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Post by jmei on Mar 30, 2013 14:50:24 GMT -5
I also tend to think that a young player only has a few years to lay the mental and physical foundation for success. They're not getting those years back and a young, raw player at 26 is much less likely to get picked up than the same player at 22, especially if the older player still plays with bad technique and is otherwise behind the learning curve. Call it the Royal jelly theory of development-- young players need meaningful reps with the first team offense and in-game playing time to develop as players, and for one reason or another, that isn't happening in New England. It slows down their development to the point that it's tough for them to catch on with another team. |
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Post by tns on Apr 1, 2013 21:28:57 GMT -5
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Post by justen on Apr 7, 2013 16:23:09 GMT -5
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Post by amfox1 on Apr 8, 2013 14:26:46 GMT -5
Pats sign DT Tommy Kelly to a two-year deal.
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Post by jmei on Apr 8, 2013 14:47:19 GMT -5
Solid signing. Kelly brings size (6'6", 315-ish) and interior pass rush to the defensive line. He's played both DT and DE in the four-man front but is best suited to play three technique DT at this point in his career. He's probably no more than a rotational player (he was terrible in 2012, with penalty problems and poor pass rush production), and he's had concerns over effort level and consistency, but as recently as 2011, he was one of the better interior pass-rushers in the league (7.5 sacks, 20 knockdowns/hurries).
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Post by pedroelgrande on Apr 10, 2013 0:55:11 GMT -5
I mentioned Tyrann Mathieu earlier and it seems like his stock is high now after the combine. The Pats seem very interested. I mentioned Don'ta before the draft last year so maybe I have the good luck charm again this year.
Janoris Jenkins had character questions last year and he is now a very good CB in the league. Sometimes its just better to go for talent especially for the Patriots who are in win now mode not looking for building blocks. If they blow a 2nd round pick its not gonna set them back for years.
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Post by texs31 on Apr 10, 2013 6:08:50 GMT -5
Just a reminder, a visit doesn't mean interest per se. It just means they need to complete the book on him. Without any tape from last year and character concerns, he'd be an obvious candidate for more information gathering.
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Post by jmei on Apr 10, 2013 9:15:58 GMT -5
Here's the thing about Mathieu: even without the marijuana issues, he's not a great NFL prospect because of his limited size and (lack of) strength. This isn't like Jenkins where the guy would be a surefire first-rounder absent the off-the-field stuff. Mathieu only put up four reps of 225, which is borderline unacceptable for an NFL player. Yes, he had been out of football, but the fact that he didn't keep up his strength routine doesn't reflect well on his work ethic. At 5'9" and 185, he's also going to struggle with bigger wide receivers and running backs just trucking through him. Combine that with the fact that he lacks elite speed and quickness and a lot of draft experts have him pegged as a mid-round prospect even without the character issues.
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Post by texs31 on Apr 10, 2013 9:47:26 GMT -5
According to tweets by Adam Schefter, New England has submitted an offer sheet on Emmanuel Sanders. I'm a little suprised that its only a 1 year offer. Even for those who believe Sanders would be better than anyone available in the draft, you are trading multiple years of control and development of a 3rd round pick, for one year of Sanders who may or may not work out.
Not sure if I want Pitt to match or not (I'm actually on the pro-Sanders side but for only 1 year??)
EDIT: As i'm reading some follow up information, it seems that the Pats wanted to structure a deal that Pit couldn't match but didn't want to strap themselves either. The thought is that if/when Pit choses not to match, they'll hand over the 3rd rounder and then negotiate a longer deal with Sanders (that's a little salary cap tom foolery but if it's legal . . . )
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Post by jmei on Apr 10, 2013 9:55:01 GMT -5
Clever stuff, as always.
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Post by tns on Apr 10, 2013 11:07:10 GMT -5
Sanders is a great fit for the Patriots. If they can get him in uniform this year and take him out from under the Steelers, awesome; if not and the Steelers match the offer sheet, the Patriots can still go after him as an unrestricted free agent next offseason. It looks like a potential win-win situation either way.
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Post by tns on Apr 10, 2013 11:11:19 GMT -5
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Post by texs31 on Apr 10, 2013 11:17:34 GMT -5
Bedard and others are reporting that the offer shouldn't be that hard to match (~$4m) with a little finagling on PIt's part. The question then becomes whether they'd rather have Sanders or the pick.
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Post by tns on Apr 10, 2013 11:52:00 GMT -5
Bedard and others are reporting that the offer shouldn't be that hard to match (~$4m) with a little finagling on PIt's part. The question then becomes whether they'd rather have Sanders or the pick. The Steelers have less than $3M of cap room at the moment and will still need to sign their draft picks. Restructuring a deal like Troy Polamalu's to accomodate Sanders's offer sheet this season is going to complicate their cap situation down the road. It's not as straight forward as you're assuming. |
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Post by texs31 on Apr 10, 2013 12:02:30 GMT -5
Willie Colon is coming off the books June 1. That's 3.2 towards draft pick money.
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Post by tns on Apr 10, 2013 13:15:37 GMT -5
Willie Colon is coming off the books June 1. That's 3.2 towards draft pick money. I'm not so sure about that math. That designated June 1 release of Colon cleared $1.9M for 2013 (and spread the $5.5M cap hit over this year and next year) and I'm under the impression his release and the resulting dead money is already factored into their current cap situation. I may be wrong about that. |
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Post by texs31 on Apr 10, 2013 13:35:02 GMT -5
Could be. Admittedly, I was only piecing together comments from Bedard, Ed Werder, et al. I don't have all of the facts.
Bedard did tweet that, if the Pats were to renogiate after the Steelers pass, they'd have to make it a contract where the 2014 salary is not less than the 1 year offer #.
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Post by jmei on Apr 10, 2013 22:00:29 GMT -5
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Post by texs31 on Apr 11, 2013 9:24:53 GMT -5
Dennard gets 30 days. Doesn't have to serve sentence until NEXT March.
NOTE: Saw the pictures of him headed to the courthouse. I'm not saying it had anything to do with the decision but there is no way that Dennard wearing his Nebraska letterman's jacket was anything but intentional.
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Post by tns on Apr 13, 2013 12:34:06 GMT -5
Following up on Emmanuel Sanders via Mike Florio of Profootball Talk: The Steelers have until midnight on Sunday to decide if they're going to match the offer sheet or let him walk in exchange for the Patriot's 3rd round pick (#91 overall). |
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Post by pedroelgrande on Apr 14, 2013 13:45:47 GMT -5
So doing my research into the draft whenever I'm bored and I can't help but think they are definitely trading down. Short on picks, positions of perceived need(CB, WR) being stacked with 2nd/3rd round prospects and past history or hoarding for picks makes too much sense.
The only way I see it another way is if they really like Justin Henry or another guy going ahead of their pick but there doesn't seem to be that guy.
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Post by rangoon82 on Apr 14, 2013 17:58:20 GMT -5
So the Steelers matched the offer on Sanders. Rotoworld and ESPN Boston speculate the pats will address the WR need in the draft, but are they really gonna roll into the offseason with a rookie wide receiver at #2 in the depth chart? I think it'd be wise to give Brandon Lloyd a call, right?
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Post by jmei on Apr 14, 2013 19:16:39 GMT -5
Lloyd returning is a possibility-- you'd have to think his ego would be bruised by the release, but I doubt he has many other teams interested. He will probably wait until after the draft and take the best offer he can get at that point. The next best free agent outside receivers include Laurent Robinson, Devery Henderson, and Michael Spurlock-- a very underwhelming list.
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Post by tns on Apr 14, 2013 20:38:08 GMT -5
Lloyd returning is a possibility-- you'd have to think his ego would be bruised by the release, but I doubt he has many other teams interested. He will probably wait until after the draft and take the best offer he can get at that point. The next best free agent outside receivers include Laurent Robinson, Devery Henderson, and Michael Spurlock-- a very underwhelming list. Laurent Robinson's career is in jeopardy as a result of multiple concussions. He'd need to be cleared to play and that's not a formality. |
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Post by Jonathan Singer on Apr 16, 2013 18:51:47 GMT -5
Aaron Hernandez had offseason surgery.
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