Alex Smith trade analysis

Stanford grad, smart BB's type player. We have sorely lacked a blocking TE since Daniel Graham left. Here hoping that Watson/ Thomas steps to the plate this season.

I am having trouble seeing how this benefits the Patriots.

I think BB should wait another year before re-upping his OLB slot. Similar to the organization failed to get a WR in 2006, and corners in 2007. 2009's story will be the lack of a pass-rush- AGAIN.

This is garbage. This is bullcrap!!

The Patriots trading away valuable picks for a player that isn't even needed?!

After the lousy draft they had and the stupid moves done recently.. I am done with this team. I am DONE.

I'm sick of this team making me want to vomit.. I REALLY am...

Hi Mike--

Wanted to point out a couple of things to you about Alex Smith.

1) His contract expires after the season, just like Thomas and Watson.

2)He is really more of a receiving tight end than a blocking tight end. Blocking isn't his strong suit, although it isn't a weakness either. He has some nice natural receiving ability, but just hasn't lived up to the potential that led some to believe he would be a high second round pick coming out of Stanford.

Whew, I thought the Pats acquired that garbage QB from San Fran. Thank goodness it was the 'other' Alex Smith!

As a buc fan i am sad to see him go..class act, great teamate, and played with more heart than the whole team. Enjoy him you guys got a great player.

Great move, maybe a new deal is in the works because this would make 3 TE's with expiring contracts at the end of this year. Watson has greatly improved as a blocker but Thomas next block will be his 1st. Nice little player as a receiver but very weak as a blocker that's why the move for Smith, who is an excellent blocker and an underrated receiver much like Baker.

"This is garbage. This is bullcrap!!
The Patriots trading away valuable picks for a player that isn't even needed?!
After the lousy draft they had and the stupid moves done recently.. I am done with this team. I am DONE.
I'm sick of this team making me want to vomit.. I REALLY am..."

These people always make me laugh. But I think this is the funniest one I've ever read. He's mad because he thinks we took too many people in the low rounds of the draft this year and then we trade a low round draft pick for a proven player and then he gets irate.

Agreed Matt. Ex-Pats fan -- Great. Please divorce the Pats and follow another team. If you haven't figured out that BB and crew don't know much more than all of us by now you never will. Boston sports fans are smart about sports. You don't fit in here. You are officially a Bengals fan from now on. Enjoy their roster moves...

"EX-Patriots Fan" take it down a notch pal
Bad moves!!! What bad moves?
This years draft was pretty damn good I'd say. Talent still has to be proven, but we got Chung (a potential new young Rodney), Brace (Wilfork), and Butler who is as athletic as they come. Last time I checked Belicheck knows what he's doing and if even 1 of those 3 becomes a stud than thats awesome!
Not to mention Springs and Bodden.
Go root for the Jets dude, you obviously are about as smart as Mangini

Yeah, I agree Matt. I have a feeling that "Ex-Patriots fan" will be the first one back on the bandwagon when the Pats go 7-0 out of the gate. The Patriots have been competitive every year since BB game into town. Well...granted, '00 was rough, but every year SINCE then, they've contended (and, don't know if you heard this...but won the superbowl a few times too). This year, the Pats will be right back in the hunt, and are the odds-on favorite to win the Superbowl. In Bill We Trust.

Thanks Matt - my feelings exactly. Very funny post. Have a feeling Ex-Pats Fan is bulimic anyway...

The Patriots are better at the TE position than they were yesterday. Good move.

I like this move, Watson's got to be worried now, I like the move for the Bucs more though: They draft a QB and now are trading his weapons away, everyone has to like that. I thought for a second, not that awful QB and then I saw TE and relaxed, as long as they didn't give up a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him it's a good move.

Hey EX-Patriots fan, sorry to hear the Pats make you want to vomit. Us real fans will miss you terribly.
FYI - I think the Detroit Lions bandwagon is still accepting applications.

EX-Patriots Fan:
Step back from the ledge. It will be OK. BB tries to improve the team wherever he sees the opportunity. There is still time to sign FA OLB's if they don't think they have the answer on the roster. There will also be plenty of players getting released once training camps are underway.

