are the pats on the verge of imploding?

[Donoghus]

I would love if the Pats in the off season would trade their next three #1 picks(this years and the two next year) for this year's #1 pick and take Ndamukong Suh. This kid is going to be an All-Pro next year and for years and years to come.

He is EXACTLY what this team needs while the backers and backfield on defense matures.

If they could do that, see how much imploding this franchise does.

I dont know anything about him, but it isnt likely at all.  the first pick is paid simply too much.  the pats have too many good players who will be free agents this offseason.  the draft picks have the potential to be incredibly valuable for two years from now if they get a structured draft salary in place (which seems semi likely).

kinda interesting to hear Adalius Thomas say that Belichek treated him like a kindergartner sending him home.

If I were Belichek I'd send him home the rest of the year, and be like "I'm actually pretty sure I could probably get a kindergartner to play better than him these days."

What I found interesting is that while Burgess explained he was surprised to be sent home, he repeatedly said he was disappointed in himself for being late.  he handled it the way you would like to see it handled (or the moss/guyton way and not discuss at all)

Adalius is a jerk, he realizes his time here is jsut about done, and he doesnt care.  thats all.

Well, I don't find it likely that the Pats do that type of trade but it's probably because whoever gets the #1 pick won't do the trade. Suh is just too good to pass on. What I find funny, yall, is that you know nothing about Suh yet arbitrarily dismiss the possibility of Belichick going after him simply because he would be chosen at a high cost draft slot. Belichick has said that he would draft someone extremely high in the draft but only if he felt the player was worth it and at a position that is a building block position.

Suh, is a lightening fast, incredibly strong 6'4" 305 pound defensive tackle in a 4-3 or defensive end in a 3-4. He is so mobile and quick that he could easily slip into a, OLB spot for a speed rush in a 3-4, he's that versatile. And he's so strong, he can play the DT in a 4-3 and bull rush an offensive lineman and pancake him. He is a once in a decade talent on the defensive line.

Yes, he is that good. This is the list of awards he has won this year for his play at Nebraska:

Rotary Lombardi Award - nations' best lineman
Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player
Outland Trophy - nation's best interior lineman
Bednarik Award - nation's most outstanding defensive player

Came in second, to Colt McCoy, for the Maxwell Award given to the nation's best all-around player. He is also one of 5 players who are finalists for the Heisman Trophy and the only defensive player to be invited as a finalist since 1997 when Charles Woodson won the award. In Suh's only head to head performance against another Heisman finalist, he had 4 1/2 sacks versus Texas' Colt McCoy, the leading candidate for the Heisman, in the biggest game of the year for his team, the Big 12 Championship game.

This is definitely a player that Belichick would play the bucks to. He's the cornerstone you build championship defenses around. I don't however feel that whoever gets the #1 pick is stupid enough to trade that pick away. He is guaranteed to be that pick.

 

No arguement here that the kid is an impact player and I do think that he'll succeed very well on the professional level. What he did in that Big XII game is nothing short of phenomeonal. The kid is a beast.

However, trading 3 first first round picks for him is absurd, IMO. I don't see Belichick doing that at all.  He loves flexibility in these drafts and trading the two first rounders in 2011 is going to inhibit his ability to manuever down the road.  Factor is the salary committed to this kid with the first pick slot and the cost to the Patriots borders on ridiculous.  

I'm not doubting the talent level at all on this kid but trading 3 first round picks (plus what it'll take to sign him) for him is ridiculous in my eyes.

Trading 2 picks in the 20's and one in the top 10 is probably about what it would take to get any number 1 pick, never mind one that occurs in a year to be able to pick a consensus impact HOF type defensive line talent.

If you swing and miss on a Top 5 pick in the NFL draft, it can set you back years.  Combine that with trading future first rounders and the gamble is too great.  

If he blows out a knee in training camp, you're left with nothing.  If he's a contract holdout in training camp, that's not gonna help things.  There are no sure things in the NFL draft.

Giving up 3 first rounders (mid or late, doesn't matter) for a singular talent is just not something I see Belichick doing.

[yall hate]

Signing a #1 pick would not preclude us from signing any of our free agents in a cap free year. Internal budgetary restraints put on by ownership would, but the cap won't. Not next year.

true, except you then deal with the cap headache the next year.  as well as the fact that you then have to deal with agents who can cite to a guy on your team receiving 40+ mill guaranteed.  what do you think Wilfork's agent would say to it?

I will also incorporate by reference (haha) don's argument regarding the injury issue, the loss of the draft picks and the talent they could bring, as well as my own that while the kid has looked great in college, he could flame out and be an extremely expensive bust at the next level (he certainly wouldnt be the first)...

