Adrian Wilson cut by Patriots: #24 has been set free
- Thread starter SoxScout
- Start date
Per Breer!!!
As @mikejurecki reported, S Adrian Wilson has come to terms on a deal with the New England Patriots.
As @mikejurecki reported, S Adrian Wilson has come to terms on a deal with the New England Patriots.
Hoping last year wasn't a start of decline. Just two years ago he was a top safety in this league.
At the worst he's a leader and veteran. Good signing.
At the worst he's a leader and veteran. Good signing.
This is fantastic. I see no reason why he can't be a Harrison like signing here. His skill set adds something that's been missing from the secondary for a long time. Pants tent indeed.
Hell of a pickup. I was hoping for this guy but wasn't holding my breath.
Great day in Foxboro today.
Great day in Foxboro today.
Love it. He's exactly what the Pats need for that secondary: someone who can come up in the run and lay the wood and also cover a TE.
mikeford said:
Adrian Wilson fits better next to Devin McCourty; Wilson has been among the best strong safeties for a long time. Wilson is younger. Wilson is more accomplished in supporting the run. Ed Reed might be the best free safety to ever play in the NFL. There has been no better centerfielder capable of making impact plays. McCourty put up some numbers - in a small sample size - that suggest he might be developing into a lesser version of Ed Reed - centerfielder/free safety capable of disrupting the passing game 20-40 yards down the field.
I think that if McCourty's performance at safety last season was indicative of his potential then adding Reed would have been slightly redundant. Whereas adding Wilson fills a clear need - defensive signal caller, leader, big hitter, playmaker, run support stuffer, tight end/RB coverage. Wilson is much better tackler at this point than Reed. And Wilson does not have a ring.
Of course if they sign Reed and move McCourty to CB, that would be good too.
My first instinct is "Adios Gregory", but along with the Arrington signing, I get a sneaking suspicion that DMC may move back to CB. Adding a CB1 on top of these two moves is a lot of dough in one place.
The coaches loved what Gregory brought to the secondary in terms of leadership and getting the younger guys lined up right. I think he stays around and is a situational guy.JimBoSox9 said:
I don't think DMC moves back to CB unless they sign Ed Reed.
JimBoSox9 said:
I think that'd be a big mistake. McCourty looked like an elite FS-type back there with his instincts and speed. I think he plays better at safety.
Adding a CB1 on top of this isn't too much money at all. McCourty is still on a rookie deal (hopefully that gets extended soon), Arrington is on decent but not bank-breaking money, Dennard is getting paid nothing for the next three years, Tavon Wilson getting paid very little, Gregory on relatively short dollars.
We'll see what the terms are with Adrian Wilson here, but my bet is they're still below league average in terms of $$ spent in the secondary.
Not sure how well Wilson still covers, but I love the way he hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpT5SvlfJU
JimBoSox9 said:
I hope not. There are a lot of decent CBs on the market, and I like DMC a lot at FS. Of course, they still need a RT, but I get the feeling that there will be cap space for both (could be wrong, hard to up...)
Tyrone Biggums said:
8.5 guaranteed, but only 6M signing bonus, and over 4 years - that's really not a bad deal. But there's another thread for that.
Encouraged by the three years as it suggests BB thinks he has something left in the tank. We'll see what the details look like.
The problem with Gregory as a backup is that he has almost no special teams value; he played just 8 snaps on special teams last year. Can the Pats afford to carry a pure S backup who doesn't play in the kicking game?RedOctober3829 said:
With as many nickel and dime packages the Patriots play, I think there's room for a rotation with him and the 2 Wilsons. You know there will be injuries as well.Super Nomario said:
RedOctober3829 said:
God, I hope not. DMC is like Samuel, he plays a lot better when he can sit back and diagnose a play. Moving DMC back to corner completely negates the signing of Wilson, as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, if you can bring back Talib or sign Nnamdi/someone else, I think the secondary would look quite good. I'd still prefer they draft another corner even on top of that, because I don't want Arrington on the corner for any reason, but maybe Ras-I actually stays on the field next year.
Thanks pdaj. Now I want the season to start tomorrow. That video was cheesy but knowing that he plays for the Pats now made it seem like the coolest video ever made.
When you look at the usage pattern behind him, it looks like Arizona was trying to get him rest, not benching him. There wasn't one guy who was eating into his time; a bunch of guys like Rashad Johnson, James Sanders, and Justin Bethel got 6-10 snaps a game.Cornboy14 said:
Possibly; I could see having Gregory as the deep man and playing A. Wilson as the nickel. Also see my note above on Wilson's usage in the second half last year.RedOctober3829 said:
Chung is gone so maybe not.RedOctober3829 said:
020:
Maybe Wilson doesn't have the physical ability to roam the deep part of the field anymore, but who would you rather have covering a tight-end, him or Spikes/Hightower?
