Is Patrick Chung a part of the Patriots future plans? (Photo: US Presswire)
NEPD Editor: Mike Loyko
Cut down day is here and the Patriots are always good for a surprise of two on days like these. Even with the Logan Mankins bombshell earlier in the week, there will still be roster moves made that aren’t expected. Stay tuned to this thread all weekend as the Patriots adjust their roster to the league mandated 53 players, put together a 10 man practice squad, and acquire players that other teams let go. These next few days are always action-packed and we have you covered with all the pertinent information.
5:15 PM: All 18 players that were waived on Saturday by the team officially cleared waivers today. That means Josh Boyce, Jon Halapio, Steve Beauharnais, Roy Finch, etc. are all free to sign with any team or sign to the practice squad. This is good news for the Patriots who had to think at least one of their players would get plucked by another team.
5:12 PM: Practice Squad spot #3 goes to QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson whom the Patriots worked out yesterday.
QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson signed to the #Patriots practice squad, per league source. Worked out for them on Saturday.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 31, 2014
5:10 PM: WR Josh Boyce has cleared waivers and is now practice squad eligible. Getting Boyce on the practice squad would be a coup for the Patriots given the assets invested in him and with some injury prone WR ahead of him on the 53 man roster.
Former Patriots WR Josh Boyce cleared waivers today. 2013 4th round pick is now a free agent and is practice squad eligible.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 31, 2014
4:20 PM: Patriots announced they also claimed DT Bruce Gaston off waivers from Arizona. He’s an UDFA out of Purdue that started all four seasons for the Boilermakers. To make room for Gaston and Quarles they released LB Chris White. It leaves the Patriots with only FOUR true LB and SEVEN defensive tackles. More moves are definitely coming. Here is my scouting report on Bruce Gaston from prior to the draft.
2:24 PM: An update on the Ryan Mallett draft pick compensation. It’s a 2016 Conditional 7th Round pick. Essentially Ryan Mallett was given away to the Texans. This basically shows that Mallett would have been cut if they couldn’t trade him. Update: Paul Perillo adds that the pick could be a 6th Rounder if Mallett plays 40% of the snaps.
Terms: The #Texans traded a 2016 conditional 7th round pick for #Patriots QB Ryan Mallett, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2014
Pick for Mallett looks like a conditional choice that will be a 7th unless he plays 40% of the snaps for Houston, which would make it a 6th
— Paul Perillo (@pfwpaul) August 31, 2014
2:05 PM: I’ve posted an image of my pre-draft report on Kelcy Quarles. He had a 4th-5th round grade from NFL teams, but dropped due to an incident in NYC a month before the draft. In the preseason he posted 1.0 sack and 2 hurries. His negative grade on ProFootballFocus is heavily based on his penalties in the second game.
1:45 PM: The Patriots have claimed DT Kelcy Quarles off waivers from the New York Giants. Quarles was an UDFA out of South Carolina who entered the draft a year early. The team had multiple workouts and interviews with him prior to the draft. Another move will have to be made if you consider a long snapper fills the Ryan Mallett roster spot.
Some claims: TJ Graham was claimed by the #Titans. DT Kelcy Quarles claimed by Patriots
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2014
1:45: Patriots recieve a 6th Round Selection for Ryan Mallett. That’s what was expected at this point. Consider it a fair deal for both sides.
Patriots get a 6th, obviously. #Texans
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) August 31, 2014
1:35 PM: Last week was the first indication I’d gotten in 3 years that Mallett might be in some trouble. Jimmy Garoppolo starting and playing the entire fourth pre-season game hinted at a move to come. Turns out the Patriots were discussing him with multiple teams.
The Patriots had trade discussions with the Texans, Cowboys and Bills, per source.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 31, 2014
1:30 PM: Here’s the bombshell we were waiting for, Ryan Mallett has been traded to the Texans.
Ryan Mallett has been traded to the #Texans, source says
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2014
12:57 PM:
Jonas Gray is signing with the Patriots practice squad, per source.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) August 31, 2014
12:35: LB Ja’Gared Davis is signing on to join the Patriots practice squad. 9 more spots left to fill. It’s unknown if the Patriots put in any waiver claims as of now.
11:05 AM: Bill Belichick indicated this morning the roster is still fluid and more moves are coming. Nobody knows exactly what Bill Belichick is going to do when it comes to the roster, but there are some players on the waiver wire that can help the team. Based on the makeup of the roster I think Linebacker and Offensive Line are the two areas where the most movement will take place. Defensive Line, Safety, and Running Back are also position where depth can be targeted on the waiver wire. Waiver wire claims are usually made to target a player with a specific skill-set (usually special teams) and that will be the case today. Here’s a few players that might interest the team as they work the waiver wire (nearly impossible to project).
Carter Bykowski, OT, San Francisco 49ers
Michael Williams, OT, Detroit Lions
Vinston Painter, OT, Denver Broncos
Josh Andrews, OG, Philadelphia Eagles
Max Bullough, LB, Houston Texans
Howard Jones, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Damion Square, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Matt Hazel, WR, Miami Dolphins (Practice Squad)
Nico Johnson, LB, Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Purcell, NT, San Francisco 49ers
Tommie Campbell, DB, Tennessee Titans
Benson Mayowa, DE/LB, Seattle Seahawks
Jimmy Staten, DT, Seattle Seahawks
Connor Shaw, QB, Cleveland Browns (Practice Squad)
Only two long snappers were released yesterday from other teams Bryce Davis (Pitt) and Kevin McDermott (SF), so if the Patriots look to the waiver wire for a long snapper their options are limited.
Here are the players likely to return to the Patriots practice squad if they clear waivers
Ja’Gared Davis, LB
Roy Finch, RB
Jonas Gray, RB
Jeremey Gallon, WR
Josh Boyce**, WR
Jerel Worthy, DL
Dax Swanson, CB
Jon Halapio, OG
10:10 AM– All players released on Friday and Saturday clear waivers at noon today. If a team claims a player they will know at noon if they won the claim and practice squads can be assembled afterwards. Bill Belichick said this morning that “lots of things are still in transition with the roster” so expect a lot of action today. I looked through the waiver wire last night and I’ll post some names of players that I think might intrigue the Patriots both in terms of the 53 man roster and practice squad. I’ll post those names within the next hour.
8:10 PM: According to Mike Reiss the team worked out 12 players today, many of them young players who’ve been released over the last two weeks. At this point in the season teams will work out players just about everyday of the week. They will be putting together “emergency lists” and also try to get a look at players that might fill a need down the line. The 12 player that worked out today were:
QB McLeod Bethel Thompson
QB Jeff Mathews
RB Jerome Smith
WR Armon Binns
WR Rashad Lawrence
DT Cam Henderson
DT Hebron “Loni” Fangupo
DL Jermelle Cudjo
LB Kevin Reddick
CB Deveron Carr
CB Aaron Hester
SAF Omar Brown
No names on the list really jump out at you. The Patriots have had a “thing” for Armon Binns for quite some time, as they claimed him at the same time as Miami. LB Kevin Reddick could be a core special teams LB and add speed to the position. Jeff Mathews is a rookie QB from Cornell who was just released from the Falcons, but is a very very raw.
