I still think you have to primarily think long term. So ultimately you grab guys who will help you long term.

However,

I think our offense is a lot closer to being a finished product than our defense but has a gaping hole on the interior line. You HAVE to get some able bodies in to plug those holes. I don't necessarily think it has to be a first round pick, but you have to get some guys. I really think if you can plug the holes on the line this offense can become turbo charged very fast.

After that this defense needs a huge infusion of talent...all over the place.

So I'd throw probably at least two picks at interior o-line positions, but I don't necessarily think one has to be in the first for Lamp. Other than that I'd snap up defenders left and right. You need help everywhere really so I'd go with where the talent is falling.


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The key to beating the Pats is to pressure Brady. He simply can't handle it and it's been proven time and time again. Even in last years SB, before the Falcons flamed out, he looked pedestrian because the Falcons had him scared. In both the Pat's losses to the Giants, he looked lost and shaken. When the Dolphins had JT et al they used to make him jumpy and nervous. For all of his greatness (and cheating) he handles pressure worse than any "all time great" I've ever seen.

So, to answer your question: defensive players that can pressure the hell out of him. Every down of every quarter get in his face. Now, this player could be a DE or DT or even a safety or CB. We need players from all over the field that can blitz and finish the job.

Now, saying all of that, if someone like OJ Howard falls to us (not gonna happen IMO) you take him. lol...

The biggest factor, IMO, is going to be coaching. Can Burke disguise blitzes well enough? Can the Dolphins keep their game plans secure enough so the Pats don't get them before the game? lol...

 

If you want to stop brady you develop the defense, period. That should be priority number one. More pass rushers and good coverage linebackers is what we are missing in my opinion. We also need another run stuffing DT. Continuing to build the oline on offense should be priority number 2. Our offense is already pretty good we just have to shore up the oline.

Balanced teams win championships. Concentrating on just one side of the ball doesn't work long term, just ask shula and marino.

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It didn't matter before he had those weapons and they the Super Bowl. Until Brady is gone it's going to be a tough road. Him and bellicheck are really tough to pressure for 60 minutes. That said the best way to beat them is to stop the dink and dunks, screens they live off. Pressure and stop the quick short yardage passes and hope your ends can get to him.

 

You need to cover Gronk and defend the quick pass (while dodging them "legally" picking). You also need to throw in a wrinkle on defense that they don't know how to defend. Like an X factor player, who doesn't have a specific role or duties. Like what we hoped Jordan could have been...a LB/DE hybrid that can cover TEs. It's why I want Peppers, because he's a LB/S/CB hybrid that can cover TEs.

The goal is to surprise the Pats game one, then when they gameplan to beat you in game two, you can change it up.

We've actually been pretty good at either splitting with them and or taking them deep in the 4th quarter past few years.

 

thatta boy

 

that's my influence. defense all the way, unless a TE falls

 

TE is not a glaring need right now. We need defense at all levels. We need starting interior olinemen and backs ups across the line.

 

I think teams have tried to build defenses for 17 years to beat Brady and it is a waste of time. It worked a few times, but keeping him off the field is the best method

 

I wouldn't worry about Brady and the Pats.

The goal should be to just get incrementally better so that we're consistently a playoff team. Do that and the SB's will come. In other words.. let others adapt to you rather than the other way around.

 

Sign Tony Harding.

*Out of date reference for the win!

 

I did. You missed my post before that one. I even said who i thought we needed to draft.

My TE post was more about saying we don't need a TE to beat the Pats, we need these other things.

 

ToP has a high correlation with winning percentage for sure. Around 2/3 of the time a team wins ToP they win the game.

Thing is.. I'm not sure winning ToP is a "strategy" per se because that 2/3 stat is skewed a lot by teams running out the clock, so causal relation is probably a lot weaker. Also.. you can win ToP in many different ways, from good defense to good run offense. And keep in mind it's a passing league now so trying to win ToP by running more may not be the best answer.

Anyway.. lots of ways to skin the cat, but whatever we do we better make the playoffs again or as far as I'm concerned it was the wrong strategy.

 

Yep! You never know when you might need to give someone a good whack in the knee.

 

we need to build a winner for the next 10-12 years. not a one-time gig

 

Tonya?"

 

I agree. If we draft a tight end it should be in the 5th round. Jeremy Sprinkle I think would be a great pick in the fifth.

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Yes. Just misspelled it.

 

As Dan mentioned earlier, the best way to limit New England's offensive weapons is to pressure #12: everything else collapses like a series of dominoes once you get inside his head. And while we have some players who can do this consistently (Cameron Wake, Ndamukong Suh), the fact is that we don't have enough. This is why I am pulling so hard for Michigan's Taco Charlton--he's everything we thought Dion Jordan was going to be--and at 6'6", 277lbs., he's capable of playing multiple positions within numerous different formations. This, as Fin D pointed out, gives the defense that all-important "wrinkle" effect.

Moreover, while someone like Jabrill Peppers would also be a fantastic addition, he does not quite provide the pure rushing ability that Charlton does. I encourage everyone to watch some of his highlights videos--his nasty twitch and unreal athleticism pops off the screen. I'm telling you, teams in the top ten are going to be kicking themselves three years from now for passing on this guy. If Miami drafts him, he will effectively mitigate many of New England's offensive weapons for years to come.

