Good news, bad news

[efin98]

There was good news today- Troy Brown will be coming back for a 15th season with the Patriots after being activated from the "PUP" list.

There was also bad news today- Roosevelt Colvin was placed on injured reserve ending his year.

[brady_branch]

It's great that Brown is back and in playing condition, but do they really need him? They've got three top receivers already, as well as a few more less spectacular ones, as well as two tight ends and a receiving halfback. I just don't see a spot for him.

As for Colvin, he's certainly a loss for the team. It doesn't concern me too much, however, as they've still got four solid linebackers, and maybe Larry Izzo can play on defense occasionally now.

[efin98]

It's great that Brown is back and in playing condition, but do they really need him? They've got three top receivers already, as well as a few more less spectacular ones, as well as two tight ends and a receiving halfback. I just don't see a spot for him.

I guess they have no place for the guy who caught more passes as a Patriot than any other player in history nor does anyone remember his role in the secondary a couple of years ago and the fact that he's the all time leading punt returner in team history isn't enough to warrant him being around with all of those good receivers

As for Colvin, he's certainly a loss for the team. It doesn't concern me too much, however, as they've still got four solid linebackers, and maybe Larry Izzo can play on defense occasionally now.

It hurts them on the line because he was the fourth lineman in the 4-3 defense and means that they have to rely more heavily on Thomas, Seymore, and Warren. This will be a pain against Miami and Pittsbugrh.

[CCN]

I guess they have no place for the guy who caught more passes as a Patriot than any other player in history nor does anyone remember his role in the secondary a couple of years ago and the fact that he's the all time leading punt returner in team history isn't enough to warrant him being around with all of those good receivers





Non-Patriot fans can say what they will about the team, their coach, etc. But this non-Patriot fan thinks they're very much doing a classy thing by bringing Brown back as opposed to simply letting him retire on the inactive list or move on. His contributions should never be diminished. He may or may not make it to Canton but he deserves any honor the Pats can give him.

[efin98]

Non-Patriot fans can say what they will about the team, their coach, etc. But this non-Patriot fan thinks they're very much doing a classy thing by bringing Brown back as opposed to simply letting him retire on the inactive list or move on. His contributions should never be diminished. He may or may not make it to Canton but he deserves any honor the Pats can give him.

He won't sniff the Hall of Fame in Canton but here's what he will have from the team at the very least:
#80 won't be issued by the team again(no number retirements in the NFL by rule).
He will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame when he's eligible.
He will have a standing invitation to join the team's front office or the coaching staff.

[CCN]

He won't sniff the Hall of Fame in Canton but here's what he will have from the team at the very least:
#80 won't be issued by the team again(no number retirements in the NFL by rule).
He will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame when he's eligible.
He will have a standing invitation to join the team's front office or the coaching staff.

I'm still in awe from when he played defense for them. Yes, you can say so many would have done that for their team. But the fact is, Brown did, and he did pretty well for himself, too.

[efin98]

I'm still in awe from when he played defense for them. Yes, you can say so many would have done that for their team. But the fact is, Brown did, and he did pretty well for himself, too.

With the way Randall Gay played this past Sunday he may be put to work in the secondary again.

Oddly enough his use in the secondary has inspired other coaches to put receivers in the game to catch Hail Mary passes, something that probably would not have been done had he not have faired well against the star receivers...

[brady_branch]

I guess they have no place for the guy who caught more passes as a Patriot than any other player in history nor does anyone remember his role in the secondary a couple of years ago and the fact that he's the all time leading punt returner in team history isn't enough to warrant him being around with all of those good receivers

I never said they didn't have a place for him, I was just wondering what his role would be. If anything, I'm sad because he won't play much any more. He's one of my favorite players of all time, partly because he played defense that one year. His play last year when he stripped Marlon McCree after Brady threw a pick was heads-up football at its finest. I'm a huge fan of Troy Brown, and I wish they still needed him.

As for Colvin, I'm pretty sure he plays linebacker. They still have Vrabel, Seau, and Bruschi there, plus Thomas as the hybrid end/linebacker.

[efin98]

I never said they didn't have a place for him, I was just wondering what his role would be. If anything, I'm sad because he won't play much any more. He's one of my favorite players of all time, partly because he played defense that one year. His play last year when he stripped Marlon McCree after Brady threw a pick was heads-up football at its finest. I'm a huge fan of Troy Brown, and I wish they still needed him.

If they didn't need him they wouldn't have him back. He's there for a reason, and that is to provide multiple roles that someone like Kelly Washington or any number of other fourth/fifth/sixth string wide receivers can't fill. He's going to be their fourth or fifth wide receiver behind Moss/Welker/Stalworth and likely may take over kick returns from Welker and or Hobbs.

Is that enough of a role or would you rather that he played every down on both sides of the ball?

[brady_branch]

Just checked the roster, and they don't have Reche Caldwell any more. That leaves Moss, Stallworth, and Welker as the top three, and then Brown, Gaffney, Washington, and the just-activated Chad Jackson. So Brown will be no better than the fourth receiver, and possibly as low as sixth or seventh. Hobbs and Welker have bben good on kick returns, so I don't think he'll get much time there. Really, I don't think that he'll get a lot of touches at all, though I hope he does.

[efin98]

Just checked the roster, and they don't have Reche Caldwell any more. That leaves Moss, Stallworth, and Welker as the top three, and then Brown, Gaffney, Washington, and the just-activated Chad Jackson. So Brown will be no better than the fourth receiver, and possibly as low as sixth or seventh. Hobbs and Welker have bben good on kick returns, so I don't think he'll get much time there. Really, I don't think that he'll get a lot of touches at all, though I hope he does.

He won't be any lower than fourth receiver and probably will see some formations with him and Moss going deep especially in 2nd and long and 3rd and long. Brady knows him better than any receiver and won't hesitate to throw some balls that normally wouldn't be thrown to Gaffney or Welker and maybe to Moss...

The three others are really nonfactors- Washington and Jackson are only there for special teams coverage, Gaffney is still learning the ins and outs and only gets the ball because Faulk and Maroney have been injured.

Regarding the kicking, Welker replaced him. He has been receiving the kicks that normally would have been kicked to Brown, and considering how important Welker is to the offense he probably won't be used in that role much any more especially with the fact that Brown can take more risks returning the ball than Welker could.

[brady_branch]

Was Brown returning kicks last year? I think Hobbs, for the most part, held that role. Plus, with Brown just of the PUP list, I don't know if returning kicks is the best place for him to contribute.

For this week, I'd prefer to use Brown and Gaffney in sort of an alternating role at fourth receiver. I'd also throw Jackson in there, as he looks like he's recovered from his ACL tear, and was okay last year when he wasn't injured.

Brown can still be a deep threat, and his head is as good as any in the game. For that alone, I'm glad he's back. If he doesn't catch another ball all year, having him on the team is still great. Hopefully they can win another Super Bowl for him so he can retire on top.