Is ?backer in Pats? future?
- From: stananger < stananger@********.***>
- Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 06:56:36 GMT
Is ?backer in Pats? future?
By John Tomase
Monday, February 27, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS - The Patriots under Bill Belichick have not traditionally
mined the draft for linebackers, but that could change this year.
Of their core group at the position, only Rosevelt Colvin is under 30,
and he turns 29 in September. Last year the team signed veteran free agents
Monty Beisel and Chad Brown to largely disappointing results, relying on
veteran standouts Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel to carry
the load.
Help should be available from the college ranks, because the 2006 draft
is linebacker heavy, and as the Super Bowl runner-up Seattle Seahawks
proved with Lofa Tatupu, a team can win with a rookie linebacker seeing
significant action.
?Inside linebacker is probably the strongest group I?ve seen in 20-some
years I?ve done this,? Steelers director of football operations Kevin
Colbert said. ?It?s strong at the top, strong in the middle, and there are
some kids on the second day that will be contributors, if not starters.?
While standouts like A.J. Hawk of Ohio State, Chad Greenway of Iowa and
DeMeco Ryans of Alabama will likely be gone by the time the Patriots pick
first at No. 21, plenty of depth remains.
Belichick said evaluating linebackers can be a challenge, particularly
if the player in question hasn?t played against pro-style offenses.
?It depends on the defense he?s in and what he?s seeing,? Belichick
said. ?If his responsibilities are similar to what you have, it?s a lot
easier to evaluate than a linebacker with different responsibilities or one
playing offenses we don?t see, like option teams or teams that run a lot of
quick screens.?
Diamonds are often unearthed at the scouting combine. Current 49ers head
coach Mike Nolan recalls coaching the prospective linebackers at the 1996
combine when an undersized defensive end out of Arizona caught his eye.
?I like to see players work out because it tells me a lot about their
competitive spirit,? Nolan said. ?A great example is Tedy Bruschi. When he
came here, he was too short, too slow, too a lot of things. But I followed
his group around and every drill he did, he was berserk about being first.
He wanted to do every drill. You only do the vertical jump twice, and I
think he wanted to do it four times so he could beat the guy who was
already No. 1. That told me a lot about him. That told me this guy is going
to be a player.?
The task for the Patriots will be finding that player. Some who could be
on their radar screen include Stanford?s Jon Alston, a 6-foot-1,
220-pounder with great football smarts; UTEP?s Thomas Howard, a 6-3,
239-pounder who advanced from walk-on safety to Senior Bowl standout; and
Maryland?s D?Qwell Jackson, a 6-foot, 227-pounder nicknamed the
Qwell-a-Monster for his big hits.
If the Patriots don?t take a linebacker in the first round, a name to
remember later is Ohio State?s Bobby Carpenter. The brash 6-3, 255-pounder
played in the shadow of Hawk but was an exceptional player in his own
right. The son of former Oilers, Giants and Rams running back Rob
Carpenter, he has the flexibility to play inside or out and often works out
with Vrabel, Ohio State?s career sacks leader. Carpenter broke his ankle
against Michigan and missed the Fiesta Bowl.
As Belichick noted, it?s too early to target a specific player, but the
evaluation process will be accelerating in the coming weeks.
?It?s not so much finding ?my kind of guy? as it is finding one who?s
going to be a good fit in this system,? he said. ?What you?ve got to do is
do your homework, know the draft, know the players and understand how
they?ll fit in your system. That?s where we are now.?
.
- Prev by Date: Deadline to kick in: Vinatieri?s nearly free
- Next by Date: Texans: Hold ?em or deal
- Previous by thread: Deadline to kick in: Vinatieri?s nearly free
- Next by thread: Texans: Hold ?em or deal
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