8:00 PM: According to the leagues official transaction report the Patriots waived LB Steve Beauharnais with an injury settlement. His ailment is unknown at this point but it sheds some light on his situation. The team also released former DT Armond Armstead from the Reserve/Retired list. This is basically a procedural/paper move and all it means is that if Armstead ever played again he’d be a free agent. The Patriots gave up their rights to him.
4:38 PM: The final roster move is the release of Long Snapper Danny Aiken. This is a mild surprise because it leaves the Patriots without a full time snapper (Rob Ninkovich is the emergency snapper). LB James Morris was not released, but place on Injured Reserve, so his season is over. Right now it’s safe to say the Patriots roster isn’t complete as they don’t have a snapper and there are some unbalanced position. I can’t see them carrying 10 OL into the season or just five Linebackers for that matter.
4:07 PM: It’s been a quiet couple of hours as we try to lock down the final roster move. Ryan Mallett has made the team it appears.
Confirmed Ryan Mallett has made the Patriots 53. #patriotstalk
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) August 30, 2014
1:29 PM: Rookie OT Chris Martin was just released according to Shalise Manza-Young. Martin never took the field during camp and it makes little sense to keep him around on a reserve list. This means the roster stands at 54 players, one cut to go. I’m looking at you Chris Barker.
12:53 PM:
Eathyn Manumaleuna released by #Patriots, per his agent @davidcanter.
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) August 30, 2014
One more player to go…
12:50 PM: The Patriots are releasing LB James Morris according to multiple media outlets. Morris is definitely destined for the practice squad or IR depending on his injury. This means the roster currently has only five linebackers on it and one of them can’t play defense to save his life. Although with more 3-4 looks this year Ninkovich and Jones can be viewed as Linebackers.
12:29 PM: Center Braxston Cave has been released per Shalise Manza Young. Three more roster moves to be made.
12:25 PM: As of right now I have the Patriots roster at 58 players. OT Chris Martin will go on NFI, IR, or be released, so essentially they need to make four more cuts. Eathyn Manumaleuna, Braxston Cave, and Chris Barker gets them down to 54 players (all three are long shots). This means that there is one roster spot to be determined with Jordan Devey, James Morris, Chris White, and the Safeties in the mix.
12:24 PM:
The Patriots cut DT L.T. Tuipulotu, according to a source.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyedNESN) August 30, 2014
12:18 PM:
Source says Patriots Kanorris Davis and Ja’Gared Davis released.
— Zuri Berry (@zuriberry) August 30, 2014
Both Davis’ are Special Teams and depth players with practice squad eligibility. I now expect the Patriots to carry five safeties and LB Chris White could survive.
12:13 AM: Rookie RB Roy Finch has been released. This means Brandon Bolden will make the team unless the team only wants to carry three running backs. Finch should be a practice squad priority.
12:06 PM:
Patriots released WR Jeremy Gallon, according to a league source.
— Zuri Berry (@zuriberry) August 30, 2014
12:00 PM:
one from mild surprise category: source says Jerel Worthy released by #Patriots
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) August 30, 2014
Worhty’s release is mildy surprising. The Patriots will not surrender a draft pick for him and this is good news for the health of Chris Jones, Sealver Siliga.
11:57 AM: I’m told that TE Steve Maneri has been released.
I’m told Taylor McCuller, the combo linebacker and fullback for the Patriots, will be released.
— Zuri Berry (@zuriberry) August 30, 2014
11:55AM: Chris Price is reporting RB Jonas Gray has been released with hopes of getting him to the practice squad. Gray’s release means Brandon Bolden or Roy Finch will be the 4th RB if the Patriots keep one.
Per a league source, the Patriots have released RB Jonas Gray. Hoping to get him thru to p-squad.
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) August 30, 2014
11:50AM:
Source: Jake Bequette, Steve Beauharnais released by #Patriots
— shalise manza young (@shalisemyoung) August 30, 2014
Steve Beauharnais is the first surprise for me. His release is great news for Darius Fleming and Ja’Gared Davis. It also might mean that James Morris isn’t significantly injured. Both Morris and Bequette are practice squad eligible and have a better than average chance of clearing waivers.
11:40AM:
Patriots cut Dax Swanson, according to a source
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) August 30, 2014
Swanson will be placed on the practice squad if/when he clears waivers. He flashed during the spring and early summer, but the play of Malcolm Butler made him impossible to keep.
11:14 AM: Here’s a big one. According to Mike Reiss WR Josh Boyce has been released. This is a big disappointment. Boyce has more talent than he’s shown and he should be better than he is right now. He was never able to catch up to UDFA Kenbrell Thompkins like I predicted he would and ultimately there is no room for a sixth WR. Boyce could come back to the practice squad, but I expect him to be claimed.
The Patriots have informed WR Josh Boyce that he has been waived. — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 30, 2014
11:05 AM:
Brian Tyms has been informed he’ll remain with the Patriots through his suspension, per source. — Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 30, 2014
No surprise here. Tyms won’t count against the 53 man roster and the Patriots hold onto his rights. Michael Lombardi brought this guy into Cleveland and then vouched for him in New England. He’s shown enough in the preseason to warrant at least a practice squad slot.
11:00 AM:
The #Bucs have waived Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps, source says. Will be an interesting potential pickup.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2014
I am guilty of over-hyping this guy.
10:45 AM: Shamiel Gary has been released according to Jeff Howe. Gary was an UDFA out of Oklahoma State. This comes as no suprise.
10:41 AM: Sounds like rookie 6th Round OG Jon Halapio is the first roster cut of the day. Halapio tweeted:
@Jhalapio67: Back to the drawing boards. Time to refocus and plan the next move #Determined
Halapio should be in the mix for the practice squad if he isn’t claimed elsewhere. He’s the second draft pick released by the team following DB Jemea Thomas earlier this week.
9:45 AM: The Cleveland Browns have released OG Garrett Gilkey. Gilkey was drafted in the 7th Round of the 2013 NFL Draft by Michael Lombardi. These are the types of connections I’m looking at today. I’m not suggesting the Patriots even have the slightest interest in him, but these moves pique my interest given the circumstances.
9:25 AM: I’ll be keeping my eye on a few teams specifically as rosters are cut down. Michael Lombardi’s fingerprints are all over the Cleveland roster and some players “he’s high on” will certainly be released at some point today. Tampa Bay is another team where Patriots connections run deep, especially with Greg Schiano coaching the majority of the roster for two seasons. Washington and Philadelphia are two more teams to watch closesly. The Patriots spent a 3 days practicing against both teams, which allowed the player personnel department to get a long look at players on these two NFC East teams.
9:00 AM – Patriots made no roster cuts yesterday. Their roster stands at 75 players and that means 22 players must be released by 4 pm this afternoon. Just because a player makes the initial cut, it doens’t mean they are safe. Patriots are notoriously active between cutdown day and the first game week practice as they pluck players off the waiver wire.
