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Yet again, the Patriots have taken a chance on a player who many teams would like to avoid at all costs.New England traded a 2013 fifth-round draft pick to the Washington Redskins for former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Throughout his …
Last week’s ranking: 1That was a completely dominating performance Monday night against New York.”When you’re caught up in this marathon of a season, you just got to keep plugging away,” quarterback Tom Brady said on his weekly radio show this morning….
- Todd Archer thinks Adam Vinatieri might be a good fit in Dallas if he leaves the Colts.
We agree, but only if Buehler shows he is not ready to handle all kicking duties. The extra roster spot freed up by retaining just one kicker may seem minuscule, but it can really make a dramatic difference.
Players such as Marcus Dixon, Curtis Johnson, and Patrick Watkins will become huge Buehler fans this summer.
Still, kicker is such an important position that the Cowboys must make sure they are comfortable with whoever is kicking field goals.
Interestingly, the Patriots called Dallas. Pats’ owner Bob Kraft opened with, “Hi Jerry, are you in the dealing business?”
Also significant is the fact that Coach Belichick appeared to be on the phone with the Ravens while Mr. Kraft was finalizing the deal with Jerry. Said Belichick, “Hey Ozzie (Baltimore’s GM), Dallas is coming up here in front of us, unless you want to take it.” This was followed by a prompt “okay” and Belichick hanging up the phone.
The draft is a cut-throat business, and the Patriots do it about as well as anyone. Luckily for Dallas, the Ravens weren’t willing to make the move for Dez Bryant.
- Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas has spotted what will be a very intriguing camp battle: rookie Sean Lee vs. Jason Williams for the nickel linebacker job .
You probably know we are very high on Williams . From a physical standpoint he is basically a rookie, but he does have a year of mental reps under his belt. Williams is also immensely athletic—by far the defense’s fastest non-secondary player. Lee also has underrated athleticism; however, so this will be an exciting battle to watch.
Cowboys’ undrafted rookie safety Barry Church, Pre-Draft
- Newly acquired OT Alex Barron expects to compete for a starting job in camp.
Overall, this was a great trade for Dallas . Barron has disappointed thus far in his career, but so did Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis before joining the ‘Boys. Barron has the right mindset to turn his career around. We expect him to be the primary backup to Doug Free at left tackle, with Free moving to right tackle in the event of an injury to Colombo.
The Cowboys also rid themselves of Bobby Carpenter—the player we determined to be (by far) the worst player on the entire defense last season. We gave him a “D+” overall grade .
- Average numbers for the top rookie WR over the last 10 seasons: 69 catches, 943 yards, 5.8 touchdowns
We actually don’t think Dez Bryant will receive enough targets to be in the 65-70 catch range. Expect Roy Williams to open the season as the starter and for Bryant to attain somewhere in the vicinity of 45 catches for 650 yards and four touchdowns.
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The words “pass rush” are etched into the heads of every New England fan with enough free time to care about what their biggest off season needs are.
I’d go so far as to say Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft may get matching “pass rush” tattoos before the off season is over.
It’s ominously foreboding, however, that the Patriots have never taken a first-round outside linebacker under Belichick.
Those days may be over. The National Football Post reported that the New England Patriots worked out Ricky Sapp, the former Clemson stand-out at defensive end.
A lot of the beer banter has circulated around Texas defensive end Sergio Kindle and Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham. These are the two players who are universally seen as the best fits for New England, and many mock drafters believe that one or the other should be available to the Patriots at the 22nd pick.
The Pats are putting the feelers out there on all the options in the draft for pass rushers, as it remains possible that neither Kindle nor Graham will be available to them at the 22nd pick. Additionally, they need all the tape they can get on Sapp—despite being selected, he didn’t appear in the Senior Bowl.
Sapp has the potential to play outside linebacker. First-year Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele sprinkled in a bit of the 3-4 scheme, but not just any 3-4 scheme—Steele learned from Nick Saban, who learned his scheme from Bill Belichick.
He’s considered one of the best pass-rushers in a draft class that’s loaded with them. He ran a blistering 4.61-second 40-yard dash, and has a devastating arsenal of pass rush moves.
The stat sheet, however, tells a different story. He only recorded 16 sacks on the quarterback in 33 games as a Tiger, and never had more than five in one season. CBSsports.com reports that he tallied 54 quarterback pressures in his career.
His primary weakness is in the run game, where he’s exposed for lack of strength and leverage at the point of attack. Although he could add more bulk to his 6’4″ 252-pound frame, coaches and GMs have to wonder if Sapp is a 3-down linebacker in the NFL.
All this begs the question: If Sapp is available at No. 22, and the other two OLB prospects are gone, should New England take him?
There may be better ways to use that first-round pick. Florida DE Carlos Dunlap is a guy with tremendous upside who has fallen down boards recently. TCU linebacker Jerry Hughes would also make a great addition to New England’s roster.
Bill Belichick became notorious during the dynasty days for his ability to mask a player’s weakness. If the Patriots go with Sapp, they could utilize him as a pass-rusher until he gets comfortable, but a situational player (as proven by Vernon Gholston) is no way to use a first-round draft pick.
Other teams may realize this, and Sapp may fall out of the first round. If that’s the case, the Patriots should take the value of a physical specimen with pass-rush capabilities in the second round.
And as far as run support goes, isn’t that what the Patriots re-signed Vince Wilfork for? What about Jerod Mayo, the tackling machine who stops most running backs before they even reach the edge?
Even if Sapp doesn’t bulk up, he could still be a decent addition to New England’s roster. Just not at the 22nd pick.
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New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft went on WEEI sports radio today and didn’t give many answers regarding the Patriots offseason. The big question in New England remains: “What’s the plan?”
After being blown out by the Ravens in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, the Patriots had obvious issues going into the offseason. So far, it appears not many of those issues have been addressed. Re-signing Vince Wilfork and Tully Banta-Cain is a start. However, watching Julius Peppers, Anquan Boldin, and Antonio Cromartie sign to other teams leaves many wondering how the Patriots plan to improve for next year.
Kraft reassured the public on WEEI radio that, “(The Patriots) are never going to sell our soul for one season and say ‘this is the year’.” He also mentioned the New England Patriots have won more games than any other team since the Krafts’ bought them 16 years ago, which is a great statistic, however, it does not solve the current problems on the depth chart.
ESPN football analyst Tedy Bruschi has called out his former team more than once, saying he believes the Patriots need to take advantage of free agency and sign some veteran talent. The AFC East is no longer a cake walk for New England; the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have improved themselves with valuable offseason additions, and the Patriots seem uninterested in making any move outside of re-signing their current players.
Brian Westbrook is still available, and pending he doesn’t retire, the 30-year-old running back could greatly improve the passing game out of the backfield, and provide veteran leadership in the locker room.
This aspect of the Patriots offense is currently being covered by the 33-year-old Kevin Faulk, arguably our best receiving back. “Fragile” Fred Taylor remains a question mark, and Laurence Maroney’s game remains inconsistent.
Re-signing Leigh Bodden is a good first step in repairing the New England secondary. The unit has talent and needs to look for additional help from the draft. A returning Tully Banta-Cain and his pass rush will help the secondary. However, New England needs to do a better job of getting to the quarterback in 2010.
David Patten is a familiar face and has been productive in the Patriot system in the past. Depending on Welker’s recovery, he has a good chance of seeing the field in 2010. Julian Edelman had a solid rookie year and stepped up when Wes Welker went down.
There is still room for improvement, as Welker will be coming off major knee surgery and may not be able to put up the numbers he has in the past. David Patten will be 36 at the start of the season, and Randy Moss isn’t getting any younger. Don’t be surprised if New England looks to find Brady another target before the 2010 season kicks off.
The Patriots have some personnel issues to address before the 2010 season. Many of the big-name free agents have come and gone, and New England appears to be confident in their abundance of 2010 draft picks as a means for improvement.
It’s hard not to trust a team that has performed so well in the past decade.
True to Patriot fashion, Mr. Kraft did not provide listeners with many offseason answers during his WEEI interview, and instead echoed the outlook of the Patriots organization: “We’re concerned with how many football games we win at the end of the year.” With the way they performed in last season’s playoffs, there is only room to improve.
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