Would Belichick really settle for just a "solid" 3-4 DE?

[MaineMan]

That's an improvement on the imagery your phrase conjures up, I've read people who questioned his conditioning and the effort needed to improve himself, but frankly didn't let that dissuade me. He was over 400 when he came to Alabama and has worked some of that off - but when you're dealing with a guy his size, who plays his assignment, losing weight is tricky with it's effect on strength and the fact you need to eat to maintain weight as well as take it off. I'm sure there will be a weight clause in his contract and I'd expect a contract with bonuses for participating in the off-season conditioning program. I think he'll be fine, I don't think he's part of the direction BB is looking to take the defense, but I can see how signing him would allow BB some creativity on D.

This much closer to the crux of my concern. For a guy his size in the position he plays, managing his weight for optimum performance requires a hardcore, continuous personal commitment which, so far, he doesn't appear to have made. Granted, he has the potential to get better at this as he matures, but he'll likely need a lot of support at the outset and probably for at least a couple of years going forward. This is, of course, something the Pats (Woicik) could probably do better than most teams if they value a player's specific talents highly enough. And, there is the question in a nutshell.