Guys I see worth a shot...with little upside, but maybe capable of matching Taylor's production. Manny Lawson- Has always generated a lot of pressure despite not having big sack numbers. Advanced stats love him, and he's good in coverage. Antwan Barnes- Former Raven, very fast, good on special teams Matt Roth- Probably out of his mind. Really fell off at the end of last year. Not really worth it Jyles Tucker- He'll probably be cut by San Diego. He had a couple of huge, eye opening games for them a few years back, and he's from NJ. Really not much else. I don't believe they'll be able to snag Woodley. -X-
With a improved and always fresh line we don't need killers at OLB, just someone with speed. Our line will be busting heads and creating holes
Calvin Pace becomes a better passrusher as a result of the two studs we drafted upfront. He will no longer have to wrestle with big Olem and will remain in the upright position with a clean uniform. I see 10 sacks as a minimum.
its interesting to see everyone crowning the 2 draftees already. how about we see them at least practice at the pro level before we go talking about how they will do this and that.
Have you seen the ridiculous nfl.com draft review? The patriots get an A+ I swear the mainstream media is so stuck on this whole "bill is a genius at the draft (he once got tom brady for a 6th round pick you know)" mantra that its almost like they say: "OK lets give the patriots top scores, OK done that, right now lets see who they actually drafted"
I still say the Patsies picking 2 RBs high in the draft speaks volumes about Woodhead--Even they think he overachieved in 2010.
Agreed, but he and BJGE was a good combo. Sure, I understand bringing in another back who is more well-rounded and more talented, but bringing in two guys in the 2nd round, with none really looking like major difference-makers? I don't get it.
The way I look at the Pats drafting those RB's is this: BJGE and Woodhead combined for 1,555 yards rushing, 18 td's, 4.8 ypc and 46 catches for 464 yards. That's over 2,000 yards of total production. Even if these two rookie backs are more talented, it's not like they're going to surpass the production that Woodhead and BJGE gave them. Would Woodhead and BJGE repeat that performance? Maybe not.. but it's hard to imagine two rookie backs stepping in and having the production at the RB spot there actually be better than in 2010.
Wow the pats drafted another TE? lol, wtf. I don't see why people don't like the RB pick. Tomlinson is old, Greene might not be a #1 back with his history of getting injured. Who knows what McKnight is. Yeah, carrying 4 RB's is a lot, but there is a lot of uncertainty at the position, especially longterm when/if LDT is gone.
I think people like it fine when they stop to think about it - its that knee-jerk "wtf a RB?" reaction that causes people to knock it. On a side note - the nfl.com drafts continue to amuse - they gave the steelers who had a very solid draft with some real value picks a "C-" grade.
I don't either. And for whatever it is worth I like the jets taking a RB in round 4--McKnight isn't much, Greene is injury-prone, and LT is getting up there.
I agree with the Pats' strategy of beefing up the RB position. Despite Woodhead's production, he is one solid hit away from IR for the year, and maybe worse than that. It's simple physics, and the law of averages. It's like the argument about small sporty cars being more maneuverable and less likely to get into accidents than large cars. Even if true, if and when you get in an accident, what happens to the small car compared to the larger one? The smaller car would be Woodhead.
You would also have to weigh in the round the player was drafted in. An F in the first round should count more than an F in round 6.
It's the same scenario for any RB, which is why the Jets drafted one as well. This is just assenine man. The killer injury in football is ligament damage. Doesn't matter if you're big or small, or if the guy hit you was big or small, or if no one hit you at all. If the knee/ankle/shoulder goes the wrong way and tears, you are f'd. I don't think the Pats look at Woodhead as an injury risk because he is short. lol c'mon dude.