Tags: Roster Moves
So much for Kelcy Quarles. He was cut.
LS Danny Aiken brought back
Both of the two recently aquired DT’s were let go. Probably couldn’t adapt quickly enough to Bill’s defense. Question if either will be picked up until after the weekend games? After that Bill might even resign one or both, who knows? Glad LS Aiken is back I had reservations about having Wendell doing it though I rationlized the idea.
Well Bill proved me wrong again. Quarles is back. Signed to the p-sqd. I expect he will eventually be brought up to the 53 as soon as he’s up to speed.
I’m surprised and glad Boyce and Gray made it through to the practice squad. Both are valuable in my opinion.
Are there any rules governing when and how a player is activated from the PS to a game day roster?
They have rules for everything Dan but I don’t think it’s to hard. Just sign the player to a contract and cut someone else to make room on the roster. Best as I’ve understood it.
Any thoughts on RB Marion Grice. Will BB put a claim in on him?
I may be wrong but I believe anyone who hasn’t already been claimed is now a free agent and can sign with any team that offers him a contract.
I probably should have added that for any additional cuts I believe other teams have 24 hours to make a claim. I hope that’s right.
Bill Please pick-up 2nd year guy, OT Reid Fragel 6’8″ 300 , OL /TE at Ohio State !!
And who would you release to add OT Reid Fragel
Making room for Fragel shouldn’t be hard, either Devey or Barker would be the obvious. Question would be if BB considered him a upgrade on either one of them. In his favor he was considered a possable TE as a #2 position by Draft Scout before the draft an we know how Bill loves flexability.
Barker woud be the guy, and move to the P-quad (if he clears) NO-WAY Bill does not have an Olineman on theP-Squad.
In that scenario, it would be Fragel who’d end up on the PS. OL is not a plug-n-play position for the Pats – no way would a player like Fragel just come in and be a viable option on the 53-men roster from day one, with virtually no NFL experience and not a day in the system.
Barker, on the other hand, has been in the system for awhile now and there is no reason to believe that Fragel is any better than him, anyway.
Barker was cut today, but he should clear the wire, and end up on the P-Squad. I watched Fragel in the preseason, where he played alot, mostly at RT. His TE possilities are very interesting, having played the position at Ohio State for a year and a half.
Only place where Fragel would be an option for the Pats would PS. To stick on the roster, he’d have to excel at one position and if there is the added bonus of position flexibility, even better. He is not gonna make the roster by being average at OL and below average at TE (which he played years ago, at the college level – hardly a reason to still carry it on his NFL resume, imo).
Most importantly, however, is that OL is based heavily on team work and synchronization between just about everyone on O except maybe the WR. That is to say you need to have been in a given system for a while before you are considered a viable option worthy of a roster spot, especially when you have 0 NFL-level experience to begin with.
The only way to reinforce the OL-ine from this point on, should they need to, would be thru a season vet, not a rookie/2nd year player.
Dallas cut Ahmad Dixon SS. He was one of my favorites before the draft. Somebody tell BB.
I agree S Dixson would be a great pick-up if he’s healthy.
Who would you rather have OT Reid Fragel or Ahmad Dixon
Well again, not very difficult, Dixion for either Wilson or Ebner. Same qualifyers as I made about Fragel.
I agree Wilson is the guy I cut in favor of S-Dixon.
that is so not gonna happen. Ebner and Wilson may not be the second coming of Milloy and Reed but that doesn’t mean that a rookie who got cut from a team desperate for DBs would be an improvement.
In the end of the day, just because we had high marks on a player in the draft, doesn’t mean we had it right and he ain’t just another passenger thru the league. That goes for all of us here 😉
Wow acm, is there any player/FA that you would approve of or are you simply stuck on the “we don’t know if he would be any better” mode? We use to be able to count on you to give reasoned, intresting posts with positive ideas. What’s happened?
LOL
Steve, at this point in the process whoever is left out of a roster is likely not there for a reason. Not saying you can’t find a good player here and there but the odds are stacked heavily against you improving your roster. That is especially the case for rookies who have no NFL experience (obviously), which helps players with adjusting from one system to another with relative ease, and yet have spent training camp in another system. It’s simply unreasonable to expect that such a rookie would just waltz in and produce better than what you already have especially considering the talent level of these rookies – let’s face it, we ain’t talking the new Ed Reed here, after all.
At this point of the season, rookies like Dixon and many others are likely best suited for a team’s practice squad, not the 53-men roster. The best/most efficient way of improving your roster would likely be via the addition of a vet (doesn’t have to mean a player who’s pondering retirement) because he’d be that much more likely to enter the system in stride, so to speak, and have an immediate impact.
Not sure why you’ve missed this but I have said it several times in this thread alone and it follows for Dixon’s case by extension, especially in a difficult to pick-up and adjust to position like SAF.
I do see your point and agree that none of these players suggested are going to come in and set the world on fire but the guys on the bottom of our roster don’t seem to have any matches either. I’m not a fan of either S Wilson or Ebner nor do I see much in Devey or Barker on the oline so though I don’t know whether or not these other guys suggested are better or not it should be worth at least considering them rather then dismissing them out of hand. The biggest adjustment they would have to make, at least innitally, is terminology to be effective on sp teams where our current position holders are. Bringing in one or two wouldn’t be any big deal imo because if we had to cut two of ours from the bottom of the roster it’s pretty unlikely they would be picked up so if a new guy didn’t show an upgrade you just let him go. Seems reasonable to me.
Ryan Mallet was suppose to be a first round talent that the Patriots were able to get in the third round. BB was a genius and the experts said it was a steal. The so-called steal of a pick is worth a 2016 7th round pick. The moral of the story is to not listen to the experts. Ryan Mallet is a bust!!!!!!
Very true John M. Don’t recall you here before, welcome to the descussion.
And you know this because?? There were only two series of downs Mallet played as a Patriot in a regular season game. They were on Sept. 28, 2012 in Wembley Stadium, London, England. It was an insult, given the Pats were up 45-7.
According to the stat sheet he went 1 for 3 with a .54 passer rating.
With 8:41 to go here’s what actually happened:
1st and 10 at NE 12 Ryan Mallett in at QB NE-61 reports eligible S.Vereen right guard to NE 13 for 1 yard (J.Dunbar). 45 7
2nd and 9 at NE 13 S.Vereen right guard to NE 15 for 2 yards (J.Laurinaitis).
3rd and 7 at NE 15 (Shotgun) R.Mallett pass short left to J.Edelman to NE 25 for 10 yards (J.Laurinaitis). PENALTY on NE-D.Fells, Offensive Pass Interference, 7 yards, enforced at NE 15 – No Play.
3rd and 14 at NE 8 (Shotgun) R.Mallett pass short left to S.Vereen to NE 25 for 17 yards (J.Hull).
1st and 10 at NE 25 NE-61 reports eligible S.Vereen left guard to NE 30 for 5 yards (J.Jenkins).
2nd and 5 at NE 30 R.Mallett pass incomplete short middle to J.Edelman.
3rd and 5 at NE 30 (Shotgun) R.Mallett pass incomplete short left to D.Branch (J.Jenkins).
4th and 5 at NE 30 Z.Mesko punts 51 yards to SL 19, Center-D.Aiken. A.Pettis to SL 31 for 12 yards (M.Williams). SL-M.Daniels was injured during the play. His return is Doubtful. PENALTY on SL-C.Dahl, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at SL 19.
The next time Mallet was handed the ball he took three consecutive knees to end the game.
As somebody tweeted yesterday (paraphrasing), ” I bought a spare tire for my truck 3-1/2 years ago and never had to use it. Now it’s gone because I have a new (better) one. Was that a bad deal to buy that spare in the first place?”
Following on with that thought – Was that a bad tire? If the guy who has that tire now gets some good mileage out of it, will I regret letting it go? Will I think I screwed myself by selling it for pennies on the dollar?
It’s all in one’s perspective.
How would you know your new spare tire is better than your old spare tire if you haven’t driven on it.
Also you didn’t buy a spare tire, you leased it. You had no choice but to lease another spare tire because you couldn’t keep that spare tire.
Mallet and Garoppolo are still in the unknown category just like aaron rodgers was an unknown when he played behind brett favre.
RasIDowling-Bust
Mallet-Bust, the other 3 or 4 Wasted…….,,
But *Cannon, Vereen, Ridlley, N. Solder out of that Draft & TWO moves into the next year which allowed the team to jump up twice for both C. Jones & Dont’a Hightower…….The Pats are usually good for 2.2 picks per year
Now just get some worth back on the Ridley ‘& Vereen front ofby the trade deadline and tighten up the DT’s.
Mallet is very important for any super bowl run. Look what happened when aaron rodgers went down. Garoppolo is not fit to take over the reigns this season. Mallet would be. Getting a scrub pick is just giving Mallet away.
You’re right. Mallet was a lot more valuable than they got, but he did go stale sitting on the shelf and for that blame Belichick. Sorry, but you can’t expect a guy to wait around for years without any acknowledgement of his existence and suddenly think he will come off the bench and play inspired football. Belichick had multiple opportunities to give Mallet meaningful snaps and didn’t. He had dozens of opportunities to make him feel he was an integral part of the team. He didn’t. For a coach it was sheer stupidity. How many times did he play Brady hurt? How many times did he play Brady in the fourth quarter of blow-out games? How many times did stick with Brady when he was having a bad game and more likely than not hurt?? On that I will accede wasn’t very often but it did happen. The mantra he so regularly spouts that we only do what’s best for our team I call BS on.
I expect there will be a quid pro quo for Mallett down the line. There wasn’t a single word in the press or here about Patriots South. Nobody noticed, but the coaching staff is made up of almost exclusively 1st year ex-Pats coaches with an ex-player, Mike Vrabel, thrown into the mix. They are going to kick some serious ass with that team. The only weakness I saw before was at QB and in the secondary, and with the acquisition of Mallett they solved that.
BB doesn’t have to play Mallett just so that’ve feels like an integral part of the team. It’s not Pop Warner, this is professional football. Mallett knew he was a backup, and knew he wouldn’t get any regular season snaps. Do you see ANY other team play their backup QB unless the starter absolutely sucks or is too injured? No, you don’t. Same here.
http://www.nfl.com/qb2
“Sorry, but you can’t expect a guy to wait around for years without any acknowledgement of his existence and suddenly think he will come off the bench and play inspired football. ”
That Cassel kid seemed to do okay. He was on the bench for four years at USC, and then three more with the Pats before getting significant snaps, much less a start.
Mallett *could* be the best QB on the HOU roster now, but that’s not certain. Even if it turns out that way, it’s not necessarily saying much, given who he’s competing with. Either way, the Texans are highly likely to do better than 2-14 this season, maybe even better than .500. But adding Mallet is going to get them into AFC Championship contention in 2014? That would be a huge surprise. In 2015? Maybe.
“But adding Mallet is going to get them into AFC Championship contention in 2014? That would be a huge surprise.”
Who are you quoting BTW, MM? Charlie Casserly? I don’t remember making any predictions here.
OK, the Texans and Colts will finish 1-2 in the AFC South, though not necessarily in that order. The tandem of Clowney and Watts should be fun to watch. Romeo back in the saddle under O’Brien as head coach. I think they def will make it in as a wild card.
Broncos, Chargers 1-2 in the AFC West.
Bengals, Ravens 1-2 in the AFC North.
The AFC East, hmmm.
I’ll say the Pats are going to have their hands full with the Jets(2), Colts, Packers, Bears*, Bengals*, Vikings and Chargers. My prediction, 10-6, should be but may not be enough to earn them a playoff spot. They’ll need all four games against Buffalo and Miami. I hope they have their biggest games of the season against the Jets, but Rex has assembled a pretty good run oriented team designed to control the clock.
*Home
“They are going to kick some serious ass with that team. The only weakness I saw before was at QB and in the secondary, and with the acquisition of Mallett they solved that.”
“OK, the Texans and Colts will finish 1-2 in the AFC South, though not necessarily in that order. ”
You’re right, no predictions there whatsoever.
Sorry, I had no idea you were prescient.
Gaston vs Quarles
Who is better? Intially I’d say Quarles
Who is a better Pats fit?
Do they both stick around?
I feel as though Quarles was worthy of a late day 2 selection and I was shocked when he went undrafted. I think that he has great potential but definitely needs at least one year as a backup to put things together. I am thrilled that he was signed and I can’t wait to see how he developed. I don’t know nearly as much about Gaston, but I’m not sure that he can measure up to Quarles’ potential.
Is Quarles on active roster or PS?
I can’t believe no one is making a move on Lache Seastrunk. The dude has already taken one back for 80 yards during the preseason, and that was on a garbage screen pass he had to shovel out of the turf.
Quarles was claimed on waivers, so I believe that means that he is on the active roster. I could easily be wrong though. And I have no answers about Seastrunk; he seems explosive enough to help most NFL teams.
Yes Dan they have him listed on the roster on their site anyway.
How about latest NFL power rankings (I saw the list compiled by SB Nation) has the Pats coming in at sixth place? That’s behind not only the Seahawks and Broncos, but also behind the 49ers, The Packers and the Saints!
Reminds me of Rodney Dangerfield’s signature skit. “No Respect at all, I tell ya!”
Just saw another power ranking poll with the Pats at 7th, behind even the Bears!
Yeah, I take that as a sign that the Pats defense is going to surprise people this year. Because if people are properly accounting for that defense and Tom Brady, then there is no way that they end up 6.
Don’t put to much faith in these early power rankings. I can’t recall the last time they ended the way they started. Just to much can happen during the year.
Really impossible to say. Both appear to have decent potential.
Gaston is 6020/308 – about the same size as Vellano and several other DTs who’ve passed through the Pats roster lately. He showed significantly more athleticism in drills than Quarles. He was ranked fairly high in 2013 after his junior season, compiling good tape and stats as Kawaan Short’s partner/penetrating interior guy in Purdue’s 4-3. But Short got drafted and Purdue switched to a 3-4 where Gaston struggled to adapt, so his senior season showed a dramatic dropoff in production that resulted in an equally dramatic dropoff in his 2014 draft stock.