When it comes to playing safety, I'd rather have a guy who has maybe lost a step but can still correctly diagnose a play (Adrian Wilson) than a guy who is still in his physical prime and runs around like a seizing ferret and hopes to land on a buttfumble (Gregory). Gregory is a guy I'm happy with as a bottom-feeding roster dweller, just not someone on the field 50% or more of the snaps.
This PFF analysis from late November has Wilson as *poor* against the run but *good* in coverage. Not what I would have guessed. I don't have full access to PFF so I don't know where he ended up.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/11/23/3tfo-rams-cardinals-week-12/
Edit: Moron
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/11/23/3tfo-rams-cardinals-week-12/
Edit: Moron
I won't stand for your blatant underselling of Ras-I Dowling's body of work, sir.Super Nomario said:
Chung is gone so maybe not.
I think Rodderick may have nailed it. (sad introspective look) But even as a downside scenario, I like it a hell of a lot. I was of the mind they needed a coverage LB to keep Spikes/Hightower off the field on passing downs. That's a role Wilson can still fill perfectly even if he's not an every down SS anymore.rodderick said:
Re-read that one.MarcSullivaFan said:
"On the defensive side of the ball, Whisenhunt sent Pro-Bowler Adrian Wilson to the sidelines in nickel situations last week. Whisenhunt claims the move was designed to get younger safeties on the field for improved coverage. Interestingly enough we’ve had Wilson graded out as a consistent plus in coverage all season-long (+4.3) and it’s been his play against the run (-4.8) that appears to be in decline."
Shit. That's what I meant to say. Good in coverage and poor against the run. At this stage of his career I would have expected the opposite.
Great news. He will the best SS we've had back there since Rodney. Great to have him on the team.
He may be on the wrong side of 30 but the Patriots simply haven't had a guy in the defensive backfield who can instill any kind of fear (coverage or otherwise) since Harrison retired. Rodney cleaned up a lot of messes when he came to the Patriots. Let's hope this guy is in the same mold. He certainly hits like Harrison did.
Wilson is 6'3" 230lbs
Heis one 6 in NFL history to record 25 sacks and 25 interceptions...Record 8 sacks for an SS...
He still has most of his skill set and needs to play... Tavon Wilson will train under a master...
I'm so happy I could just shit...
Abraham will help the "new" Pats bring some more headaches for offensive coordinators...So do the deed...
Heis one 6 in NFL history to record 25 sacks and 25 interceptions...Record 8 sacks for an SS...
He still has most of his skill set and needs to play... Tavon Wilson will train under a master...
I'm so happy I could just shit...
Abraham will help the "new" Pats bring some more headaches for offensive coordinators...So do the deed...
baruch20 said:
So do we have any idea how PFF grades players or is it another black hole like FO for the most part?
I just find it odd that the coaches who see him every single game/practice/tape would see one thing (player in decline in coverage) and PFF would see another.
They say they watch every play and base their grading on successes and failures,but I'm not sure what that means. Their grades against the run are always a little suspect to me. While they say the account for other players on the field, too much of linebackers/safeties scores against the run seem pretty reliant on the defensive line in front of them.
What I can tell you is that they do have numbers that seem pretty easily attainable, and that can be a good judgement on a players ability.
Things like:
"percentage of balls caught in a players zone" (Adrian Wilson had 44.4% of balls caught in his zone, 2nd best in the NFL)
"QB Rating when throwing at a player" (QB's had a 78.8 QB Rating against Wilson, good for 19th out of 58 safeties with at least 50% of snaps played)
"Average Yards Per Catch Given Up" (Wilson averaged 16.4 Yards Per Catch, 50th out of 58 safeties)
Now, Nomario will tell you (believe me, he'll tell you) that those numbers can't be fully relied on because of the different schemes each team plays. If Arizone was sticking Wilson in the deep centerfield, it would account for the high YPC Wilson yields, since most of his coverage was against the deeper pass.
It would also make sense why he'd be a perfect fit with McCourty. McCourty really excelled at patrolling the deep centerfield. Wilson did not. What Wilson did do well, however, was deny QB's the ability to throw into his coverage.
In PFF's signature stats, there is a statistic called "Cover Snaps Per Reception". What that stat tells you is how many times a safety was in coverage relative to the number of times an offensive player caught the ball in his zone. The higher the number, the better the player. Adrian Wilson averages 29.2 coverage snaps to every reception in his zone. While it's not "elite", it's good for 18th out of 58 total safeties. Probably bottom of the barrel for free safeties, but should translate well for a strong safety. The players he'll (hopefully) be replacing in Gregory/Chung were ranked 29th/30th.
