The new look OL

[Super Nomario]

So, who starts now in the interior OL? And how many times does Brady get sacked (I've added some totals from previous seasons as a cross-reference).
 
EDIT: just to clarify; 31 is about Brady's career average for sacks, hence the dividing line between the second and third buckets.

 

[Stitch01]

Connolly/Wendell/Kline to start is my guess with Stork pushing later this year.  Guess they could start Cannon now that there is an opening, but he didn't get many snaps there this preseason did he?

 

[tims4wins]

For those who voted Cannon... I don't think the guy has played a single snap at G this preseason. Pretty sure every live snap has been at tackle. Given that, I don't think he is a possibility.

 

[MainerInExile]

Connolly/Wendell/Kline to start is my guess with Stork pushing later this year.  Guess they could start Cannon now that there is an opening, but he didn't get many snaps there this preseason did he?

 
Agreed.  If Stork comes on and overtakes Wendell, the unit could actually be better than last year on the whole.

 

[Tony C]

I'm the outlier with the vote for Fleming. Just for the record I considered whether I should answer at the start of the season or end, and decided to go with end of season. Really like the reports on Fleming as a run-blocker whose pass protection deficiencies will be covered up by being at G -- think he can be a starter by year's end.
 
Would guess Kline if had answered per the start of the year.

 

[soxfan121]

My glass half-full nature thinks that Stork really impressed before he got dinged and the coaching staff set out to find the best two (after determining Stork was going to be the Center) to play guard, giving Devey, Kline and Fleming an honest chance at winning the job(s). 
 
I also think that having Cannon - who they know can play RG - as an insurance policy helped them make the decision. 
 
I expect Kline/Fleming/Devey/etc. to get a ton of reps in game four, with the explicit carrot of "whoever stands out tonight wins the job". 

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

I'm the outlier with the vote for Fleming. Just for the record I considered whether I should answer at the start of the season or end, and decided to go with end of season. Really like the reports on Fleming as a run-blocker whose pass protection deficiencies will be covered up by being at G -- think he can be a starter by year's end.
 
Would guess Kline if had answered per the start of the year.

 
That's an interesting thought.  The week 1 OL might not be the week 16 OL.  Obviously injuries comes into play, but there are a lot of young players that could fill into the interior OL.  Projecting Devey, Kline, Fleming, etc... had to be a big part of this.

 

[quint]

For those who voted Cannon... I don't think the guy has played a single snap at G this preseason. Pretty sure every live snap has been at tackle. Given that, I don't think he is a possibility.

 
He's played guard for New England before and if the idea is to put your five best linemen on the field then he most certainly is a possibility. 
 
If the coaches believe he is such.
 
Edit - I see sf121 already touched on this, if the moderators feel this is redundant feel free to remove.

 

[amarshal2]

Connolly/Wendell/Kline to start is my guess with Stork pushing later this year.  Guess they could start Cannon now that there is an opening, but he didn't get many snaps there this preseason did he?

 
I think this is exactly right.  
 
I don't think Cannon has even gotten a rep at G this pre-season.  We keep guessing this and they keep working him at T.  Additionally, he plays well at T.  With there being no Mankins to backup T and no other in-line TE, I think Cannon will get regular work as a 3rd T and will serve as the primary back-up for Solder and Seabass, who historically have needed it.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Stork at guard-center-guard.

Long live the baby maker!

 

[lambeau]

In pass protection, Wendell was graded worst in the NFL last season, and Connelly #72 out of 75 guards--painfully apparent in the AFC Championship game. BB cannot be leaving them in place.
Just as clearly, something was up with Justin Devey playing 205 snaps so far this preseason--mostly at RG--twice as many as almost any other guard in the whole league. But he hasn't looked all that good.
I don't get it.

 

[Eric Ampersand]

This may shed some light on the question. TL;DR Josh Kline is a beast; Dan Connolly not a beast.

 

[lambeau]

Sooo.....LG Josh Kline and RG ?? to upgrade.

 

[Super Nomario]

Sooo.....LG Josh Kline and RG ?? to upgrade.

One thing I wonder about, and something that would make this make more sense, is if they like Josh Kline a lot, but only at LG. He played some there last year and was fine. This preseason they tried him at RG the first game, but not after that. They tried him some at TE last game, but I don't know that it worked that great. One possible interpretation of events is: that they really like Kline at LG, they tried him other spots to see if he could help there, ended up deciding he's a LG only for some reason, and ultimately decided the downgrade from Mankins was minor or nonexistent.