Hey Ex- Pat fan your pretty scarey, I really hope you don't own any guns. To get that upset over preceived bad moves is idiotic, are you sure you were ever really a Patriots fan. Year for year this decade the Patriots have been among the top 5 teams in the NFL not mention going to four Super Bowls and winning three of them. You remind me of a Washington Redskin type fan, all mouth with no knowledge what so ever. Go route for the Dolphins, good riddance

Being a Bucs fan i gotta tell you hes a great player! HE has great hands and is very dependable. You guys are gonna love him! He should have a big year.

nice knowing you David Thomas, hope someone picks you up after the pats cut you.

P.S. ex-pat is some clown that was never a pats fan in the first place. probably just another troll jets/giants fan.

EX-Patriots Fan--You'll be back! You are exactly the type of fan who will forgive and forget come November when the Pats are steam rolling over everyone else and looking to win the AFC AND the Superbowl. This is our year. Go cry somewhere else.
Jfish813, come to our side--you are the kind of classy fan we need to replace some of the pseudo fans we have in NE.

I've lost faith in the TE evaluation with the Patriots. David Thomas was the only one in that group that had real promise and he's been hurt or on the sidelines. Should be looking for some OLB help, no?

What a frickin' joke. I just saw this acquisition and said,"Nooooo!" What's the damn obsession with stacking up on mediocre tight ends throughout the last decade? Man, I miss Russ Francis and Ben Coates. Enough of these recent freaking tomato cans!

makes me think they wanted pettigrew but missed out so thats why they traded out of round one and then got this guy

Good riddance, ex.

Thomas is done. BB and Co won't forget how he lost the Colts game for us.

Can I just say that I was having an extended conversation with my friend - a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan. He was telling me how jealous he was of the Patriots -- how well they are managed, how they are very competitive every season, how we've won three Super Bowls this decade, how we went undefeated in the regular season two years ago, how we lost our future hall of fame QB in the first quarter of the season and still had a thrilling season and should have made the playoffs. The Browns? Here's their recent records: 4-12 (2008), 10-6 (2007, missed playoffs), 4-12 (2006), 6-10 (2005), 4-12 (2004), 5-11 (2003). I just wish Pats fans could appreciate how good we've had it. Belichick forever! GO PATS!

Mike, you think there's a chance Ben Watson is traded to KC following this acquisition? KC needs a tight end after moving Gonzalez, and Pioli had a hand in drafting Watson, so he may be interested in reuniting him with Cassel, I think.

Relax everyone...just more compitition in camp.

As a Bucs fan, I wish we hadn't traded him. He's a great receiver who can stretch the field and a decent blocker. He was under utilized with the the Bucs and has a chance, with good coaching, to be a great weapon. I wish him the best of luck.

BTW - I think EX-Patriots Fan is really a jets fan in drag ';-)

Ben Watson was a late first rounder but for whatever reasons, he doesn't get open all the time or something. Dave Thomas really wasn't ever spectacular. Both will hit free agency and get twice what the Krafts want to pay them, just because "they're Patriots". BB gets absolutely no one experienced at tight end in 2010.

The new guy Smith, he's quite smart, he can block a little or play H-back, he's experienced, and in the next 4 months the Krafts can ink him to a non-extortive deal for 2010 and beyond because he's not a real Patriot yet.

Right guys. There is nothing wrong with this move as long as the "undisclosed" pick is fourth round or beyond.
In addition to Smith's own contributions/value, at the very least this addition should ignite a fire under the collective asses of messrs. Watson and Thomas and elevate their underachieving performance last season. If not, one of them will be gone. Looking forward to camp, the season and maybe the signing of Brady buddy Jason Taylor.

i think it would be interesting for offense to have 2wr/2te or 3wr/2te - since now we have 2 decent TEs(smith + baker) and they can actually be a threat in this scheme. Mike what do you thin?

Hey Ex-Patriots fan:
Glad to see you are "finally done" with the Patriots. New England is light years ahead of every other NFL team out there. There's a reason veteran free agents agree to take less cash to join this team ( its not the warm sunny conditions ).
Its because the Patriots have the best coach, the best QB, and ( in my opinion ) the best WR in the league. Its because the Patriots have 1 of the toughest defenses, and its because the Patriots have the best fans in the league. But hey... you go ahead and leave the Patriots. Perhaps you'd be happier with a certain team out in Oakland. We don't want you anyways.....

what's the big deal?? belichick always makes great moves, i don't even worry anymore, i remember when i got all worked up about deion branch and more recently asante samuel, but both seem to be worked out by now. and i agree, heath evans went to new orleans this offseason so why not move one of the tightends to an h-back/fullback position?? i'm sure we didn't give more than a fifth round pick for smith. i like the moves this offseason a lot, galloway, taylor, bodden, springs, baker, smith, and the draft i thought was exceptional, not in the first couple of rounds but down the board it was solid. Go PATS!!

