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NFL 2013 Off Season - cap hits, franchise tags, draft prep


MantaRay

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The whole thing was Pats/Belichek schadenfreude, or at least that's the way I saw it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Read the article. The only schadenfreude is towards its critical target, an ESPN writer, not the Patriots. If anything, it says "I understand" in respect to the way the Pats and every NFL team do business.

Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe I just found an opportunity to air my feelings on the matter. I

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Kraft sounds off:

Classy response by the old man. Safe to say the; "talented players with character problems" experiment(s) in NE are over.

 

 

 

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/9459474/robert-kraft-breaks-silence-aaron-hernandez-saying-feels-duped-tight-end-guilty

 

It is important that our fanbase hear directly from our franchise. My heart goes out to the Lloyd family. I feel bad that someone connected to our team is connected to this. Following Aaron's arrest, I read a number of different accounts of how things transpired in our organization. Let me be clear: We decided the week prior to Aaron's arrest that if Aaron was arrested in connection with the Lloyd murder case, that we would cut him immediately after! The rationale behind this decision was that if any member of the New England Patriots organization is close enough to a murder investigation to actually get arrested -- whether it be for obstruction of justice or the crime itself -- it is too close to an unthinkable act for that person to be part of this organization going forward. If all this stuff is true with Aaron, then I've been duped, and our whole organization has been duped When he [Hernandez] was in our building, we never saw anything where he was not polite. He was always respectful to me. We only know what's going on inside our building. We don't put private eyes on people. Had we have known all that has transpired, we wouldn’t have signed him to that contract. It obviously wasn't the correct decision. We [the Patriots] made a mistake and are facing it head on, that includes a process in which we will renew our efforts and look at procedures. You can be sure we'll be looking at our procedures and auditing how we do things. Unfortunately, these are the consequences. There are big costs.. big distractions.. everything we didn’t want happening. But in the end, principle is more important than money.

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..and now this;

 

http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/9469110/new-england-patriots-cb-alfonzo-dennard-arrested-dui-case-report-says

 

"New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was arrested early Thursday morning in Lincoln, Neb. Police say Dennard was pulled over around 2:00 am and cited with suspicion of DUI, refusing a chemical test, and a driving infraction, according to the report. Dennard was placed on two years probation in March after being convicted for felony assault on a police officer in an April 2012 incident, prior to being drafted by the Patriots. He will serve a 30-day jail sentence beginning Mach 1, 2014 for the conviction. It's unclear how Thursday's arrest will affect Dennard's probation status or his delayed jail sentence. The arrest comes as former teammate Aaron Hernandez faces a murder charge and less than a week after owner Robert Kraft said the team would take a hard look at its vetting process going forward."

 

..not a good time to be in Patriot-Land. I expect Dennard to be made an example of by the organization with either a heafty fine and\or suspension. Kraft's gotta be livid.

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The Pats are the new Bengals.

 

One key difference:  Kraft cares deeply about his team and how his franchise and brand are perceived.  From the recent playoff busts to the off-the-field police blotter fodder, I think he's had enough, and is beyond furious right now.  What that means for the future I don't know, but what I do know is that if Kraft could've been perceived in any way as an enabler before, he sure won't be any longer.   

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The Pats are the new Bengals.

 

One key difference:  Kraft cares deeply about his team and how his franchise and brand are perceived.  From the recent playoff busts to the off-the-field police blotter fodder, I think he's had enough, and is beyond furious right now.  What that means for the future I don't know, but what I do know is that if Kraft could've been perceived in any way as an enabler before, he sure won't be any longer.   

Yeah Kraft is by all accounts a good man, and he's gotta be just boiling over right now. I know I'd be furious if I were him.
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Yeah Kraft is by all accounts a good man, and he's gotta be just boiling over right now. I know I'd be furious if I were him.

 

In the end though, if you don't want to resort to having a workforce that is 20 percent criminals, don't own an NFL team. 

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never followd him as a player. is he any good for ne?

 

..for a 7th round pick? --yes.

Dennard was their starter last season, and he finished the year with 3 interceptions, 1 forced-fumble, and 35 tackles. (not bad for a rookie that nearly went undrafted) He was named to the 2011 All-first team in college.. and won the Big-Ten's Defensive Back of the Year award. Many had him going as high as the 2nd round. The reason why he slipped so low was because he was arrested on 3rd degree assault and resisting arrest.

"he helped start a bar fight and punched a cop in the face. Police say it took 4 officers to take him into custody" - http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7839320/nebraska-cornhuskers-alfonzo-dennard-arrested-assault-charges

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dennard slipped to the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft, mainly because of an off-field incident in Nebraska in which he was convicted of assaulting a police officer. Yet the Patriots still felt comfortable selecting him in the draft, in part because Bill Belichick met with Dennard personally in Nebraska. Dennard emerged as a starter last season and proved to be a good on-field value -- but now the Patriots ask themselves; ‘Was it worth the risk?’ The pressure is turning up on Belichick. Is Belichick taking too many risks with personnel decisions? How much should the team be held accountable for the player's actions? Owner Robert Kraft.. entering his 20th year of ownership, takes pride in what the Patriots’ brand represents. News like this puts another mark on the brand and likely will lead to further introspection. Would the Patriots release Dennard based on this reported arrest? Although some might view it as an extreme step, this is a time (in the wake of the Hernandez murder charge) when the club is probably extra-sensitive to any off-field issues with its players. Nothing would be a surprise.”  --  http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4745070/reaction-to-reported-dennard-arrest

Edited by Beezer34
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  • 3 weeks later...

Pitta out for the year for Baltimore with a dislocated hip per Schefter, wow. Saw a fact on Twitter that nearly half of Flacco's 3rd down conversions last year went to Pitta and Boldin, both of whom are now gone. 

 

Eagles lost Jeremy Maclin for the year with an ACL tear today too. 

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Pitta out for the year for Baltimore with a dislocated hip per Schefter, wow. Saw a fact on Twitter that nearly half of Flacco's 3rd down conversions last year went to Pitta and Boldin, both of whom are now gone.

.

Without Boldin we are a very, very limited offense. With Pitta out I am fearful that Flacco will get crushed this year.

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Stevie Johnson left practice with an hamstring injury. Mario Williams out with a toe injury. Just another year at the office at One Bills Drive in Orchard Park NY.

 

Although the early feedback on rookie QB EJ Manuel is excellent, one step at a time.

Edited by LOTCB
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Good article on Packers' GM Ted Thompson from Bill Barnwell of Grantland: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9524561/bill-barnwell-ted-thompson-influence-nfl

Put it this way: Let's combine all of Thompson's trades from these four years into one mammoth deal. In that trade, he dealt away a first-round pick (the 30th selection), two second-round picks, one third-round pick, two fourth-round picks, a fifth-rounder, a sixth-rounder, two seventh-round picks, and two disgruntled players, Corey Williams and Javon Walker. In return for those nine picks and two players, Thompson received 26 selections: six second-rounders, two third-rounders, four fourth-rounders, four fifth-rounders, six sixth-rounders, four seventh-rounders, running back Ryan Grant, and a partridge brat.

Edited by nmigliore
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Looks like we signed Dallas Clark and Brandon Stokley. Still pissed we dealt Boldin.

 

Sounds like Ed Dickson may even miss the season opener, jeez:

 

Dickson was noncommittal on whether he can return in time for the Ravens' Sept. 5 regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos.

 

"I can’t make any predictions but I’m working hard to do that," Dickson said. "It's one of those things where it was really sore and I tried to prevent it by doing other things. The doctor said it went all the way through, so it's not lingering through the season so I can  get all the way healthy and make me back to 100 percent."

 

 http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ravens-deonte-thompson-to-miss-falcons-game-with-sprained-foot-20130811,0,1205797.story#ixzz2blHrUlBn

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know it's only preseason, but jeez, Luke Kuechly has been awesome vs Baltimore tonight. Carolina has a special LB in him. 

 

It's a wonderful thing isn't it? Hasn't even played a game in his sophomore season and is already one of the very best at his position. Glad the national audience is seeing how special he is.

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Did not watch the game (as I have seen enough to know .500 is the goal this year for my Ravens). But who was that kid that destroyed my team??

 

Assuming you're referring to Kuechly? He's a 2nd year linebacker out of BC, 9th overall pick in 2012, just 22 years old. Led the league in combined tackles last year (yeah I know that's not nearly everything but still very impressive for a rookie). DR33 is a Panthers fan (I think?) so he could probably speak more to him but he was very impressive last night. Already looks like a defensive star. 

Edited by nmigliore
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