 

[Tony C]

hmm..it's an interesting thought. No idea why a guy could only be good at LG and not at RG, but what do I know?
 

Sooo.....LG Josh Kline and RG ?? to upgrade.

 
Cannon is most logical there.

 

[tims4wins]

Not to go all KFP but IMO the "Cannon at RG" talk is mostly fanboy BS. When have the Pats shown they want to try him at G? Everything I have ever read had reported him at T. If he was that good at G then last year Connolly would have been at C and Cannon at G. Instead they went with Wendell at C and Connolly at G.

Until I see Cannon take a snap at G, it is hard to take that scenario seriously, as much as we want it to be true.

 

[Eric Ampersand]

One thing I wonder about, and something that would make this make more sense, is if they like Josh Kline a lot, but only at LG. He played some there last year and was fine. This preseason they tried him at RG the first game, but not after that. They tried him some at TE last game, but I don't know that it worked that great. One possible interpretation of events is: that they really like Kline at LG, they tried him other spots to see if he could help there, ended up deciding he's a LG only for some reason, and ultimately decided the downgrade from Mankins was minor or nonexistent.

 
That's how I interpret the situation. Earlier this off-season it seemed like he would get a shot at OC but that idea dissolved when Stork was drafted. I think the likely explanation is that there are a lot of inexpensive, young guys they wanted to keep in addition to Kline. There is still a hole at RG however. Maybe Chris Barker or Jordan Devey?

 

[Shelterdog]

Not to go all KFP but IMO the "Cannon at RG" talk is mostly fanboy BS. When have the Pats shown they want to try him at G? Everything I have ever read had reported him at T. If he was that good at G then last year Connolly would have been at C and Cannon at G. Instead they went with Wendell at C and Connolly at G.

Until I see Cannon take a snap at G, it is hard to take that scenario seriously, as much as we want it to be true.

 
Apparently Cannon played G a bunch in practice.  I assume they don't go with him at guard and go instead with some Kline/Stork/Wendell/Connolly/Barker/Devey combo.

 

[Super Nomario]

hmm..it's an interesting thought. No idea why a guy could only be good at LG and not at RG, but what do I know?

They've tended to play the smaller guys (like Kline) at LG and bigger guys (like Cannon, Devey, and Fleming, who are all 6'5+ 315+) at RG. Maybe part of the goal is to get bigger on that right side, which is why we've seen Connolly (more of a LG type) working at C instead of RG this preseason.
 
 

Not to go all KFP but IMO the "Cannon at RG" talk is mostly fanboy BS. When have the Pats shown they want to try him at G? Everything I have ever read had reported him at T. If he was that good at G then last year Connolly would have been at C and Cannon at G. Instead they went with Wendell at C and Connolly at G.

Until I see Cannon take a snap at G, it is hard to take that scenario seriously, as much as we want it to be true.

He has literally played G before, like week 6 last year when Connolly left with injury. I do think they see him more as a T though.

 

[dcdrew10]

Not to go all KFP but IMO the "Cannon at RG" talk is mostly fanboy BS. When have the Pats shown they want to try him at G? Everything I have ever read had reported him at T. If he was that good at G then last year Connolly would have been at C and Cannon at G. Instead they went with Wendell at C and Connolly at G.

Until I see Cannon take a snap at G, it is hard to take that scenario seriously, as much as we want it to be true.

 
He played 12 snaps in 2013, according to Reiss and there was a lot of chatter on this board and in the media that he would move inside after he was drafted and he's also practiced there

 

[tims4wins]

Right, duly noted that he has taken a couple snaps at G. But I feel like the "chatter" has mostly come from the media and fans. I could be off base.

 

[soxfan121]

They've tended to play the smaller guys (like Kline) at LG and bigger guys (like Cannon, Devey, and Fleming, who are all 6'5+ 315+) at RG. Maybe part of the goal is to get bigger on that right side, which is why we've seen Connolly (more of a LG type) working at C instead of RG this preseason.
 

 
They also went, generally, bigger with all three of the draft picks this spring. Kline, Connolly, and Wendell are all of a similar size; smaller than the group of Cannon, Devey and Fleming. 
 
