2016 New England Patriots

[Thrashen]

The Patriots have released WR Brandon LaFell and TE Scott Chandler…

http://patslighthousereport.sportsb...being-released-along-with-scott-chandler.html

LaFell always struck me as one of the precious few “good blacks” in the NFL. Married to a black woman, very religious, doesn’t taunt opponents or celebrate good plays, and donates his time for kids. He’s not a great WR, but he played a nice complimentary role to NE’s white superstars (Gronk, Edelman, Amendola), particularly during their Superbowl run in 2014-2015. Hope he lands a job elsewhere...



Reports are that Scott Chanlder was let go because of a failed physical due to a knee injury that limited him at the tail end of last season. I hope he gets healthy and finds his way back to NE or succeeds elsewhere (the Packers would be a nice fit). Another possibility is that the Pats are interested in pairing their all-world TE, Rob Gronkowski, with 2nd year Arkansas TE, AJ Derby. That would be the only silver lining…

With the retirement of veteran LB, Jerod Mayo, it would be nice to see Dane Fletcher or Kevin Snyder get a shot on defense this season, but I doubt they'll be more than special teamers...

The only white free agents are SS Nate Ebner, FB James Develin, and OL Ryan Wendell.

 

[Leonardfan]

Not to be a downer or read to much into it but the Patriots were present both at Auburn (Bellichek himself) and Minnesota's pro day yesterday - neither of those teams have much to offer in terms of white players. Not sure if BB wants to continue with his failed sumo experiment.

They did resign Develin to a 1 year deal. I think Ebner will be back as a WSTD.

Really hoping Weddle ends up in a Pats uniform - he is the ideal DB for BB.

 

[celticdb15]

Not to be a downer or read to much into it but the Patriots were present both at Auburn (Bellichek himself) and Minnesota's pro day yesterday - neither of those teams have much to offer in terms of white players. Not sure if BB wants to continue with his failed sumo experiment.

They did resign Develin to a 1 year deal. I think Ebner will be back as a WSTD.

Really hoping Weddle ends up in a Pats uniform - he is the ideal DB for BB.

Fan of Ebner! Apparently he won't be back, he has chance to try out for Olympics playing Rugby for USA.

 

[Leonardfan]

I think the rugby ends prior to the football season so he should be back in August.

The pats have made more good than bad moves thus far. Let's hope the draft continues to yield positive results.

 

[forty-four]

Great news! Chris Long to the Pats!
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14983305/chris-long-new-england-patriots-agree-1-year-deal

 

[Jack Lambert]

Adam Schefter saying the Patriots signed Shea McClellin!!

 

[Don Wassall]

McClellin should start, especially with Mayo gone. He played very well for the Bears last year after converting to the inside, it's gonna be yet another steal for New England. Ninkovich, Long and McClellin make three White starters on defense so far, nice to see!

 

[Leonardfan]

Wow did not see that coming!

 

[Leonardfan]

They traded for martellus Bennett which is a bad move. The guy is a whiner and malcontent.

 

[Thrashen]

I really like the McClellin signing, especially given the fact that NE is thin at LB and their remaining "big-name" black starters (Collins and Hightower) are routinely injured. The Pats are making some great moves signing street FA's (Hogan, Long, McClellin) and re-signing their own players (Ebner, Develin). As always, they're making some really awful moves (Cooper, Bennett), too, and I'm anticipating yet another chocolate-flavored draft class. At this point, their 2016 opening day starting lineup should look like this, white players in bold...

OFFENSE:
QB - Brady
RB - Lewis
WR - Edelman, Amendola, Hogan
TE - Gronkowski
LT - Solder
LG -Kline*
C - Stork
RG - Cooper
RT - Vollmer

*Shaq Mason or Tre Jackson could start over Kline

DEFENSE:
LDE - Ninkovich
DT - Easley
DT - Brown
RDE - Sheard*
SLB - Collins
MLB - McClellin
WLB - Hightower
CB - Butler
FS - McCourty
SS - Chung
CB - Ryan

*Chris Long could also start at some point over Jabaal Sheard, who does have some talent

I don't like the "sumo-ization" of the OL, but it's difficult to have bitter feelings towards a team that will probably be starting around 10-11 whites, have 20-24 whites on their 53-man roster, and should be starting 3 white WR's (!) alongside the most physically dominant TE in NFL history and led by the greatest QB and coach in NFL history. Who knows, perhaps they'll surprise us and draft a few white OL or defenders. Perhaps Bennett and some of their many young sumos (Mason, Jackson, Waddle, Barker, Cooper) will be injured, as they tend to be every season.

 

[icsept]

https://mobile.twitter.com/RossTuckerNFL/status/710071234873200640

Former Patriots lineman Ross Tucker on Jonathan Cooper: "He stinks."