At 6036/297, Quarles is taller and lighter, a bit more developed and versatile, showing a bit more of a rush-move repertoire and, even this pre-season, some effectiveness in a few different positions along the Giants’ DL. He had been commonly ranked as an early Day-3 pick until an off-field incident in NYC (for which he’s since been cleared of any wrongdoing) tanked his stock.
Both are exciting prospects, but both are also pretty raw – certainly much more than any of the other Pats DTs – and will need some time to develop (if they do).
Unless one of Siliga or Chris Jones ends up on IR (or IR-return) today, one or both Quarles and Gaston will be waived through to the PSQ sometime this week or next (amidst some other roster shuffling). Odds are pretty good that both will clear waivers, since 27 teams already passed on making a claim for either the first time around and 53-man rosters will be pretty set for most teams, anyway.
I’ve got a feeling about Quarles. Just my opinion, but I’d like to see him on the active 53 man roster to start the year. I believe he’s going to be a solid D-Linemen in this league, and sooner than later.
Mike Reiss had two nice write ups one on both Quarles and Gaston early today. From those I tend to lean more towards Quarles but both have an upward battle in front of them. Right now I find myself liking Quarles more.
Practice Squad spot #3 goes to QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
My first reaction was who then why him and not Connor Shaw. As I pondered it for a little bit.
The thought that came up was is he a good scout(Ryan Tannehill)for this weeks game against Miami.
I don’t know if their styles are the same. Any thoughts
Bruce Gaston DT to our p-sqd is says.
Steve E. I told you they were going to trade Mallett months ago, i’ll collect on our coffee and donuts bet lol.
Okay, I’m in central NH where do we meet?
A perspective check:
Why is Mallett a big story? it’s right up there with Boyce…two guys continuously talked about and neither has shown the ability to play the game at all. Boyce showed absolutely nothing, he was a swing and miss 4th rounder. Mallett was a 3rd miss at QB, a risk taken and lost; although he did act as a backup for a few years and filled a role. But, the point is why was this ever a big discussion? Were these guys, especially Mallett, suddenly going to become stars when they continuously showed zero ability at this level? It’s pure fan delusion.
I will say this, BB played this as well as he could, but again almost every media person had this wrong across the board, starting with making this a story in the first place. The talk of gaining a 2nd round pick for him up to a few weeks ago, or even a mid round pick, was laughable. BB brought him in suddenly during game 3, I believe, a situational move…to show the league (and anyone deluded enough) that Mallett was jumping in the game because he was clearly the #2; and BB, the respected football genius must see some value in him if this was the case. But, it was obviously a ploy…a good attempt by BB to display confidence in Mallett, then keeping in on the first 53 man roster (for a day almost). So, he got some kind of return on him….he maxed it out, he tried his best to gain something and got something from nothing by doing everything he could. Obviously, it would have been better if Mallett didn’t suck it up so badly; he played lousy football. Again, listening to the “experts” in the media try to say he was “ok” or even comparable to Jimmy G. was pathetic. Simply put, one guy was playing amazing football, and the other was showing he hadn’t developed anything over 3 years and could NOT play the position at this level. Any other opinion clearly showed that these “experts” don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.
There was no way, after game 1 of the preseason, that BB was carrying 3 QB’s on this roster, especially Mallett, the roster position is far too valuable in this game of attrition and on such a deep team. Not to mention that Jimmy G. has shown amazing ability to grasp the system, read a defense, move in the pocket with eyes down field, quick release, amazing accuracy, a deep ball also and he could even run the ball…make something happen; all in his first camp…a few months of prep work. Yes, he can improve, starting with learning to step into some throws; something he should learn easily seeing he has Brady to watch, and all the fundamental mechanics in place.
I’m just happy it’s over and we can focus on the players that can actually play the game and will make a difference going forward.
Up.
Reports are coming in now that they’ll only get a conditional seventh round pick from Houston, and it is for the 2016 draft. That is next to nothing.
Well I’m betting nothing before it’s done. At least he isn’t taking up a roster spot I guess.
I heard it was a half-eaten ham sammich and a Groupon Card for foot rubs that’s only good if Mallet plays 40% of the snaps for the Texans this year.
Not real sure which is the better deal.
Lol, that could be, that could be.
Surprised by the low price the Pats had on Mallett’s head. Thought they’d value him considerably higher than a 6th rounder even at the prospect of soon losing for nothing. Guess it was a matter of just getting something rather than nothing at all, which speaks of how replaceable he was in the Pats eyes … as well as the belief they have in Jimmy G having already developed well enough to be TB’s back up.
Good pick up there with Quarles – doubt he sticks (thought he was having some injury issues during pre-season) but at least shows they are looking to get better up front.
Need to do something about that LB position. Maybe they bring up James Anderson after week 1 when vet contracts are no longer guaranteed. Something they did with Leon Washington last season, iirc.
Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how they approach all vet FA’s.
Could be a good 5tech DE on the outside VS just another DT if he’s healthy……..
We just grabbed Kelcy Quarles (the guy who cleaned up all of Clowney’s sacks last year), retained Gray to practice squad, and traded Mallett!
Shaping up to be a great day so far!
Looking good Dan !!!
Jonas Gray to pratice sqd too.
Amen.
Mallett to the Texans? That’s what one source above says.
What did we get for him Steve?
For a 6th rd pick another says.
Well, at least that’s something. Better than nothing. I’d have preferred he be cut if a trade wasn’t possible, as opposed to allowing him to take up a roster spot.
But if he were allowed to walk next year, wouldn’t that have resulted in a 4th round compensatory pick?
No necessarly, it would depend on what the secret formula is that they use. Alot depends on the precieved value of the loss, however they figure that, so my guess is we’d get nothing.
Which round-value a “lost” player provides credit for appears to be based primarily on the size of the players new contract with his new team. Mallet would seem unlikely to gotten any more than what the Pats gave LaFell ($3M/yr) and maybe even no more than what Blount got from PIT (+/- $2.25M/yr). As a “credit”, that probably wouldn’t be good for more than a sixth (and we’re talking about 2016 picks here), and Mallett might fetch even less.
With the trade, the Pats are now guaranteed a 7th that has a chance, however slim, of becoming a sixth. So, no loss there at all.
What about grabbing Lawrence Oyoke from San Fran? He lives in London which puts him 3000 miles closer to home, he comes with a fan base – Londoners know all about both him and the team, he’s a Stephen Neal type of extraordinary athlete, and as a foreigner he can reside on the practice squad as an eleventh man!
OK, ok, Lawrence Okoye. Sorry, dyslexia.
Good Idea Jack T. Don’t worry about dyslexia I have it too. Folks still know who your talking about.
He’s back on SF’s practice squad.
The team is trying out a rookie QB named Matthews. Hopefully they are considering signing him to the practice squad, so that they are comfortable trading Mallett for literally anything at this point.
Indie has him listed on their PS.
