1-The guard protects our most important asset and smart draft guys LOVE it.Two firsts and two seconds and we get a guard, an injured running back, and a guy who if all breaks right will be a nickleback.
Nothing to address Brady replacement, really anything on defense, and no linebacker help. I'm not one to criticize Belichick drafts but I really, really dont understand this years efforts at all.
Never trust your feelings.Linebacker felt like the #1 problem coming in to the offseason and hasn't been touched.
But they physicalAFC North has a chance to be quite a QB division in a couple years.
Interesting. Steelers trade up to get Mason Rudolph. They also drafted his teammate, WR, James Washington, in the 2nd round. I'm a fan of Washington.
And a $107,000 playoff share!I haven’t had a chance to mention it yet, but fuck Cassius Marsh. God he sucked, and cost two picks.
I'm gonna stop ya right there.3-Nickelback isn't just a great fucking band,
Are you gonna believe me or experts?I'm gonna stop ya right there.
Both are past DEN at 3.35.So sitting here at 3.26, we have Atlanta, New Orleans, Pitt, Jacksonville, Minn, 49ers, Bills, Cardinals, Texans coming up, none of whom are likely looking QB. Denver at 3.35 the only real possibility remaining, barring other trade-ups. If the Pats really liked Lauletta or Falk, moving up from 4.5 to 3.34ish (only ~7 picks) would seem likely to be pretty cheap (a 6th?).
Not saying they should or shouldn't, but once it gets cheap enough, I take comfort in the fact that if it doesn't happen, it's likely because they didn't really like the player, not because they got scooped. And I can live with that.
Said by everyone here, ever.This draft proved to be even less exciting than last years and we didn't even have a pick til the 4th last year.
Two firsts and two seconds and we get a guard, an injured running back, and a guy who if all breaks right will be a nickleback.
Nothing to address Brady replacement, really anything on defense, and no linebacker help. I'm not one to criticize Belichick drafts but I really, really dont understand this years efforts at all.
In college, but in the NFL Collins was the kind of off-ball guy you describe. Vander Esch, Edmunds also off-ball guys.Linebackers whose primary job is to be at the second level, fight through trash and make tackles. Usually dropping into coverage on pass plays, occasionally rushing the passer. I was thinking of Smith and Leonard, I see I missed Evans.
Collins was more of a pass rusher.
I would never accuse Belichick of being "intentionally reckless"; it's more that he has old-school ideas of requisite LB size and it's difficult to find LB who are that big who can run with RBs and TEs or cover a lot of ground in underneath zones. Belichick understands this, which is why Richards played so much in the Super Bowl over another LB; unfortunately, they have not added anyone who will displace Richards from those situations. Maybe I'm missing something; maybe Belichick thinks the problem is the way he / Patricia coached the second-level defenders to handle stuff like RPOs and wheel routes and he has a new plan for 2018. But the D has quietly not been that good since 2009 or so and it was putrid at times last year, especially against smart OCs and mobile QBs.Maybe what you think of the LB situation isn't the same as what Bill thinks. In terms of what the team has. In terms of how the team plans on deploying the LB corps in 2018. He's not perfect, and I'd like to see a linebacker taken too, but BB isn't being intentionally reckless with the roster.
I'm just going to hope this says something positive about what the team believes they have in Harvey Langi and Van Noy, the health of Hightower and Rivers. It likely suggests their evaluation of the players - LB and otherwise - tells them there's a lot of fungible draft prospects, some of whom we'll select tomorrow.
I'm betting he has watched the rules evolution favor offense over X years and believes he can press his advantage in Brady farther than a similar resource usage on defense. No one is infallible but perhaps he believes that given his perennial draft disadvantage he can't have that LB/defensive player the league covets absent an unpalatable cost?I would never accuse Belichick of being "intentionally reckless"; it's more that he has old-school ideas of requisite LB size and it's difficult to find LB who are that big who can run with RBs and TEs or cover a lot of ground in underneath zones. Belichick understands this, which is why Richards played so much in the Super Bowl over another LB; unfortunately, they have not added anyone who will displace Richards from those situations. Maybe I'm missing something; maybe Belichick thinks the problem is the way he / Patricia coached the second-level defenders to handle stuff like RPOs and wheel routes and he has a new plan for 2018. But the D has quietly not been that good since 2009 or so and it was putrid at times last year, especially against smart OCs and mobile QBs.