 

[celticdb15]

https://mobile.twitter.com/RossTuckerNFL/status/710071234873200640

Former Patriots lineman Ross Tucker on Jonathan Cooper: "He stinks."

Another guy the caste media hyped up as a "sure thing" at Guard coming into the draft few years ago. Shouldn't have been1st rd pick.

 

[Riggins44]

Adam Schefter saying the Patriots signed Shea McClellin!!

Another great FA signing!

 

[Freethinker]

Another guy the caste media hyped up as a "sure thing" at Guard coming into the draft few years ago. Shouldn't have been1st rd pick.

Is it possible they just wanted to dump Chandler Jones? His brother Jon, the UFC fighter, is a huge malcontent.

Perhaps the Pats figured they could nab a good draft pick and take on a project at a position of need?

 

[celticdb15]

Is it possible they just wanted to dump Chandler Jones? His brother Jon, the UFC fighter, is a huge malcontent.

Perhaps the Pats figured they could nab a good draft pick and take on a project at a position of need?

They definitely wanted to dump Jones before his contract expires next season. He wants 17mil a season on his next contract and the Pats don't play that game. Sheard and Long can match his production and Ya I hope they have a good draft.

 

[Don Wassall]

There's been some media speculation that the Patriots will release Amendola after signing Hogan. Hopefully it's just wishful thinking on the part of those who can't believe an NFL team would actually have three White men as their top three receivers.

Considering the legendary Keshawn Martin is currently the most experienced receiver on the roster after Edelman, Amendola and Hogan, they'd be foolish to let Amendola go. In spite of the head-scratching interest in sumo o-linemen the past two seasons, this has the potential to be the most White friendly New England team yet under Belichick given their off-season moves so far.

 

[whiteathlete33]

The Chris Long signing is great. If healthy, he can be a real force on defense and potentially get double digit sacks this year. The negative is that they did sign Martellus Bennett but he's an upgrade over Scott Chandler.

 

[Thrashen]

Don, many top NE sports reporters are now saying that Amendola is working on restructuring his deal, as he did last off-season...

https://mobile.twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/710502946606346241?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

I also don't expect them to move on from Danny, especially given his return ability and Edelman's manic style of play and potential for injury.

 

[Leonardfan]

They would not be wise to cut Danny. He is an Edelman lite and really stepped up when Julian suffered his injury.

I hope they do end up drafting a white WR like Braverman, Spruce or Cajuste ( great triangle numbers which the Pats love) for a huge Wr bucking the trend of the small shift white slot WR.

I also hope AJ Derby is developing and will steal snaps from the always malcontent Bennett.

 

[Ambrose]

They would not be wise to cut Danny. He is an Edelman lite and really stepped up when Julian suffered his injury.

I hope they do end up drafting a white WR like Braverman, Spruce or Cajuste ( great triangle numbers which the Pats love) for a huge Wr bucking the trend of the small shift white slot WR.

I also hope AJ Derby is developing and will steal snaps from the always malcontent Bennett.

Why one? Draft 'em all. Guaranteed one of three will shine. Fack 'em./

 

[Don Wassall]

Patriots paying McClellin, Long to be more than backups

The details are in on the contracts for new Patriots defensive playersChris Long and Shea McClellin, and the numbers reflect two veteran players who are expected to have more than just backup roles.

Long’s contract is fairly straightforward: a one-year deal that will pay him $2.375 million with $1 million guaranteed. The nine-year veteran and former No. 2 overall draft pick for the Rams got a $500,000 signing bonus, a roster bonus of $675,000, and a base salary of $1.25 million. Long’s cap number will be $2.375 million.

Long has the third-highest salary cap number among the Patriots’ five defensive linemen. Jabaal Sheardhas the highest at $6.8 million, followed by Rob Ninkovich at $4.75 million. Two second-year players, Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers, account for approximately $680,000 and $665,000.

McClellin, meanwhile, scored a nice deal, particularly for a former first-round pick who changed positions three times and never quite panned out in four years with the Bears.

McClellin got a three-year, $8.95 million deal from the Patriots with $3.5 million guaranteed, all in the first year of the deal. He received a $2.5 million signing bonus, base salaries of $1 million, $1.9 million, and $2.15 million, roster bonuses of $300,000 each season, and workout bonuses of $100,000, $200,000, and $200,000.

McClellin’s cap numbers will be $2,233,333, $3,233,333, and $3,483,334.

What’s unclear is where the Patriots will use him. McClellin, the 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft, began his career as a 4-3 defensive end, switched to 4-3 strong-side linebacker in 2014 and then to 3-4 inside linebacker in 2015. McClellin has 161 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended in four NFL seasons, with 31 starts.

Coach Bill Belichick declined to provide any insight on his plans with McClellin. The Patriots might transition him back to defensive end and use him as a backup to Ninkovich, who is 32 and entering the final year of his deal.

