Zach Thomas follow-up

I will be honest its nice to see that the Pats offered Zach Thomas a contract, but the more intriguing piece of news to come out tonight is that the Eagles have given Lito Sheppard permission to seek a trade. Lito is under contract with the Eagles thru 2011. He is only 26 years old. Granted, they will want a lot of value in return, but could he replace Asante? The Eagles have noted interest in Asante. Could the Pats explore this deal? Mike, what do you think?

I would be very happy to see Zach be a Pat. He would be part of the great tradition of veteran linebackers the Pats have had the last several years.

Actually, I think the Miami Herald reported it about an hour before the NFL network. I personally don't give a darn, but I know you guys care about stuff like that.

The story was first reported in The Miami Herald. Get it right.

I guess it'd be nice to Thomas in a Pats uniform, but is another aging linebacker really what the Pats should be looking for? If they lose Asante to free agency and fail to sign talent of the same caliber, it seems logical that the Pats will need to step it up big time with their pass rush, as the coverage just won't be there. Will a 35 year old linebacker really help with that?

Lance Briggs won't work he has always played in the 4-3 system, and would probably cost way too much.
Stallworth won't be back unless he renegotiates down his number is 9 million this year.

Who cares who reported first?

The last thing the Patriots need is another old linebacker. I think they need to try to get younger. Also lets face it Samuel is gone better start working on replacing him.

I think we need fast young blood. Not saying Bill don't know what is what. But the great tradition of the last several years is not being able to stop offenses in the big games. We don't need to keep bringing Rodney down to LB to stop tight ends ie: Dallas & Indy games. Not to mention WE NEED A PASS RUSH. If we had one Hobbs would not be the one blamed for giving up the TD in the SB. If I remember right Hobbs made the INT when the ball got into his hands. #22 can't say that.

Even if Zack comes to the PATS, he is no Welker. Zack was great, but is one or two good hits from getting scrambled eggs for brains. I guess BB will use him for practices and maybe as a backup. Just think of it; why would Bill Parcells give up a player like Zack? The Tuna knows damaged goods when he sees it. Who knows, the Pats will get Zack and the Fins will get Samuels. We have lots of money under the cap to play with.

"Get it right". Who made you the internet police?? The FCC?

Anyway, back to the real point of this thread, if his migraine problems have gotten better, this could be a great move. I'm sure if they make a deal that will be part of the physical, however that would be possible.

I don't understand why they would make an offer to Thomas, he only played in 5 games last season and is dealing with concussion issues. It's not like the Pats need leadership at the linbacker position, they need youth.

This could be big for the pats. People say we need more youth at the LB position, but when you have enough veterans to keep a good rotation going and everyone rested, than who needs youth? Three Veteran inside linebackers, i.e. Bruschi, Seau, and maybe now Z. Thomas, and three Veteran outside linebackers, Roosevelt Colvin, Mike Vrable, and Adalious Thomas. Enough room for rotation and keeping everyone rested. Would be a great linebacker corp.

Zack Thomas is Jason Taylor's brother in law

How come no news on the Pats trading down?

One concussion, followed immediately by freakish car accident in stadium parking lot rear-ended by his own coach hurting his neck. Therefore he played five games last year. He has been remarkebly durable and consistent his whole career, look at his career stats. He has the speed to cover tight ends and even most running backs, he would work well with AD I believe. Due to his size he may work better in some Sunday matchups than others, but he would bring something needed for an entire season.

Zach is a great player with a lot of smarts, he will be an excellent situational (passing down) linebacker. If Tedy and Junior come back I envision 2 sets of ILB's (Tedy & Zach) and (JR & AT) that can split the downs and stay fresh. Vrabel and Colvin should be out there at all times to provide the rush from the edge.

I can see the Pats using him on a part-time basis to begin with then seeing how things progress. Working in the Pats favor, of course, is that they are yet again a contender to win the SB and you can bet that this will be a big factor in Thomas' decision after playing for several years on a losing Team and not having a SB ring.
The concussion thing makes me a bit nervous. However, maybe the Pats have a better understanding of how to deal with this now, given the recent history with Ted Johnson. But Thomas must be in reasonable shape if they've offered him a contract.

Who needs zack? Let's go after jason taylor!

We did pretty good with the last Texas Tech player also obtained from Miami. No reason to believe this would not be as good.

agree with #18 - considering how thin the Pats are at LB, I don't see a downside here. Yeah, Thomas is small but he's always played like a much larger player somehow.

Can the Pats just trade the 7th pick for Jason Taylor and sign Zach Thomas and then worry about Moss and Samuel and call it an offseason?

I hope so.

All these guys saying we need youth at LB sure have short memories. That hasn't worked too well in the past. Think about it.

Use draft picks to rebuild the secondary and add depth. Bruschi, Thomas and Seau could rotate and extend their careers by another season.

Do you think this means the Patriots know the decisions of Seau and Bruschi and are looking to replace one or both? Or do you think it is designed to put pressure on those two to make their decisions?

why don't we bring back ted johnson. DONT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THAT A HEAD INJURY OF HIS NATURE ENDS A CAREER AND IS LIFE CHANGING. The type of brain trauma that he received is debilitating. Please let him retire on workers comp. Remember how HoFamer Mike Webster ended up

I really do not think that signing Thomas is a big deal . I think they need to sign Assante Samuels.

Sign Samuel, as he is the only decent DB the Pats have and Thomas would be fine in a Pats uniform, I see where the Pats are going with this between, Seau,Bruschi and Zach along with Colvin for a lot less money Vrabel, Thomas, that is a very decent linebacking Corps. I think the Pats can get along without Moss as Tom Brady proved in 2006 that he can march this team to the playoffs with no-name WRs. Sign Samuel and Pick Aqib Talib with that seventh pick and you have the makings of a solid and extremely potent backfield, also adding in an older Ty Law that is about to be released from KC and a healthy Hobbs and that team will be a step up defensively from last years 2007 team without a doubt. Other than that the Pats are a very solid club all around, you can find decent picks in the later rounds for LBs and an O-lineman.

First,I'd like to c ongratulate those who post here for your civil, articulate and informative posts. As a Floridian, temporarily here in NE, it has been painful for me as a Dolphin fan in having to get saturated with Pats coverage. I must say, you all are incredibly great fans.

I guess the Boston Globe has it right in editing the posts before they get posted; it really filters out alot of the garbage that is prevalent in sites like the Sun Sentinel in Florida where rudeness and personal cheap shots dominate sports blog forums. It is good to post an opinion and read intelligent responses.

As far as Zack, us Dolphin fans love him. We hated to see him go and truthfully would rather not see him in a Pats uniform. We just know what BB can do with former Dolphins players. However, had the Tuna not been involved I would say it was a bad move, but I trust the Tuna and he must have seen something that made him pull the trigger to let Zack go without compensation. We wound up picking up Green last year who also had scrambled brains. Well, he was also cut.

I read a comment about Jason and the Pats giving up their #7 spot. I'd take that in a heart beat. Jason is great, and we love him just as much as Zack, but the Dolphins are rebuilding and two top first rounders is just the what we need. As a matter of fact, I'd throw in another player in there, any player, except Ronnie or Ginn.

As far as the Pats making the SB again. Well, I would have to disagree there. Granted, they will make it to the playoffs, AGAIN, but I think the teams around the league have exposed weaknesses that will be exploited. You won't go undefeated in 08, more like 13 and 3 max, and a playoff. I think the Pats will lose in the second round. If I were BB, I'd look to beef up the o-line. Poor Brady looked like a deer caught in the headlights during the SB. I am sure he was sore and bruised the day after.

The Fins in 08 will end it 8 and 8.