2018 Patriots Roster

lexrageorge

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If Burkhead or Lewis leaves, and it seems likely that at least one will go, Gillislee could very well be back. IIRC, he looked good in preseason, and then got hurt and struggled with injury most of the year. And ended up as a healthy scratch by the playoffs. But I could see him getting another chance to step in, as cutting him doesn't save all that much in the big picture (maybe $750K unless they find a UDFA to fill his role).

Bennett is an interesting one. Not sure he would be that easy to restructure, but he does provide Gronk insurance, and he is far more useful than Dwayne Allen.

Cooks would be an extension candidate, which could easily halve his cap number, but he does have some leverage in that negotiation, so that will be one to watch. Can't imagine he gets cut.
 

tims4wins

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I very much expect Allen to be cut but brought back at a more team friendly cap deal. They seem to like him.

Agree with lex on Gillislee. Doesn’t make sense to cut him at this time unless they can sign Lewis to a White type deal.
 

Super Nomario

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If Burkhead or Lewis leaves, and it seems likely that at least one will go, Gillislee could very well be back. IIRC, he looked good in preseason, and then got hurt and struggled with injury most of the year. And ended up as a healthy scratch by the playoffs. But I could see him getting another chance to step in, as cutting him doesn't save all that much in the big picture (maybe $750K unless they find a UDFA to fill his role).
The timeline as I understand it is Gillislee increasingly lost PT (23 snaps per game in the first five weeks; 13 in the next three) and then was a healthy scratch the next six weeks. With White and Burkhead out Week 16, he was active and played 15 snaps, but then he hurt his knee and didn't play again. So injury was a factor late in the year, but he was likely to be a healthy scratch anyway. And per overthecap they save about $2.2 MM cutting him. He's definitely not worth that money to fill the role he did in 2017.

Cooks would be an extension candidate, which could easily halve his cap number, but he does have some leverage in that negotiation, so that will be one to watch. Can't imagine he gets cut.
Could they get a 2 back if they traded him? A lot comes down to how healthy Mitchell is, but they'd save $9 MM in 2018 and Cooks isn't going to get any cheaper after that. The problem is that Edelman and Amendola (assuming they bring him back) are old and Mitchell has a pretty extensive injury history. But are they really going to make Cooks a $11-12 MM / year guy?
 

lexrageorge

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The timeline as I understand it is Gillislee increasingly lost PT (23 snaps per game in the first five weeks; 13 in the next three) and then was a healthy scratch the next six weeks. With White and Burkhead out Week 16, he was active and played 15 snaps, but then he hurt his knee and didn't play again. So injury was a factor late in the year, but he was likely to be a healthy scratch anyway. And per overthecap they save about $2.2 MM cutting him. He's definitely not worth that money to fill the role he did in 2017.
My guess is that he'll be asked to be given a bigger role, and will be given all of the preseason to see if he can fill it. While they can save $2.2M by cutting him, they need someone to play RB, and a veteran free agent will be at least $1M to $1.5M, which isn't all that much of a savings. And I doubt they really want to spend one of their five 2018 draft picks on a running back.

Could they get a 2 back if they traded him? A lot comes down to how healthy Mitchell is, but they'd save $9 MM in 2018 and Cooks isn't going to get any cheaper after that. The problem is that Edelman and Amendola (assuming they bring him back) are old and Mitchell has a pretty extensive injury history. But are they really going to make Cooks a $11-12 MM / year guy?
Depends upon the value of a guy that is likely a one year rental for the team getting him. The good news is that there's no roster bonus or dead money if he is traded, so I would agree that I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen if they could net a 2 in the first half of the round.
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

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I’d love to be a fly on the wall to see their evaluations of Flowers, A. Butler and Wise. I think it’s fair to say that Flowers is a pretty well known commodity at this point and is in that productive but not all pro category of players. But if they project further development from him and growth from Adam Butler and Wise then then the front seven starts to look pretty different. I don’t think there is a star or consistent game wrecker among those three. But three good/average front seven guys with Malcolm Brown would be a solid and young foundation up front to add talent too.
 

BigSoxFan

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The big thing about Gillislee for me is that he sucks in the passing game so if you bring him back and give him a bigger role, you’re basically going back to the 2011-2014 days where defenses know what the RBs are going to do based on the personnel.

Hey, it’s BJGE/Ridley/Blount - ok, here’s a run or play action.

Hey, it’s Woodhead/Vereen/White - ok, watch for the screen game.