[Redz]

Thomas will not be on the active roster tomorrow.  No big surprise there.

[Roy Hobbs]

Even Pat Patriot has fallen on tough times:

Link

[Redz]

Even Pat Patriot has fallen on tough times:

Link

WOw, he and the old Lucky on the outs.  Hard times.

[nickagneta]

Adalius Thomas is a healthy inactive for the game tomorrow.

I say expect him to be cut or sent home for the rest of the year ala Terry Glenn back in 2001, I think.

[Bahku]

Imploding? I don't think any team coached by Bill will ever have to worry about imploding. They're certainly struggling and have some big holes to fill, (especially the ones left by Bruschi, Seymour, Vrabel, and Harrison), but they are managed extremely well, and have a knack for finding talent that others pass on. I would be very surprised if they made it out of the first round of playoffs, but you still have to consider who they're led by, and some of the considerable remaining talent ... it wouldn't take much to turn this around, and the games that they lost were lost because of their mistakes, not so much the stellar performance of the other teams, (with one or two exceptions), or at least partially.

[yall hate]

Adalius Thomas is a healthy inactive for the game tomorrow.

I say expect him to be cut or sent home for the rest of the year ala Terry Glenn back in 2001, I think.

He wont be cut.  it is a near impossibility.  it would accelerate an 8.8 million cap hit for this year, cap room the team doesnt have. 

sent home is a possibility.  but he wont be cut...not during this season at least

[Roy Hobbs]

So, how about Randy Moss quitting on the team, huh?  Any chance he snaps back into it down the stretch?

[nickagneta]

Adalius Thomas is a healthy inactive for the game tomorrow.

I say expect him to be cut or sent home for the rest of the year ala Terry Glenn back in 2001, I think.

He wont be cut.  it is a near impossibility.  it would accelerate an 8.8 million cap hit for this year, cap room the team doesnt have. 

sent home is a possibility.  but he wont be cut...not during this season at least

Will a cap hit really matter given that next year is a non cap year and the year after that a year where everything will change after the CBA is renegotiated after a lockout or strike?

[Roy Hobbs]

Adalius Thomas is a healthy inactive for the game tomorrow.

I say expect him to be cut or sent home for the rest of the year ala Terry Glenn back in 2001, I think.

He wont be cut.  it is a near impossibility.  it would accelerate an 8.8 million cap hit for this year, cap room the team doesnt have. 

sent home is a possibility.  but he wont be cut...not during this season at least

Will a cap hit really matter given that next year is a non cap year and the year after that a year where everything will change after the CBA is renegotiated after a lockout or strike?

I think YH meant that the cap hit would accelerate to the current season, meaning they'd have to fit $8.8 million under their cap as it stands right now.  If there's no room under that cap, they can't cut him.

[nickagneta]

Adalius Thomas is a healthy inactive for the game tomorrow.

I say expect him to be cut or sent home for the rest of the year ala Terry Glenn back in 2001, I think.

He wont be cut.  it is a near impossibility.  it would accelerate an 8.8 million cap hit for this year, cap room the team doesnt have. 

sent home is a possibility.  but he wont be cut...not during this season at least

Will a cap hit really matter given that next year is a non cap year and the year after that a year where everything will change after the CBA is renegotiated after a lockout or strike?

I think YH meant that the cap hit would accelerate to the current season, meaning they'd have to fit $8.8 million under their cap as it stands right now.  If there's no room under that cap, they can't cut him.

Oh, that makes sense but is it true?

[nickagneta]

I did some checking and apparently, that is not true.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/index.php/2009/12/10/what-if-the-patriots-cut-adalius-thomas-after-2009/

And I’m new to this world, so I did some searching. I checked out some figures from Thomas’ five-year, $35-million contract, then investigated his cap figure from Miguel. Still had questions… So I emailed a dude who dedicates more time to all this than most people.

Meet Brian McIntyre. He runs www.macsfootballblog.com, and he figures cutting Thomas will mean an $8.8 million cap hit for 2010… if there is a cap, that is.

[Updated: Columnist Ron Borges makes an important point. The apparent “cap hit” is lessened by the fact that cutting Thomas would mean the team will not pay the salary it had already put on the books for 2010. It comes off the cap, because it’s not paid. So, the actual cap hit is ($8.8M -$4.9M unpaid salary), which equals $3.9 million. They no longer have to pay the $4.9 salary previously allocated for him. Got all that?]


Mac offered his calculations to us:

2007 Signing bonus: $12M (divided by 5, or $2.4M annually)
2008 Option bonus: $8M (divided by 4, or $2M annually)

Broken down yearly if he’s on the team:

2007: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $107K workout bonus = $3.4M cap number
2008: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $5.4M cap number
2009: $1.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $6.4M cap number
2010: $4.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $9.4M cap number
2011: $5.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $10.4M cap number

If Thomas is cut after this season, the Patriots are on the hook for the italicized portions of the figures. That’s $8.8M.

In a potential uncapped year, that’s not so devastating. With no cap, there will be no such thing as a cap hit… if the Patriots wanted to do it.

[Roy Hobbs]

I did some checking and apparently, that is not true.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/index.php/2009/12/10/what-if-the-patriots-cut-adalius-thomas-after-2009/

And I’m new to this world, so I did some searching. I checked out some figures from Thomas’ five-year, $35-million contract, then investigated his cap figure from Miguel. Still had questions… So I emailed a dude who dedicates more time to all this than most people.

Meet Brian McIntyre. He runs www.macsfootballblog.com, and he figures cutting Thomas will mean an $8.8 million cap hit for 2010… if there is a cap, that is.

[Updated: Columnist Ron Borges makes an important point. The apparent “cap hit” is lessened by the fact that cutting Thomas would mean the team will not pay the salary it had already put on the books for 2010. It comes off the cap, because it’s not paid. So, the actual cap hit is ($8.8M -$4.9M unpaid salary), which equals $3.9 million. They no longer have to pay the $4.9 salary previously allocated for him. Got all that?]


Mac offered his calculations to us:

2007 Signing bonus: $12M (divided by 5, or $2.4M annually)
2008 Option bonus: $8M (divided by 4, or $2M annually)

Broken down yearly if he’s on the team:

2007: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $107K workout bonus = $3.4M cap number
2008: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $5.4M cap number
2009: $1.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $6.4M cap number
2010: $4.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $9.4M cap number
2011: $5.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $10.4M cap number

If Thomas is cut after this season, the Patriots are on the hook for the italicized portions of the figures. That’s $8.8M.

In a potential uncapped year, that’s not so devastating. With no cap, there will be no such thing as a cap hit… if the Patriots wanted to do it.

I have no idea about any of this, as the NFL salary cap is 1000 times more complicated than the NBA's (which is saying something).  However, isn't that article referring to what happens if Thomas is cut after the season is over?  Are there different rules if he's cut during the season (which is what YH was responding to)?

[Chris]

I did some checking and apparently, that is not true.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/index.php/2009/12/10/what-if-the-patriots-cut-adalius-thomas-after-2009/

And I’m new to this world, so I did some searching. I checked out some figures from Thomas’ five-year, $35-million contract, then investigated his cap figure from Miguel. Still had questions… So I emailed a dude who dedicates more time to all this than most people.

Meet Brian McIntyre. He runs www.macsfootballblog.com, and he figures cutting Thomas will mean an $8.8 million cap hit for 2010… if there is a cap, that is.

[Updated: Columnist Ron Borges makes an important point. The apparent “cap hit” is lessened by the fact that cutting Thomas would mean the team will not pay the salary it had already put on the books for 2010. It comes off the cap, because it’s not paid. So, the actual cap hit is ($8.8M -$4.9M unpaid salary), which equals $3.9 million. They no longer have to pay the $4.9 salary previously allocated for him. Got all that?]


Mac offered his calculations to us:

2007 Signing bonus: $12M (divided by 5, or $2.4M annually)
2008 Option bonus: $8M (divided by 4, or $2M annually)

Broken down yearly if he’s on the team:

2007: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $107K workout bonus = $3.4M cap number
2008: $900K base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $5.4M cap number
2009: $1.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $6.4M cap number
2010: $4.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $9.4M cap number
2011: $5.9M base salary + $2.4M from signing bonus + $2M from option bonus + $107K workout bonus = $10.4M cap number

If Thomas is cut after this season, the Patriots are on the hook for the italicized portions of the figures. That’s $8.8M.

In a potential uncapped year, that’s not so devastating. With no cap, there will be no such thing as a cap hit… if the Patriots wanted to do it.

I have no idea about any of this, as the NFL salary cap is 1000 times more complicated than the NBA's (which is saying something).  However, isn't that article referring to what happens if Thomas is cut after the season is over?  Are there different rules if he's cut during the season (which is what YH was responding to)?

Exactly right.

Not to mention, if they cut him now, he can hook up with another team for the playoffs.  Belichick wants to humiliate him, not give him a chance to hurt them this season.  He will likely be innactive the rest of the season, and then cut, which will cut his cap hit in half next season (if there even is a cap).