Thanks CJ, there is such a dirth of solid news atm that synopsis are all we really have to read right now.

 

told you so... :yes:
lot of rubber left to burn
if the offensive line can get a push in the trench

 

One thing I admire the Patriots is they cut ties with vets and bring in good rooks. They gave up Richard Seymour with something still left in the tank (3 years or so) to pick up 9-10 years of playing. I think we probably should cut ties. I don't want a guy who ran for 1,000 yards. I want a guy who will do it for the next 10 years.

 

As long as Ricky and Ronnie think that ,it puts Ireland in a better bargaining position .:yes:

 

we have other more pressing needs:
1) quality competition @ QB for 2011
2) competitively reinforcing the offensive line
3) the safety position could be upgraded

if the price is right we keep @ least one, maybe both RB's

 

Thats doubtful. We are changing the blocking scheme somewhat upfront and realistically that favors Ricky more than Ronnie. Thomas has experience in the WC and is a better throwing option than Ronnie will ever be, as he is a former QB.

I don't think we're bringing back both of these guys.

 

Nothing that would make cutting him later a lie. That was one of those statements that got interpreted one way by the fans that could have meant more than one thing. The same could be said about the above statement. All it says that Ireland wouldn't say that. It doesn't mean he isn't planning to do just that. IMO he sees Brown first and then RW as back up plans in case the four or five other FA running backs higher on his list can't be acquired. Neither Brown or RW are likely to return, but who knows how free agency is going to work out. With teams reportedly forced to spend closer to the cap it's easy to foresee bidding wars on many FAs. I would guess that Ireland would rather not over pay for any of the backs on his list. Parcells has always viewed backs as fungible so I expect that Ireland's views are similar in that respect. My guess is that he would rather bring back Brown (at least maybe RW too) for a more modest contract than over pay for any back. If that is what he believes than there's no way he would say that Brown's and RW's career here are over before he secures a replacement. Even then he shouldn't say it just b/c who knows what the future holds. Many of the other backs at the top of the FA rb list do have extensive injury histories so shutting the door on bringing anybody back would be foolish.

 

I would prefer bringing back Ricky over Ronnie, easily. For one simple reason: he's a better running back. Ricky can't throw worth a lick, but iirc both Thomas and Clay can do that. And as to synergy, Thomas' stryle seems far more similar to Ronnie, ie a tough, bruising runner without all that much juke. Ergo a natural replacement, DT for Ronnie.

I think that Ricky has been misused for quite some time now- Wanny tried to bludgeon him to death, and in my opinion Saban and Parcells didn't use him enough. I think that he still has something left to give and would pair up well with Thomas, and with Clay. Ricky is a powerful, shifty runner who can run people over and still make them miss- the latter isn't in Ronnie's skill set, I think that it's time for him to go. Some will argue that Ricky no longer has it- I obvioulsy disagree, and hopefully we'll find out the truth about that this year- assuming of course there is a season.

That being said, I'm still very interested in Deangelo Williams depending on his contract staus and availability. No picks traded, straight FA.

 

They're keeping their options open, little more.

 

You could argue missing Richard Seymour this past year really hurt that defense. It remains to be seen if the players they got in return will make that loss worth it. As with many things, sometimes a move works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

We are going to sign Trung Canidate to complement Thomas.

Sorry R&R.