If New England is still looking for a big back, i would suggests they look at RB Michael Cox or Kendall Gaskins from the NY Giants waiver wire, both did extremely well this preseason. The Redskins let go Lache Seastrunk who ran wild on us in the Redskins game.
The Patriots have only 4 linebackers on their roster right now. What are their options for another LB and which players currently on their roster now will be the first to go? I think their biggest issue now is LB depth.
I think that kinda depends on how you view “LB” in the hybrid scheme the Pats have been running.
For 30-fronts (with 4 LBs) Chandler and Buchanan have been working extensively at OLB, along with Nink (who started out as an OLB in the previous 3-4 defense, anyway). So, they could all be considered OLB/DE (DE for 40-fronts). Hightower is probably also a natural OLB/DE for this scheme. Due to Mayo’s injury last season, he was somewhat limited to ILB/MLB (with Spikes) until Collins started coming on later in the season and HT was able to play a bit more on the edge. Fleming is also OLB/DE (emphasis on the OLB part).
Collins appears comfortable at ILB/MLB along with Mayo, and Hightower appeared to me to be pretty decent in the middle in 2013 (though not his optimal usage), but their only backup at the moment is special-teamer Chris White. While far from ideal, the Pats have survived a couple seasons in the past being that thin in the middle. But, really, one competent reserve ILB (Dane Fletcher type) should be enough insurance and there’s probably a halfway decent chance they can come up with one out of the recently-released guys. In any case, it’s not a dire situation.
I’m surprised they haven’t announced their practice squad yet. It never has bothered them in the past to cut someone on the PS to make room for someone else, only to reverse what they’d done the next day. Ross Ventrone for example who now sits on the Steeler’s PS.
OK prob a long shot but the pats should pick up these guys.
Champ bailey and put him along side Mccourty yea he prob has lost a step but as a saftey u dont really need top cb like speed and you add a nice veteran to that spot + hes in the hunt for his first sb ring so he could come in really cheap.
Pick up Michael Sam PLZ 11 tackles and 3 sacks in the preseason should be worthy of a spot on our roster as a good insurance if god forbid we lose jones or ninko to a injury.
Since we cant get AJ here from the texans bring in Stephen Hill he would fit the kind of reciever that brady would love to have + he is a less of a injury prone reciver than Lafell. If you think about it hill didnt have that good of a season with the jets cause tebow and sanchez fiasco and then a new qb at helm who pretty much stinks. bring him in here to foxboro with brady throwing to him oh lawd. oh yea hes pretty fast too.
Hey “Bom Trady” – I didn’t know that PK Sam had 11 tackles and 3 sacks. That sounds pretty good to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if a team went for him. The problem is that the Pats have Chandler Jones, Zach Moore (one of my favorites) and Buchanon as pure edge rushers. Maybe he could replace a Buchanon?
I wouldn’t go for Champ Bailey. He’s one of the all-time greats, but at age 36 he’s certain to have lost a couple of steps, and the Pats have great depth at CB right now. As far as Stephen Hill, I believed him at draft time to be a “workout warrior” who had a high bust potential, and was pleased when the Jets took him. His agent tried to make excuses for him, but the fact is that he’s done nothing in the NFL in two years with plenty of opportunity, and I don’t believe he ever will. Not to mention the Pats have great depth at receiver as well.
Speaking of which, I get excited when I think about the receiving the corps the Pats can field now. What a difference a year makes! I saw Edelman in training camp and he is an unbelievably gifted athlete. Amendola is a clone of Edelman and is due for a healthy year. Kenbrell Thompkins is a Brady favorite and has shown that he can run great routes and has what it takes to make it in the NFL. Aaron Dobson has exciting size and speed, and has also shown that he “gets it” when it comes to being on the same page as Brady, I believe, as he showed late last season. His size and speed give him that “X” receiver component that the Pats have been lacking since Randy Moss, and should help to open up the field on the inside for the Smurfs. Brandon LaFell has size and shown he can get on the same page as Brady, although I still have concerns about his drops – but the same could be said of KT and Dobson for that matter.
And of course, there is addition of Tim Wright, whom the Pats landed in a pretty good – no make that *fantastic* – trade with Tampa Bay. At 6′ 3″, 230 he has the size to be the “move” tight end the Pats lost in Hernandez. I mean, the kid had like 54 catches and 4 or five TDs and 4 or 500 yards worth of catches last year. Wha-a-a-at??? Tampa Bay must have been absolutely desperate for an OL to give up a talent like that – PLUS a fourth rounder. Admittedly, the Pats are struggling to fill the gap left by the loss of Mankins, but this was just too good of a deal to pass on. Mankins has been on on the downside due to injuries, but was due for a good year I was hoping. But his salary was way to high for what he was bringing to the table at this point, and the Pats now have some cap maneuverability to sign guys like McCourty, and maybe even Revis. And how about throwing a starting quality OG in there?
Then – there is a *relatively* healthy Gronk – only perhaps the best TE of all time if you take out injury considerations. And with Vereen and White out of the backfield, he’s got yet more options there.
Now, all they have to do is find some help along the OL. Vollmer at guard – well, that’s a thought. I hope *that* works out. Hopefully, Stork turns into the starting center he was drafted to be. Canon has shown himself capable of handling the RT position, and Connelley could be good enough at RT. What they really need to do is bring in another guard or two, because right now there are a lot of questions along the OL that need answering.
Agree 100% on Bailey and Hill. As a friendly Colt fan remarked, “Hill is tall and fast but, on the rare occasion he actually gets open, he can’t catch the ball. Hey, wait! Has anybody ever seen Hill and Darius Heyward-Bey at the same time?”
Not so sure about Sam’s fit with the Pats current scheme, though. The Pats have been developing Chandler and Buchanan (4-3 DE types) to work as OLBs in 30-fronts. Sam appears to be a very good straight-ahead edge-rusher, but I don’t think he has that OLB versatility to his game. At least not yet, and maybe not very soon. He might be able to develop that on the PS over time, but on the active roster, he’d be limited to situational rusher, and I don’t think the Pats have room for that luxury at the moment. Another team that does need that will likely pickup Sam very quickly, anyway.
Nice analysis, MaineMan. I have been a little bit slow to pick up on what exactly the Pats are trying to do as far a the 3-4, whereas you seem to have sussed it out nicely. Frankly, I thought the 4-3 suited them better, because of the lack of depth at linebacker for one thing. Also, I’m not sure I entirely agree that putting the likes of Chandler Jones and Zach Moore in coverage is the best utilization of their strengths. Why do you think they’re going that direction, anyway?
Jack –
Well, what BB’s been doing with his Front 6 or 7 the past couple-three years has been neither fish nor fowl and often chimerical on a given play with one end of the front showing 3-4/two-gap and the other end showing 4-3/one-gap (and sometimes flipping or shifting during the snap count). This integrates with back-end coverages that are often also split, showing something like Cover-2/man on one side and some form of zone on the other (very common around the league these day, btw). Seattle often works their fronts similarly, Arizona ran hybrid principles for several years, so this isn’t totally off-the wall (though most media analysts still haven’t caught up).
