New England Sports Thread

[cl2117]

I'm excited about Vrabel. From his time in Tennessee it seems like he's a "leader of men". Think that's going to be a big part of this rebuild because there's still going to be a lot of difficult times ahead so we're going to need a coach who is able to get more from less and keep guys focused on getting better even when things aren't going the right way.

Rumor is that Josh McDaniels is a possible OC addition which would be a big win in my opinion. He's had a rough go of it as a head coach, but he's a good offensive mind and dovetails nicely with Vrabel as a defensive guy. I think it's also a big plus that he's not likely to be shortlisted as a HC in the near future, so if it does work out we won't have the brain drain that a lot of teams suffer with when they do well (like how Dan Campbell is likely going to lose Ben Johnson this off-season). Being able to have that kind of stability will be great for Maye's development.

I'm guessing since he's still here Elliot Wolf is going to be the guy pulling the strings when it comes to the draft and free agency. That position is arguably more important than Head Coach given how depleted this roster is. With a young QB, #4 pick and the most cap space in the league, he's got everything you could hope for, just need him to not **** it up.

[cl2117]

McDaniels indeed is back as the OC, which I love for Vrabel and Maye. Not expecting the same kind of magic he had with Tom, but he's a good enough offensive mind that Drake should get a chance to flourish (assuming we add some more pieces to the offense).

Don't know anything about Terrell Williams but the fact that Vrabel thinks so highly of him is promising. I read that he said "You've got to play violent and with effort" when he joined the Lions originally and I kind of love that for us and our defense. Scrappy, violent, hard nosed ball club headlined by a rookie QB with upside and a madman former linebacker at the helm.

Still steaming over the fact that we're picking at #4 and not #1 though. Taking Travis Hunter or trading back from #4 to a QB desperate team would have been gas thrown onto the fire for this rebuild. Hunter would have given you an elite talent at WR with the added security blanket that if he happened to be a bust there you flip him to the other side of the line and you've got a guy who could be an elite corner. Alternatively trading back and being able to take 2 bites at the apple for a top tier OT and a WR would have given Maye the tools to actually make a leap next year.

As it stands we're looking like we might take a Tackle which scares me given that in most big boards there's not a clear #1 and most have them towards the back-end of the top 10 rather than the front. I'm starting to think going Abdul Carter is the right choice. Most seem to have him as a top 3 talent and with the number of holes we've got across the entire roster it makes sense to just take BPA. Having a menace on the front line will be a game changer for a team that struggled to pressure the QB at all last year. And getting after the QB is something that can be done unilaterally and have a huge impact, whereas having a tackle to keep Drake upright is great but if there's no receiver on the other end of those passes worth a damn it could be all for naught.

[Parliament10]

McDaniels indeed is back as the OC, which I love for Vrabel and Maye. Not expecting the same kind of magic he had with Tom, but he's a good enough offensive mind that Drake should get a chance to flourish (assuming we add some more pieces to the offense).

Don't know anything about Terrell Williams but the fact that Vrabel thinks so highly of him is promising. I read that he said "You've got to play violent and with effort" when he joined the Lions originally and I kind of love that for us and our defense. Scrappy, violent, hard nosed ball club headlined by a rookie QB with upside and a madman former linebacker at the helm.

Still steaming over the fact that we're picking at #4 and not #1 though. Taking Travis Hunter or trading back from #4 to a QB desperate team would have been gas thrown onto the fire for this rebuild. Hunter would have given you an elite talent at WR with the added security blanket that if he happened to be a bust there you flip him to the other side of the line and you've got a guy who could be an elite corner. Alternatively trading back and being able to take 2 bites at the apple for a top tier OT and a WR would have given Maye the tools to actually make a leap next year.

As it stands we're looking like we might take a Tackle which scares me given that in most big boards there's not a clear #1 and most have them towards the back-end of the top 10 rather than the front. I'm starting to think going Abdul Carter is the right choice. Most seem to have him as a top 3 talent and with the number of holes we've got across the entire roster it makes sense to just take BPA. Having a menace on the front line will be a game changer for a team that struggled to pressure the QB at all last year. And getting after the QB is something that can be done unilaterally and have a huge impact, whereas having a tackle to keep Drake upright is great but if there's no receiver on the other end of those passes worth a damn it could be all for naught.

Good to see Josh McDaniels back, in his 3rd stint with the Patriots.

[jmr07019]

Agree with pretty much everything CL2117 wrote. I’m curious / afraid of what happens if both Hunter and Carter are gone by pick 4 and there. Are no good trade back offers. I agree the OT prospects are a bit underwhelming but if we could get an extra third and then draft Campbell that’s not too bad of a result. I also like McMillan the WR. He reminds me of Brandon Marshall and that would be a good result with the pick.

I’m also very curious to see what the Pats are able to do with the cap space. Will the change in coaching be enough to get guys to sign here? Will Pats be willing to overpay guys? I don’t see Tee Higgins being worth #1 Money and don’t think he wants to come here anyway. Wish we could get a pick for a salary dump but that doesn’t seem to happen in the NFL. I think we could get Davonte Adams for a low round pick and he would bring professional and be a good mentor for whatever WR we draft.