Editor-in-chief
As it stands,
the New England Patriots roster stands at 90 members. Often speculated but
rarely correct, analysts and casual fans alike try to figure out who should
pack their bags and who they want to see suited up on game day. Well, here are
my two cents on who should and should not be seeing the field September 8th
in Buffalo.
OFFENSE
Tim Tebow (QB) – Let’s get this over with. Tebow can
stay. I don’t even mind him that much, it’s not his fault ESPN was infatuated
with him when he was on the Broncos and Jets. I do not know the final plan with
Tebow, and anyone who tries to tell you that they do is lying to your face.
Alas, we have come full circle and back to speculation. What we do know: Josh
McDaniels loves him, even using (read: wasting) the 25th overall
pick on him back with the Broncos. We also know that the Patriots intend to use
him as a quarterback, which makes the whole “use him as an H-back/tight end”
conversation range anywhere from mildly annoying to infuriating depending on
the person’s intelligence level. So what I think: On the surface, it seems that
the Patriots brought Tebow in as the heir successor to His Greatness Tom Brady (whether
I agree with that, I’m leaning heavily towards not agreeing) and they were
going to pimp Ryan Mallett for a high round draft pick, similar to what the
Redskins are doing right now for Kirk Cousins. However, both Mallett and Tebow are
25 years old, so each would be 29 or 30 by the time their number is finally
called assuming Brady retires after four or five more years. Although the age
is the same, Tebow has one more year experience (four vs three) and a whole lot
more actual game experience. Regardless, 29 or 30 is most certainly not the
ideal age you want to start your quarterback of the future. I think the Tebow
we see now is the Tebow we are going to have, meaning he probably will not make
any more significant leaps of improvement. I’ve never been a fan of Mallett’s
even though I have tried very hard. We just have to keep our fingers crossed he
out performs in the rest of the preseason and we can pull the trigger and sell
high on him. It only takes one team with terrible management to get this trade
done so I am remaining optimistic.
Leon Washington (RB) - Give him the ax. This thought
occurred to me during the first preseason game against Philadelphia in that he
is basically useless. Not a lot of people are talking about him and I hope its
not because they think he is guaranteed a roster spot. What he can bring to the
table – pass catching out of the backfield and special teams - is easily
replaceable by the younger and more explosive Shane Vereen. I liked the thought
process for bringing him in primarily for kick returns, because Devin McCourty
was painful to watch last year when he would run into the his blockers after a
15 yard head start. Washington could provide some nice veteran leadership to a
young running back core but it is most definitely not worth a valuable roster
spot.
Brandon Bolden and LeGarrette Blount (RB) – I grouped
these two together because they are essentially battling for the same roster spot.
Stevan Ridley is our feature back, and Vereen is our Swiss army knife. That
leaves a spot for one situational running back…or two, because I think we
should keep both. If I had to pick one, I would keep Blount because he can do
everything Bolden can do, except at about 30 lbs heavier. People are under the
impression Blount is a big bruiser inside the tackles (which he is) but he’s
very capable breaking it outside also, incase you haven’t seen the videos of
him hurdling his defenders once he gets into open space (definitely check them out).
Josh Boyce, Aaron Dobson, and Kenbrell Thompkins (WR)
– I also felt the trio of rookie wideouts should be grouped together. With
roster cuts you never know, but I feel safe saying Dobson’s spot is secure, as
it should be. Thompkins is a legit talent but his troubled past made every team
pass on him in the draft. Surprise – the Pats picked him up and gave him a
second chance. I’m reading good things out of camp from him, so the Patriots
picked right. That leaves Boyce. A fifth round selection, I think he should be
the odd man out. The Patriots need dynamic threats to stretch the field, and
Boyce doesn’t fit that bill because he is a more physical wide receiver who
worked best in short routes. With Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman guaranteed
a spot, along with Matt Slater for his outstanding special teams, I don’t think
Boyce makes the cut.
Jake Ballard (TE) – Too bad about Ballard, because I
thought he was going to be a serviceable replacement when we don’t have Rob
Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The reports are that Ballard never fully
recovered from his torn ACL and isn’t the player that the Patriots saw when
they wanted to bring him in. But hey, at least we got Tom Coughlin’s cheeks to
turn a shade of purple I’ve never seen when Belicheck claimed him off waivers a
day after the Giants waived him.
