Honor for Ellis Hobbs

Hobbs plays defense, of course. He does a heck of alot of running covering receivers each play. When there are long drives by the other teams offense, then scores, I always feel like the team is not maximizing its' advantage as they send Hobbs right back out on the field to return kicks after he is probably already spent. I noticed that when Hobbs is fresher (beginning of a game or after half time, after a return by the other team like vs Oakland, etc.), his returns are much more effective. I think the Patriots should look at this more closely (have a second returner - anyone on offense) as I am sure the formal statistics back it up.

Hobbs is a good #2 starting CB and excellent return man.

I wonder how they select the winner of this award? Interesting Justin Miller didn't get it. He had several good returns. And his TD was against a team fighting for the playoffs whereas Hobbs' came against a team we all know basically laid down. He was one of the few Raiders who played hard but gets no credit. Oakland really is a black hole.

Phil, did I miss your point, or did you just recommend someone other than Hobbs - the special teams player of the week - return kicks?

Maybe you'd prefer Matthew Slater.

Good question Cimaijo. Perhaps consideration was give to the Pats return coming in immediate response to Miller's return?

Good of MikeR to identify and credit the entire Pats return team the other day, too.

As for the tarnished state of the black & silver, I like the way Lamont Jordon said that he prayed for strength to keep his mouth shut about life there. As a Pats fan, I quietly revel in their utter ineptness.

Related, I was impressed with CB Asomugha's attitude in interviews prior to the game. Takes a real man to excel and remain positive under those conditions (T.O., the antithesis). You can see why Moss spent time tutoring and encouraging him. That speaks volumes of Moss, too.

Mike: I think Phil's point is that Hobbs is best when rested, and they should rest him before kickoff returns.

That is a great idea in theory, but in practice this team needs him playing D. With Wheatley, Whilhite, Richardson and others injured, and Samuel gone, there is not enough depth to rest Hobbs for a kickoff return.

Also, the theory about Hobbs being rested is not necessarily the case. It may be that the coverage unit on the opposing side is better rested when the Pats D is on the field for a long time. That could have a greater impact.

Playoffs are coming, but I'm already curious how the Pats play the draft this year, especially with a high 2nd round pick from SD Chargers.

I have always liked Hobbs as a KO return man, although there are times when it seems he doesn't use his quickness often enough to break to the outside and instead, runs into a pile of bodies trying to squeeze through a wedge that isn't there.

On the other side, however, as a cornerback, he is no where near starting NFL calibre. He is one of the weakest links on what is, already, a weak defensive secondary, and one that is far too small at the corner positions. NFL wide receivers are getting smarter, taller and quicker, and Hobbs is just not able to cover them on a one on one basis. And, because he is oft beaten, his late arrival to the rreceiver often times results in penalties. Even if he didn't commit one, just the fact that he is late to arrive and from past performance, officials already have their hand on the flag ready to throw. Hobbs can be of better service to the team as an inside nickel back where he can keep his eyes on the receivers, or backs, coming out and can adjust his coverage to the quarterback's eyes. One on one with a deep fly receiver, Hobbs will be beaten far more often than not.

Mike Allen wrote: "...although there are times when it seems he doesn't use his quickness often enough to break to the outside and instead, runs into a pile of bodies trying to squeeze through a wedge that isn't there."

Mike -- it's easy to squeeze through a wedge that isn't there. It's much harder to squeeze through a wedge that IS there. Now, squeezing through HOLES that are and aren't there... that's a totally different matter, of course. :)

Hobbs is a nickel corner at best and an excellent kickoff return specialist. Hopefully, next season BB and company replace him at starting CB with someone good. This will allow him to become even better in special teams.

I don't get all the Hobbs haters. Statistically, he's a little above average for a number 2 corner. He was a low third-round draft pick in a year that produced very few corners and he was arguable the best of that group. A lot is being asked of him this year because of the lack of talent the Patriots have at that position, and, really, right now, Hobbs and Meriweather are the two best players in the Patriots secondary.
As far as Hobbs being too short, Belichick (the defensive mastermind) has said that tall corners usually don't do very well because it's harder for them to adjust (turn) to what the receiver is doing.
Add to that his special teams value, and the fact that he gives his all physically every week, and you've got one heck of a player.

Hobbs is one of the toughest S.O.B.s on the team. He should have been in the hospital last year, not playing in the Super Bowl. He may not be Samuel or Ty Law, but he is a pretty decent cornerback and a great return man.

