New England Patriots Discussion

[AntoinCD]

Definitely not!!! I still maintain that Gaffney will be back. There is no reason why another team wouldn't have signed him already if he didn't have a deal to come back to the Pats.

4 WRs, 2 of them really ST guys and the other 2 in their 30s (one not long removed from a devastating knee injury) is a tight line to walk.

[Blackluck]

Good list there Matt. I hope to see a WR picked up on the waiver wire for designation to the practice squad. That suddenly will be the most glaring need next year along with potentially OL, but our history with receivers is pretty poor. If Welker goes to FA next year (which I think he will), then we'll just have Brandon Lloyd - unless BB and Josh decide to implement an all TE offense

[Matthew Jones]

Originally Posted by Blackluck

Good list there Matt. I hope to see a WR picked up on the waiver wire for designation to the practice squad. That suddenly will be the most glaring need next year along with potentially OL, but our history with receivers is pretty poor. If Welker goes to FA next year (which I think he will), then we'll just have Brandon Lloyd - unless BB and Josh decide to implement an all TE offense

I'm thinking that Marquis Maze and Chris Owusu make the most sense for New England's practice squad. Owusu in particular has an intriguing combination of physical tools, intelligence, and kick-returning ability.

[descendency]

Jeff Fuller was released? I think I'd pass. His coach is the OC in Miami, the system is the same, and the QB is his college QB. Add that to the fact that Miami's WRs suck, and I doubt many people will be lining up for him. I liked him in college, but that's quite a concern.

How did St Louis cut Mr. Tommy B?!?!?! (There were so many people that called him the next Tom Brady when he came out... it was hilarious)

[Matthew Jones]

Rotoworld/Miami Herald:

The Miami Herald reports the Dolphins would "like to add" free agent Jabar Gaffney, but that his preference is to re-sign with New England once he's over his quad injury.

[cmarq83]

Originally Posted by Matthew Jones

Released players who interested me, whether as prospects, by virtue of having played in New England before, positional need, potential scheme fit, etc.:

ARI: WR Isaiah Williams, OG Russ Hochstein

ATL: LB Jerrell Harris

BAL: S Cyhl Quarles

BUF: N/A

CAR: OT Matt Reynolds, CB Darius Butler, S Reggie Smith

CHI: CB Jonathan Wilhite

CIN: QB Zac Robinson, RB Dan Herron

CLE: FB Brad Smelley, TE Dan Gronkowski

DAL: FB Shaun Chapas, LB Adrian Hamilton, S Eddie Whitley

DEN: WR Jason Hill, TE Cornelius Ingram, OT Ryan Harris, OG Tony Hills

DET: WR Maurice Stovall, DE Everette Brown, DE Ugo Chinasa, CB Alphonso Smith

GB: OT Andrew Datko

HOU: FB Moran Norris, WR Juaquin Iglesias, DE Mitch King

IND: RB Darren Evans, WR Jeremy Ross, C Zane Taylor

JAC: N/A

KC: WR Junior Hemingway, CB Donald Washington

MIA: WR B.J. Cunningham, WR Jeff Fuller, DE Jamaal Westerman, LB Gary Guyton

MIN: RB Jordan Todman, CB Chris Carr

NO: WR Greg Camarillo

NYG: DT Marcus Thomas

NYJ: DE Jay Richardson, CB Donnie Fletcher

PHI: FB Emil Igwenagu, WR Mardy Gilyard, WR Marvin McNutt, DT Landon Cohen, CB Joselio Hanson, S Phillip Thomas

OAK: N/A

PIT: WR Marquis Maze, WR Derrick Williams, DT Corbin Bryant, CB Terrence Frederick

SD: FB Jacob Hester, DE Ricky Elmore

SF: WR Chris Owusu, DT Tony Jerod-Eddie, DE Cam Johnson

STL: QB Tom Brandstater, FB Ovie Mughelli, WR Kris Durham, WR Jermaine Kearse, TE Cory Harkey, DE Pierre Allen, DE Vernon Gholston, CB Kendric Burney, S Phillip Adams

TB: WR Jordan Shipley, WR Tiquan Underwood, DT Frank Okam

TEN: WR James Kirkendoll

WAS: QB Jonathan Crompton, RB Tim Hightower

You lost me at Darius Butler... Seriously though decent list. Ovie Mughelli is a guy who interests me if we're looking for a better FB than the guys we had in camp. Hightower, Fuller, and Guyton are all guys who interest me somewhat as well. Guyton is a reliable backup at a spot where we're a little light at, and Hightower is a complete back with decent size. He might make more sense than a guy like Bolden who is on the roster, but doesn't project to play at all.

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by cmarq83

You lost me at Darius Butler... Seriously though decent list. Ovie Mughelli is a guy who interests me if we're looking for a better FB than the guys we had in camp. Hightower, Fuller, and Guyton are all guys who interest me somewhat as well. Guyton is a reliable backup at a spot where we're a little light at, and Hightower is a complete back with decent size. He might make more sense than a guy like Bolden who is on the roster, but doesn't project to play at all.

I want no part in Guyton anymore. The Pats have a great starting 3 and Carpenter to provide depth. Both Hightower and Mayo can also play multiple positions. The Pats are fine at LB IMO

[Don Vito]

Matt I 100% agree on Maze, I think he could be great here. Has some injury concerns and isn't anything special physically but he is electric and a gamer. The Saban connection helps too, would love to see us find a way to snatch him up. Cornelius Ingram too if we weren't so loaded at TE.

[cmarq83]

Originally Posted by AntoinCD

I want no part in Guyton anymore. The Pats have a great starting 3 and Carpenter to provide depth. Both Hightower and Mayo can also play multiple positions. The Pats are fine at LB IMO

I'd take Guyton over Carpenter. I think too much favorable media attention/ preseason tendency of good feelings has led everyone to forget how utterly terrible a player Carpenter is.

Also, I was a big McNutt guy coming out. I would love to see him stashed away on the practice squad.

[cmarq83]

Pats are signing Matt Tennant to the 53. Interesting development considering he's pretty much a C only type guy.

[AntoinCD]

Originally Posted by cmarq83

I'd take Guyton over Carpenter. I think too much favorable media attention/ preseason tendency of good feelings has led everyone to forget how utterly terrible a player Carpenter is.

Also, I was a big McNutt guy coming out. I would love to see him stashed away on the practice squad.

I really liked McNutt too but he is just soooooo slow. Nice big target but not much more than that unfortunately.

Carpenter hasn't been a great player but he was miscast in a 34 in Dallas, didn't stick around in Stl, went back to a 34 in Miami then played for a really poor Detroit defense. The guy isn't going to be a starter but he can be a valuable coverage LB on 3rd down and also offers more on ST than Guyton. Guyton had his chances in NE but he was a liability too often

[AntoinCD]

As per Schefter, Pats acquired WR Greg Salas from the Rams for a 2015 late round pick. Had big numbers in Hawaii with Colt Brennan but a pedestrian rookie campaign. I kinda like the move though

[Razor]

Idk about Salas.. I just don't think he has any upside and he kinda is what he is at this point.

[Matthew Jones]

Is anyone else skeptical about the roster moves New England has made so far? They seem to have made some questionable decisions with the 53-man roster, etc.

[Razor]

I'm skeptical every year, but it usually turns out fine..

[cmarq83]

Originally Posted by Matthew Jones

Is anyone else skeptical about the roster moves New England has made so far? They seem to have made some questionable decisions with the 53-man roster, etc.

Outside of the Gaffney release, not really. I'm more concerned about the amount of players we have at certain positions rather than who we have released. Hoyer obviously didn't have a place here if Mallet was the backup, Koppen's game had deteriorated as had Branch's, and Carpenter is terrible. I'd like to see them get another LB to the rotation though. The Fletcher injury was a killer.

[descendency]

Carpenter isn't any good, but the LB position was already thin. Why cut him?

[Wootylicous]

I like the Salas addition.

[Nalej]

Practice Squad

1. G Thomas Austin (former Patriot who had been claimed by Texans in 2011)

2. FB Eric Kettani (spent 2011 on Patriots practice squad)

3. WR Sam Kirkland (rookie free agent from Kent State who was with Redskins in preseason)

4. OT Matt Kopa (spent 2011 on Patriots practice squad)

5. TE Alex Silvestro (spent 2011 on Patriots practice squad as defensive end)

6. LB Jeff Tarpinian (appeared in 7 games, with 1 start, for Patriots last season)

7. DB Malcolm Williams (2011 seventh-round draft choice of Patriots; 5 games played in 2011; also practice squad)

The 8th spot expected to be FB James Develin (from DEN)


...soooo... no Jeremy Ebert then?

[Matthew Jones]

I'm not unhappy with the practice squad aside from Kirkland and Develin. Do we really need two fullbacks?

[descendency]

Originally Posted by Nalej

...soooo... no Jeremy Ebert then?

That's really puzzling. If you spend a draft pick on a guy and don't bother bringing him in as a PS member... then why did you bother in the first place?

Something is wrong here...

[AntoinCD]

I think there are a number of things which may have gone into it

Firstly, you can see a guy play, interview him, get coaches etc to speak about him, however you can't know 100% about a player until you get him in for offseason workouts and training camp. He may not have had the desire or work ethic to be worth keeping on the PS

Alternatively, after seeing him perform it is possible they just didn't think he was talented enough to make it worth while developing.

Or, he could have some sort of injury they did not know about previously. Nothing has come up in the media but it is possible.

All in all, it was just a bad job scouting this particular player. But a 6th round pick is easier to simply cut than an earlier guy. It's not ideal but in the long run I don't think it is that damaging

[ryno626]

Is Brian Waters ever going to report is it pretty much a lost cause now?

[AntoinCD]

Realistically I don't think he will be back now, but if he is at the very earliest I think it will be at the bye week

[D-Unit]

Greg Salas landed in a perfect spot for him.

He's a damn hard worker.