Zach Sudfeld (TE) – SUDFELD!!! Ballard’s replacement
essentially. Somehow he went undrafted, even though he is a huge target (6’7)
and an above average blocker; important because we all know Lord Belicheck
loves his versatility. If he ends up making the team, I can definitely see him
becoming a fan favorite if he sees the field. He’s built like Gronk (6’7 255 vs
6’6 265) but with flowing locks of hair, and a great success story to boot.
Fingers crossed.
Daniel Fells (TE) – I think him and Michael
Hoomanawanui (affectionately known as Hooman from now on, thanks) make it,
although when Gronk comes off PUP, I think Fells, like Boyce, is the odd man
out.
DEFENSE
Armond Armstead (DE) – Eh. He’s been out all training
camp thus far due to an infection, so it’s impossible to gauge his talent and
what he can contribute. Another classic example of Belicheck thinking outside
of the box, he was a stud at USC until he unfortunately suffered a heart
attack. NFL teams were scared off, so Armstead played in the CFL before
Belicheck decided to take a flyer on him.
Jermaine Cunningham/Jake Bequette (DE) – Cunningham
should be on his way out. At best a rotational player, he hasn’t improved
significantly enough in his three years to give the Patriots any reason to keep
him. I believe the team should move on to Bequette, who showed some potential
last year in limited time as a rookie, so look for him to try and impress the
Patriots enough to convince them to get rid of Cunningham.
Justin Francis/Marcus Forston (DL) – Both should
stay. The young guns (2nd year and rookie, respectively) can come in
on situational downs and will also not have immense pressure to perform,
assuming Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly are contributing as they are expected
to.
Jamie Collins (DE) – Obviously should stay and has
been good so far in camp. Already discussed in Part II of my Patriots preview,
even if he was disappointing you used a 2nd round pick on him so
they should at least see his rookie season through.
Steve Beauharnais (LB) – He should stay. A mild
surprise, word from camp is that he is better than advertised as a coverage
linebacker; something that could not possibly be more ideal, considering their
linebackers trying to cover tight ends or running backs out of the backfield is
vomit-inducing to watch. He definitely could be a worthy addition for use on
passing downs.
Dane Fletcher (LB) – Again, previously covered in
Part II of the preview, I say keep him to add more depth at the linebacker
position and is a serviceable coverage linebacker.
Niko Koutouvides/Jeff Tarpinian (LB) – Essentially
the same type of player, this situation falls into the WR problem in that there
are only so many roster spots. Gun to my head, I am picking Koutouvides but I
can see this going either way.
Marquice Cole (CB) – He’ll most likely stay even
though I don’t agree with it. He is more of an insurance policy and will only
have a spot because he can add depth to the cornerback position (Dennard
situation pending).
Ras-I Dowling (CB) – Screw you. This might seem a tad
pretentious; but at a certain point and to a certain degree, staying healthy is
a skill. Is this the year Dowling stays healthy? Probably not. Will he make the
team? Probably.
Nate Ebner (S) – Another nice story but might not
have a happy ending. The only way this ex-Buckeye rugby player stays on the
team is if he proves to be a viable player on special teams.
Duron Harmon (S) – The surprising draft pick this
year has actually impressed, but let’s see if he lives up to his high draft
status, considering most teams were figuring he would go undrafted. In
Belicheck We Trust indeed.
Logan Ryan (CB) – A rookie cornerback that has given
up his share of big plays at camp but is trying to learn a tough position for
first year players, however he also has shown glimpses of real talent. He should stay.
Tavon Wilson (S) – The Harmon-esque pick of last
year’s draft, (but not quite at the level of surprise Harmon brought this year)
he had a strong start to the season last year, but then fell into some bad
habits and finished more on the disappointing end for the second half of the
season. Keep him, and see if he can regain some of the stuff he showed early
on. If he doesn’t show improvement this season, don’t expect him to be back for
2014.
So there
you have it. My takes on the people who I view that are on the bubble as of right
now. I may have left some people out that you think could be cut, and if that’s
the case let me know.
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