watermock
08-29-2005, 05:45 PM
PFT just says they are "dumped" and doesn't comment whatsoever. Where is the indignant outrage? :kubiak: Cobbs was 128, Reid, 113 overall. Clarett was 101. Tell me the big difference! Well, this clown hates the Shanahan, and blows Billichick.
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The situation seems to have been less emotional and more a simple product of depth chart standing for the two guys selected in the fourth round a year ago in Cobbs (128th overall) and Reid (113th overall). Cobbs played in just four games as a rookie (22 carries, 50 yards) after starting the year on PUP and once again battle injuries this summer. The backfield stable of Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk, Kory Chapman, Patrick Pass and Kyle Eckel made the former 1,000-yard rusher at Arkansas expendable.
“There were other people ahead of him,” Belichick said. “We have to cut our numbers down and the guys that are ahead are here and the guys that were further down aren't. Although, in Davey’s case it was a little bit more of a special situation. There were a lot of circumstances involved in that one. There are other players ahead of Cedric.”
Not being able to stay healthy or prove his value clearly played a big part in Cobbs not being able to win a job in New England.
“It certainly didn’t help any,” Belichick said. “We drafted him at a point where a lot of players at that level do contribute. He never really got on the field for a consistent amount of time, so that didn't help him. Whether he had, whether that would’ve made any difference or not, who knows. Maybe that will happen somewhere else for him and then if it does then that team will get a better evaluation. We just ran out of time.”
Reid played in 13 games as a rookie in 2004 and all three postseason contests with most of the action coming on special teams. With the addition of rookie James Sanders and the return of second-year player Guss Scott to add depth behind Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson, left little room for the former North Carolina player. And Belichick admitted that the extended playing time as a rookie can sometimes lull a player into a false sense of security.
“It’s possible,” Belichick answered to a question directly referencing Reid. “It would be hard for me to say what’s inside of each player’s mind, what he thinks of himself or his role or the team or anything else. But, yes, I think that’s possible. Sometimes you hear about guys who do better in their first year than in their second year. There could be a lot of reasons for that, but it’s not like he was here for a full year. So we’re just basing the evaluation on what we saw last year and what we’ve seen this year in camp, from not only him, but from the other players that he is competing with, not only at his position, but also other players on the roster that would compete for playing time in the kicking game.”
Belichick was especially moved by the decision to say goodbye to Davey, who’d spent the last three seasons in New England.
“As always, the hardest part of this job is having to release players,” Belichick said. “I have a lot of respect for what those guys have done, especially Rohan who has been here for three years, [and has won] a couple of championships, has been a great leader and has done really everything that we’ve asked him to do.”
But in the end that respect was not enough to keep Davey in a Patriots uniform. The team’s fourth-round pick in 2002 (117th overall), the former LSU star played in seven games in three seasons and completed 8-of-19 passes for 88 yards. After serving as Tom Brady’s backup last season, Davey spent the summer battling veteran Doug Flutie and 2005 seventh-round pick Matt Cassel for playing time behind the two-time Super Bowl MVP.
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The situation seems to have been less emotional and more a simple product of depth chart standing for the two guys selected in the fourth round a year ago in Cobbs (128th overall) and Reid (113th overall). Cobbs played in just four games as a rookie (22 carries, 50 yards) after starting the year on PUP and once again battle injuries this summer. The backfield stable of Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk, Kory Chapman, Patrick Pass and Kyle Eckel made the former 1,000-yard rusher at Arkansas expendable.
“There were other people ahead of him,” Belichick said. “We have to cut our numbers down and the guys that are ahead are here and the guys that were further down aren't. Although, in Davey’s case it was a little bit more of a special situation. There were a lot of circumstances involved in that one. There are other players ahead of Cedric.”
Not being able to stay healthy or prove his value clearly played a big part in Cobbs not being able to win a job in New England.
“It certainly didn’t help any,” Belichick said. “We drafted him at a point where a lot of players at that level do contribute. He never really got on the field for a consistent amount of time, so that didn't help him. Whether he had, whether that would’ve made any difference or not, who knows. Maybe that will happen somewhere else for him and then if it does then that team will get a better evaluation. We just ran out of time.”
Reid played in 13 games as a rookie in 2004 and all three postseason contests with most of the action coming on special teams. With the addition of rookie James Sanders and the return of second-year player Guss Scott to add depth behind Rodney Harrison and Eugene Wilson, left little room for the former North Carolina player. And Belichick admitted that the extended playing time as a rookie can sometimes lull a player into a false sense of security.
“It’s possible,” Belichick answered to a question directly referencing Reid. “It would be hard for me to say what’s inside of each player’s mind, what he thinks of himself or his role or the team or anything else. But, yes, I think that’s possible. Sometimes you hear about guys who do better in their first year than in their second year. There could be a lot of reasons for that, but it’s not like he was here for a full year. So we’re just basing the evaluation on what we saw last year and what we’ve seen this year in camp, from not only him, but from the other players that he is competing with, not only at his position, but also other players on the roster that would compete for playing time in the kicking game.”
Belichick was especially moved by the decision to say goodbye to Davey, who’d spent the last three seasons in New England.
“As always, the hardest part of this job is having to release players,” Belichick said. “I have a lot of respect for what those guys have done, especially Rohan who has been here for three years, [and has won] a couple of championships, has been a great leader and has done really everything that we’ve asked him to do.”
But in the end that respect was not enough to keep Davey in a Patriots uniform. The team’s fourth-round pick in 2002 (117th overall), the former LSU star played in seven games in three seasons and completed 8-of-19 passes for 88 yards. After serving as Tom Brady’s backup last season, Davey spent the summer battling veteran Doug Flutie and 2005 seventh-round pick Matt Cassel for playing time behind the two-time Super Bowl MVP.