I see this as the beginning of the 16-0 season all over. In those early games when the RBs were uninjured, before we lost Sammy, they were in a lot of two and three TE sets. Remember that first game against the Jets, when Moss out ran 3 DBs for a TD - out of a 3 TE heavy set. Everyone watching for the run, while Moss jogs out over the middle...

Man -- Fred and Sammy... Stay healthy. If teams have to prepare for everything from a 3 TE set to a 4 WR (and Faulk) spread... Unstoppable!!!

{Shaking My Headf) This makes absolutely no logical sense.

I'm a diehard fan but there can be no doubt that after Thomas gets cut in training camp that 2006 goes down as THE worst draft class ever

You folks piled on the Ex-Fan guy for over-reacting - but he has a point. Our linebacker and pass rush situation is still bad. Tedy is HOF in my mind - but he is now reduced to a situational back, Adalius gets hurt later in the season, that leaves just Seymour and Wilfork to keep the calm when things go bad.. A tired defense has come to hurt us in critical games the last two years - in pivotal games - against the Colts and against the Giants. I fully respect BB and his smarts - but defense wins SuperBowls. 16-0 - been there, done that. What we need is the next ring...

Smith is a good all around athletic tight end with good speed. He separates from LBs and safeties easily. He is a good, positional blocker. He has soft hands and "plucks" the ball away from his frame, he's also good in traffic. Very reliable, high quality starting TE who is young and still has upside. He was drafted in the 3rd Rd (pick #7) in 2005 and with his contract expiring after this season the most the Pats gave up for him was a 4th Rd pick. No downside to this move in my eyes.

Ex-patriots fan, go see a doctor. Preferably of the "head" kind. It's really too bad that 3 super bowl championships, and consistent winning seasons, year after year, including the first undefeated season ever, make you want to vomit. You clearly either know nothing about the game of football or are truly delusional.

Relax, seriously. Go to your local sports store, buy a Jets uniform, and have fun rooting for teams that will continue to lose to the Patriots year after year. We're better off without "fans" like you anyway.

@mike
I think it makes perfect sense although the numbers of TE is kinda high.
Chris Baker (2013, option bonus after 2010)
Benjamin Watson (2009)
Alex Smith (2009)
David Thomas (2009)
Tyson DeVree (2010)
Brad Listorti (2009)
of the ones above we really dont have any "threats" at TE except Baker and probably Smith. Watson has been a disappointment and the rest are OK. I think when we put out welker, moss, galloway with smith and baker the denfenders will have a lot of trouble guarding them all.

Another TE? Belichick used a 1st round pick to draft Ben Watson, a 3rd round pick to get David Thomas, signs a $5 million dollar contract for Chris Baker, and trades away a 2010 draft pick for Alex Smith. So he's given up significant chips to have 4 starting quality TE's....for what? Why? What is the obsession? What was their impact in 2008? in 2007? Not even noticeable. When's the last time a TE made a big play for the Patriots?

"This is garbage. This is bullcrap!!
The Patriots trading away valuable picks for a player that isn't even needed?!
After the lousy draft they had and the stupid moves done recently.. I am done with this team. I am DONE.
I'm sick of this team making me want to vomit.. I REALLY am..."

Nice try TROLL. Everyone can see right through your little act. Glad to know that the Patriots dominance keeps you up at night. When you do vomit, please choke on it.

Until we learn the compensation the Patriots paid, this is a hard one to judge. But my initial impression is that this is a strong move for the Patriots. Smith, while a disappointment in Tampa, has some assets with which to work.
--Mike

some real, um, strange posts.
Baker and Smith will stick for sure. Watson wil cost us $366k in dead cap space if traded or cut, but if BB has made up his mind, Watson is gone. More sensibly, Thomas is the odd many out, he'll only cost $160k in dead cap space to cut. Baker's guaranteed money shrinks after '09, so I would look at this year as a tryout for a contract for two, and being kept for the other.
OLB? There are some available. More will be getting cut as teams get around to cap management. Don't undersell Crable just yet.

I didn't read all the feedback posts so somebody may have already asked this question. The Chiefs must need a TE after trading Gonzales. Could the ever underachieving Ben Watson be headed to KC as a result of this trade?