The biggest problem I've seen by these numbers is the YAC. He has a pretty high number for a relatively low number of snaps. With that being said, the Cardinals were using Kherry Rhodes as the strong safety and Adrian Wilson as the free safety. It's quite clear that he was getting burned at free safety (high yards per catch driven by high YAC), but he could really excel at strong safety. The numbers say he's good at denying the pass (2nd best at balls caught in his zone, above average at QB rating, above average at coverage snaps/reception), and while the numbers can't be fully relied on, between the numbers put out there and his history as a player, I think the could be a big addition to the secondary...as long as DMC is patrolling centerfield next to him.
What I can tell you is that they do have numbers that seem pretty easily attainable, and that can be a good judgement on a players ability.
Things like:
"percentage of balls caught in a players zone" (Adrian Wilson had 44.4% of balls caught in his zone, 2nd best in the NFL)
"QB Rating when throwing at a player" (QB's had a 78.8 QB Rating against Wilson, good for 19th out of 58 safeties with at least 50% of snaps played)
"Average Yards Per Catch Given Up" (Wilson averaged 16.4 Yards Per Catch, 50th out of 58 safeties)
Now, Nomario will tell you (believe me, he'll tell you) that those numbers can't be fully relied on because of the different schemes each team plays. If Arizone was sticking Wilson in the deep centerfield, it would account for the high YPC Wilson yields, since most of his coverage was against the deeper pass.
It would also make sense why he'd be a perfect fit with McCourty. McCourty really excelled at patrolling the deep centerfield. Wilson did not. What Wilson did do well, however, was deny QB's the ability to throw into his coverage.
In PFF's signature stats, there is a statistic called "Cover Snaps Per Reception". What that stat tells you is how many times a safety was in coverage relative to the number of times an offensive player caught the ball in his zone. The higher the number, the better the player. Adrian Wilson averages 29.2 coverage snaps to every reception in his zone. While it's not "elite", it's good for 18th out of 58 total safeties. Probably bottom of the barrel for free safeties, but should translate well for a strong safety. The players he'll (hopefully) be replacing in Gregory/Chung were ranked 29th/30th.
The biggest problem I've seen by these numbers is the YAC. He has a pretty high number for a relatively low number of snaps. With that being said, the Cardinals were using Kherry Rhodes as the strong safety and Adrian Wilson as the free safety. It's quite clear that he was getting burned at free safety (high yards per catch driven by high YAC), but he could really excel at strong safety. The numbers say he's good at denying the pass (2nd best at balls caught in his zone, above average at QB rating, above average at coverage snaps/reception), and while the numbers can't be fully relied on, between the numbers put out there and his history as a player, I think the could be a big addition to the secondary...as long as DMC is patrolling centerfield next to him.
The only downside here was I was hoping for (the younger and scarier) Bernard Pollard instead - but he doesn't get cut until June, and I'm sure BB didn't want to be exposed at that point.
Other than that - more intimidation at SS is a must (not that an upgrade on Gregory is far-fetched) - so I'll chime in on the "like/love the mood" chorus.
Other than that - more intimidation at SS is a must (not that an upgrade on Gregory is far-fetched) - so I'll chime in on the "like/love the mood" chorus.
I watched the first half of the week 1 Cardinals game with an eye on Wilson. The Cardinals used him in a ton of different ways: as a centerfielder, in a cover-2 shell, blitzing, down with the linebackers in run support. He spent most of his time in the box. I didn't see him playing man coverage but that might have been the matchup. He still seems to diagnose quickly, run fast, and he likes to hit - a couple times I saw him pull Rodney's patented "hit just after the whistle but not so long after that it gets a whistle."
I think he can play the role Gregory did last year; he played in the box more than anything else, but they still used him in deep coverage shells. He seems to still be versatile. I'm not sure they'll want him out there for 75+ plays, but I don't think he's just going to be a nickel LB like some are suggesting.
Another possibility: the Pats could start Gregory and Wilson and move McCourty back to CB.
I think he can play the role Gregory did last year; he played in the box more than anything else, but they still used him in deep coverage shells. He seems to still be versatile. I'm not sure they'll want him out there for 75+ plays, but I don't think he's just going to be a nickel LB like some are suggesting.
Another possibility: the Pats could start Gregory and Wilson and move McCourty back to CB.
With Talib signed, you gotta think it's
- Talib + Dennard as starting corners
- Arrington in the slot
- Wilson + McD as starting safeties
- T. Wilson + Gregory as top backups/rotational backs
If they go and sign somebody like Nmandi to be a 3rd outside CB......wow this would be a heck of a secondary.SeoulSoxFan said:
If Dennard gets time off for good behavior, the seondary looks a lot better than last year, and solid. Now they need a guy to put pressure on the QBRedOctober3829 said: