Patriots Off-Season News

[Vermont Green]

It is final roster cut down day.  I think the deadline is 4:00p.  I don't think there are going to be a ton of surprises.  It does not seem like it is looking good for my guy Boutte.  He may clear waivers and end up on the practice squad but it seems that it will come down to him or Thornton and Thornton with a slight edge right now.  I think the receivers will be fine, especially when Bourne is back (and assuming he gets back to full strength).

The OL is the concern as is painfully clear to everyone.  I don't know how they fix that now at this point.  Trent Williams is holding out, maybe we can trade for him.  He has a massive, albeit not guaranteed, contract for 3 more seasons.  He is 36.  Does he really think the team is going to guarantee the final 3 seasons?

As to the QB, there is going to be plenty of debate over who should start and when Drake Maye should start.  I don't think Maye is quite ready.  What he has seen in the preseason is only a fraction of what defenses will throw at him in the regular season.  My sense is that Brissett is better prepared right now for that aspect, even if his raw talent isn't as good as Maye's.  I get all the arguments about throwing Maye in, let him take his lumps and learn, and all that, there is no easy answer.  Just doesn't seem to me that Maye is quite ready yet.

[TheBig3]

It is final roster cut down day.  I think the deadline is 4:00p.  I don't think there are going to be a ton of surprises.  It does not seem like it is looking good for my guy Boutte.  He may clear waivers and end up on the practice squad but it seems that it will come down to him or Thornton and Thornton with a slight edge right now.  I think the receivers will be fine, especially when Bourne is back (and assuming he gets back to full strength).

The OL is the concern as is painfully clear to everyone.  I don't know how they fix that now at this point.  Trent Williams is holding out, maybe we can trade for him.  He has a massive, albeit not guaranteed, contract for 3 more seasons.  He is 36.  Does he really think the team is going to guarantee the final 3 seasons?

As to the QB, there is going to be plenty of debate over who should start and when Drake Maye should start.  I don't think Maye is quite ready.  What he has seen in the preseason is only a fraction of what defenses will throw at him in the regular season.  My sense is that Brissett is better prepared right now for that aspect, even if his raw talent isn't as good as Maye's.  I get all the arguments about throwing Maye in, let him take his lumps and learn, and all that, there is no easy answer.  Just doesn't seem to me that Maye is quite ready yet.

If Maye isn't starting it would be more due to a bad offensive line vs not seeing everything a defense can throw at him, I mean 3 other rookie QB's are starting for their teams, do you think they have seen everything that can be thrown at them? Plus the only way you see that effectively is by experiencing it not watching from the sidelines.

[green_bballers13]

I think they should've targeted established O-linemen in free agency. I think that as of now, whoever's at QB for NE is going to get regularly pummeled.

This was the debate before the draft. Draft Maye, even if he's a stud, and he's going to get pummeled. Draft Marvin Harrison or Joe Alt, and they might not be as impactful, but probably less risky. Alt was the safest pick, then Harrison (because he would require someone to throw him the ball), then Maye.

Sometimes you have to take a risk for a big payoff. That's what they did with Maye, and I'm hoping that they sit him for a year, draft a top tackle, then give Maye a chance to succeed.

[green_bballers13]

It is final roster cut down day.  I think the deadline is 4:00p.  I don't think there are going to be a ton of surprises.  It does not seem like it is looking good for my guy Boutte.  He may clear waivers and end up on the practice squad but it seems that it will come down to him or Thornton and Thornton with a slight edge right now.  I think the receivers will be fine, especially when Bourne is back (and assuming he gets back to full strength).

The OL is the concern as is painfully clear to everyone.  I don't know how they fix that now at this point.  Trent Williams is holding out, maybe we can trade for him.  He has a massive, albeit not guaranteed, contract for 3 more seasons.  He is 36.  Does he really think the team is going to guarantee the final 3 seasons?

As to the QB, there is going to be plenty of debate over who should start and when Drake Maye should start.  I don't think Maye is quite ready.  What he has seen in the preseason is only a fraction of what defenses will throw at him in the regular season.  My sense is that Brissett is better prepared right now for that aspect, even if his raw talent isn't as good as Maye's.  I get all the arguments about throwing Maye in, let him take his lumps and learn, and all that, there is no easy answer.  Just doesn't seem to me that Maye is quite ready yet.