With Lewis/Burkhead, defenses basically need to be ready for anything, as both can run between the tackles or burn you in the screen game. Both are unlikely to be back but 1 better be.
 

Super Nomario

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My guess is that he'll be asked to be given a bigger role, and will be given all of the preseason to see if he can fill it. While they can save $2.2M by cutting him, they need someone to play RB, and a veteran free agent will be at least $1M to $1.5M, which isn't all that much of a savings. And I doubt they really want to spend one of their five 2018 draft picks on a running back.
I don't know why we're talking about Gillislee like he's some prospect looking for a breakout season. He had the inside track to the starting gig last year and got passed by better players. He turns 28 in November. I think they know what he can do and what he can't. Maybe they decide Lewis and Burkhead are too expensive to retain, but they're still going to need more bodies at the position. It just seems like they can do better. And I wouldn't be averse to using a pick at the position (preferable a day three pick).

The big thing about Gillislee for me is that he sucks in the passing game so if you bring him back and give him a bigger role, you’re basically going back to the 2011-2014 days where defenses know what the RBs are going to do based on the personnel.

Hey, it’s BJGE/Ridley/Blount - ok, here’s a run or play action.

Hey, it’s Woodhead/Vereen/White - ok, watch for the screen game.

With Lewis/Burkhead, defenses basically need to be ready for anything, as both can run between the tackles or burn you in the screen game. Both are unlikely to be back but 1 better be.
Yes, but on the other hand they scored 500 points in both 2011 and 2012 and still had top-five offenses in 2013 and 2014. I do think there's a question of how they want to pursue the position philosophically. Anecdotally, it seems like McDaniels likes the well-rounded backs more than O'Brien did; Laurence Maroney was a McDaniels special, and while he flopped, he was someone with the potential to contribute both on early downs and passing situations. McDaniels also drafted Knowshon Moreno in Denver.
 

RedOctober3829

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Gillislee is not coming back. The RB draft class is so deep that they can get a similar talent or better on a rookie deal.

I'd explore the possibility of signing Talib or Richard Sherman if they become available to replace Butler on short-term deals.
 

lexrageorge

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I don't know why we're talking about Gillislee like he's some prospect looking for a breakout season. He had the inside track to the starting gig last year and got passed by better players. He turns 28 in November. I think they know what he can do and what he can't. Maybe they decide Lewis and Burkhead are too expensive to retain, but they're still going to need more bodies at the position. It just seems like they can do better. And I wouldn't be averse to using a pick at the position (preferable a day three pick).
I don't disagree with you that Gillislee hasn't shown anything. However, at $2M, he's still cheap enough to keep on the roster at the very least until the final preseason game, especially if one or both of Lewis/Burkhead leave. Otherwise, they are counting on finding a rookie (draft or UDFA) or veteran free agent replacement working out, and counting on the replacements staying healthy all through camp.

I realize that every dollar is precious this offseason, but they can still free up the same $2M by cutting him at the end of preseason. And it's unlikely they'll need that $2M before then.
 

jsinger121

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Gillislee is not coming back. The RB draft class is so deep that they can get a similar talent or better on a rookie deal.

I'd explore the possibility of signing Talib or Richard Sherman if they become available to replace Butler on short-term deals.
Do we know if Earl Thomas might be a cap casualty as well?
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Reports hint at Lewis looking for a pay day.

That bodes well for Burkhead staying in NE. The fact that he plays ST (and well) makes me think a new 2/3 year contract may be a big win-win for both parties.
 

Reverend

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Reports hint at Lewis looking for a pay day.

That bodes well for Burkhead staying in NE. The fact that he plays ST (and well) makes me think a new 2/3 year contract may be a big win-win for both parties.
He already took his Pats appreciation paycut a few years ago out of appreciation for being back in the league after being labeled a washout.

I hope he gets paid.
 

BigSoxFan

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He already took his Pats appreciation paycut a few years ago out of appreciation for being back in the league after being labeled a washout.

I hope he gets paid.
Yup. This is his one shot at a good deal. I doubt anyone goes in big for him given his age and injury history but hopefully he gets some quality guaranteed money. Guy deserves it.
 

E5 Yaz

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Yup. This is his one shot at a good deal. I doubt anyone goes in big for him given his age and injury history but hopefully he gets some quality guaranteed money. Guy deserves it.
Was just going to post the same thing. Get the money, Dion!
 

Reverend

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Yup. This is his one shot at a good deal. I doubt anyone goes in big for him given his age and injury history but hopefully he gets some quality guaranteed money. Guy deserves it.
Was just going to post the same thing. Get the money, Dion!
So I guess @Smiling Joe Hesketh should be along any moment to shit all over us wishing the guy luck with another team? ;)
 

DJnVa

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I'd explore the possibility of signing Talib or Richard Sherman if they become available to replace Butler on short-term deals.
Kyed mentioned both of them today in a mailbag--Talib has 2 years left on deal, Sherman in final year.
 

slamminsammya

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An interesting dynamic playing out with the new CBA is how the massive cap carryover is affecting the various free agent classes. Five teams have $60 million or more in cap space largely due to cap carryover from not spending a lot in previous seasons. This is a result of thinking, hey, if we are bad, no point splashing money on free agents.

However, under the CBA teams are required to spend 89% of the cap over a 4 year period. The CBA language gives the example that if the cap progressed as $100, $120, $130, $150, a team must spend 89% of $500 = (100 + 120 + 130 + 150) over that 4 year period. The upshot is that a lot of these teams are going to have to unload some of that massive cap space eventually, meaning the closer we get to the end of the period the more upward pressure there will be on free agent contracts, primarily coming from a small handful of teams.

From this perspective, it may be wise for the rest of the league who are not experiencing this pressure to spend free agent dollars earlier rather than later, when the market is less distorted by NBA - like requirements to hand out big money to relatively less talented guys.
 

lambeau

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The glaring needs seem to be pass rushers and versatile linebackers, and yet we've discarded Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins,
Jabal Sheard, Chris Long, Dominique Easely and Kony Ealy; even Barkevious Mingo's not better than Jordan Richards or Elandon Roberts? Now obviously money is an issue, and Jones is very expensive, but that's what elite sackmasters cost.
I would argue one of Collins {$11M} or Sheard {$8) were necessary pieces for this team. And it is inexplicable to me that Ealy, Long, and Easely went elsewhere to play well for peanuts. (Long even gave his whole salary away to educate minority kids after the riot in Charlottesville.) I don't get the "scheme" issue that forced Long out--after all, he played 68% snaps in Philly.
I don't get why we don't retain more of this talent. Now we may have to overpay for a Nigel Bradham or Ziggy Ansah to be
competitive, as the premium for free agents continues to rise, and our exclusion from top 30 draft picks continues.
 

BaseballJones

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I think it's entirely possible that they have three good pass rushers in Trey Flowers, Wise, and Rivers. Rivers of course is a wild card, but Wise showed a lot, and Flowers of course looks like a very good player.

I'd like to see one more pass rush type - particularly on the inside. Though I must say, Flowers rushing from the inside is pretty solid.

Amazingly the Patriots had a good pass rush this year. According to Football Outsiders, when you adjust for the quality of offensive lines they faced, the Patriots had the 10th best pass rush in the league, with an adjusted sack rate of 7.1%. That's better than Philly's 6.3% (19th ranked). They (NE) were also tied for 7th in raw sacks with 42.

When it comes to QB hits, the Pats had two of the top 26 guys in the NFL. Flowers was 7th with 26 QB hits, and Wise was t26th with 19.

Flowers is 24, and Wise is 23. I think these two guys have very bright futures.
 

slamminsammya

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The glaring needs seem to be pass rushers and versatile linebackers, and yet we've discarded Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins,
Jabal Sheard, Chris Long, Dominique Easely and Kony Ealy; even Barkevious Mingo's not better than Jordan Richards or Elandon Roberts? Now obviously money is an issue, and Jones is very expensive, but that's what elite sackmasters cost.
I would argue one of Collins {$11M} or Sheard {$8) were necessary pieces for this team. And it is inexplicable to me that Ealy, Long, and Easely went elsewhere to play well for peanuts. (Long even gave his whole salary away to educate minority kids after the riot in Charlottesville.) I don't get the "scheme" issue that forced Long out--after all, he played 68% snaps in Philly.
I don't get why we don't retain more of this talent. Now we may have to overpay for a Nigel Bradham or Ziggy Ansah to be
competitive, as the premium for free agents continues to rise, and our exclusion from top 30 draft picks continues.
You ask many questions but you already know the answer. Its the salary cap.

Also, what does Long donating his salary have to do with anything?
 

lambeau

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I agree--I'm not sure why Wise got only six snaps in the SB--but if they couldn't pressure Foles they sure needed better LB's.
The depth at receiver made the loss of Edelman and Mitchell tolerable--but really the loss of Hightower was devastating.

I think they could have squeezed Sheard or Collins under the cap somehow; the point with Long is if a guy is willing to work for free and you have cap issues, maybe you work out the sheme issue?
 

slamminsammya

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I agree--I'm not sure why Wise got only six snaps in the SB--but if they couldn't pressure Foles they sure needed better LB's.
The depth at receiver made the loss of Edelman and Mitchell tolerable--but really the loss of Hightower was devastating.

I think they could have squeezed Sheard or Collins under the cap somehow; the point with Long is if a guy is willing to work for free and you have cap issues, maybe you work out the sheme issue?
Let me googke that for you: Sheard, who managed 5.5 sacks this year, had a cap hit of 7.5 million. Collins cap hit was 12.1 million. In 2017 the Pats had 3.8 million in cap space.

So there ya go.
 

dcmissle

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May I recommend to you the Serenity Prayer? I am not convinced the approach going forward is going to be significantly different.
 

slamminsammya

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I agree--I'm not sure why Wise got only six snaps in the SB--but if they couldn't pressure Foles they sure needed better LB's.
The depth at receiver made the loss of Edelman and Mitchell tolerable--but really the loss of Hightower was devastating.

I think they could have squeezed Sheard or Collins under the cap somehow; the point with Long is if a guy is willing to work for free and you have cap issues, maybe you work out the sheme issue?
I just want to be sure, you recognize there is a difference between working for free and donating all of your salary?
 

PaulinMyrBch

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I agree--I'm not sure why Wise got only six snaps in the SB--but if they couldn't pressure Foles they sure needed better LB's.
The depth at receiver made the loss of Edelman and Mitchell tolerable--but really the loss of Hightower was devastating.

I think they could have squeezed Sheard or Collins under the cap somehow; the point with Long is if a guy is willing to work for free and you have cap issues, maybe you work out the sheme issue?
I think Wise’s snaps were limited because there weren’t many obvious passing down/distances on third down. They didn’t face third and long much, which would have put Wise on the field.
 

lambeau

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Greg Bedard has an lntriguing article on his BSJ website wondering why Marquis Flowers was used 17 times in the third down package and nine times was asked to rush Gallipoli-like against 320 lb tackles.
 

wnyghost

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The depth at receiver made the loss of Edelman and Mitchell tolerable--but really the loss of Hightower was devastating.


Nobody is discussing why there was a lack of depth on defense. To me it's clear... The NFL front office effed the Pats out of 2 draft picks that could have made the difference.
 

lexrageorge

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The glaring needs seem to be pass rushers and versatile linebackers, and yet we've discarded Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins,
Jabal Sheard, Chris Long, Dominique Easely and Kony Ealy; even Barkevious Mingo's not better than Jordan Richards or Elandon Roberts? Now obviously money is an issue, and Jones is very expensive, but that's what elite sackmasters cost.
I would argue one of Collins {$11M} or Sheard {$8) were necessary pieces for this team. And it is inexplicable to me that Ealy, Long, and Easely went elsewhere to play well for peanuts. (Long even gave his whole salary away to educate minority kids after the riot in Charlottesville.) I don't get the "scheme" issue that forced Long out--after all, he played 68% snaps in Philly.
I don't get why we don't retain more of this talent. Now we may have to overpay for a Nigel Bradham or Ziggy Ansah to be
competitive, as the premium for free agents continues to rise, and our exclusion from top 30 draft picks continues.
Dominique Easely did not play a single NFL snap in 2017, and had all of 24 tackles for the Rams in 2016. Kony Ealy's totals this year? 11 tackles and 1 sack. This data takes 5 minutes to look up, btw.

The "scheme" issue did not force Long out. The Pats were willing to only go so far money wise, and Long felt he could do better.
 

BigSoxFan

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Long said he didn’t want to be utilized in the same way he was last year so I doubt they even got to the point of discussing money.

More quotes from Long and Belichick in this article.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nesn.com/2018/01/bill-belichick-explains-why-chris-long-leaving-patriots-was-probably-a-good-decision/amp/
Sure there are more but I wonder how many guys in the Belichick era left the Pats after a title and won a SB the following year. Has to be a pretty exclusive group.
 

Brand Name

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Sure there are more but I wonder how many guys in the Belichick era left the Pats after a title and won a SB the following year. Has to be a pretty exclusive group.
Scoured the 2002 Bucs, 2005 Steelers, 2015 Broncos, and only found two other examples, although in reverse: Russ Hochstein, won three in a row from 02-04, and Browner 13 Seattle/14 New England.

This list could possibly (if unlikely) include Kamu Grugier-Hill, ST and K who was a final cut from the Pats preseason last year (2016), picked up by the Eagles, still on the main roster.
 

kenneycb

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Sure there are more but I wonder how many guys in the Belichick era left the Pats after a title and won a SB the following year. Has to be a pretty exclusive group.
There might be a practice squad guy here or there but I didn’t recognize anybody from the Bucs, Steelers, or Broncos teams that won the year after. Hochstein was on the Bucs team but got released mid year and got picked up by the Pats.
 

lambeau

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I find myself mortified by my ingratitude, and aghast at my hubris, but Sunday was a profoundly dispiriting experience as I feltthe thrill of victory and the transcendant glow of superiority be dragged down to a disgusting slough of mediocrity; despite a sublime and inspired offense, an undermanned, underplanned defense was embarrassed, and bizarrely, I felt it personally.
I want it fixed, and I think of our depletion and the recently departed. Malcolm's humiliation is mine.
 

Super Nomario

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The glaring needs seem to be pass rushers and versatile linebackers, and yet we've discarded Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins,
Jabal Sheard, Chris Long, Dominique Easely and Kony Ealy; even Barkevious Mingo's not better than Jordan Richards or Elandon Roberts? Now obviously money is an issue, and Jones is very expensive, but that's what elite sackmasters cost.
I don't think Belichick thinks it's worth paying for an "elite sackmaster." No team has used fewer top 50 picks on edge guys since 2000, with Chandler Jones the only one - and of course, they jettisoned him when he got pricey. Rosey Colvin is really the only high-priced FA edge they've gone for.

I think they could have squeezed Sheard or Collins under the cap somehow; the point with Long is if a guy is willing to work for free and you have cap issues, maybe you work out the sheme issue?
Long played the whole season in 2016 and logged four sacks. He's not a guy you re-vamp your defensive scheme for; not even close.

Nobody is discussing why there was a lack of depth on defense. To me it's clear... The NFL front office effed the Pats out of 2 draft picks that could have made the difference.
That was a factor, but I think you can also point to the diversion of resources from defense to offense. They not only traded Chandler Jones, they traded him for three offensive players. They traded Collins for an OT. They traded their first this year for a Cooks. So not only have they lost guys, they arguably haven't even tried to replace them.
 

slamminsammya

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I think Belichick has always valued setting the edge and containing the QB much more than other coaches versus generating rush. Guys like Seymour, Warren, Vrabel, Ninkovich, Sheard, etc. who probably could have racked up bigger sack numbers always had pedestrian sack numbers.

Also, I feel like Bill has drafted a pretty good number of defensive ends, just a lot of them have not panned out. Just in the past few years:

Derek Rivers, Deatrich Wise, Grissom, Flowers.

Before that there was just Jones, and he also drafted Bequette in the same draft who obviously didn't amount to anything.
 

dcmissle

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I don't think Belichick thinks it's worth paying for an "elite sackmaster." No team has used fewer top 50 picks on edge guys since 2000, with Chandler Jones the only one - and of course, they jettisoned him when he got pricey. Rosey Colvin is really the only high-priced FA edge they've gone for.


Long played the whole season in 2016 and logged four sacks. He's not a guy you re-vamp your defensive scheme for; not even close.


That was a factor, but I think you can also point to the diversion of resources from defense to offense. They not only traded Chandler Jones, they traded him for three offensive players. They traded Collins for an OT. They traded their first this year for a Cooks. So not only have they lost guys, they arguably haven't even tried to replace them.
Agree with this, with particular emphasis on 3rd par. BB is all in on offense in recent years. One of the reasons I suggested the Serenity Prayer is I’m not at all convinced it is going to change. Geniuses can be stubborn, and I say that with admiration.

No team has ever surrendered 41 points and won a Super Bowl. Not even close. The Eagles yielded 33 to the Pats. Winning teams have surrendered 31 points twice — Pittsburgh and Baltimore. There is your ceiling through 52 of these things.

My hope is that we can claw back 8 to 10 points with linebackers who are more athletic. Big ones who can’t cover + no pass rush = death.
 

BaseballJones

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Agree with this, with particular emphasis on 3rd par. BB is all in on offense in recent years. One of the reasons I suggested the Serenity Prayer is I’m not at all convinced it is going to change. Geniuses can be stubborn, and I say that with admiration.

No team has ever surrendered 41 points and won a Super Bowl. Not even close. The Eagles yielded 33 to the Pats. Winning teams have surrendered 31 points twice — Pittsburgh and Baltimore. There is your ceiling through 52 of these things.

My hope is that we can claw back 8 to 10 points with linebackers who are more athletic. Big ones who can’t cover + no pass rush = death.
That was a perfect storm in the Super Bowl. If they play 10 times, I don't see Philly putting up that score again. Foles was great and the receivers made incredible catches all over the field (sadistically, I just re-watched 20 minutes of highlights and they made a half dozen GREAT catches). And of course, my argument about holding that was let go on both sides. Plus the Butler situation. I don't think this is a defense that we should expect to give up 41 points. Definitely need some improvement, no doubt. But it's not THAT bad of a defense.
 

Ed Hillel

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That was a factor, but I think you can also point to the diversion of resources from defense to offense. They not only traded Chandler Jones, they traded him for three offensive players. They traded Collins for an OT. They traded their first this year for a Cooks. So not only have they lost guys, they arguably haven't even tried to replace them.
Did anyone go into this season thinking they had bad depth in the front 7, outside of DE/OLB? Arguably 4 of their top 5 LB got hurt for significant portions of the season, 3 of whom ended up on IR. They signed Harris, who everyone thought was a good 4th or 5th option, but he fell off a cliff. Branch quit on the team when he got paid, Ealy ended up sucking, Valentine went down, etc. I think he tried, with the exception again of an admittedly risky effort at DE. The LB injuries really hurt this team a ton. Elandon Roberts fucking sucks.

Admittedly, I do not understand or condone the Jordan Roberts experiment in any capacity. It’s been abundantly clear he’s beyond awful, so the inability to improve that roster slot at any point in the season is a real head scratcher.
It was a bad trade but a fifth and a seventh is not a ton of value.
Plus they got a better 7th back from Seattle for Jonathan Jones, who ended up back in New England and played pretty well. His injury might have been the difference as it turned out.
 

Super Nomario

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Derek Rivers, Deatrich Wise, Grissom, Flowers.

Before that there was just Jones, and he also drafted Bequette in the same draft who obviously didn't amount to anything.
None of these guys were high picks other than Jones; thirds or later, which is pretty late for what's generally considered an impact position.

Agree with this, with particular emphasis on 3rd par. BB is all in on offense in recent years. One of the reasons I suggested the Serenity Prayer is I’m not at all convinced it is going to change. Geniuses can be stubborn, and I say that with admiration.
I don't know that Belichick feels like offense is more important than defense now, I think he miscalculated where his team was at.

Did anyone go into this season thinking they had bad depth in the front 7, outside of DE/OLB? Arguably 4 of their top 5 LB got hurt for significant portions of the season, 3 of whom ended up on IR. They signed Harris, who everyone thought was a good 4th or 5th option, but he fell off a cliff. Branch quit on the team when he got paid, Ealy ended up sucking, Valentine went down, etc. I think he tried, with the exception again of an admittedly risky effort at DE. The LB injuries really hurt this team a ton. Elandon Roberts fucking sucks.
I think winning the Super Bowl last year blinded us to the weaknesses in the front seven. They lost Long and Sheard, but those guys weren't anything special in 2016. The linebackers looked like a problem post-Collins-trade but they ended up working out down the stretch so it didn't seem like they would be an issue. Branch was old but he was still good last year. I do think a lot went wrong, between Ealy and Marsh flopping, Rivers and Valentine getting hurt, Roberts and Grissom not developing, Ninkovich retiring, etc. OTOH Wise was surprisingly good for a fourth-round rookie. We were definitely too optimistic last offseason and probably too pessimistic now, but this is objectively a weak front seven.

Plus they got a better 7th back from Seattle for Jonathan Jones, who ended up back in New England and played pretty well. His injury might have been the difference as it turned out.
You're thinking of Justin Coleman.

That was a perfect storm in the Super Bowl. If they play 10 times, I don't see Philly putting up that score again. Foles was great and the receivers made incredible catches all over the field (sadistically, I just re-watched 20 minutes of highlights and they made a half dozen GREAT catches). And of course, my argument about holding that was let go on both sides. Plus the Butler situation. I don't think this is a defense that we should expect to give up 41 points. Definitely need some improvement, no doubt. But it's not THAT bad of a defense.
They also got one stop on a completely fluky tip-drill INT and another stop on an unforced error when Ertz false-started on 2nd-and-2 and Philadelphia had to settle for a field goal. The Eagles also only had 10 offensive possessions. It was every bit as bad a performance as the 41 points suggests.