2015 Patriots 53-man Roster & Practice Squad Watch

mwonow

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I didn't see any reaction to Eric Martin getting released here, so I thought I'd post a link to the patriots.com item: http://www.patriots.com/news/2015/11/27/patriots-release-lb-eric-martin-53-man-roster

I was a little surprised, but I guess my view is coloured by the big block on Amendola's punt return, highlighted by Chuck Z in this Inside the Pylon piece: http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/teams-nfl/afc-east/new-england-patriots/2015/11/18/danny-amendolas-unexpected-return-gets-patriots-back-in-game/
 

joe dokes

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Source: the Patriots claimed RB Trey Williams off of waivers. DE Trey Flowers to IR.
Would that be called a treyd?





Enjoy the veal...I'm here all week.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Trey Williams draft profile----basically the profile of the typical return guy or recent Pats third-down back (though lack of blocking ability a concern there). Theoretically addresses the 'quickness gap' we heard about all night from Collinsworth Sunday...

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/trey-williams?id=2552649

STRENGTHS
Features a devastating jump-cut that torments defenders in space. One of the best "make-you-miss" types in this draft. Improvisation-oriented athlete in space. Able to change directions at a moment's notice and multiple times during one play.

WEAKNESSES
Very slightly built runner. More of an "offensive weapon" than a true running back. Ran as an off-set back from shotgun. Is seen frequently looking for the sideline with ball in his hands. Little to no strength as a runner. Can't break tackles and churn out extra yardage.
 

bsj

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Is Cary Williams worth a look? He's had a nice career but has been a bust in the Seahawks system.

That said, may be virtually impossible to get him even close to up to speed this late in the season
 

Dogman

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Setting aside the fact that Williams was covering #2 or 3 receivers and looking horrible doing it, who would he take snaps from?

I don't think getting him up to speed would be the problem so much as can't play football worth any longer would be.
 

Dr. Gonzo

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Patriots sign CB Leonard Johnson


NFL.com profile

OVERVIEW
Johnson started for four years (five games as a freshman) at cornerback for Iowa State. He has played both the field and boundary corners and is a good lateral mover and overall athlete for the position. He is not a speed guy and can struggle in transition, but he is a strong player and is patient playing both man and in zone. He is reliable to keep his side of the field covered and with his experience, has late third round value.

ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Johnson has a good feel for his man when covering him and, although he can labor at times, is good in his back pedal and staying with a man in transition. He plays the ball well, coming towards it or working away and running deep, and is a very physical tackler who makes his presence felt from the outside. He is good when running downfield to flip his head and torque his body to make plays on the ball.
WEAKNESSES Johnson is a solid all-around player who doesn't quite possess elite corner speed for the next level. He does many things in his game to avoid getting exposed, but it will be tough to look past at the next level.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I haven't found a reason, but what motivation did Tampa have for releasing Johnson off of IR? He says he didn't ask for it. Was it just them being respectful to the player and letting him play else where since he was healthy?
 

dynomite

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Report on Twitter that Eric Martin has been waived to open a roster spot.

With Reiss reporting Steven Jackson's workout was today, there is some speculation to be made. Nothing official yet.

Edit: Here's the report: "Hearing that Eric Martin has been waived by team. That opens up a roster spot on the 53-man roster. Steven Jackson?"
This might be worth a new thread...
 

Super Nomario

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Report on Twitter that Eric Martin has been waived to open a roster spot.

With Reiss reporting Steven Jackson's workout was today, there is some speculation to be made. Nothing official yet.

Edit: Here's the report: "Hearing that Eric Martin has been waived by team. That opens up a roster spot on the 53-man roster. Steven Jackson?"
This might be worth a new thread...
Martin is this year's Ventrone. Was on the roster Week 1, cut, spent some time on the practice squad, signed to 53-man for Weeks 10 & 11, cut again, back on PS, signed for the Houston game and now cut again.
 

TomTerrific

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Interesting commentary (IMO, anyway) from BB on some of the new guys - Leonard Johnson ("not really" a fan of his dance moves), Kitchen, Waddle, plus a very nice takedown of a question at the end about Stephen Jackson http://www.patriots.com/news/2015/12/18/bill-belichick-press-conference-transcript-1218
Yeah, it seems pretty certain at this point that Jackson isn't getting signed. And given the enthusiastic reaction of the PFW guys when they thought he might be signed, he must have really unimpressed in his workout. Or there's some medical issue.

The guy I want to see is Hankerson. I always liked him at Miami, thought he'd be more of an impact guy in the NFL. Good length and good hands. No idea if he can pick up the system though.
 

Harry Hooper

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Yeah, it seems pretty certain at this point that Jackson isn't getting signed. And given the enthusiastic reaction of the PFW guys when they thought he might be signed, he must have really unimpressed in his workout. Or there's some medical issue.

Or he asked for a ludicrous some of money, thinking he had the Pats over a barrel.
 

RedOctober3829

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I thought Jackson was more than cooked last year, although it was behind the Falcons OL.

I'd bet it was over conditioning/empty tank rather than money, but who knows.
If Jackson was an upgrade on any RB, he'd have been signed. He probably wasn't so they will go into the game with 2 RBs and work around it. They'll use different formations to scheme other players into the backfield.
 

Tony C

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Yeah, it seems pretty certain at this point that Jackson isn't getting signed. And given the enthusiastic reaction of the PFW guys when they thought he might be signed, he must have really unimpressed in his workout. Or there's some medical issue.

The guy I want to see is Hankerson. I always liked him at Miami, thought he'd be more of an impact guy in the NFL. Good length and good hands. No idea if he can pick up the system though.
Count me in this boat in re Hankerson. I know how difficult new WRs find acclimating to the Pats system, but healthy he's a real decent receiver and I'm pretty excited he made his way onto the club. Health and ability to absorb the system are two huge caveats, but if his hammy stays playable and if they can carve out a niche for him, the tools and skills are there for him to be a contributor.
 

soxfan121

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Count me in this boat in re Hankerson. I know how difficult new WRs find acclimating to the Pats system, but healthy he's a real decent receiver and I'm pretty excited he made his way onto the club.
Hankerson has the highest drop rate of any WR in the NFL, having botched 8 catches in 46 targets (26 catches). Every other WR with at least 8 drops has 79+ targets (gosh Ted Ginn Jr. sucks), is currently hurt (Edelman) and in most cases, has been targeted 100+ times (Demaryius Thomas, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Brandon Marshall).

By contrast, Brandon LaFell - derided by some in these parts for his stone hands - has only five official drops, good for a 7.8% drop rate. Hankerson's drop rate is 17.4%.
 

dynomite

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Update: Eric Martin report yesterday was wrong. Per Reiss, he is on the roster and suffered a concussion today and is out for Sunday.

Seems to be a bug going around the locker room, with Brady now added to the report with an illness.
 

MainerInExile

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Or it's too late to help this week, so they'll fill some other hole on the 53 and sign him next week.
I keep wondering about this. Montee Ball has only been in the system a couple of days himself, so they may (gulp) go into this game with 2 RB, and sign someone (maybe SJ) next week.
 

Tony C

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Hankerson has the highest drop rate of any WR in the NFL, having botched 8 catches in 46 targets (26 catches). Every other WR with at least 8 drops has 79+ targets (gosh Ted Ginn Jr. sucks), is currently hurt (Edelman) and in most cases, has been targeted 100+ times (Demaryius Thomas, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Brandon Marshall).

By contrast, Brandon LaFell - derided by some in these parts for his stone hands - has only five official drops, good for a 7.8% drop rate. Hankerson's drop rate is 17.4%.
Yeah, but the sample sizes are tiny and drop rates are generally variable (see Edelman) -- Hankerson only had 2 drops in 2013 on 30 catches/48 targets, for example. I'm not putting his bust into Canton, but for a late season pick-up it's hard to imagine someone with much more potential.
 

lambeau

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Werder must be right that Montee Ball is fat (he says 230's, Pats say 215).
Presumably the plan is to get him in shape for the playoffs.
Still, it's weird going into battle with 2 RB's.
Last year Ball had groin issues, so I'm hoping we get back to his 2013 4.7 ypa.
(I'm not convinced Iosefa is actually a ball carrier).
 
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soxfan121

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Yeah, but the sample sizes are tiny and drop rates are generally variable (see Edelman) -- Hankerson only had 2 drops in 2013 on 30 catches/48 targets, for example. I'm not putting his bust into Canton, but for a late season pick-up it's hard to imagine someone with much more potential.
I don't know what you mean by "sample sizes are tiny"; there's no such thing as a good sample size in football statistics. And 2013 numbers mean very little, given the rapid decline any player can experience - plus, different team, system, etc. Stats in football are generally useless. The only reason to cite Hankerson's astronomically high drop rate is to highlight why he is available at this point in the season - he hasn't been healthy, and when he has, he's been awful on the field.

He may indeed be the best of a bad lot of choices. That's not really saying much, though. Hankerson is highly unlikely to do much of anything in a Pats uniform other than run a few decoy routes and fill a game day roster spot until Edelman returns to action.
 

amarshal2

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I don't know what you mean by "sample sizes are tiny"; there's no such thing as a good sample size in football statistics. And 2013 numbers mean very little, given the rapid decline any player can experience - plus, different team, system, etc. Stats in football are generally useless. The only reason to cite Hankerson's astronomically high drop rate is to highlight why he is available at this point in the season - he hasn't been healthy, and when he has, he's been awful on the field.

