Dri Archer (headache?), Monte Ball (only "Emergency List Tryout" that hasn't been signed) and Travaris Cadet (We Barely Knew Ye) are some of the names being mentioned to replace Lewis.
Ball is likely only mentioned bc he was in for a tryout. Don't think his skills align with the Pass Catching back need.
There's a pretty big dropoff from Lewis to Bolden/White. Having a legitimate receiving threat at RB is huge in their offense
I've always thought the same and was surprised when the Chargers and Giants were able to pluck away Woodhead and Vereen for such moderate prices. And I would love to have 2 of those guys on the roster... not just for depth but because you could just stick them both on the field at the same time and take whatever the defense is giving you (base defense? We'll go 5 wide. Sub package? Have one of them block for the other one. Or run a reverse. Or a jet sweep.)
However, Bill Belichick doesn't seem to think it's such a big deal. He's willing to toss unproven guys in there and hope it works out. Well, I hope so too...
I hate to question coach B. But I agree about having a good pass catcher at RB. Which probably means we are all wrong.
Dri Archer (headache?), Monte Ball (only "Emergency List Tryout" that hasn't been signed) and Travaris Cadet (We Barely Knew Ye) are some of the names being mentioned to replace Lewis.
Ball is likely only mentioned bc he was in for a tryout. Don't think his skills align with the Pass Catching back need.
...that reported backstory, beyond the talent, framed Cadet as having the type of commitment to playing football that appeals to BB/NE, and I marked him as a sleeper, if White didn't take that 2nd year "leap", and before the hamstring injury slowed Cadet, knocking him out of near all the preseason...
...he's worked w/ NE playbook, had been brought back during the season (only to have the hammie issue crop up again), and only been off the Patriots' roster 4-5 weeks, having been released to make room for Bostic.
I would think he's already been considered, if not called, and don't recall seeing anything that would have otherwise compromised his returning...for all we know, if NE does have a current med update, he may already be in, or on his way in, for a med exam.
Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that the Patriots have signed Kline to a two-year extension that will keep the former undrafted free agent from becoming a restricted free agent this offseason. Per Yates, Kline’s deal has base salaries of $950,000 and $1.4 million, a signing bonus of $750,000 and further bonuses and incentives that can boost his annual compensation by $1 million each year.
Post by Oregon Norm on Nov 11, 2015 1:33:38 GMT -5
I'd have to see the incentives, but that is a very good deal for the Pats. One thing that plays into this has to be the pure meritocracy of the Patriots roster. It doesn't matter who you are, drafted in the first round sixth round, or undrafted, acquired through trade, or released by other teams. Show Belichick you've got what it takes, and he'll show you the money you might have convinced yourself you'd never see. That probably engenders a little loyalty in some of the players, that and the threat of injury which is always just a play away. Case in point, Dion Lewis who signed an extension after being away from football for a bit of time, only to go under the knife a few games later. Kline is one of those undrafted invitees. He got a job with the team, and now he has some security.
The pats also have been signing these middle roster players, for lack of a better description, before they hit free agency. This helps keeps costs down and they are playing the inflation game well.
They understand better than any team that roster depth is vital. However, they seem to be getting the the top end talent as well. Let hope they keep that talent (95-91-54).
Man what a tense game. I thought for sure the first throw of that final drive was an INT. They went all the way to 4th & 10. And even with the best ****ing kicker in the entire NFL I was nervous with 54 yards to win it.
The attrition on the offense is horrible though, I hope Edelman can come back quick. Playing against playoff-caliber defenses is going to be a tough proposition with the offensive personnel that finished this one.
Post by FenwayFanatic on Nov 15, 2015 22:18:51 GMT -5
It sounds like, at best, Edelman will be back for our first playoff game. But he is a workhorse and the average recovery from this injury sounds like 6-8 weeks. Which would have him back for the playoffs.
I wonder if Dobson can step up. Still have tough games against Denver, the Bills and the Jets but securing that bye will be key. And the Denver game may not be as tough as we thought with Manning looking pretty done.
A lot of other guys seems to be coming back in the coming weeks too which will be nice.
Last Edit: Nov 15, 2015 22:19:26 GMT -5 by FenwayFanatic
Man what a tense game. I thought for sure the first throw of that final drive was an INT. They went all the way to 4th & 10. And even with the best ****ing kicker in the entire NFL I was nervous with 54 yards to win it.
The attrition on the offense is horrible though, I hope Edelman can come back quick. Playing against playoff-caliber defenses is going to be a tough proposition with the offensive personnel that finished this one.
Thankfully, they have a 4 game cushion for the division. That was like a playoff game. They could have kicked that field goal before that last play that got another 5 yards or so.
“We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings. But after that [meeting], it didn’t feel like we lost. It felt like we won.”
I kind of doubt it, at this point it seems like he is what he is (i.e. a perfectly adequate decoy in 3WR sets but rather disappointing for a 2nd round pick).
The guy I'm most hoping can step it up is Scott Chandler. He hasn't been making the most of his opportunities, whereas he always seemed to do so when he was playing against us. And having a good 2TE set should help our weakened OL.
I wonder whether Wes Welker would have gotten a call if he was still hanging out on his couch rather than signed by the Rams. Then again Amendola probably plays that role better than Welker at this point so it doesn't matter much what kind of receiver you add if you add one.
Post by bookiemetts on Nov 16, 2015 10:14:18 GMT -5
Yeah I almost wonder what would have happened if this was a week ago as far as Welker goes.
I wonder if the Pats might have been able to trade for Cordarrelle Patterson from the Vikings before the deadline. He's been basically forgotten this year and relegated to punt and kick returns but he was a monster last year with some crazy yards after the catch.
The offense is really dinged up and losing Lewis and Edelman on top of the Oline injuries really hurts the team on third down.
Last Edit: Nov 16, 2015 10:16:09 GMT -5 by bookiemetts
Edelman is a huge loss but if he's back for the playoffs and effective during then it shouldn't affect the super bowl hopes. Amendola is legit and a solid replacement. I think Dobson has a chance to be better than we think. In any event he's not a stiff.
This team just needs Collins and the olinemen back. Not having Collins is killing them in certain plays like the swing pass out if the backfield
Oh and btw, Butler was an absolute beast in that game. McCourty screwed up on that 87 yard catch, not Butler. And then he held OBJ to 3/17 after that, which I've never seen anyone do when he's healthy.
“We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings. But after that [meeting], it didn’t feel like we lost. It felt like we won.”
I just said that was all McCourty and you can see it in the replay. McCourty was helping up top so that's how you play it. It would have been about a 15 yard catch if McCourty didn't get overaggressive and then run into Butler.
Last Edit: Nov 16, 2015 13:48:00 GMT -5 by jimed14
“We just lost a World Series game in 18 innings. But after that [meeting], it didn’t feel like we lost. It felt like we won.”
Seriously? He got beat on one play - which would've been just a 1st down if not for McCourty's screwup - and actually dominated him for the other 45 minutes. And that's your comment?
Post by bookiemetts on Nov 16, 2015 18:05:40 GMT -5
wcp3 I was agreeing with you lol, he really did do a good job.
Lol I realize that comment comes off as sarcastic now but I was being serious. He had great coverage all game. There's like 2:20 of evidence in that video after the first play.
Last Edit: Nov 16, 2015 18:16:30 GMT -5 by bookiemetts
wcp3 I was agreeing with you lol, he really did do a good job.
Lol I realize that comment comes off as sarcastic now but I was being serious. He had great coverage all game. There's like 2:20 of evidence in that video after the first play.
Lol, my bad. I saw the OBJ play first, and figured it was one of his highlight videos.
The firing of Rob Ryan reminded me of the uproar during the offseason about the Patriots releasing Brandon Browner, who has been one of the worst CBs in the league this year. As is generally the case, Belichick knows when to move on from his veterans.
"We really don't need the whole commercial break/warm-up routine every time a new reliever comes into the game. It certainly made sense in 1884 when they only switched pitchers when the starter was attacked by pickaxe or caught consumption, and no reliever was warming up because he was busy gambling and drinking." - JD
I still think I'm going to wake up and say "I shouldn't listen to the podcast before bed, I dreamed the Sox signed a guy from Curaçao named Charlie Zink." - KOC
I found this an interesting read, considering most anyone's career record v BB otherwise tilts towards BB's teams, not to mention the various insights from a coach's perspective v BB, referenced therein -
- 
