DISQUS

Mike Daly · 10 months ago

Bill, there is no such thing as a special player who is a flanker. Flankers on either side of the ball don't win championships - there are excellent flank players, certainly, but football is still won and lost in the trenches, at the line of scrimmage. The key moments of the Eagles-Giants game were that Philly kept winning in the trenches, Donovan McNabb kept making clutch plays (I'm still staring in slack-jawed shock at that scamble out of the pocket and pulling out a huge first-down throw on I think 2nd and 25), the Eagles hit the Giants in the mouth, and they kept stopping a dreadful Eli Manning (grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!) from making plays.

With all the injuries the Patriots had on defense, Asante Samuel simply could not overcome it if he were with the Patriots. People like that jerk Steve From Fall River want to bitch about Ellis Hobbs or Deltha O'Neal - they'd be better players with Rodney Harrison and others still back there.

Bill Burt · 10 months ago

Mike
You have to admit the bane of the Patriots existence was its secondary. It was awful at the beginning of the season and acceptable by the end. Asante is a great player. He would have made a difference in games against the Jets, Colts and Steelers. And he would have been their shut-down guy against any good team in the playoffs. As for Hobbs, he's a decent corner. He is much better with Asante on one side. Just my opinion.

Bill Burt · 10 months ago

Mike
As for the "special" player comment. You are wrong. Those flankers are guys that don't have a real position, like Kevin Faulk and Dave Meggett, who aren't full-timers but make plays. This kid is a winner. I could see him being a "wildcat" QB on goal line or short yardage situations. I could see him going out for passes. I would draft the guy with a fourth round pick, easily.

Mike Daly · 10 months ago

Asante Samuel is a great player, I don't disagree. But there is no way he'd have made a difference in 2008 with every other player on defense who got injured meeting the same fate. In the OT game against the Jets, I remember some idiot arguing with Michael Holley about that and Holley made the crucial point - the key plays were NOT attacking the secondary, but up the middle. In the Colts game, the game plan was FAR TOO CLOSE TO THE VEST - I am still amazed the Patriots didn't get physical with the Colts the way they did against the Broncos and the Rams the previous two games.

Bottom line - without Samuel the Patriots went 11-5; with Samuel the Eagles went 9-6-1 and needed MUCH more help (losses by both the Bears and Buccaneers plus the Eagles to beat Dallas) to make the wildcard than the Patriots needed to get in (beat the Bills and losses by Miami OR Baltimore).

Kevin Faulk is not a flanker, he is a trench guy.

JIM-RED SOX NATION WEST · 10 months ago

I really believe LT has mental issues and cannot handle playoff pressure. He seems to get "injured" during every playoff season and actually preps his "injuries" during the last couple of regular season games to be sure he cant play come playoff time. Im not a Phillip Rivers fan but i think its time for LT to learn from him on how to be tough and play football with "injuries"! Most overrated RB ever!!

KEEP CASSELL AND TRADE TB FOR 3 1ST ROUNDERS AND 2 SECOND ROUNDERS TO THE LIONS!!!

Mike Daly · 10 months ago

Why should the Patriots keep Cassel and trade Brady? That makes zero sense.

JIM-RED SOX NATION WEST · 10 months ago

Because Cassell has better 1st year numbers than Brady had...he is about 7 years younger... we can see his talent... AND WE GET 3 1ST ROUNDERS AND 2 SECOND ROUNDERS!

JIM-RED SOX NATION WEST · 10 months ago

Oh... and 2 good knee's.