How is it HIS fault that the Patriots are using him as a #1 CB instead of a #2 guy? He doesn't draft them or sign free agents. The "hate" is misplaced.

Without him out there now, we would break NFL records for ineptitude on pass defense. Even with him, we are pretty bad.

Hobbs is, perhaps, one of the worst one on one cover corners in the NFL. People that don't see the entire play, often mistake what looks like a great play by Hobbs when in fact it is him being beaten badly and having to recover to come back, most of the time too late, or causing a penalty, and people see that as great hustle when in fact he was beaten badly to begin with.

He is, and has been, for some time, the weakest link in the secondary, oftentimes requiring a lot of safety help. He can not stay, one on one, with good receivers, hence he is forced to give up a huge cushion at the line of scrimmage, and when that happens, he allowsd his cover man to take a quick inside route, or a quick out, for an easy reception.....

Going deep his is beaten on almost every deep route and in many cases he is turned in the wrong direction.

People are taken in by his scrappiness, and his gutsy attitude, which I agree that he has, but overall he is a weak link on the corner, and opposing teams, when in need, have and always will, exploit his weaknesses.

Mike Allen, right now Hobbs is not the "weakest link" in the secondary, he's one of the strongest! The problem is you want him to be a #1 corner, which is something he is not. He's a #2 corner, but because of the Patriots lack of talent at corner this year, he's the best they have. There are 16-18 other teams out there who would love to have Hobbs as their #2 corner because he'd be an upgrade to what they have now. He's a little-above-average #2 corner that's being forced to play a #1 corner position.
You add to that his special teams play and you've got a good player for good price.
And that's a big part of the Patriots winning formula.

Ritchie, I beg to disagree with you. Hobbs is far from being a decent starting number 2 corner. And, I seriously doubt that there are 16-18 teams that would "love" to have him as their #2 corner.

He is vastly over rated by SOME Patriot fans, but now we finally see that many more are finally seeing that he is a very weak link at the corner position, and that he hurts the team far more than he helps them at corner. He is a decent player but far more suited to the inside nickel position. When oppposing teams need a completion in a desperate situation they, more often than not, pick on Hobbs. Just ask Eli Manning. and, for the record, that is not the only instance. History has proven that to be true.

Mike Allen, look at the stats. Compare them with others. It's not hard.
Your arguement comes from emotion. "I feel like he's a bad player so he must be." But when you compare what he statistically does, it's not nearly as bad as you and other "Hobbs haters" make it out to be. Yes he gets beat, but so does every corner. If you want somebody who doesn't get beat often, you got to pay big bucks because those guys are very, very rare (and that's not a part of the Patriots winning formula).
And you say he's a weak link, but who is better, Hobbs or O'Neill? Wilhite? Richardson? Common, that answer is obvious: Hobbs is ahead of them all.
And I stand by it 100%. Hobbs is a little-above-average #2 corner who is playing a #1 corner spot. That's not his fault. So, yeah, when you look at it like that, he's probably the worst #1 corner in the NFL, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be a starting #2 corner.

Hobbs is the 4th corner on a good defense, and this Patriots defense is not a good defense anymore.

Classless, if Hobbs was the forth corner on a defense, that defense would have the most talented group of corners ever in NFL history. I've said this before, brought up the specifics in other comment pages, if you compare Hobbs to other corners, he ranks statistically somewhere around 40-45th best, which puts him in the upper half of #2 corners.
All these "Hobbs Haters" don't like him because they want him to be a Samual or some other top corner, which is not what he is. You don't want to put Hobbs against teams #1 receivers. You want him to go against teams second-best receivers. There is a big difference between covering Moss as compared to Gaffney. Unfortunately, Hobbs has been asked this year to cover teams top receivers due to the lack of talent the Patriots have at corner. And that's why you see him get beat more often this year (that, and the fact that he has been on the field more this year). Even Mike Reiss ranked him as a solid #2 corner last season. What has changed? Think about it.

For those who think that Hobbs is worthless, ask his TEAMMATES and coaches about their opinion of the guy.

They know the difference between a football player and a should-be-an-ex-football-player and they think the world of this guy and want to go to war with him.

It's not his fault that the team puts him up against a pro bowl WR every week because they failed to keep Samuel or replace him with someone similar.