Have to love Ram Krishnan's comments. Do you really think BB has forgotten a significant hole in his D? Or do you think it's possible he knows what he's doing? You might want to email the Patriots and let them know defense wins championships - they may not be aware of that.

BB does what's best for his football team - he knows more than anyone else how to do it. He makes mistakes but he's still right more often than anyone else in the NFL.

I would rather see the Patriots obtain Tight Ends via trades or free agency as their track record under BB for the last nine years has not been good. When drafting Tight Ends, it does not appear the Patriots scouting department has been adept in drafting Tight Ends regardless of the round they are selecting in...

Consider this--there isn't a single Fullback on the team. Then think back to the roster before Heath Evans joined the team--Watson and Graham. Double TE sets are coming back and the team needed more talented bodies at that position. It is as simple as that.

PS--looks like Mike Allen is narrowing down his choice for 'player to complain about constantly' now that Hobbs is gone.

I can see the Patriots carrying four Tight Ends next year; 3 of whom will be playing for new contracts. On paper, of all positions (assuming Brady returns to form), the Jason Taylor-less Patriots, appear weakest / thinest at Linebackers.

A second round pick? -- Really? REALLY?

Duh! This is about contract leverage. They are going to offer Watson and Thomas new contracts or extensions this year and this gives the organization more leverage. "There are 3 of you, we are willing to pay this much to 2 of you, who ever accepts first stays, last one is gone."

Another example of a smart front office at work.

Mike I thought your assessment of the Patriots draft was sound.However,i believe you will could well be pleasantly surprised once you get to know and watch Ohrnberger and McKenzie.Ohrnberger has the self same attributes as Koppen and is a better prospect at guard than center(don't let his off-field personality deceive you,he plays with both intelligence and a certain physicality that you might not expect).McKenzie is a young man who will always give maximum effort,mentally and physically,to achieve his goals,he may well not be denied.Smith needs a coaching staff that can get him to be the best he can be outstanding(and he can be

Where did you hear second round pick gooby? All I've seen written is that the pick is thought to be a second *day* pick. Quite the difference there.

And Mike, myself and now Jim Gill have asked, what do you think the likelihood of Watson to KC is?

This is clearly a sign of this to come. The rumblings on the horizon haven't come yet. Alex Smith is a great addition to the team, and now do not need 3 stud tight ends. The point I'm making is you will soon see Ben Watson in a Panthers uniform, along with a first round pick in next years draft for Peppers. Something seemed fishy to me on draft day when they did not draft more than 1 OLB or DE. However setting up three second round picks next year was an amazing strategy. People don't think that this will happen due to Peppers demands for high money, however if he decides to win championships and signs a long term deal with the pats, this is soemthing that could very well happen.

Those paying attention know that multiple TE's, as opposed to a big money superstar, are key to the Pats offensive schemes. Patrick and others get it, those who don't understand this... Can the inability to comprehend this team-building methodology be explained by "fantasy football fandom"?

Patsfan1234 may be on to something.
Lastly, thanks to the Bucs fan on the Smith "under-utilized" observations.

And let's acknowledge that MikeR got it right again - his recent draft analysis included that he was "mildly surprised" Pats didn't pick a TE.
No doubt BB read that, too, realized his oversight and made the Smith deal!

Yup, sure looks like Watson will be wearing another uniform, especially given his looming cap number. Hoping that's another move that will allow them to extend Wilfork and Mankins.

Brian , forget Peppers. His salary demands would throw the whole Pats payroll structure into chaos. What would they have to pay Wilfork,Seymour. No way they upset the apple cart. On the new TE good move, worth a try.Stanford Grad, should know his routes and blocking assignmanets. I think they were hot for Pettigrew, but it didn't happen, still think Jason Taylor might show up in Foxbourough, but I also think his best playing days are behind him. Pierre Woods and Crable could become outstanding pass rushers.

Comming from a family that has 30 years of season tickets going into 09; I laugh at the "EX-Patriots Fan" who probably doesn't remember Sam Bam CunningHam or a guy name Jim Plunkett and list of other great players that WORKED to make the Patriots a respectable team when they were a laughed at around the league... You are a spoiled bandwagoneer that suddenly has a winning team so jump on that last wagon, because real fans don't ditch a team over a chess move of one player...

Living in Tampa Bay, I have watched Alex Smith and he's a SMART stand up hard hitting smash mouth player that will meld well in to BB's system for a plethora of reasons. Actions speak volumes, and stack his numbers against NE TE's and he's a solid fit on all fronts.