How good is this current team......???

[patriotmarty12]

This team is not exactly young and as deep as some would believe, I think QB, Tightend are pretty well set, O-line is not that far off, another stud needed that not even matter at what postion, same thing at wideout .. But at Rb, d-line, lb , secondary and punter youth needed big time, I disagree with people who say we have too many picks let all these guys fight it out with the vets and lets hope we end up with a great team, besides with the possibiblity of roster exspansion and the practice Squad we can keep all theses guys if they show anything in camp.. Please take advantage of this pats.........

 

[runnerone]

The fact that we haven't brought in a veteran DLineman scares me a bit. It will take a rookie some number of weeks to get up to speed as an NFL starter, if he ever makes it at all. I think the first half of this season can turn brutal if we don't get the right combination of players of Defense. Our first 3 of 4 are on the road, then the next 3 of 5 are against last yrs playoff teams and two runner up teams that had the same record as the Pats. If the second half of the season, admitedly the weaker half, is not very strong, like 7-0, we may be watching the playoffs again next yr.

 

[Peg]

The fact that we haven't brought in a veteran DLineman scares me a bit. It will take a rookie some number of weeks to get up to speed as an NFL starter, if he ever makes it at all. I think the first half of this season can turn brutal if we don't get the right combination of players of Defense. Our first 3 of 4 are on the road, then the next 3 of 5 are against last yrs playoff teams and two runner up teams that had the same record as the Pats. If the second half of the season, admitedly the weaker half, is not very strong, like 7-0, we may be watching the playoffs again next yr.

That's an interesting perspective, runnerone...
You may have a point there... I had originally hoped that BB would sign at least one amazing veteran for the defense and one amazing veteran for the offense... I had visualized both of these signings to be Linemen...
Generally speaking, I am very pleased with the way the defensive FA signings have gone... I still would like to see a veteran OL signed, however...
Having said that, I think that a counter-point to your stance is this: As I understand it, the draft is pretty deep in DE & DT talent... And we have some great picks, as well as a large quantity of them, so I see BB packaging some of those picks and trading them, in order to nab some of the most covetted of these Defensive Linemen...
So, I think that our needs will be addressed by signing one or two players that can make an immediate impact... (Can you say, "Richard Seymore"?!)... LOL!
But, you are right, in that rookies DO take a little time to groom as starters... BB is a GREAT coach, though and an amazing defensive guru... We'll be okay on that front, I believe...
Now, we just need to shore up the OL with a FA signing &/or a great pick like Steinbach or Fain. (I apologize if I misspelled either name, but I am not too "up" on the draftees, like many others.)
Anywhoo---I can't wait to see what BB has in store for us on the first day of the draft!! So, what say ye?!

 

[runnerone]

worse case

I guess I try to look at things from the prospective of how things can fall apart. That's just the way I approach things to try to ensure success. I think and I hope Bill B looks at things the same way. That way you discover the unexpected pit falls before they happen. Bellichick is a master of the game plan, and I think he will figure out what we need to shore up the D line whatever it takes. I agree we should be able to put together some attractive picks by bundling some of our excessive picks and shuffling them off to another team in order to move up. I say give up our two #1 picks to move up and get the stud D Lineman we need. But that's just me.

 

[Peg]

Re: worse case

I agree we should be able to put together some attractive picks by bundling some of our excessive picks and shuffling them off to another team in order to move up. I say give up our two #1 picks to move up and get the stud D Lineman we need. But that's just me.

Runnerone---
AGAIN, I must say, GREAT minds think alike...
Besides, it has ALWAYS been my motto, "to move up and get the stud..." Hee-hee!
But that's just me...

Seriously though---If BB does indeed (and me-thinks that he will) do this---WHICH guy do you think that he should/would move up to get?!... I'd love to hear your opinion on this...

 

[Prometheus 441]

The thing that has me wondering is ,with the way the O-line performed last year (dropped coverage,etc) would the time a new
rookie would take to work out the bugs be that big of detriment ?.

Unless our O-line comes to life at least the hope of some improvement with a new player beats no hope at all.Just a thought...........

 

[runnerone]

Re: Re: worse case

Seriously though---If BB does indeed (and me-thinks that he will) do this---WHICH guy do you think that he should/would move up to get?!... I'd love to hear your opinion on this... [/B]

I don't know for sure who the top DLineman would be coming out of the draft. I guess who ever impressed the most at the combine and in his senior yr. But I'm sure Bill has a guy in mind.

 

[bideau]

Re: Re: Re: worse case

I don't know for sure who the top DLineman would be coming out of the draft. I guess who ever impressed the most at the combine and in his senior yr. But I'm sure Bill has a guy in mind.

The Pats are extremely interested in Jimmy Kennedy from Penn State. They'll probably have to move into the top five to get him. Houston has been tabbed as a team that would like to trade out of the #3 spot. The Pats have the ammo to move and they may not have to give up the #19 pick to do it. So they can trade up and still have 2 1st rounders.

The other top DL prospect is Dewayne Robertson from Kentucky. He'll also go very high. After that, there are still some high quality prospects that can be had at the #14 spot.

This years draft will be one of the more interesting ones we've had recently. Can't wait.

 

[pookie]

Re: Re: Re: Re: worse case

The Pats are extremely interested in Jimmy Kennedy from Penn State. They'll probably have to move into the top five to get him. Houston has been tabbed as a team that would like to trade out of the #3 spot. The Pats have the ammo to move and they may not have to give up the #19 pick to do it. So they can trade up and still have 2 1st rounders.

The other top DL prospect is Dewayne Robertson from Kentucky. He'll also go very high. After that, there are still some high quality prospects that can be had at the #14 spot.

This years draft will be one of the more interesting ones we've had recently. Can't wait.

I like the idea of giving up the #14 pick along with one or two lower round picks to move up to #3 overall. But as somebody pointed out here recently, that has backfired on the Pats in the past as well.... I believe it was the Eugene Chung debacle.

 

[bideau]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: worse case

I like the idea of giving up the #14 pick along with one or two lower round picks to move up to #3 overall. But as somebody pointed out here recently, that has backfired on the Pats in the past as well.... I believe it was the Eugene Chung debacle.

That was during the Jankovich regime. The true dark days of the franchise.

If there's a stud DL that you believe is a certain star, then I say trade up and grab him. Back in '90, the Pats had the #3 pick. They traded with Seattle for the 8th and 10th picks. Seattle took DL Cortez Kennedy, the Pats took DL Ray Agnew and LB Chris Singleton. Kennedy went on to be an All-Pro. Agnew became a journeyman DL, Singleton was a flop. The consensus leading up to that draft was that Kennedy was a sure thing.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: worse case

I like the idea of giving up the #14 pick along with one or two lower round picks to move up to #3 overall. But as somebody pointed out here recently, that has backfired on the Pats in the past as well.... I believe it was the Eugene Chung debacle.

Pookie, the Pats traded down in 1992 because they thought the draft was stacked with good linemen and they would get their man anyway. Then a bunch of linemen were selected and the Pats had to move BACK UP to grab Chung -- who turned out to be a very poor choice given what he cost them. TWO moves in the first round for one player. That was a total failure both strategically and talent wise as well.

The Pats are better than they were in 1992, but how much better? They move up and down in last year's draft; lost picks, gained some back, moved up again and for what? Are any of the players taken last year going to be the next Coates or the next Troy Brown? Maybe, but they have also passed up a number of players who have already proven their value. For all the maneuvering that Belichick does, sometimes he would be better off staying where he is.

Simple example: The Pats moved up to 19 to take Graham because Belichick was certain they needed a tight end (a position that was STILL under-utilized in the offensive scheme btw.) Meanwhile the Giants move up to fourteen to grab Jeremy Shockey who caught 74 passes for nearly 900 yards last year. Later in the draft the Pats move up into the fourth round to select Rohan Davey, a great guy but not worth the trouble in my opinion. The cost of grabing Shockey was swapping their first round selections and a FOURTH round pick. The Pats would have been better served to package their fourth and perhaps another pick and have on impact player rather than two questionable ones.

I am fully in favor of moving up into the top ten and grabbing one of the top DT's or corners in the draft. I just think that if they are going to move up -- do it right. Move up high enough that you can select a guy who will have an impact. Moving up to 19 is stupid. Most picks in the in the second half of the first round are a crapshoot. You don't pay to gamble, you pay not to gamble.

 

[bideau]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: worse case

Simple example: The Pats moved up to 19 to take Graham because Belichick was certain they needed a tight end (a position that was STILL under-utilized in the offensive scheme btw.) Meanwhile the Giants move up to fourteen to grab Jeremy Shockey who caught 74 passes for nearly 900 yards last year. Later in the draft the Pats move up into the fourth round to select Rohan Davey, a great guy but not worth the trouble in my opinion. The cost of grabing Shockey was swapping their first round selections and a FOURTH round pick. The Pats would have been better served to package their fourth and perhaps another pick and have on impact player rather than two questionable ones.

The Giants had already moved up to take Shockey long before the Pats made their move. I don't think the Pats had the ammo to move up to 14th. They were picking 32nd. They probably would have needed to throw in a 2nd rounder to pull that off. The Giants only moved up a few spots, so it didn't require as much. We'll know more after this season if they chose the correct TE. When Graham was healthy, he showed good potential. With a full off-season of conditioning, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do.

 

[brew-ski]

I just want to know how you guys REMEMBERED all that..I have to check every once in a while to make sure I put my pants on that morning let alone who did what during the draft in 1968

 

[bideau]

I just want to know how you guys REMEMBERED all that..I have to check every once in a while to make sure I put my pants on that morning let alone who did what during the draft in 1968

My family tells me I don't have a life. I say I do have a life, it happens to involve following the Patriots.

I do have a strange memory. I can remember small details about many unimportant things (especially sports), but I have trouble retaining names of people I meet. If my wife asks me to pick up something when I go to the store, I need to write myself a note and stick it on my forehead (or else I'll forget the note).

 

[pookie]

My family tells me I don't have a life. I say I do have a life, it happens to involve following the Patriots.

I do have a strange memory. I can remember small details about many unimportant things (especially sports), but I have trouble retaining names of people I meet. If my wife asks me to pick up something when I go to the store, I need to write myself a note and stick it on my forehead (or else I'll forget the note).

Funny, I'm sort of the same way. I can remember little tiny details from Telecom classes I took in 1990. I can remember particular details about many things from my youth. Believe it or not, I can even remember my 4th birthday! But don't ask me what I had for dinner last night and don't ask me the names of the clients that I met at work today....

bideau, it must have been that sensamelia from the '80's man....good stuff. Go ask Alice, I think she knows.

 

[Hawg73]

My family tells me I don't have a life. I say I do have a life, it happens to involve following the Patriots.

I do have a strange memory. I can remember small details about many unimportant things (especially sports), but I have trouble retaining names of people I meet. If my wife asks me to pick up something when I go to the store, I need to write myself a note and stick it on my forehead (or else I'll forget the note).

You are my kind of guy Bideau. I regularly forget normal day-to-day stuff but remember plenty about the Pats and their history as a team. For instance - I remember that when we traded Nick Buonticonti to Miami that they got a lefty QB named Kim Hammond, a linebacker named Johnny (Bull) Bramlett and a draft choice. I think it was a 1st rounder but I'm not sure, which is the only thing that seperates me from total loondom. That minor incident happened about 35 years ago.

Why would I remember such arcane trivia? I have absolutely no idea.

 

[bideau]

You are my kind of guy Bideau. I regularly forget normal day-to-day stuff but remember plenty about the Pats and their history as a team. For instance - I remember that when we traded Nick Buonticonti to Miami that they got a lefty QB named Kim Hammond, a linebacker named Johnny (Bull) Bramlett and a draft choice. I think it was a 1st rounder but I'm not sure, which is the only thing that seperates me from total loondom. That minor incident happened about 35 years ago.

Why would I remember such arcane trivia? I have absolutely no idea.

Hawg, you're a little bit older than me, Pook, you're a little younger. But between us, our formative years probably span about a decade.

It's my theory that the music of that decade (early 70's to early 80's) is the root of our "problem". Think about it. The early 70's brought us WarProtestWeedSmokingSexualRevolutionJesusFreak music. That alone is enough to fry anyone's brain cells. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots).

Then we moved on to the wonderful disco era with brain exercising lyrics like "That's the way, aha aha, I like it, aha aha". We had John Travolta, BeeGees, Donna Summer, etc. The lyrics were insipid, but the music had a great beat and you could dance to it. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots).

Finally, after we burned our disco records around 1980 or so, we moved onto new wave, punk, 2nd British invasion stuff. We couldn't make out most of the lyrics and there was no beat, so we just jumped up and down and shook our heads real hard. Those brain cells took quite a beating. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots, but for me personally, things were improving about then).

Our brain cells no longer knew what to retain so they reverted to keeping just what was important to us....sports trivia.

I could go on and on, but damn if I can remember what this thread was about.

 

[pookie]

Hawg, you're a little bit older than me, Pook, you're a little younger. But between us, our formative years probably span about a decade.

It's my theory that the music of that decade (early 70's to early 80's) is the root of our "problem". Think about it. The early 70's brought us WarProtestWeedSmokingSexualRevolutionJesusFreak music. That alone is enough to fry anyone's brain cells. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots).

Then we moved on to the wonderful disco era with brain exercising lyrics like "That's the way, aha aha, I like it, aha aha". We had John Travolta, BeeGees, Donna Summer, etc. The lyrics were insipid, but the music had a great beat and you could dance to it. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots).

Finally, after we burned our disco records around 1980 or so, we moved onto new wave, punk, 2nd British invasion stuff. We couldn't make out most of the lyrics and there was no beat, so we just jumped up and down and shook our heads real hard. Those brain cells took quite a beating. And we had lots of drugs and lots of sex (well, maybe not lots, but for me personally, things were improving about then).

Our brain cells no longer knew what to retain so they reverted to keeping just what was important to us....sports trivia.

I could go on and on, but damn if I can remember what this thread was about.

ROFL ROFL ROFL

I just missed the Peace and Love music era of the late 60's/very early 70's. Kinda bummed about that. But disco is permanently emblazoned upon my cerebrum forever bideau. It causes disturbing dreams.

I was even lucky enough to get to enjoy the mid 80's hair band explosion (see Motley Crew and Quiet Riot)....

 

[Guest]

....it must have been that sensamelia from the '80's man....good stuff. Go ask Alice, I think she knows.

ROFL Ah yes. Where is fair Alice anyway? Off chasing rabbits?

 

[runnerone]

ROFL Ah yes. Where is fair Alice anyway? Off chasing rabbits?

I wondered if anyone would pick up on that little quip by Pookie. Well done Pookie well done. Remember, (if you can)
"Feed your head."