitely had an interception. Forston was not really effective in the run game but as the game went on he started slipping off blocks and caused a few negative plays. Forston may be worth developing. Pretty much it for dline.

Nice to hear something about Harrison. He intrigues me - especially the fact that BB brought him back, given his off-field issues. I'd love to see some young talent emerge on the interior DL. If either Forston or Harrison can step up and take the last DT spot (or 2) from Pryor, Warren or Brace, it's fine by me.

LBs. I would like to start off by saying how disappointed i am w/ fletcher's injury since he is really good. Mayo was all over the place and showed better coverage. Hightower is strong but played hesitant. Carpenter looked like he belonged and showed solid speed and power. Was very decisive when it came to taking on blocks. Koutivides showed some power taking on one block i saw and the surprise performer was mike rivera. Rivera was in the middle and was pretty good in stopping the run and even though he doesn't look that fast he seemed to have good coverage. Tarp does nothing for me. Clearly the least physical in the run game and he was targeted often with dump offs to the rb.

I've been a huge Dane Fletcher fan for the past 2 years. Last year I thought he had leapfrogged Brandon Spikes on the depth chart at one point, but his thumb injury kept him down. Huge loss. I've been hoping that Jeff Tarpinian would step up into a coverage LB/hybrid role, but it doesn't sound like he did much.

The secondary was pretty good. The safeties looked like actual safeties and wilson was around the ball often. I am actually a fan of arrington but he did get picked on a little. Sterling moore showed his strengths and weaknesses in this game. He is very tenacious and will go for the ball consistently on anything from short to intermediate, but watch out on the deep ball. He clearly lacks make up speed and doesn't seem to have much of a vertical jump. And even though it was against backups, ras-i looks like a bully just man handling receivers with perfect timing. Almost forgot dmac. Was very good in run support and wasn't tested often but he had great deep coverage on tight end thomas.

The safety play is a huge plus so far. Gregory and Wilson look like they should really add a lot - not that they have a very high standard to beat from last year. And I'm very encouraged by Dowling.

The running backs were good. Ridley has great burst and i love vereen's cutting ability. Vereen may even be a better third down back than woodhead. Bolden had inconsistent blocking. Kettani was okay but i prefer my fullback to smash into his blocks instead of just getting in the way.

Lastly, the oline. Solder's issues seemed more technical but Cannon just had a rough go. I also thought connoly struggled just as bad. And I feel koppen isn't our best option a c. Imo donald thomas and ryan wendell(besides one whiff) had a solid night.

I really think Koppen has an uphill climb to make the team. He seems to have nothing left in the tank. Fortunately Wendell and Thomas seem to be performing fairly decently, and hopefully McDonald's return will be a boost.

Nice notes. Consistent with other stuff I've read and what little I've seen. Thanks.

 

[BlueThunder]

Brace's time on the roster is rapidly coming to an end. If one of the newcomers can take over and develop it's a plus. :rocker: