2019 Pats: In-Season Roster & Injury Discussion

Pandemonium67

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Football coaches never coach in fear of a player getting injured. Those that do don't last long in the NFL.

The options yesterday were not great. Gunner has been on the injury report for a couple of weeks, and doesn't really help anywhere else on the field. Edelman gets enough abuse as it is and is best used as the break glass option.
There's a bit of a contradiction between your first sentence and your last one. Edelman is a great punt returner, but returning punts is risky business and BB knows he's too valuable to lose. Thus Gunner or whoever. I assume Sanu was back there only because Gunner is hurt, and when Gunner's healthy again he'll field the punts, even if BB believes Sanu is better at it (though we don't know that).
 

Harry Hooper

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There's a bit of a contradiction between your first sentence and your last one. Edelman is a great punt returner, but returning punts is risky business and BB knows he's too valuable to lose. Thus Gunner or whoever. I assume Sanu was back there only because Gunner is hurt, and when Gunner's healthy again he'll field the punts, even if BB believes Sanu is better at it (though we don't know that).
I don't think Gunner is hurt. He was inactive given 5 WRs and 2 TEs active on Sunday.
 

Byrdbrain

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Yeah I’m pretty sure Gunner isn’t hurt, BB just decided it isn’t worth having a guy who will only return punts take up one of the critical game day roster spots.
 

InstaFace

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Can't wait for him to fight his way onto the 2020 team as primary KR/PR and #3/4 WR with roles and backup roles on all 6 ST squads.

And he gets to draw an NFL salary for the rest of the year, which is surely very nice for him.
 

ernieshore

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Can't wait for him to fight his way onto the 2020 team as primary KR/PR and #3/4 WR with roles and backup roles on all 6 ST squads.
I joked about this after Edelman's TD pass this past weekend...Brady wins #7 and retires. Edelman replaces Brady. Gunner replaces Edelman. Pats win #8. Belichick retires.
 

NomarsFool

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Going on IR now means you are done for the season, is that correct?

BTW, on the topic of Gronk - I think potentially, he could have been in an ideal situation. He basically rests for half the season, can see how things develop with the team, and if they look like Super Bowl contenders - would be able to train for a bit and get in shape to help with the Super Bowl run. It's pretty much the ultimate in load management.

I know he's not doing that, but it would have been an interesting approach. You basically get to miss the grind of the first 10 games of the season and get to be a part of the really good stuff. A team that can't make the playoffs without Gronk is not going to win the Super Bowl with him - but a team that can get a first round bye might be a Gronk away from being able to win the whole thing.
 

RorschachsMask

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Zolak gave Newhouse the nickname "EZ Pass" yesterday, Wynn can be average and he'd still be a big upgrade.

If he stays on the field, he will make a massive difference.
 

lexrageorge

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Going on IR now means you are done for the season, is that correct?
Yes. The Pats already used their two "return from IR" slots on Harry and Wynn. So Gunner's trip is season ending, setting aside the fact that there's fewer than 8 games left anyway.
 

Van Everyman

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Sorry, the judges were looking for "The champ is here!"
Has anyone else noted that there is no actually “champ” in that commercial? Like, 10 jerseys and none of them Patriots. Seems like there never are in any NFL apparel ads.

Hopefully Isaiah Wynn can correct that.
 

CoffeeNerdness

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No pressure, Isaiah. Tony Romo only told the world that you'd fix the run game and shore up the pass blocking all by yourself.
 

bakahump

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EZpass is better then "Gate"House as that conjures ideas of at least delaying intruders.

OutHouse might not be bad...
 

ShaneTrot

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I love the Gunner story and he is obviously a fast guy but he did not seem elusive. The Pats know way more than I do but why was he on the roster when the receiver position has been precarious?
 

RetractableRoof

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I love the Gunner story and he is obviously a fast guy but he did not seem elusive. The Pats know way more than I do but why was he on the roster when the receiver position has been precarious?
Because the number 5 or 6 wide receiver doesn't usually see the field for the Patriots and therefore have to play special teams so that Edelman/Sanu do not until it mattters in the playoffs. And nothing better was available with the cap dollars they had or assets they were willing to invest in the position? I mean you could argue that a competent fullback or tight end would add more value to the team.
 

lexrageorge

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Because the number 5 or 6 wide receiver doesn't usually see the field for the Patriots and therefore have to play special teams so that Edelman/Sanu do not until it mattters in the playoffs. And nothing better was available with the cap dollars they had or assets they were willing to invest in the position? I mean you could argue that a competent fullback or tight end would add more value to the team.
Develin and J. Johnson were both healthy fullbacks when Gunner was initially placed on the roster.
 

Jimbodandy

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I love the Gunner story and he is obviously a fast guy but he did not seem elusive. The Pats know way more than I do but why was he on the roster when the receiver position has been precarious?
He was deep depth at WR like Slater, and was mostly a PR. He was also available for other ST units and emergency DB. Useful guy to have around.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Unless Olszewski is really doubtful to be able to play because of injury for the rest of the year, the decision to keep Kessler over him is kind of surprising.

We don't talk much about what it means that Bill wants a third QB on the roster. I guess several other teams do it too, but it's still a bit surprising to me that he's stuck around as long as he has. I thought Reiss or someone had tweeted that he was brought in for a specific practice look.
 

EdRalphRomero

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Gunner must really be hurt right? I mean Korey Cunningham could have been cut now that Wynn is back (He hasn't made a gameday roster since his first game I don't think). If Sanu and Dorsett are both legitimately at risk that could leave just 3 receivers healthy enough to dress. Even if just one of them is hurt, it sure would be nice to have Gunner around (even if he was inactive for the games and just there in case of a midweek injury).
 

DeadlySplitter

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I hate when an injury looks bad, then the player comes back next play and seems OK, but then is worse off later. please let it not be so
 

Super Nomario

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Gunner must really be hurt right? I mean Korey Cunningham could have been cut now that Wynn is back (He hasn't made a gameday roster since his first game I don't think). If Sanu and Dorsett are both legitimately at risk that could leave just 3 receivers healthy enough to dress. Even if just one of them is hurt, it sure would be nice to have Gunner around (even if he was inactive for the games and just there in case of a midweek injury).
Gunner is basically another Slater; he's a WR in name only. He has two catches this year and they were both in the NYG game where every WR and TE was hurt and they couldn't sub in the second half. He's only played 29 offensive snaps outside of that.
 

Captaincoop

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Gunner is basically another Slater; he's a WR in name only. He has two catches this year and they were both in the NYG game where every WR and TE was hurt and they couldn't sub in the second half. He's only played 29 offensive snaps outside of that.
Isn't that situation exactly what we're talking about, though?
 

Super Nomario

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Isn't that situation exactly what we're talking about, though?
My point is, he's a sub-replacement-level WR in that scenario, so he's not really adding anything compared to, say, just playing LaCosse and Watson all the time.

Yeah, they're screwed if they have multiple injuries at WR, but they're screwed if they have multiple injuries at any position. I'm not really seeing why there's a particular need to have a sixth WR versus depth anywhere else.
 

RoDaddy

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It wouldn't surprise me if Gunner never plays another NFL down. He's basically a one trick pony despite some "emergency" position abilities. But he's still saved wear and tear on Jules for a half year that might pay off big down the line
 

EdRalphRomero

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Gunner is basically another Slater; he's a WR in name only. He has two catches this year and they were both in the NYG game where every WR and TE was hurt and they couldn't sub in the second half. He's only played 29 offensive snaps outside of that.
I hear what you are a saying. My point was simply that despite some speculation about a Foxboro Flu IR the news about Sanu and Dorsett makes it seem much more likely that Gunner is actually hurt. If they are facing a real possibility of having only 3 active wide receivers this week, I am sure they would like to have him available as the 4th. Even assuming you go in to the game assuming you are living in 12 personnel for much of the game going in with only 3 active WR is scary. Not talking long term, but just this Sunday.
 

Super Nomario

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I hear what you are a saying. My point was simply that despite some speculation about a Foxboro Flu IR the news about Sanu and Dorsett makes it seem much more likely that Gunner is actually hurt. If they are facing a real possibility of having only 3 active wide receivers this week, I am sure they would like to have him available as the 4th. Even assuming you go in to the game assuming you are living in 12 personnel for much of the game going in with only 3 active WR is scary. Not talking long term, but just this Sunday.
Unless something changed since Sunday (unlikely), he's not seriously hurt - he flew with the team, which usually means there was at least a chance he could have gone Sunday. But he was a late add to the injury report Friday with an ankle / hamstring, so he probably is dinged. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle: he's hurt enough at the moment enough to not be very useful, and he could recover but they need the roster spot.

WR is thin, but again, I don't think Gunner moves the needle on that. They can play Slater, they can play an extra TE, they can play an extra OL. I'm not saying those are great options, but I think they are comparable options to what Olszewski gives them.

EDIT: I also think there's a blessing in disguise here; Harry and Meyers got first-team reps all yesterday and will get a bunch more this week even if Dorsett is able to return. Probably not great for the Week 12 Pats, but it might be good for the playoff Pats.
 

BaseballJones

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The D is gonna have to continue to be great until the pieces are in place for the offense to shoulder its share of the load. I see them eking out some tight wins and maybe suffering a loss or two until the offense gets in gear. If/when THAT happens, then this team goes back to being the best team in football.
 

Van Everyman

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The D is gonna have to continue to be great until the pieces are in place for the offense to shoulder its share of the load. I see them eking out some tight wins and maybe suffering a loss or two until the offense gets in gear. If/when THAT happens, then this team goes back to being the best team in football.
This is exactly how I feel and no amount of Sad Panda Brady press conferences will upset me along the way. This team doesn’t win it every year and they’ve had their share of terrible injury luck this season.

I would also add: it wouldn’t surprise me if the initial decision to sign AB was a concession of sorts to Brady. I know we think the Patriots are immune to that sort of thing. But in a lot of ways it was out of character for the team to sacrifice so much cap room to acquire a guy with those kind of character problems, even with the talent.

And in some ways how it has played out—costing them the chance to upgrade depth— has validated Belichick’s modus operandi and is almost certainly the reason Brady is now playing every game either running for his life or throwing the ball into the ground instead of handing it off to Sony running behind a durable line.

I’m not suggesting “Brady has only himself to blame” or anything. But there’s no question his own frustrations are at least somewhat tied to their decision to roll the dice on a player Brady desperately wanted.
 

[icon]

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The D is gonna have to continue to be great until the pieces are in place for the offense to shoulder its share of the load. I see them eking out some tight wins and maybe suffering a loss or two until the offense gets in gear. If/when THAT happens, then this team goes back to being the best team in football.
IF we don't get in the groove with Wynn back (and sanu/dorsett healthy), I'm not sure how much additional improvement we can expect outside unfounded optimism for a major leap by rookies, unfortunately.
 

Jimbodandy

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Unless something changed since Sunday (unlikely), he's not seriously hurt - he flew with the team, which usually means there was at least a chance he could have gone Sunday. But he was a late add to the injury report Friday with an ankle / hamstring, so he probably is dinged. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle: he's hurt enough at the moment enough to not be very useful, and he could recover but they need the roster spot.

WR is thin, but again, I don't think Gunner moves the needle on that. They can play Slater, they can play an extra TE, they can play an extra OL. I'm not saying those are great options, but I think they are comparable options to what Olszewski gives them.

EDIT: I also think there's a blessing in disguise here; Harry and Meyers got first-team reps all yesterday and will get a bunch more this week even if Dorsett is able to return. Probably not great for the Week 12 Pats, but it might be good for the playoff Pats.
This is a fantastic post.

If Gunner were 100% healthy, Bill probably cuts someone else. Dinged Gunner is not an NFL player, and we're well into the season. And the benefit of getting real reps for Harry and Meyers is good stuff. It would be great to not have to rely on rookies right now, but that's life.