The Patriots could also use McClellin at one of their linebacker positions, potentially as a base strong-side linebacker and a backup for Jamie Collins andDont’a Hightower in the nickel. McClellin is also a possible replacement in case either Hightower or Collins doesn’t re-sign with the Patriots after the 2016 season.

McClellin would have the second-highest cap number among linebackers. Hightower is first at $7.751 million, followed by Jonathan Freeny at $1.74 million, Collins at $1.2 million, and Jon Bostic at $942,000.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2016/03/22/patscontracts/p963IdqVdQgTsD0mooXN6I/story.html

 

[Don Wassall]

More on McClellin, who should prove to be a typically shrewd Patriots pickup:

Patriots LB Shea McClellin's Contract Has Hidden Incentives and He Could Eventually Replace Rob Ninkovich

The New England Patriots signed former Chicago Bears 1st round pick Shea McClellin to a three-year deal valued at $9.05 million. The Globe's Ben Volin unearthed some additional contract incentives that point to a potential future plan for McClellin.

Per Volin, McClellin has a $250,000 bonus in each year if he makes the Pro Bowl. McClellin also has $250,000 bonuses if he surpasses 70% and 80% of his snaps in 2016, and then more $250,000 bonuses if he cracks 60%, 70%, and 80% in 2017 and 2018.

This highlights two potential starting roles that the Patriots have in mind for McClellin.

The Patriots needed a contingency plan in place if either star linebacker in Dont'a Hightower or Jamie Collins departs in free agency after this upcoming season. McClellin offers both leverage in negotiations and insurance if either player leaves.

McClellin will see time as the team's 3rd linebacker and as the top back-up if either player misses time; Hightower has missed eight games over the past two seasons, while Collins has missed five games over that time frame.

New England could also envision a role for McClellin at his original drafted position. The Patriots were high on McClellin as an edge defender coming out of college, but the Bears picked him up at 19th overall- edge defender Chandler Jones became the Patriots pick at 21st overall.

There's a reasonable chance that the Patriots think McClellin could become a cost effective piece in the Patriots edge defender rotation moving forward.

The projected starting trio of Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, and Jabaal Sheard will all be free agents after the upcoming season, while the youngster Geneo Grissom, Trey Flowers, and Rufus Johnson haven't proven anything at the NFL level.

With an incentive-heavy contract, McClellin can maximize his value by becoming an every-snap edge defender like Rob Ninkovich, or even as the 3rd edge defender in a rotational capacity as a future replacement for Chris Long. Ninkovich is playing under a contract valued at $3.5 million per season, so McClellin is a few dollars cheaper.

I think the Patriots enjoyed the versatility that Akeem Ayers offered in his short stint in New England, and McClellin offers that same versatility. In the 2014 Super Bowl season, Ayers stepped in for the injured Chandler Jones at edge defender for a quarter of the season, and then had to play linebacker for the injured Dont'a Hightower.

McClellin can back-up every position for the 2016 season and can act as insurance for every free agent in 2017. Ideally, the Patriots can retain both Hightower and Collins, and McClellin can go back to his college position and be the eventual successor to the 32-year-old Ninkovich.

http://www.patspulpit.com/2016/4/6/...lellins-contract-has-hidden-incentives-and-he

 

[Thrashen]

The additions of Shea McClellin and Chris Long were very uncharacteristic of the Pats, who've only had a handful of white defensive starters in the Belichick era. Through 15 years, the list is pretty pathetic. Only 12 different whites have managed to make a least 1 start for the Pats on defense...

STARTERS:
Ted Johnson: Full time starter from 2000-2004
Mike Vrabel: Full time starter from 2001-2008
Tedy Bruschi: Full time starter from 2000-2008
Steve Gregory: Full time starter from 2012-2013
Rob Ninkovich: Full time starter from 2010-present

ROTATIONAL / EMERGENCY STARTER:
Dan Klecko: Started a few games in 2003-2004
Mike Wright: Rotational, but started a few games in 2009-2010 due to injuries to black DL
Monty Beisel: Started a few games in 2005
Dane Fletcher: Started a few games in 2011
Jeff Tarpinian: Started 1 game in 2011
Trevor Scott: Started a few games in 2012
Joe Vellano: Started a few games in 2013

NEVER STARTED, BUT PLAYED A FEW DEFENSIVE SNAPS:
Julian Edelman: 2011
Niko Koutouvides: 2011
Nate Ebner: 2012-present

Barring injury, it seems reasonable to assume that both McClellin and Long will be starters or heavily involved in the LB/DE rotation in 2016.

 

[Extra Point]

This may be the last gasp for the Patriots. Years of poor, black heavy drafts will eventually do them in.

I hope I'm wrong about this and they continue to excel. I hope they win it all this year.

 

[Riggins44]

I don't know if it's their last gasp. Other than Brady and Ninkovich, most of their White players seem pretty young.