Pool strikes me as another Sheppard up to this point, in terms of effectiveness. He'll play a few games and spend the rest of the year nursing injuries. Bummer dude.
I actually agree with this. I watched the game and other than Brady, Moss, Welker, it did seem like an entirely new team (yes, this is an exaggeration, I know there were more than just 3 returning players, but I'm making a point here). It makes our prep this week intereting to say the least.
This sucks but is so true. And the funny thing for me is, I liked him alot when he first came out of college, thought he would be a star in this league, have followed his career more than a non-Browns fan should, totally expected this would happen when he signed here, and yet am still sadly disappointed.
Offense: Brady, Taylor, Moss, Welker, and 3 of the OL are returning starters. Two OL's and two TE's are new. Defense: Wilfork, Mayo, Banta-Cain, and Meriweather are the only returning starters. Two DL's, two LB's, and three DB's are new.
Can I tell you how much I HATE Banta-Cain. It seems like the only place this fucker can really play well is with the Pats, so when he resigns with them I cringe.
They might have surprised the Bengals but now there is game film. You can be sure that Rex is at the facility 24 hours a day picking it apart.
I understand there's reason for concern but I'm hardly ready to write him off as a Sheppard 2.0 quite yet ...
I was thinking more like Strickland, who, when he played, I thought was fucking awesome for us, but just wound up being out for too many damn games.
Obviously, yes. The impressions I had vs. Cinci were: - defense is very fast, swarming, DB's look 10x better - new TE's are weapons, they weren't at all in past years Concerns: - so many young guys, can they maintain composure in a game like this one? - how solid are they against the run? did Ok vs. Cinci, but not really a good indicator
The point is the same. The guy rolled his ankle and missed the start of the season. I don't think we should start comparing him to guys who were in and out all of last season unless we start to see that same pattern ...
Why is every Pats fan enamored with these TE's? One had 1 catch for 1 yard and the other 1 catch for 40 yards. Is there just a lot of hype up their about them? Gronkowski is known for having good hands but could be injury prone and his burst off the line is good but does not have the top end speed to get behind the defense. Also lacking the elusiveness to get any significant YAC, but his size should come in handy. Aaron Hernandez reminds me of Dustin Keller, they are the identical size, and have similar attributes, at this point their weakness is blocking but Keller is ahead in that department now. Not really concerned about Gronkowski but Hernandez is legit threat but we defintely have the tools to keep him in check.
yep - The defense is a complete makeover almost all youngsters. They didn't suck against the Bengals and that was good but they certainly can't let Sanchez get any rhythm going. They will make mistakes but they are definitely faster and more athletic. No more Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel and Harrison's running around trying to catch up. I loved these guys in their prime but they had lost more then a few steps along the way.
Gronkowski's 1 yard catch was for a TD in the redzone which is certainly something the Pats need, so that stat doesn't quite tell the whole story. :smile: Hernadez's 1 catch was for 40 yards on the opening drive and was also big. We'll see what impact they have on the game. It's not just quantity, it's quality. The Pats are going to need their blocking too that's for sure along with Crumplers. I see more then a few double TE sets.
Hernadez is real pass catching threat, the other 2 are decent blockers that will be out out their to try and cause confusion. Should be a interesting matchup, I can't see the Pats gaining much yardage on the ground so this will be a battle fought in the air. Which is just perfect for Jets- :smile:
For sure. You have to think that Ryan will be blitzing the Jets like mad, so there should be opportunities for the TEs. How well the Patriots execute their quick outlet pass will be key. A mistake here or there and I'm sure the Jets will capitalize. It's going to be a dog-fight, no doubt about it.
Luckily David Harris is quite capable of covering them, and the "white lighting" Jim Leonhard is an animal!
We are going to have to get to Brady and put him on his ass. I think our DBs will match up better than people think. If we don't turn the ball over and run like we are suppose to then we will have a chance. Our Defense will be fine it all comes down to scoring touchdowns.
Mostly just because we haven't had a viable TE since Ben Coates. Graham was a nice blocker and Watson never lived up to his potential. Fauria was nice to have around, but not a game-changer. Gronkowski is going to turn out to be a punishing blocker. And he's enormous (6'7" and around 260). One of the Patriots' biggest issues in '09 was scoring TDs in the red zone. Gronkowski gives them an element that they've been lacking for years. He caught that TD on Sunday with Dhani Jones more or less draped all over him. Hernandez is more like a Cooley type. We haven't seen as much of him because he didn't play in two or three of the preseason games. But he's fast and plays like a WR. Crumpler's been an excellent addition as well. He's been a very good blocker and will contribute with a catch every now and then. Yeah but it's only one half of a game's worth of game film. The Pats were in deep zones for almost the entire second half. I think you're going to be really surprised with what you see on Sunday from the Pats' D.
Trust me chief .. Im on here wayyyy more than on Patsfans .. It doesn't matter what faith I have on my Pats ... It's all about you .. Either your in or your out ..
