Who would you want back from the IR list for SBLII?

loshjott · Jan 22, 2018

With all due respect to Jules, I voted Hightower. Bennett’s a good answer too with Gronk’s status unknown but having Hightower back would be huge.

Koufax · Jan 22, 2018

Jules is no Wally Pip, but Danny is an adequate substitute. I went Hightower because his addition would make the biggest difference. My second choice would be Ebner.

Boston Brawler · Jan 22, 2018

Hightower, because the D needs him more than the O needs Jules.

5dice · Jan 22, 2018

Cannon. When they have a clean pocket, everything else falls into place.

Saints Rest · Jan 22, 2018

My top three would be:
1. Hightower (two HUGE plays in the last two SB wins)
2. Cannon (the Pats lose when they can’t protect TB12)
3. Edelman (opens things up for everyone else on O)
3.

TheoShmeo · Jan 22, 2018

Especially with Gronk questionable, voting for the second or third most valuable player on the offense and a bona fide postseason star was easy. Hightower would be great to get back, especially given what he did in the last two SB wins, and he'd be my runaway second choice. Bennett would probably be third given the Gronk injury.

Jungleland · Jan 22, 2018

Hightower, as the middle of the defense is the weakest unit on the team right now and the second weakest might not be close. Edelman and Cannon are fine answers as well, but bolstering the defense first would be more valuable.

streeter88 · Jan 22, 2018

I agree with Saints Rest, but I think the difference between Hightower and Cannon is very small in importance to the team vs. who replaced them. KVN and Trey have very capably stepped up over the course of the season, whereas the right side of the OL has seemed a bit shaky lately.

Honourable mention to Marty.

Ed Hillel · Jan 22, 2018

Cannon is an excellent Tackle, or at least was last year, but his replacements have been pretty darned good in his absence, so he’s third for me.

I actually lean Edelman. I don’t think the offense can be held under 35 if he’s on the field with the rest of this team. Hightower is missed dearly, as well, but Belichick and Patricia always seem to make things happen with the pieces they have. The secondary is also excellent, which helps cover for him.

Buck Showalter · Jan 22, 2018

loshjott said:
With all due respect to Jules, I voted Hightower. Bennett’s a good newer too with Gronk’s status unknown but having Hightower back would be huge.

Yup.

Jules is my favorite Patriot of all-time......but I had to vote Hightower.

Marciano490 · Jan 22, 2018

streeter88 said:
I agree with Saints Rest, but I think the difference between Hightower and Cannon is very small in importance to the team vs. who replaced them. KVN and Trey have very capably stepped up over the course of the season, whereas the right side of the OL has seemed a bit shaky lately.

Honourable mention to Marty.

I don’t know. I don’t think High gets pushed into the end zone yesterday.

wiffleballhero · Jan 22, 2018

I voted Ebner (really) because, dude, fake punts!

But obviously, Hightower. I get the Jules love, for sure, but for this one game, given what the Pats have, Hightower is the guy.

Ralphwiggum · Jan 22, 2018

The defense, while frustrating for large chunks of the game, seems to be able to make adjustments and hold teams relatively in check, and in the teens to low 20s in terms of points scored. An offense with a healthy Gronk and Edelman along with Cooks, Amendola, White, Lewis, etc., is as close to unstoppable as you'll see in today's NFL. And while I think they can win without Gronk or without Edelman, doing it without both is a tall order, 4th quarter of yesterday's game notwithstanding. So I voted Jules.

Hightower a close 2nd.

DegenerateSoxFan · Jan 22, 2018

Gotta be Hightower. An absolute beast with the smarts & tools to green dot Patricia's schemes. They are absolutely a better defense with him in there, and that's probably a bigger area of concern, at least from the standpoint that they don't want to be in a position to have make significant adjustments come halftime. Honorable mention to Cannon, who not only became a reliable pass protector last season, but also a wrecking ball in the running game (Who did the Pats run behind to close out the last super bowl? That's right).

CoffeeNerdness · Jan 22, 2018

Is this actually possible (by rule)?

Red Right Ankle · Jan 22, 2018

kelpapa · Jan 22, 2018

streeter88 said:
I agree with Saints Rest, but I think the difference between Hightower and Cannon is very small in importance to the team vs. who replaced them. KVN and Trey have very capably stepped up over the course of the season, whereas the right side of the OL has seemed a bit shaky lately.

I initially thought Cannon, but then voted Hightower. I thought the RT position has played well all year, and Waddle could be (should be?) back in two weeks. I would then go Edelman and third, Cannon.

streeter88 · Jan 22, 2018

Marciano490 said:
I don’t know. I don’t think High gets pushed into the end zone yesterday.