I think this might be easier to decipher had Stork not gotten dinged. It would clarify Connolly and Wendell's role(s) immensely. And if we could see that Stork is Dan Koppen Redux, I think we'd all feel better about the guard slots. Stork's draft position, college resume and brief showing has me irrationally excited about his future. But it is truly irrational, as we haven't seen him. 
 

He has literally played G before, like week 6 last year when Connolly left with injury. I do think they see him more as a T though.
 

 
Clearly, tYms4wins didn't watch that game.

 

[lambeau]

I have to think Cannon is in the lead. He battled Connelly for the RG job through OTA's and camp last year, taking lots of first team reps, and took over when Connelly was concussed in the first quarter of the New Orleans game.
He could well have taken over for the season at RG if he hadn't been doing such a good job at RT. Seems like he's earned a shot.

 

[quint]

I have to think Cannon is in the lead. He battled Connelly for the RG job through OTA's and camp last year, taking lots of first team reps, and took over when Connelly was concussed in the first quarter of the New Orleans game.
He could well have taken over for the season at RG if he hadn't been doing such a good job at RT. Seems like he's earned a shot.

He's only taken a few snaps at the G position, ever.

It's almost as if you're willfully brushing off tims4wins ignorance on this matter.

 

[lambeau]

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots
http://www.chatsports.com/new-england-patriots/a/New-England-Patriots-Priority-Position-Right-Guard-2-8307545
 
Training camp 2013
 
Patriots v. Saints Game 6 2013 RG 72 snaps

 

[Eddie Jurak]

He's only taken a few snaps at the G position, ever.

It's almost as if you're willfully brushing off tims4wins ignorance on this matter.

Logan Mankins had pretty much never taken a snap at tackle before the Pats started him there when other players were hurt.  They started 4 guys at center a couple of years ago, some of whom hadn't played there much.
 
Cannon is no doubt their #3 option at tackle and will play there if Solder or Vollmer gets hurt.  That does not in any way suggest that he won't start at guard if the Pats see him as a better option than the alternatives.  

 

[Super Nomario]

Didn't they draft him as a guard? Has he simply gotten too big for it now, did he not prove as effective there or was he used more at tackle to cover concerns over Vollmer's injury history? 

Cannon? He was a college tackle. At the time he was drafted there was speculation he might be better inside, but the Pats have generally used him more at OT.
 
EDIT: some comments from Belichick from when Cannon was first activated:

 
"He's played a lot more at tackle than he has any place else on the line. He played there in college and he's played both sides. He hasn't played a lot inside," said Belichick. "I personally don't see any reason why he couldn't play inside -- I think he's athletic enough, he's certainly big enough, he has enough power and enough quickness, so ultimately what is his best position? Left tackle, right tackle, left guard, right guard? I'm not sure.
 
"In the third week of practice, he's taken a lot of snaps, most of them have been with the scout team, but he's worked in a couple of different positions. I don't see any limitations, but that being said he hasn't done it. He hasn't done a lot of it, especially at guard. He's a lot more comfortable at tackle; he has a lot more experience at tackle. That's not saying he couldn't play another position, but it would only be based on limited snaps at this point."

 
It's always seemed to me that they like Cannon better at T than at G, but on the other hand a) they've worked Connolly almost exclusively at C this preseason, b) Devey has no NFL experience whatsoever, c) the other candidates have all played pretty sparingly. So it wouldn't shock me.

 

[amarshal2]

Logan Mankins had pretty much never taken a snap at tackle before the Pats started him there when other players were hurt.  They started 4 guys at center a couple of years ago, some of whom hadn't played there much.
 
Cannon is no doubt their #3 option at tackle and will play there if Solder or Vollmer gets hurt.  That does not in any way suggest that he won't start at guard if the Pats see him as a better option than the alternatives.  

Facts we can agree on:
-This move didn't come as a shock to BB (I.e., this is very different than getting a rash of injuries at one position mid season)
-BB is all about preparedness
-Cannon has only played T this camp

How does that make anyone think he's the top choice to start at guard in two weeks?

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Facts we can agree on:
-This move didn't come as a shock to BB (I.e., this is very different than getting a rash of injuries at one position mid season)
-BB is all about preparedness
-Cannon has only played T this camp

How does that make anyone think he's the top choice to start at guard in two weeks?

How much safety did Eugene Wilson play in camp before Lawyer Milloy was cut? Undoubtedly, the Milloy cut did not come as any more of a surprise to BB than the Mankins trade.

Cannon not playing guard in three preseason games could simply mean that BB thinks that time was better spent evaluating lower tier guys like Devey, etc.

 

[twibnotes]

In pass protection, Wendell was graded worst in the NFL last season, and Connelly #72 out of 75 guards--painfully apparent in the AFC Championship game. BB cannot be leaving them in place.
Just as clearly, something was up with Justin Devey playing 205 snaps so far this preseason--mostly at RG--twice as many as almost any other guard in the whole league. But he hasn't looked all that good.
I don't get it.

This is what has be scratching my head. Usual disclaimers (trust BB, he knows more than me, etc) apply, but with an aging Brady and the poor interior line performance cited above, I would think reinforcing the interior line would be priority 1 this past offseason. If Gronk is healthy, it seems like keeping Brady upright gets you another shot at a Super Bowl.

They must like Stork and Devey

 

[amarshal2]

How much safety did Eugene Wilson play in camp before Lawyer Milloy was cut? Undoubtedly, the Milloy cut did not come as any more of a surprise to BB than the Mankins trade.

Cannon not playing guard in three preseason games could simply mean that BB thinks that time was better spent evaluating lower tier guys like Devey, etc.

Antwan Harris started at FS week 1 and promptly fell flat on his face. Wilson was not the week 1 starter.

 

[quint]

Logan Mankins had pretty much never taken a snap at tackle before the Pats started him there when other players were hurt.  They started 4 guys at center a couple of years ago, some of whom hadn't played there much.
 
Cannon is no doubt their #3 option at tackle and will play there if Solder or Vollmer gets hurt.  That does not in any way suggest that he won't start at guard if the Pats see him as a better option than the alternatives.  

Did you even read what I wrote?

 

[tims4wins]

Facts we can agree on:
-This move didn't come as a shock to BB (I.e., this is very different than getting a rash of injuries at one position mid season)
-BB is all about preparedness
-Cannon has only played T this camp

How does that make anyone think he's the top choice to start at guard in two weeks?

 
Thank you. This is what I was trying to articulate. I may be 100% wrong here and Cannon may be the starting RG by week 1, or at some point during the season. I just don't see much evidence that A) they prefer him there over tackle and B) they prefer him there with Connolly at center vs. having Wendell at center and Connolly at RG. And it seems as if they like Kline at LG.

 

[Tony C]

It's sort of an Occam's Razor thing, with two very reasonable claims for that:
 
1: Cannon has a track record that shows him to be their 3rd best OL guy, and so easiest assumption is he'll get one of the G positions since the OT slots are taken and he has been used at G and BB shows no hesitation in moving guys around on the OL.
or
2: Cannon hasn't played much G in the past and hasn't played it at all this PS, so easiest assumption is he won't play G....BB obviously knew something was in the air with Mankins but has played other guys in his slot.
 
I subscribe to the 1st view, but both are reasonable. Be very interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[tims4wins]

It's sort of an Occam's Razor thing, with two very reasonable claims for that:
 
1: Cannon has a track record that shows him to be their 3rd best OL guy, and so easiest assumption is he'll get one of the G positions since the OT slots are taken and he has been used at G and BB shows no hesitation in moving guys around on the OL.
or
2: Cannon hasn't played much G in the past and hasn't played it at all this PS, so easiest assumption is he won't play G....BB obviously knew something was in the air with Mankins but has played other guys in his slot.
 
I subscribe to the 1st view, but both are reasonable. Be very interesting to see how it plays out.

 
But if the first view is true, why didn't he start at G last year?

 

[soxfan121]

 
But if the first view is true, why didn't he start at G last year?

 
Solder and Vollmer got hurt? 
 
I happen to think that Fleming is more likely to start at RG than Cannon but it is not impossible. 

 

[Tony C]

Well, I guess we know now where the other Fleming vote came from. Now who the fuck voted Braxston Cave?

 

[tims4wins]

Alright, I'm dropping the Cannon thing. I personally think Cannon at RG is wishcasting, but time will tell.
 
Edit: I think we can all agree that if the question is "who do you WANT to start", then the answer is "NOT WENDELL", which therefore probably means Connolly at C and Cannon at RG.

 

[wutang112878]

One thing I wonder about, and something that would make this make more sense, is if they like Josh Kline a lot, but only at LG. He played some there last year and was fine. This preseason they tried him at RG the first game, but not after that. They tried him some at TE last game, but I don't know that it worked that great. One possible interpretation of events is: that they really like Kline at LG, they tried him other spots to see if he could help there, ended up deciding he's a LG only for some reason, and ultimately decided the downgrade from Mankins was minor or nonexistent.

 
Running with this line of thinking, considering he was versatile enough to play LT, couldnt they slide Mankins over to RG?  And while we all agree that Mankins wasnt playing at his peak, I do think he would be an upgrade there.  I guess that isnt true if they thought Mankins at RG wasnt an upgrade over Cannon at RG.
 
I know his salary was bloated, but I still have a tough time wrapping my head around the fact that he really couldnt help the team at all this year even if his cap hit was high.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

 
But if the first view is true, why didn't he start at G last year?

1. He did start one game, but as the #3 tackle he was pressed into duty there when Vollmer went down.
2. It seems likely that the organization had a higher opinion of both Connelly and Wendell last year than it does this year.

 

[tims4wins]

1. He did start one game, but as the #3 tackle he was pressed into duty there when Vollmer went down.
2. It seems likely that the organization had a higher opinion of both Connelly and Wendell last year than it does this year.

 
Out of curiosity, what are you basing #2 on? Cutting Connolly would have saved more against the cap than cutting/trading Mankins.

 

[wutang112878]

Maybe this has already been addressed, but were Mankin's future salaries guaranteed or something?  On paper I just see a ~$3M cap savings which doesnt seem like its enough to justify moving on right now unless the guy completely fell off a cliff.

 

[Stitch01]

I think I have this right, but someone chime in if Im stupid.
 
He had $8MM of pro-rated bonus amortization left, $4MM which would have counted against the cap this year if he was on the team, $4MM next year.  Not sure how much of that will accelerate as a result of the trade, but the Pats had to take that $8MM cap hit at some point regardless of what they did with Mankins.
 
For salary cap purposes, the Pats will ultimately save Mankins $6.25MM base salary for this season.  It just may not all show up as savings on this years cap if some of the $4MM pro-rated bonus that would have hit next year now hits this year.
 
Miguel has the savings at $5.83MM right now after accounting for rule of 51 quirks.
 
https://twitter.com/patscap

 

[wutang112878]

The one aspect that I dont get, and maybe this is new in the CBA, is that I thought if you traded a player you had to take the prorated bonus cap hit immediately that year.  I didnt think you could split that cap hit over 2 years, but that seems to be happening with Mankins.
 
So this year I thought he has the $6.25M base, $4M in prorated bonus this year and $4M in prorated bonus next year, so a $8M dead money hit total and a $10.25M cap hit this year.  Then $10.25 - $8 = ~$2M   But if they get to split the $8M then I guess its a $6M savings this year but a $4M hit next year.
 
Which just brings me back to what did we accomplish?  We arent in a bad cap situation.  Keeping him or cutting him in the offseason saves us a total of $2M cap dollars and the only variable is what year we get that savings (now or next year).  If we were in desperate need of getting that $4M in savings this year, then I understand, but I dont see it.  And if the motivation is to get that $ immediately to say resign Revis or McCourty then I think they could get $4M in savings by approach Mayo and asking him to tweak his deal and reduce his $9M cap number this year.
 
This just seems like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

[bakahump]

Maybe he had just slipped that much (at least in Pass Protection)??

 

[MainerInExile]

This just seems like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

This is the Titanic now?
 
I think the thought that they really like Kline and see him as a LG is probably the closest to the truth.  I also think Stork will be the C within a few weeks of when he gets back.  I think it can still be a good group when that happens, I'm not seeing the Titanic thing at all.

 

[amarshal2]

It's sort of an Occam's Razor thing, with two very reasonable claims for that:
 
1: Cannon has a track record that shows him to be their 3rd best OL guy, and so easiest assumption is he'll get one of the G positions since the OT slots are taken and he has been used at G and BB shows no hesitation in moving guys around on the OL.
or
2: Cannon hasn't played much G in the past and hasn't played it at all this PS, so easiest assumption is he won't play G....BB obviously knew something was in the air with Mankins but has played other guys in his slot.
 
I subscribe to the 1st view, but both are reasonable. Be very interesting to see how it plays out.

 
I'd challenge this.  He's their 3rd best T.  We have no evidence that BB prefers him over Wendell/Connolly at G.  There are lots of games last year where those two guys were staring and Cannon was on the bench.
 
It would be crazy to say that Cannon is not in the mix for G play this season.  Of course he is.  He might end up a starting G.  But based on what we know TODAY I don't think the smart money is on Cannon at RG for the first drive down in Miami.  Maybe the 4th pre-season game will change that math.

 

[Stitch01]

The one aspect that I dont get, and maybe this is new in the CBA, is that I thought if you traded a player you had to take the prorated bonus cap hit immediately that year.  I didnt think you could split that cap hit over 2 years, but that seems to be happening with Mankins.
 
So this year I thought he has the $6.25M base, $4M in prorated bonus this year and $4M in prorated bonus next year, so a $8M dead money hit total and a $10.25M cap hit this year.  Then $10.25 - $8 = ~$2M   But if they get to split the $8M then I guess its a $6M savings this year but a $4M hit next year.
 
Which just brings me back to what did we accomplish?  We arent in a bad cap situation.  Keeping him or cutting him in the offseason saves us a total of $2M cap dollars and the only variable is what year we get that savings (now or next year).  If we were in desperate need of getting that $4M in savings this year, then I understand, but I dont see it.  And if the motivation is to get that $ immediately to say resign Revis or McCourty then I think they could get $4M in savings by approach Mayo and asking him to tweak his deal and reduce his $9M cap number this year.
 
This just seems like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

.

No they save closer to 6 million than 2 million.

Simplest terms:

Move mankins
--cap charge for 8mm in bonus at some point
--don't pay his 6.25 million base salary

Don't move mankins
--cap charge for 8mm bonus at some point
--pay his 6.25 mm salary

We can then figure out what hits in 14 or 15 but they save 6.25 million gross from the move. The bonus amort had to be paid either way its not a charge for cutting him.

 

[wutang112878]

This is the Titanic now?
 
I think the thought that they really like Kline and see him as a LG is probably the closest to the truth.  I also think Stork will be the C within a few weeks of when he gets back.  I think it can still be a good group when that happens, I'm not seeing the Titanic thing at all.

 
Yeah that was a crappy analogy, this team is not the Titanic.  I was just trying to say that they were doing a lot of stuff and they basically just save $2M and I just dont see the disruption being worth it. 
 
I dont see the harm in having Kline wait on the bench for a little bit and step in if Mankins gets hurt.  But I guess the other scenario where this makes a lot of sense was if they felt Mankins was getting to the point that they might want to bench him during the season because others might pass him, and they didnt think he would take that well, have a bad attitude and possibly ruin the lockerroom,etc

 

[Super Nomario]

The one aspect that I dont get, and maybe this is new in the CBA, is that I thought if you traded a player you had to take the prorated bonus cap hit immediately that year.  I didnt think you could split that cap hit over 2 years, but that seems to be happening with Mankins.
 
So this year I thought he has the $6.25M base, $4M in prorated bonus this year and $4M in prorated bonus next year, so a $8M dead money hit total and a $10.25M cap hit this year.  Then $10.25 - $8 = ~$2M   But if they get to split the $8M then I guess its a $6M savings this year but a $4M hit next year.

Cuts after 6/1 are split between the current year's cap and the next one. Where it gets confusing is that teams are allowed to designate two cuts made before June 1 as post-6/1 cuts. Source for this stuff: http://overthecap.com/explaining-the-june-1st-designation/
 

Which just brings me back to what did we accomplish?  We arent in a bad cap situation.  Keeping him or cutting him in the offseason saves us a total of $2M cap dollars and the only variable is what year we get that savings (now or next year).  If we were in desperate need of getting that $4M in savings this year, then I understand, but I dont see it.  And if the motivation is to get that $ immediately to say resign Revis or McCourty then I think they could get $4M in savings by approach Mayo and asking him to tweak his deal and reduce his $9M cap number this year.
 
This just seems like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

I think Stitch has the right way of looking at this - from a two-year perspective, this is a $6.25 MM savings (assuming Mankins would have been cut after the season anyway. That's money that can be spend elsewhere.