I'd give Trent Williams a bag of cash. He can start at LT for a year or two, then move to RT before he retires. Draft a LT next year, and have Williams mentor him. Move Onwenu back to guard where he belongs.

This is all assuming Williams wants money and doesn't care about winning a championship.

[SparzWizard]

And the Bailey Zappe era is finally over

[Celtics2021]

And the Bailey Zappe era is finally over

Didn?t they release him this time last year, only to sign him to the practice squad?

[kraidstar]

I don't think Mayo should be given any more time to grow as a coach than any other NFL head coach.  He should be expected to coach up a competitive team.  I think the state of the team that he inherited will buy him some time.  He won't be blamed for poor performance here at first.  But I don't know what mistakes people think will be forgiven.  Coaches are judged on a more macro basis.  Is the team winning?  Does the team play like a well coached team?  Are they beating teams you expect them to beat?

Maybe the bottom line is whether or not the team is exceeding expectations.  Defining expectations is the tricky part of course.  Right now, expectations are low, but that won't last forever.  Mayo is not going to be fired because he played this guy at guard vs. tackle, or even for starting Brissett vs. Maye.  No one cares if you are winning or at least exceeding expectations, heading in the right direction.  If the team is not meeting or exceeding expectations, then every decision will be scrutinized, second guessed.

My expectations are zilch right now. This line and receiving corps are godawful.

For the love of god don't put Drake out there. He has potential, but a series of brain and leg injuries will be certain if he plays.

I feel bad for Brissett. Best case scenario he is starting and getting killed out there. Effectively selling his body for money.

I want to see us run the ball this year. A lot. Run the ball, lose games, draft some actual talent.

[Vermont Green]

The final expected Roster:

Quarterback (3)
Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton III

Running back ( 4 3)
Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty

Wide receiver ( 6 7)
DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, Tyquan Thornton

Tight end (3)
Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jaheim Bell

Offensive line ( 8 9)
Mike Onwenu, Caedan Wallace, David Andrews, Chukwuma Okorafor, Sidy Sow, Vederian Lowe, Layden Robinson, Nick Leverett, Michael Jordan

Defensive line (7 6)
Keion White, Deatrich Wise, Davon Godchaux, Armon Watts, Daniel Ekuale, Jeremiah Pharms, Trysten Hill

Linebacker ( 8 7)
Ja'Whaun Bentley, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai, Josh Uche, Oshane Ximines, Raekwon McMillan, Christian Ellis, Joe Giles-Harris.

Cornerback (7)
Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Isaiah Bolden, Marco Wilson, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade, Marcellas Dial

Safety ( 4 5)
Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Brenden Schooler, Marcellas Dial

Special teams (3)
Joey Slye, Joe Cardona, Bryce Baringer

So we ended up at:
3 QB
3 RB
3 TE
7 WR
9 OL

6 DL
7 LB
7 CB
5 S

3 ST

I think that is good balance.

[Neurotic Guy]

I don't think Mayo should be given any more time to grow as a coach than any other NFL head coach.  He should be expected to coach up a competitive team.  I think the state of the team that he inherited will buy him some time.  He won't be blamed for poor performance here at first.  But I don't know what mistakes people think will be forgiven.  Coaches are judged on a more macro basis.  Is the team winning?  Does the team play like a well coached team?  Are they beating teams you expect them to beat?

Maybe the bottom line is whether or not the team is exceeding expectations.  Defining expectations is the tricky part of course.  Right now, expectations are low, but that won't last forever.  Mayo is not going to be fired because he played this guy at guard vs. tackle, or even for starting Brissett vs. Maye.  No one cares if you are winning or at least exceeding expectations, heading in the right direction.  If the team is not meeting or exceeding expectations, then every decision will be scrutinized, second guessed.

Mistakes I was mostly referring to were experience mistakes like the one in the discussion.  He may say it?s a QB competition when it isn?t really and he may learn a more effective way to address questions about this issue.  He may also learn more about how to better approach preseason games.  Yes, these types of mistakes I think will be forgiven a young rookie HC.  Any leeway in terms of team performance in the regular season will be more related to the talent he has to work with.

[Vermont Green]

The Pats claimed four additional players:

linebacker Curtis Jacobs (Kansas City Chiefs)
defensive tackle Eric Johnson (Indianapolis Colts)
offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs (Denver Broncos)
offensive tackle Zachary Thomas (Los Angeles Rams).