You're right, but to me it looked like the entire team got punched in the mouth in the first half yesterday. Maybe Hightower would have been better able to rally the D to fight back. And anyway, he is the one I would most want back - I was just saying the choice was harder than I thought it would be.

Amazing though that we have the luxury of debating this as the Patriots go to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, eighth time in the Belichick Brady era, tenth time overall, even though they have lost so many key players this year.

PaulinMyrBch · Jan 22, 2018

Entire run D got punched in the mouth last year in the Super Bowl, and we didn’t get it right until they lined up Hightower on the edge in the second half. So he wasn’t the difference just by being in there. But having said that, I’d vote Hightower with Cannon a close second. Dreaming of heavy run formations with 2 right tackles and Gronk in the slot. That’d be sweet to see.

Bergs · Jan 22, 2018

I have no idea how good this offense would be with a healthy Jules, but it would be pretty fun to find out. Hightower is a VERY close 2nd.

trotsplits · Jan 22, 2018

Bennett. Amendola is a middle-class version of Edelman. I suppose. Hightower would be a nifty addition but the defense seems to be generating pressure.

E5 Yaz · Jan 22, 2018

This is a great question, and I had a difficult time deciding which way to go. But I'm going Cannon, because the Eagles front is better than Jacksonville's flashier unit and the more re-enforcements available the better.

That pick presumes Gronk is able to play, of course. If Gronk were ruled out, it would be Bennett.

RedOctober3829 · Jan 22, 2018

I picked Edelman because he is better than anyone they have in the intermediate part of the field. He balances out the field and slots down everybody else but Gronk in terms of who covers who. You have White/Lewis for the short passing game, Edelman/Amendola between the numbers, Hogan/Cooks outside the numbers and vertically, and Gronk everywhere. If Edelman and Gronk are on the field at the same time, it provides even more opportunities for favorable matchups for Cooks, Hogan, and Amendola.

TFisNEXT · Jan 22, 2018

A healthy Edelman would make the offense almost unstoppable.

Captaincoop · Jan 22, 2018

Hightower wouldn't have gotten bulldozed at the goal line yesterday.

If the Jags had to settle for 3 on that drive, the game would not have been close at the end.

Marciano490 · Jan 22, 2018

Captaincoop said:
Hightower wouldn't have gotten bulldozed at the goal line yesterday.

If the Jags had to settle for 3 on that drive, the game would not have been close at the end.

I hated that effort by KVN and, like Rev, had immediately Lattimore flashbacks, but in his defense, it looks like he's still moving laterally or was tripped a bit so that he's not braced when contacted. Not sure it would've made a difference because the leverages were so favorable to the RB, but it's not quite as bad as I first thought.

Bowhemian · Jan 22, 2018

Marciano490 said:
I hated that effort by KVN and, like Rev, had immediately Lattimore flashbacks, but in his defense, it looks like he's still moving laterally or was tripped a bit so that he's not braced when contacted. Not sure it would've made a difference because the leverages were so favorable to the RB, but it's not quite as bad as I first thought.

I saw the same thing, KVN was definitely off balance

Eddie Jurak · Jan 23, 2018

Ralphwiggum said:
The defense, while frustrating for large chunks of the game, seems to be able to make adjustments and hold teams relatively in check, and in the teens to low 20s in terms of points scored. An offense with a healthy Gronk and Edelman along with Cooks, Amendola, White, Lewis, etc., is as close to unstoppable as you'll see in today's NFL. And while I think they can win without Gronk or without Edelman, doing it without both is a tall order, 4th quarter of yesterday's game notwithstanding. So I voted Jules.

Hightower a close 2nd.

I think this is right. The slot receiver is such a central part of the Patriots' offense, a lot of the team's recent offensive struggles are related to not having such a player. Hightower #2. If we are talking back at 100%, Bennett is #3, but that feels unfair since we only got him this year because he was pretty severely injured at the time. So, Cannon, even though Waddle and Fleming are holding down the fort pretty well.

Who would you want back from the IR list for SBLII?

Who?

Marty Bennett

Marcus Cannon

Nate Ebner

Julian Edelman

Dont'a Hightower

Jonathan Jones

Shea McLellin

Malcolm Mitchell

Derek Rivers

Vincent Valentine

Experiencing Furry Panic

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Skrub's sympathy case

Member

Experiencing Furry Panic

Member

Wants to be startin somethin

Banned

Urological Expert

Member

Member

Member

Member

Formerly the Story of Your Red Right Ankle

Costanza's Hero

Member

Don't touch his dog food

funky and cold

Member

polka king

Member

Well-Known Member

Member

Urological Expert

Member

canderson-lite