That being said, we shouldn't count on a handful of players to win a game. Building the power-run game is going to be key to the long-term success of this franchise as well, so I would consider spending a second round pick on the interior offensive line, as well as finding another veteran through free agency.

 

Have you actually studied game tape of taco charlton or are you just going off his measurables and stats? Trust me taco is extremely raw and unpolished. He has no pass rush moves to speak of and is not very explosive or instinctive. He will be ok against the run but it will take him a couple of years if ever to become a good pass rusher in the NFL. Not worth a first round pick in my opinion. Would rather use our first rounder on Jordan Willis if we are going for an edge rusher.

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Unfortunately the Patriots are clearly still the best team in the AFC and probably the entire NFL
It is going to take the Dolphins at least two more productive drafts to become a legitimate threat to the Patriots in the AFC East.

While the Dolphins need to add another guard on offense, the next two drafts should be geared toward taking the best defensive player on the board in each round. Hopefully by 2019, age will finally start to catch of with Brady and the Dolphins will have a much better defense than they have had in recent years.

 

I think you've said this every year I've been on this message board haha. Not that you're wrong, but I do think if last year was no aberration and Gase is really a good coach, we can challenge them sooner than you might think.

Consider.. during Brady's time with NE, their average number of wins is 12.4 wins per season. They also had 4 straight 12-4 seasons before last year so it's not unreasonable to expect around 12 wins from them assuming we don't improve.

We won 10 games last year. Now imagine we improve just enough so that we win 1 extra game against NE. That gives us 11 wins and NE has an expected 11.4 wins.. and we're already competitive.

Not saying it's likely. Just pointing out it doesn't take THAT much to compete with NE. One really good draft + one good HC and it's realistic.

 

I like that you're looking at the glass half full but that win total doesn't mean much. If the Pats feel we're a threat in the division late in the season, I see them crushing anybody in front of them to claim the top spot.

Plus our ten wins amounted to a first round exit. One of those 12 win seasons (2013) resulted in a SB victory against the Seahawks. It'd take a historic draft to get us over that hump.


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Or.. machines are getting better at mimicking humans :smile:

 

lol..Anybody that's been watching football for the last 15+ years know that the Pats, except in VERY rare situations, play all of their starters, at full speed, all season long, no matter the circumstances. To insinuate that they half-*** it once they've gotten close to locking things up and will just "turn it on" again if someone gets close is just silly.

Our 10 wins this year resulted in a 1st round exit. However, a 2nd string QB and basically a 2nd string defense probably had more to do with that than "10 wins"...don't ya think?

 

Right?
Any other team that lost their starting QB and something like 8-9 of 11 defensive starters would be touted as heroes for making it to the playoffs. But our fans? Nope, the team is 3 great drafts away, got lucky and it was a fluke because they lost to a full strength Pitt team in Pitt.

 

I never said they'd half *** it... I'm just saying they play best when it really matters.

No, I don't think so because that second string QB had a better rating and the defense was still crap.


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That's what you insinuated. The Pats don't take their foot off of the pedal. If they're up by 50 with 2 mins left in the 4th quarter they are still trying to score a TD.

The Dolphins were a different team with Moore. And I guess you can overlook the fact that the Dolphins thrashed the Steelers with RT at the helm and got slaughtered with Moore at the helm...but I won't.

The defense was something like 15th best in the league until all the injuries happened. So no, they weren't crap before the injuries.

 

You're reading into what I said. Don't try to make an argument over something I'm saying I didn't mean. Turn it on, in my mind, means that they'll play their best like they do in the toughest situations. That's not always true, I've seen them rest Brady to put in Jimmy.

Yeah, I can overlook it because Big Ben was out for most of the game when Tannehill faced him... that's why you won't get into it.

Were they crap towards the end when Tannehill was still playing? Exactly.


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This just in, Big Rape plays defense for the Steelers, apparently......

 

Everyone knows what you meant. Don't change it now.

You've never seen Brady "rest". Before this last season Jimmy had a combined 31 attempts in the NFL in 2 years. 27 of which came in week 17 in 2014 against Buffalo after Brady was sacked and came up gimpy. Again, SPECIAL circumstances like I mentioned earlier.

The whole "Ben didn't play in their first game last season" mantra is getting pretty ****ing old. BEN PLAYED EVERY ****ING SECOND OF THAT GAME EXCEPT THE LAST SERIES OF THE FIRST HALF. 3 ****ING PLAYS.

Now, can we stop with the BS and lies?

 

Maybe everybody but you and Fin D knows what I meant. Apparently you two have never heard the phrase "turn on the switch." Yes, the poster always giving the Patriots props for their greatness was insinuating they half *** it and only try when it matters. Funny how when I say something you want to turn into a point of debate, all of a sudden you're giving them credit you'd otherwise never give.

I've seen it, just not often. I might've seen it just once but I did see it. I watch a lot of football.

Somebody is angry he was proven wrong. Ben got injured 12 seconds into the second quarter of that game.


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