I think that's a reasonable strategy up until the point you give up 40 points in the Super Bowl. Then you know you've gone too far.I'm betting he has watched the rules evolution favor offense over X years and believes he can press his advantage in Brady farther than a similar resource usage on defense. No one is infallible but perhaps he believes that given his perennial draft disadvantage he can't have that LB/defensive player the league covets absent an unpalatable cost?
Fair enough.I think that's a reasonable strategy up until the point you give up 40 points in the Super Bowl. Then you know you've gone too far.
I don't see the referreeing in the Super Bowl as a major factor to be honest. Foles had a ton of time because the NE pass rush is bad, the Eagles OL is good, because they insisted on playing old man Harrison almost every snap, and because the Eagles picked up every game / blitz they tried. And Philly had receivers running free all game; it's not like Foles needed a ton of time. The Patriots averaged drawing fewer than 1 offensive hold per game for the season, so getting zero called is hardly a) unusual or b) likely to affect things dramatically.Fair enough.
I do think he has to adapt to the way the superbowl was refereed as well. By calling zero OL penalties on either team the Brady advantage was minimized (any competant NFL QB with unlimited time can raise their game). So that should change the computations in some way - maybe swing things towards the defense?
However, this does not mitigate the fact that today, at this moment, the Pats must rely on Elandon Roberts and Jordan Richards. Who here would make the point that no one the Pats passed up (and I am not referring to trade-positions-that-might-have-been) would not be a significant upgrade to those to craters in the d?let's not forget the league has subtracted a draft pick or 3 that he has had to overcome. As this forum has noted it is a massive loss of resources felt for multiple yea
Roberts will probably be in the mix but Hightower will be back and I think they expect Langhi and M Flowers to compete for time.However, this does not mitigate the fact that today, at this moment, the Pats must rely on Elandon Roberts and Jordan Richards. Who here would make the point that no one the Pats passed up (and I am not referring to trade-positions-that-might-have-been) would not be a significant upgrade to those to craters in the d?
Another year of 2nd string special teamers on your front 7. BB must be planning on winning games 50-45. Cause that worked so well in the SB.
Bitter, table for 1.
The fact that they don't draw a lot of penalties doesn't mean there weren't egregious penalties they should have called - for example the Long penalty drawn against Atlanta was critical to them winning. Who knows how a single penalty could have swung the most recent superbowl.I don't see the referreeing in the Super Bowl as a major factor to be honest. Foles had a ton of time because the NE pass rush is bad, the Eagles OL is good, because they insisted on playing old man Harrison almost every snap, and because the Eagles picked up every game / blitz they tried. And Philly had receivers running free all game; it's not like Foles needed a ton of time. The Patriots averaged drawing fewer than 1 offensive hold per game for the season, so getting zero called is hardly a) unusual or b) likely to affect things dramatically.
Him I like.Nathan Peterman
Not getting to watch the Groop get the Pats to Super Bowls the next 15 years. This has been another in Simple Answers to Simple QuestionsWTF do you have to be bitter about?
Hightower, Rivers, and Langi are additions to LB from last year.Linebacker felt like the #1 problem coming in to the offseason and hasn't been touched.
why touch it when the plug-special-teamers-in approach worked so well
Your saying this because they haven’t picked a LB in the first 3 rounds of the draft?Not getting to watch the Groop get the Pats to Super Bowls the next 15 years. This has been another in Simple Answers to Simple Questions
Yeah, that's fine, it doesn't materially change that the defense was trash and was trash much of last year and doesn't look a whole lot better today. You're saying your absess isn't really leaking that much pus; I'm saying you need to go see a doctor.The fact that they don't draw a lot of penalties doesn't mean there weren't egregious penalties they should have called - for example the Long penalty drawn against Atlanta was critical to them winning. Who knows how a single penalty could have swung the most recent superbowl.
Hightower will help - if he can stay healthy. Rivers is more of an edge guy (and is starting from square one), and Langi is a UDFA who didn't really get on the field. If these are the answers, we are in trouble. The two 4.7 guys they drafted don't install a lot of confidence either. Belichick is doubling down on big, slow LB.Hightower, Rivers, and Langi are additions to LB from last year.
As it stands now, I would expect Richards to play more of a role in 2018. They added zero safeties, and the two LB additions are not coverage types. Maybe they sign Kenny Vaccaro or Eric Reid next week and change the picture, but Richards' roster spot looks more secure than it did a couple days ago.I don't think Richards will be in the mix, at least I certainly hope not.
And Hightower runs well for a 270-pound guy but he's not remotely capable of keeping up with guys like Kamara / Hunt / Clement. He does a lot of things well but that's just not his game.Alvin Kamara, Kareem Hunt, Corey Clement, et al vs our “thumpers” at LB. I don’t know what about this is difficult to understand, especially when the opposing QB has all day to throw.
Hightower, nice. But we’re at a point in his career, based on recent years, where you can count on him to miss a quarter of the season. Just book it.
Damarius Travis takes his spot this season. Book it.I sure hope Richards makes the year three jump because he is truly TERRIBLE at football. I was susprised he made the 53 last year and he managed to look even worse with experience. Hopefully whatever BB sees in him will finally blossom this season, I can't believe his roster spot is secure even without shiny new players from the draft.
LMAO, I'm just don't know where to go with that. That was funny as hell.Yeah, that's fine, it doesn't materially change that the defense was trash and was trash much of last year and doesn't look a whole lot better today. You're saying your absess isn't really leaking that much pus; I'm saying you need to go see a doctor.
I think we have a tendency to see where our team could have won if just the small percentage worked in our favor and we ignore the cases where we would have lost had a small percentage worked against us. But there are still Jaguars fans complaining that Myles Jack wasn't down. There are still Steelers fans complaining that Jesse James caught it (which likely would have given Pittsburgh HFA and then who knows how things play out?).I do agree in general, but let me end with this. I think BB has made a career of tilting odds in his favor. 1% or 2% here. 0.5% in a couple of places. Maybe a surprise play or defensive call to flip a single play by a larger percentage. To my way of thinking he had it in his head that the team could win (even with the abscess) given the advantage at QB. Even given all that you have stated, they were a single drive from winning, one could argue even a single play or two from it. I think that was likely right where BB thought it would be. As we've seen from most of the Patriots SB appearances, the margin between winning and losing is very small. And taking back X% of a QB advantage is enough to make a difference.
That's fair, and they do have time and resources (money, future picks, maybe even unloading "extra" talent if people stay healthy at certain spots) to do something more, even throughout the season. To me, today, the defense is not materially improved from 2017, but maybe I'm wrong and maybe they're not done.Had they won the SB, you would still be right in your point about the defense needing significant attention. But a knowledgeable person (more than I obviously) could take that game apart and probably find a number of places where the swing of a few percentage points likely flips the result. Any sane person would agree that there was so much room for difference making on the defensive side of the ball, from Butler on down. Going forward most would also agree there is more low hanging fruit on defensive improvement than other areas of the game. But it's always a balancing act: salaries, rules changes, strategy shifts, existing player evaluation, player attrition (injuries, retirements, free agent losses, etc.), protecting the future outlook of the team, coaching skill sets, all have to be factored into his team building calculations. It's obviously not cut and dried that doing X for the defense will bring another SB win next year. If nothing else, we don't know how he views the departure of Patricia and the ability of the coaching staff to reliably coach up a 2nd, or 3rd round selection. Maybe he feels like trades or experienced player training camp cap casualty pickups are the better way to go this time around. I'm just not willing to throw my hands up and say they didn't do enough for the defense because they didn't do a particular X or Y at a given time.