Anyway, running this hybrid scheme effectively requires a great deal of versatility (and smarts!) from all the players, which is why you see CBs running as safeties, as well as the DE/OLB thing, etc.
The point to all this is that it allows the defense to be much more opponent-specific from a gameplan perspective while also providing a much wider range of in-game adjustments. It’s actually more or less an evolved form of what BB was doing with WillieMac and Vrabel in the early 2000s out of the base 3-4.
WRT Chandler and Moore – Chandler was already dropping back to OLB some last season and is much better now on his rush from a standup position, better at setting the edge, and better even in limited coverage duties. Buchanan has also been running as an OLB already in pre-season and has made progress earlier and quicker than even Chandler did. BTW – this is exactly what they were trying to do with Jermaine Cunningham a few years back, but he kinda screwed himself by ditching his summer school homework between his rookie and 2nd seasons.
Moore, though, appears to be on a different track so far – working more on the interior DL (in addition to DE) and relatively little in a standup OLB role, thus taking away many of the interior snaps that were a part of Chandler’s role last season. My guess is that they’re trying to develop Moore as a backup to Easley or as a partner for Easley in NASCAR-pressure type fronts.
It’ll be fun watching how all this plays out and evolves over the course of the season. They certainly have the horsepower on the roster now to make it really special.
Can’t say that I agree with signing Champ Bailey when other veteran safeties have been released. I would much rather go for Major Wright, Danieal Manning, or even the younger Duke Ihenacho, as they have more experience at the position.
Eh. I’m kind of wary about Ihenacho. He reminds me a lot of Meriweather – going for the big hit and whiffing on the tackle altogether. Also not so good in coverage. The other two seem more appropriate for what the Pats appear to be trying to do.
Agree, Bailey at 36 is already known to have lost a step or two. Major Wright would be a good pickup imo, another prospect I liked before the draft was Craig Loston who has been cut. If they pass wavers is the question?
We missed out on Loston again Steve. He cleared waivers and is sitting on Jax Jaguars PS.
Darn!
Major Wright has not been claimed so far and could be a good addition if BB acts quickly but remains to be seen.
I would love to see Major Wright, Danieal Manning, and/or Duke Eatanacho brought in for a tryout. Also, UDFA’s Craig Loston and Kenny Ladler should be considered for practice squad if their own teams do not sign them.
The Pats actually had a pro day workout with Ladler, pre-draft, so they’re familiar with him.
Yeah, he’s fairly balanced, so I hope that there is room on the practice squad for him.
what about Devon Still from Penn State
I was just looking at him. He’s had a ton of injury issues throughout his college and professional career, and hasn’t really shown up in the stat line for the 18 games he has played. Also, his daughter is suffering from stage 4 cancer and he just moved her to Cincinnati this weekend for treatment. Hopefully, he will be put on the Cincy’s practice squad, where he will have insurance and won’t have to travel with the team, allowing him to stay close to his daughter.
Thanks jack. Why I didn’t look myself before I posted that I don’t know.
Not at all, Kevan. I only happened across him because I was looking through the players who were cut on ESPNand I recognized his name as one of the potential draftees for the Pats a couple of years ago. That piqued my interest, and sure enough it turned out he’s a bust for all intents and purposes. Luckily the Pat’s didn’t draft him!
Yea for sure. The dline is gonna be interesting this year.
Chris White is a much better LB then you are a writer
Surprise, surprise – a curve ball by BB: According to Mike Reiss, LS Danny Aiken has been cut by the Pats leaving them without a LS-er on the roster.
LOL
Well, aside from any OL who’s ever done a shotgun snap, they don’t have a “long-snapper”.
When I attended practice during the week the Eagles were in Foxboro, Wendell was doing a lot of rotations long-snapping for the FG and punt units. I think I may even have mentioned that here. So, they DO have the position backed-up without relying on Nink.
While Aiken isn’t a vested veteran and is still “claimable” it seems fairly unlikely that he would be (and, if he IS claimed, they have Wendell to fall back on). Meanwhile, the Pats get to keep all 10 of the OL they apparently have an interest in on the roster. This may simply be a temporary move to get to the roster minimum while they’re working something else out.
I think it is more the latter than the former – a temporary move to stash a more valuable player on the roster with a potential trade in the near future in mind.
thought it was funny because of all the Belichick-long snapper jokes
Wendell as the long snapper? Thinking it over it makes good sense providing he is good at it. It would mean insurance at the OC position in a worse case that your usual LS’s don’t provide.
So much for LB depth and LB White is there just to make up the numbers, as far as I am concerned, meaning the Pats have 4 useful players at the LB position right now.
Only player released I thought would make the squad is LB Steve B. The two 6th rounders (Halapio and Thomas) and the 7th rounder (Gallon) were long shots to make the roster, which may be seen as a good thing, to an extent, indicative of the depth st their respective positions.
Still, can’t help but feel those two 6th round picks were ultimately wasted on players I for one didn’t think were good scheme fits even at the time of the draft. Back then was hoping they would go for players like EJ Gaines, M Flowers and T. Millard in the 6th.
Gallon I actually liked in the 7th even if he had no chance to make the roster due to the depth of the position and his missing most of training camp. Still, would be a good PS candidate.
Was hoping LB James Morris would make the squad but his being cut may well have to do with the injury he sustained in the last preseason game vs the Giants.
Back to the drawing board at LB, it seems.
Yeah, Morris was actually put on IR, though he was originally reported to have been waived outright.
The Giants just let go of DT Kelcy Qualres, and New York fans aren’t happ about it. I would love to get him, at least on the practice squad. Dude was playing hurt in preseason and still had a sack and five tackles in limited action.
Quarles would be an interesting pick up, imo. He is a player very similar to what Armstead would have been for the Pats.
Some other high-profile rookies also getting released across the NFL.
Seriously though, Vollmer at Guard seems like a great idea actually. One of the reasons I was skeptical about the Mankins trade is that Solder seems to struggle with rushers making move inside on him, where Mankins was often able to help clean up. Imagine the left side of the line being Solder, Vollmer. That is a wall of man right there. I think Stork should take over the starting spot at some point, and then you could have Connolly or Kline at the RG spot, with Cannon at RT with Fleming to back him up. But for now how about a line of Solder, Vollmer, Connolly, Kline, Cannon? I’d say thats a top 5 or 10 NFL line with arguable the Top left side in the NFL. and when you consider that the receiving corps looks so much better this year, If Dobson returns to last years form, which I think he will, and Gronk is even 60% of what he was pre ACL tear, this could be a top 5 Passing offense. Also, that line is pretty big, imagine Ridley or Vereen running behind Gronk, Solder and Vollmer………
I like your positivity, Tosh. It seem like there are still a few too many question marks, though, for me to share your optimism. For example, Vollmer is tall for a guard, and also has been injury-prone. Canon seem to be ok for RT, but there’s still the situation at C and LG. I have very little faith in Kline, I think I would prefer Connely at RG over him. As far as stork Stork, if he manages to wrestle the center position away from Wendell, that would be awesome, although he seems to be prone to the injury bug as well.
