New England Patriots thread (MOD WARNING - #4503)

BizzyC wrote: »

"Unwritten rule" is not a phrase in the BB dictionary.

I don't get why anyone would adhere to something like that anyway.
It's a highly competitive league, I'm sure the Panthers were treating this event as a likely outcome when they made the move.

I absolutely agree and sure it happened back in 2009, but I can't remember the teams that were involved. I suppose it wasn't really a headline back then because our Sith Lord wasn't involved.....:pac:

This is what Bill had to say after the Ballard move in 2012....

"First of all, there aren't any unwrittens. ... You can't negotiate a contract, release him, and then re-negotiate another contract with him that was already done in advance. I'm sure the Giants weren't doing that. So the player is on waivers, he's on waivers -- ours or anybody else's. I don't know what unwrittens you're talking about. ... Any time you put a player on waivers, you know there are 31 teams out there that can take him if they want him. We all know that. There is no secrets about that."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4723798/belichick-no-unwritten-rules

So as I feared and speculated upon in here a few months ago. The Pats have now revealed that Dodson had a permanent screw inserted into his injured foot. Totally unnecessary, because if the lad had of been immediately sidelined and rested when his foot injury started. Then he wouldn't he wouldn't have done further damage when he tried to play on it. So he now misses camp and I won't be surprised if he misses a few games at the start of the season. The chance to strengthen his rapport with Brady has been lost. And as our only really deep/outside threat on the field, it will, as it always does, probably come back to bite us on the ass. Gronk was rushed back too soon from his initial arm break and broke it again. He should have had another 4 weeks recuperation but didn't get it. And the same thing happens the following year, a gifted player is rushed back too soon and it costs us at the business end of the season. Will lightning strike a third time this year? Hopefully not.

Tristram wrote: »

Is it the same injury as Julio Jones?

Jones broke a bone his foot and then rebroke the same bone again the following year, but in a different spot. But similar to Dobson, during his second surgery Jones had a screw inserted to stabilise the foot and to ensure better healing. Jones also had Bone Marrow injected into the injured foot, which I think was excellent. The bone marrow promotes faster healing and strengthens the effects of the screw.

Dobson initially suffered a stress fracture, wasn't rested properly, was rushed back way to soon and the stress fracture turned into a deeper, more extensive problem. But like Jones, he needed a permanent screw inserted to stabilise the fracture and to ensure stronger healing. Unfortunately, I don't think he had a bone marrow infusion into the damaged area. But to be fair to the team involved, that is a relatively new technique and is not widely used yet. That said, they may have done it and it just wasn't reported.

So while both injuries aren't a mirror image of each other, they have similarities. The only positive is, the Pats have gone for the more radical, more invasive option during the initial surgery - (the permanent screw inserted). So I expect Dobson to make a full recovery and when he does, he shouldn't be inhibited in any way. And if they hadn't of selected the more invasive option, then there's a very high chance Dobson could have fractured the same area again.

Yet it's a joke it even had to come to this. I know a new team Doctor - Dr. Provencher took over a few moths ago and I really hope he reviews the management of the likes of Dobson and Gronk. http://www.massgeneral.org/ortho/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=19397
Because imo, both players were mismanaged during the initial injury & rehab phase and it cost us dearly in the end.

The long term health of a player is more important to them and the team. Than any perceived short term benefit obtained, by rushing a player back onto the field too soon. This team needs to stop shooting itself in the foot and I hope our new Medical Director cuts this nonsense out.

eagle eye wrote: »

You say they were rushed back which I think is a little unfair with the facts. In a lot of these cases its the player who pushes to get back on the field and not the medical team or the football team.

From my experience and looking at the high impact & violent nature of the sport in question. Gronk and Dobson were rushed back way, way too soon. But I can appreciate your point and I have no doubt the players did push to return. But that's where the nonsense starts imo. Any medical professional that is going to listen a player whining to return, or is pressurised by a coach. Then they are not fit to practice imo and should not be part of the staff. You have a duty of care to your patient and you always put their long term health before any immediate need. You just cannot cut corners with the human body, especially when such a violent contact sport is involved.

A) A regular Joe breaks the Ulna bone in his forearm. It will take on average 8 weeks for that fracture to heal. And at that stage, the bone will only be at 75-80% of its previous strength. Full functionality with the arm could take another 2-4 weeks. And the Ulna could take another 4-6 months to be restored to 100% strength. Now that is an average Joe we are talking about.

Now take Gronk, at 6'6" and 265 Lbs he is no average Joe. He's a very big guy playing in a violent contact sport and he returns to the field just 6 weeks after breaking his Ulna. So not only does the same healing time not apply to him, but the margins of safe recovery have to be extended to accommodate his high risk profession. Of course none of this best practice was implemented and we all saw the debacle that ensued as he re-broke his arm.

I'm sure ye remember me raving about it. It was bad enough putting him on the field, but to do so without providing proper forearm protection was just lunacy. Oh ya, they finally copped on and he eventually had a special bespoke armoured protector designed for his forearm - after he re-broke the arm. I really could not believe the level of incompetence from the medical decision makers. Then we had the Dobson stress fracture and at the time, I said I was worried they might return him too soon. And yes, they returned him too soon and the stress fracture became a more complicated full fracture. That ended up requiring a very invasive procedure. Which was all totally unnecessary if best medical practice have of been adhered to from the start.

To be clear, I'm not going to blame any player or any of the coaches for what has gone wrong. Human nature being what it is, players and coaches are always anxious for a quick return to action. So the buck has to stop with the medical staff and the bad decisions that have been made. Them and only them have to accept accountability for it. So with that in mind, I found the timing of the new Medical Director's appointment very interesting

Now looking to the future, this is what I want to see going forward. If I was the Medical Director with the Pats. I would sit down with Bill, Robert, Josh, Matt and the entire coaching staff. And I would make it abundantly clear, that no injured player will touch the field unless I give him the all clear. I don't care what the player says, or how he feels. And I don't care what any medically unqualified coach thinks. If I think he is not ready then he is not ready. I would also tell them that if the Franchise wanted to hire a 'Yes' man they could. But that's not me, because I will always put the health of a player first and by doing so, they Franchise will be healthier and stronger in the long run. So I'm hoping our new Medical Director has done that. Or even better still, maybe he didn't need to.

Dr Devious wrote: »

Going to to see the New England Patriots
versus the Chicago Bears in October, looking forward to it, never been to an NFL before, in the area at the time, anyone been/know what to expect experience wise? Tips, pitfalls etc? Have ticket behind the posts (170 bloody quid btw) getting the train from Boston on match day.

Apart from London, I haven't been to a Pats game since before Gillette opened . So I'm not much use to you, anyway welcome to the forum.

Interested to hear some more of your player feedback TO.

TO. wrote: »

More observations on Rookies/FA:

Offensive Line: Most of them don't look ready. Bryan Stork although missing Friday will most likely get on the roster and challenge for the starting centre spot. Seems ready and looks solid enough. Good technique and solid base just needs gametime. John Halapio could be one for the future. He will make the 53 man squad and looks like he could become a solid starter down the line.

Defensive Line: Of the Rookies Moore and Forston have had the best camp in my eyes both giving solid performaces at their respective positions. Of the two I think Moore could snatch a roster spot. Not a rookie but Siliga has been putting in a really good Camp so far also. Wants to keep his spot after we picked him up late last season.

Going back to RB. One guy who has impressed me also is Finch. Came out of Olahoma and is a pocket rocket. Another Danny Woodhead size but stronger and faster. He could sneak a roster spot over Bolden if he walks away from the injury he sustained on Friday night.

This is where my 53 Man Roster is at right now:

Nice one TO. Did you get a look at Brandon LaFell by any chance? Reports I've been hearing are saying he's very inconsistent. He'll make a play and then drop a pass. In other words, he's the typical 'elite' WR we've been bringing in to help Brady since Moss left.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

What a game, what a comeback and remember this from it......






Why we all love Brady, the passion, the hunger and the sheer will to win.

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Welcome to the forum Moat.:)

+1 on the Welcome!

Last night I watched back last seasons Saints game, the final 1/4 ... WOW Has really gotten me looking forward to this season.

Also watched the end of the Broncos game with the muffed punt. Equally class

COME ON REGULAR SEASON

bruschi wrote: »

so any thoughts on the team for the season ahead?

On defence, it seems that the front 7 have been lining up in a 3-4 formation a good bit more often than anytime previously. Will it see a change back to a 3-4? And if it did, where would Chandler Jones fit into it? The LB corps seemed to be Mayo and Collins at ILB most often, with Hightower and Ninkovic on the outside. Would putting Jones at the end of a front 3 or at OLB restrict his pass rush ability?

I don't see it being a problem. It might actually improve our pass rush overall.

Generally in a 3 man front you have at least one guy in a 4 or 5 tech, which is where Jones plays on the 4 man front. I don't see him being put in a 3 tech which wouldn't suit him.

The real change there is Ninkovic wont have his hand in the dirt, which frees his movement up a bit more and will allow us to stunt the other backers more often to keep the O Line guessing where the 4th rusher is coming from. For Jones it should just stay business as usual.

Kelly and Wilfork playing a 3 and 1 tech should solve all of our inside run issues from a year ago...
Also having two big men in the middle like that allows you to create more gaps for inside stunts from Collins and Mayo.

Vanolder wrote: »

Cheers lads.... How has Revis settle in tho??

Revis has simply been outstanding in practice. There is no other word to put on it. Well maybe I could say he's the Brady of CBs.

Vanolder wrote: »

Seriously tho, how are our receivers shaping up? I've read a few mixed reports on La Fell... Jules could be our go to guy again for the first half of the season at least.