That means they need to cut 4 to make room.  Looks like the first 2 cuts will be a WR and a CB:

Jalen Reagor and Isaiah Bolden, somewhat surprisingly, were among them, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.

I am guessing that the other two cuts will be OL but they could cut someone from the defensive from 7 Group.

I am surprised that Boutte has survived all the cuts.  I am glad, I like him, and Reagor never did much, at least as a receiver, so that is not a big loss.  We are going to run out an amazingly young receiver corps to start the season.

Update:

The Patriots had to make four corresponding moves to open up roster spots for these four players. Later Wednesday afternoon, the team announced the release of CB Isaiah Bolden, DT Trysten Hill, G Michael Jordan and WR Jalen Reagor.

So 1 OL and 1 DL in addition to WR and CB.  Not sure any of this changes things much, but happy to see reinforcements for the OL

[Vermont Green]

On who will start at QB:

"I know everyone wants to know that. I'm going to talk to the individual players tomorrow -- I'm going to have a team meeting tomorrow -- and then I'll get it to you guys," Mayo said. "Yes, we've made a decision; just haven't communicated. And honestly, I want those guys to hear it first from me before they hear it from someone else."

"Look, they've gone through the process as well. They've gone through the spring with these players, they've gone through training camp with these players," Mayo said. "I'm sure they all have an opinion on who should be the starting quarterback, but I don't think I have to explain it to anyone else. It's my decision, and if it doesn't work, blame me."

"I would say one thing: I think it's important to remember, what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said on Wednesday. "And so, I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also we're trying to build something special here in New England. So that, to me, was a challenge."

That last part is a bit cryptic.  I would say that it is implying that they will prioritize developing Maye over winning games.

[SparzWizard]

On who will start at QB:

"I know everyone wants to know that. I'm going to talk to the individual players tomorrow -- I'm going to have a team meeting tomorrow -- and then I'll get it to you guys," Mayo said. "Yes, we've made a decision; just haven't communicated. And honestly, I want those guys to hear it first from me before they hear it from someone else."

"Look, they've gone through the process as well. They've gone through the spring with these players, they've gone through training camp with these players," Mayo said. "I'm sure they all have an opinion on who should be the starting quarterback, but I don't think I have to explain it to anyone else. It's my decision, and if it doesn't work, blame me."

"I would say one thing: I think it's important to remember, what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said on Wednesday. "And so, I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also we're trying to build something special here in New England. So that, to me, was a challenge."

That last part is a bit cryptic.  I would say that it is implying that they will prioritize developing Maye over winning games.

In other words, tank!! 

[Phantom255x]

It's going to be interesting to see how reaction will be once they officially announce Brissett is the starter tomorrow. Not just the local fans/media, but nationally. It's been pretty obvious Maye has outplayed Brissett in preseason and he was the better camp player over the last two weeks.

[johnnygreen]

On who will start at QB:

"I know everyone wants to know that. I'm going to talk to the individual players tomorrow -- I'm going to have a team meeting tomorrow -- and then I'll get it to you guys," Mayo said. "Yes, we've made a decision; just haven't communicated. And honestly, I want those guys to hear it first from me before they hear it from someone else."

"Look, they've gone through the process as well. They've gone through the spring with these players, they've gone through training camp with these players," Mayo said. "I'm sure they all have an opinion on who should be the starting quarterback, but I don't think I have to explain it to anyone else. It's my decision, and if it doesn't work, blame me."

"I would say one thing: I think it's important to remember, what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said on Wednesday. "And so, I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also we're trying to build something special here in New England. So that, to me, was a challenge."

That last part is a bit cryptic.  I would say that it is implying that they will prioritize developing Maye over winning games.

In other words, Brisset is the opening day starter, which has been the plan all along. We want Maye to learn from the sidelines. But don't worry, we will switch to Maye as the starter at some point this season.

[Goldstar88]

It's going to be interesting to see how reaction will be once they officially announce Brissett is the starter tomorrow. Not just the local fans/media, but nationally. It's been pretty obvious Maye has outplayed Brissett in preseason and he was the better camp player over the last two weeks.

Maye was playing with the second unit most of the time with a very vanilla playbook. Brissett already knows Van Pelts offense and it makes more sense to throw him out there first with that highly suspect offensive line. Drake should play this season, but to start him game 1 doesn?t make a lot of sense.