Article: Pats may look at Edwards, Brooks

johnnyd

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http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=140160


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Pats may look at Edwards, Brooks
By Albert Breer/ Metrowest Daily News
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - Updated: 11:31 AM EST

One thing everyone can forget about is a lush June 1 market in the NFL, because this year the cuts of the past aren’t as necessary now that the salary cap is close to $20 million more than it was in 2005.

Still, there could be several interesting players out there for the Patriots, including two at linebacker.

San Diego Chargers veteran Donnie Edwards and University of Virginia’s Ahmad Brooks both could pair with Tedy Bruschi inside, enabling Mike Vrabel to move back outside.



Edwards and the Chargers have reportedly been at odds throughout the offseason and a serious rift seems to have developed between he and general manager A.J. Smith.

Some expect San Diego to either waive or trade the 33-year-old, although Smith says he won’t.

Edwards is a bit light (6-foot-2, 227 pounds) but has played on the inside of the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme for the last four years and has posted more than 100 tackles for seven consecutive seasons. He played the final 10 games of last season with a torn meniscus (knee) and still registered 112 solo stops.

Brooks may be even more enticing. The 6-4, 260-pounder reportedly runs the 40 in the 4.5-second range.

So how would he be available? Well, old Bill Belichick friend and current Virginia coach Al Groh threw him off the Cavaliers’ roster during spring ball due to an unspecified off-field incident.

Such circumstances have haunted Brooks since he was in high school. The blue-chip recruit was forced to take a prep year before reporting to Virginia because of non-qualifying standardized test scores.cw0

Here are the plusses for Brooks:

He’s a rare talent who has extensive experience playing inside linebacker in a similar 3-4 model to the Patriots.

Before an injury-marred junior year, he was a Butkus Award finalist, first-team All-American and top 10 draft lock.

Because he planned to return to Virginia for his senior season and missed the draft deadline, Brooks will be available in the July 13 supplemental draft.

Brooks currently is working out with Atlanta trainer Chip Smith and has signed with an agent, so there’s no turning back.

The Patriots will be slotted to pick in the bottom 12 of each round, and if they exercise a first-rounder on Brooks - who may not even be available at that point - they forfeit their first-rounder in next April’s regular draft.

If they have him rated as high as some do, the freakish talent with good size and demeanor may just be worth it.



We all know he has first round talent but the character questions remain .. Ask the Titans if they would still take Pacman if they could do it over..
 

zrinkill

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Ever notice how EVERYONE has "first round talent"?

:banghead: people need to just state they have talent ...... the first round crap is getting ridiculous.
 

Hailmary

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abersonc said:
First rounder -- that's funny.

It wouldn't surprise me. There will always be a handful of GMs and personell men who are enamored w/ the things you can't teach....size and speed, while being blind to everything else.
 

AbeBeta

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Hailmary said:
It wouldn't surprise me. There will always be a handful of GMs and personell men who are enamored w/ the things you can't teach....size and speed, while being blind to everything else.

It would shock me. 3rd round maybe. Look at how guys fell this year b/c of minor stuff like LenDale White's hammy.
 

TwoSteppinJJ

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zrinkill said:
Ever notice how EVERYONE has "first round talent"?

:banghead: people need to just state they have talent ...... the first round crap is getting ridiculous.

I agree, lol. My wife makes this lasagna and it's easily first round talent.
 

Silverstar

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TwoSteppinJJ said:
I agree, lol. My wife makes this lasagna and it's easily first round talent.


You're making me hungry....lasagna is my favorite food.




"Rowrrrrrr....grrrrr...ROWLRRRRRRR"


-stomach noises-
 

Q_the_man

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Brooks is a first rounder but will go no lower then 3rd in the sup draft........

Dallas should look at him fopr a second
 

Eskimo

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abersonc said:
It would shock me. 3rd round maybe. Look at how guys fell this year b/c of minor stuff like LenDale White's hammy.

3rd round is the latest I think he goes off the board. I think someone will bite in the second on Brooks if he looks good on his workout day and passes his physicals. Any team that takes him in the first has got rocks for brains.

The team that signs him will have to be leery of giving him too much money upfront - will only encourage his bad habits. He needs to go to a team where he will have some friends, good role models and discipline from up above. After that, it is up to him to keep his nose clean.

I've decided in the end I would be in favour of putting a 3rd round tender in for him. The risk/reward ratio appears justified at this slot.
 

Hailmary

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If he ends up in Dallas, where would he play? Inside or out?

Carpenter James Brooks Ware?
 

theogt

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Hailmary said:
If he ends up in Dallas, where would he play? Inside or out?

Carpenter James Brooks Ware?
Yeah, I'd imagine his best shot would be Akin's spot. That'd be awhile though. It wouldn't happen this year. He'd be incredible as a backup (to every LB position) this year though. I like his size much more than Burnett's.
 

Chuck 54

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Sorry...Ahmad Brooks has measurables, but he has not produced on the field....he actually had a pretty poor year this year, one reason why it wasn't that tough for UVA to cut him.

There's no way anyone is stupid enough to give a first or second round pick in the draft for a guy who didn't play like a 2nd or 3rd rounder in college.
 

Hostile

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TwoSteppinJJ said:
Putting up numbers at the college level means nothin. NOTHING. Nothin at all.
Uh, yeah it does. Does it mean everything? EVERYTHING? Everything at all? No. But it flat out does matter in how players are evaluated. You gonna tell me your guy, Vince Young, didn't fly up the Draft boards off his performance in the Rose Bowl? That's utterly silly.
 

TwoSteppinJJ

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Hostile said:
Uh, yeah it does. Does it mean everything? EVERYTHING? Everything at all? No. But it flat out does matter in how players are evaluated. You gonna tell me your guy, Vince Young, didn't fly up the Draft boards off his performance in the Rose Bowl? That's utterly silly.

Im sure the rose bowl helped him somewhat but he was doing the same thing all season long against better DEFENSES and in the previous rose bowl.

He was a top 5 pick heading into this past college season anyway, so I dont know what you're talking about.
 

Hostile

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TwoSteppinJJ said:
Im sure the rose bowl helped him somewhat but he was doing the same thing all season long against better DEFENSES and in the previous rose bowl.

He was a top 5 pick heading into this past college season anyway, so I dont know what you're talking about.
You're making my point for me. How he performed in college mattered. That's hardly "nothing."
 

TwoSteppinJJ

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You can make it to the nfl based off of measurables alone it happens quite often. But for the QB position you also have to put up some half decent numbers.

But Vince could have had really really bad numbers and he still would have gone first round just based off of his measurables.
 

Hostile

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TwoSteppinJJ said:
You can make it to the nfl based off of measurables alone it happens quite often. But for the QB position you also have to put up some half decent numbers.

But Vince could have had really really bad numbers and he still would have gone first round just based off of his measurables.
The point is, and remains, his numbers mattered. He was drafted where he was because he can play. What he did at the college level mattered. It wasn't "nothing."
 
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