I'm putting a post together later on the teams progress, most of it will be about the WR corp. Now it will probably bore you, but it will be my two cents re:what I've picked up.

On Offense

I have some question and maybe some concerns. Looking at the O line. The interior of the line gave us a lot of hassle last year. So I think the loss of Stork with an undisclosed injury, is a big blow imo. It takes away competition and that's not a good thing. On Monday & Tuesday the consensus suggests that the Redskins had the edge in pass rush drills. So looking at the interior of the O line overall, I am a bit worried for Brady going into the new season. That said, if they can get back to their 2012 performance then I'll be very happy and hopefully they will.

Apart from Gronk, I think we can safely say the the much heralded & revolutionary Pats TE offense is well and truly dead . Gronk could again be out by the business end of the season and we''ll be left with predominately blocking TE's. And that will make us that little bit more predictable on offense. Hooman is now sidelined with an injury, along with Williams. So the rookie Jenkins is getting more reps, which I'm glad to see. Yesterday he made one excellent catch on a route down the middle. Demonstrating excellent body control, as he leaped, tracked and turned his body in mid-air to catch and control the ball. He shipped a huge hit when he landed and didn't drop the ball. He's a huge target and I'd love if he could surprise us all this season

Rookie James White, could be the new star of the offense in a Vereen style role. He's got pretty good hands, but unlike Vereen, he runs big for a small guy. If his excellent ball security continues, then that will be a huge plus for us. And we need him, because Vereen continues to have question marks hanging over his durability. White is undoubtedly been the stand our rookie in this camp, has demonstrated excellent maturity, wisdom and discipline for a kid. Then again, his dad is a cop and his mom is a Probation Officer, so it's kinda in his jeans.

If Vereen stays healthy, then expect to see a fair few two back sets with White & Vereen. Defenses will be left wondering will they pass, will they run? So that should be fun to watch.

We could have afforded Blount and we should have kept Blount, because we haven't replaced him. We don't have that barn door smashing presence at RB and that's not good imo. This is a huge year for Ridley, but I have a feeling it could be his last. It's not so much how often he fumbles, but rather when he has. And I think that has created a perception that's hard to shake. I like Ridley, he’s our most dynamic pure RB on the roster. But I have to admit, last year I reached a point where I wanted to see them giving the ball to Blount instead.

And now I reach the area of most concern, our WR corp. No surprise to see that Minitron has been excellent in camp. So if he keeps healthy, then he could have an even better year that last year. But he needs better support out there.

Amendola like last year has looked good in camp, but his durability remains suspect. I know I gave out about him and wanted a taller WR, with a bigger catch radius. But Amendola is a damn nice guy and a bloody hard worker. And if I can see the Amendola that I saw against the Bills last year, then he will do very well.

Thompkins had a great start to camp and then had some drop days, which happens. But he's another real hard worker and Bill has singled his ethic out for praise. All Thompkins needs to do is add consistency and if he can add that & stay healthy, then I'll be happy camper.

Dobson was my ace in the hole for 2014, was mismanaged and now he's lost an entire training camp. He's lost ground that will be hard to make up when he comes back. So we've already shot ourselves in the foot for the new season.
He's the one true deep threat on the team, the one guy that can get up there and take the ball from CB's. And this is a key ares of need for us for a few years now. So I can't hide the disappointment of Dodson not being out there and it was all so avoidable.

Only time will tell if La Fell can provide an option to cover Dobson, initially reports said he was inconsistent, but he seems to have picked it up in the last week. As TO. previously said, the lad is adapting and adjusting to the offense and Brady. Ja Marcuses post yesterday (video clip) shows what he can do with that sweet one handed catch. Brady's body language also seems to suggest a growing rapport with La Fell, which is key.

Since I’m already factoring in not having Gronk when we really need him. I think the success of our offense could be very significantly affected by La Fell and how well he does. If he build trust with Brady, stays healthy and provides an outside/deep threat with Dobson out? Then I’ll be delighted. I think La Fell could have a significant impact on our season, by stretching defenses and keeping them honest.

At QB, I expect Mallet to have a better preseason than last year and we can't afford to trade because unsurprisingly, Garropolo is playing like a rookie.

Brady looked lethal against the Redskins. He's had everybody gushing as he put on a master class. Revis said last week its been a pleasure practicing with and playing against the best. He said Brady brings the best competition out in him and I'm sure Brady feels the same way about Revis. And once again, Brady enters another season where he has not been provided with a truly elite WR target.

But hey, this time last season Brady was in the unprecedented position, of virtually breaking in an entirely new corp. So the return of familiar faces this year is a positive. But keeping Brady healthy is as always the bottom line and the priority for the success of the Pats.

Sorry for the length of the post. But these are my thoughts and ramblings on the team. No doubt my opinion on some, most, or all of that could change by the time preseason is over. But that's where I think we're at right now.