He may indeed be the best of a bad lot of choices. That's not really saying much, though. Hankerson is highly unlikely to do much of anything in a Pats uniform other than run a few decoy routes and fill a game day roster spot until Edelman returns to action.
He's never had a problem with drops any year in his pro or college career other than this year. There's plenty of reasons he might not work out for the Pats and while this is one, it's less concerning to me than others.
 

Tony C

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I don't know what you mean by "sample sizes are tiny"; there's no such thing as a good sample size in football statistics. And 2013 numbers mean very little, given the rapid decline any player can experience - plus, different team, system, etc. Stats in football are generally useless. The only reason to cite Hankerson's astronomically high drop rate is to highlight why he is available at this point in the season - he hasn't been healthy, and when he has, he's been awful on the field.

He may indeed be the best of a bad lot of choices. That's not really saying much, though. Hankerson is highly unlikely to do much of anything in a Pats uniform other than run a few decoy routes and fill a game day roster spot until Edelman returns to action.
I don't really follow -- seems like more of a semantics game than anything substantive. You cited a stat so I cited a larger sample size that indicates that your stat isn't necessarily indicative -- with the caveat that neither stat is based on a sample size that means much. Not really clear what your counter argument is, or if it's even a counterargument at all. I think we agree the stats on his drops aren't really meaningful and that there's no reason to invest great hope in Hankerson. I do think, though, that his talent level is higher than I'd expect for someone picked up at this point in the year -- if healthy he's pretty decent. But you're right that at this point he's most unlikely to do much more than, say, Brian Tyms.
 

crystalline

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Hankerson has the highest drop rate of any WR in the NFL, having botched 8 catches in 46 targets (26 catches). Every other WR with at least 8 drops has 79+ targets (gosh Ted Ginn Jr. sucks), is currently hurt (Edelman) and in most cases, has been targeted 100+ times (Demaryius Thomas, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, Brandon Marshall).

By contrast, Brandon LaFell - derided by some in these parts for his stone hands - has only five official drops, good for a 7.8% drop rate. Hankerson's drop rate is 17.4%.
statistically indistinguishable
 

Stitch01

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Not sure where to put this, but SF waived Cadet. Not sure what the Pats current evaluation of Cadet is, and getting cut from that Niners group of running backs isn't particularly encouraging, but given the Jackson signing would Cadet be a better fit on the roster than Iosefa at this point given that Iosefa can move back to the practice squad?
 

Stitch01

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Isn't he essentially the same as James White?
That's sort of the idea. Right now the Pats don't really have a guy for that role if White gets hurt besides Bolden, who is not very good at it.

Does Cadet have practice squad eligibility? Would be good to have a backup for White
I think the answer is no, but Iosefa still does so you could move him back to the PS (probably, some chance he gets claimed).

Marginal move or non-move, but would make some sense to me if it happens.
 

Super Nomario

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That's sort of the idea. Right now the Pats don't really have a guy for that role if White gets hurt besides Bolden, who is not very good at it.

I think the answer is no, but Iosefa still does so you could move him back to the PS (probably, some chance he gets claimed).

Marginal move or non-move, but would make some sense to me if it happens.
It kind of depends on how big a role Jackson can play. Iosefa led the team in carries Sunday. Is Jackson ready or able to do that? It's also worth noting that Jackson has been a consistent 30-45 reception guy for his career, so he's not a total zero in that regard.
 

soxfan121

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Who gets the ball in a short yardage/goal line situation - Bolden, Jackson, or Iosefa? Certainly not White; they've already used their one freebie on a White goal line run.

I would guess Iosefa. Jackson isn't the receiver White is, nor is he as well versed in the offense as Bolden, so his role is probably early downs and some pass protection. Whereas Iosefa has a grasp on the entire playbook and profiles better as a short yardage option.

IOW, there's enough roles for all of these sub-optimal options.
 

Super Nomario

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Do we really think all four will be active? My guess is Steven ?Jackson is the goal line guy, I'd be surprised if he isn't.
It's not unusual for the Pats to have four RB active. They did it in Weeks 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 this year - basically, almost every week until Lewis went on IR (the only exceptions were Week 1 when Blount was suspended and Week 7 when Lewis was hurt). I think they probably will have four RB active in Weeks 16 and 17 because Jackson won't be ready for a big load and they have enough other guys to make inactive. The playoffs are anyone's guess - a lot depends on how much gas Jackson has left in the tank, how Iosefa and White develop, and whether anyone gets hurt between now and then.