I hope Vollmer does well at guard and holds up, the Wendell rebounds/Stork takes over, and Connely and Canon can hold down the right side. There are a lot of ifs, though. Too many, imho.
Does anyone think Kevin Vickerson would be a nice addition to the roster? He was just cut by Broncos. May take a team friendly deal at this point in his career.
Broncos just cut SS Duke Ihenacho also. Now that is a real position of need.
Ienacho is no better than what the Pats already have at SAF.
Ihenacho, wherever he lands, and Calvin Pryor will be battling it out for the Brandon Meriweather Trophy.
@MaineMan
Is Meriwheathee not in the running for the Brandon Meriwheather Trophy? Lol
@acm
At SAF Ihebacho is gmfar better than Ebner or Wilson.
Outstanding source of information here, way ahead of the pack, Mike. NFL should link you into its draft tracker.
Really disappointing to see Boyce cut. One of the guys I really wanted the pats to draft. Months ago I was certain the Pats would not let him go, the last couple weeks I was losing confidence in that certainty. For some reason his intelligence and Measurables never translated to the field. One thing is for sure with Dobson,Thompkins,Lafell,Wright, and maybe even Tyms, the Pats have gotten bigger at the pass catcher positions. That’s not even including gronk.
Two drafts and we are taller for sure at outside WR. I was reall impressed by Tyms and hope Bill finds a way to keep from exposing him to wavers after his suspension. The question in my mind is how? Unless someone gets injured which I hope doesn’t happen.
Washington just cut Lache Seastrunk. I sure wouldn’t mind seeing him brought in for a closer look.
I agree, would love to see the Pats pick him up.
Really wanted finch on the team. Why keep Bolden when he seems to offer a similar, yet less talented, skill set as Ridley, minus the fumbles. Who will handle KR/PR duties since Boyce and Finch have been released? Hopefully not Edeleman. I’d hate to see him injured performing return duties.
Interesting question. Usually one returned is Matthew Slater on kickoff returns, I don’t think Belichick places much value on whoever is the second one, due to the change in kickoffs (he figures its not worth a roster spot). He’s content to get 20-25 yards and not fumble
I’m am very disappointed in losing Gray and Boyce. Neither will clear waivers, most assuredly. Is Boyce even practice squad eligible? I also thought Bequette would have turned out to be something. he was a big time SEC rusher for Arkansas. Well, her certainly had enough time to flash something worth keeping on the roster. Also, I thought Beauharnais was showing signs of being a solid situational pass rusher.
Just to clarify, we will NOT be losing a future draft pick on worthy since he was reportedly released, right?
Correct pats won’t lose a pick.
What about Leshoure? He was waived too, could offer some nice depth behind Ridley
Seems like there were a few players left on the board when picks where wasted on Thomas and Halapio who I think could have potentially been contributors this year. Of course losing a 6th and 7th round pick isn’t unheard of, but I wonder if it is common to lose so many players the very year they are drafted.
Why is every single comment of yours about how our draft was bad? Yes you hated it, we get that. Please don’t centre all of your comments around it. Let it go.
In all fairness, I have only posted a couple of comments since the draft. However, the web address you typed into your search bar IS nepatriotsdraft.com.
The merits of this draft were argued fervently during and immediately following it. I’m not attempting to rekindle that argument. However, I do think it is worth pointing out that many of the picks of this years draft are already being discarded. Perhaps that is common. I was actually posing that as a question in what was nearly an interrogative to conclude my comment.
Aside from that, I am very optimistic about this season, and I am very excited about gameday next Sunday. That being said, if Easely blows out another knee during his debut game (hopefully before week 6), or either of the tight ends we should have selected become the next Gronk, A-Hern or Graham, you can expect I’ll have a comment or two to make. And hopefully Tom Brady will still be an elite QB four years from now, and Jimmy Garoppolo will not have needed to take a snap during a non-preseason game. If our team is so fortunate, you can count on me having something to say.
Aside from that, your point is fair.
And if not?
Well you are correct in that the pats released these picks the same year, which is not common. There are only so many spots and our team only has a few spots available, something BB and Kraft has spoken about before. It’s not like were cheering for the jaguars where there is a lot more opportunity. History shows that if you draft even 50% then your probably the best in the league. Jimmy G is the real deal, could be Brady’s Young/Rogers. James white has not shown a lot at this point but that doesn’t mean he won’t. If Easely pans out then I think the Pats will be happy. You have made far more than a couple comments, which is cool because, your right, that’s what this site is for. But it does seem like your just beating a dead horse at this point. People are also allowed to comment on your comments as well and disagree. Personally I think you should get in contact with BB and tell him you could do a better job and you need be hired to take over the drafting duties.
Another draft pick, Jeremy Gallon, was just released.
I thought his college stats spoke of much potential.
It’s been fairly common for the Pats since they usually have one of the most difficult rosters to break onto.
But, how important “losing” draftees from the 6th and 7th rounds is depends on how much difference one thinks there is between late round picks and UDFAs. I know that some people think that every draft pick is sacred and failing on even one of them is a black mark, whereas UDFAs are expected to fail – to the extent that they will prefer a player for his “drafted pedigree” over a former UDFA who’s clearly the better player.
In any case, the draft is a crapshoot from top to bottom and your odds of finding a player who’ll stick get worse the later it gets, and you’re also always going to miss a guy or two who performs well. Of the 19 guys drafted between Halapio (179) and Moore (198), I’d say about half were cut today. Of the seven guys between Moore and Thomas (206), three have been cut and the Pats snagged Tyler Gaffney (204) off waivers from Carolina. Between Thomas and Gallon (244) a whole bunch more have been cut already. The point being that it’s not as if the Pats are the only team to have “failed” to make their 6th and 7th-rounders “good”.
Looks like there is some talk about moving Vollmer to guard… what do you guys think?
Isn’t he too tall to play guard. I thought it was all about getting low to the ground and getting leverage in short, quick fashion. Seems too much height can hurt your there
Yes, and Vollmer has a history of chronic back problems so getting lower could aggravate his condition. Thankfully Tom is no Doug Flutie. There’s truth in the saying, you can’t see the forest for the trees, an idiomatism which still puzzles me to this day.
Depends on who’s doing the talking I suppose. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Was any rational given for that kind of move?
Ben Volin said on twitter that the Pats had a reunion with Vollmer about the possibility of him playing guard, opening the RT spot for Cannon. After that, Reiss also reported, so I have to think there is some truth on it.
I do have some mixed feelings about it, the good part is that we’re gonna be playing our 5 most talented players on the line, but Vollmer is so good at the right tackle position that I fear that the boost inside would not be worth losing him at tackle.
The followup question is – What bubble players on the Patriots would be a good fit for a trade for bubble players on Cleveland and Tampa? Does Josh Boyce have any value to Cleveland?
Peace
@Joe_E_O
Please – someone explain to me why Fleming could not play ROG. The kid looks so good and under control at ROT. I think it would be an easier transition that people think. Didn’t we lose the AFC championship because we didn’t have enough power to block PorkChop Knighton??
Peace
@Joe_E_O