Patriots released LB Adalius Thomas

[Mr. Arrowhead]

http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter
Adam_Schefter

Filed to ESPN: Patriots released LB Adalius Thomas. Only question was when. And the when is now. Thomas now free to sign elsewhere.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Patriot-way?

[InChiefsHeaven]

Does he suck?

[TheGuardian]

would be an awesome addition. we won't sign him.

[The Bad Guy]

I think he'd be a good player to put inside.

[Sofa King]

Henderson and Thomas.... those guys could help, we won't sign either....

[dirk digler]

One of the biggest FA's busts in history

[Sure-Oz]

Another guy that could help this desperate D, bring him and Henderson asap, not like we dont have the money

[ChiefMojo]

He has to be better than Corey Mayes correct?

[Buehler445]

One of the biggest FA's busts in history

This. And all because his coach was a cock munch. Hopefully the same thing doesn't happen to us.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

This. And all because his coach was a cock munch. Hopefully the same thing doesn't happen to us.

What do you know that we don't...?

[TRR]

Sign him and Henderson to deals, pair Thomas and DJ in the middle of the 3-4, and put John Henderson at NT.

It definitely would make up for not addressing those two positions in the draft.
Posted via Mobile Device

[dirk digler]

He left on pretty bad terms with the Pats which means there is a snowball chance in hell he comes here. Plus he is 32 I wouldn't try to sign him.

[MoreLemonPledge]

There's our linebacker help. Now we just need to get Junior Seau and Teddy Bruschi and we're completely set.

[KCChiefsMan]

if it were up to me, I would sign the f*ck out of him.

[Mile High Mania]

Sign him and Henderson to deals, pair Thomas and DJ in the middle of the 3-4, and put John Henderson at NT.

It definitely would make up for not addressing those two positions in the draft.
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm kinda hoping that Denver signs both of these guys as well... likely won't happen though thanks to the previous defensive signings though.

[DJ's left nut]

Henderson and Thomas.... those guys could help, we won't sign either....

Yeah, I'd say that about covers it.

[notorious]

He just got cut by the Pats. Denver and KC are the bastard children that sprouted out from the "Patriot Way" tree.


There is no way he will be coming to either city.

[Bugeater]

Pioli is probably on vacation.

[mcaj22]

He has to be better than Corey Mayes correct?


I think most of us on this forum could be better than Mays lol

[boogblaster]

Mays had a couple decent games ....

[Amnorix]

Jets or Dolphins. Would've been Jets for sure, but with them signing JT, he may end up in Miami.

Someday I hope I learn what happened there. What seemed very good at first turned into a complete fiasco.

[HemiEd]

Henderson and Thomas.... those guys could help, we won't sign either.... You new here? He is an ex-Patriot, consider it done.

[BigRedChief]

He has to be better than Corey Mayes correct?THIS!

[Amnorix]

You new here? He is an ex-Patriot, consider it done.

You deaf? He left on very bad terms with the Patriots.

[BigRedChief]

Pioli is probably on vacation.Nah, thats the King Carl way. Pioli is probably at soup kitchens trying to spot NFL talent voluntering.

[HemiEd]

You deaf? He left on very bad terms with the Patriots.

Oh shit, thanks for speaking up.

[BigRedChief]

You deaf? He left on very bad terms with the Patriots.Yep, same reason we passed on Ginn. Coaches had nothing good to say about the guy.

[Rooster]

You new here? He is an ex-Patriot, consider it done.

ROFL The beer vendors at Arrowhead all have Boston accents for crying out loud.

[talastan]

Sign him and Henderson to deals, pair Thomas and DJ in the middle of the 3-4, and put John Henderson at NT.

It definitely would make up for not addressing those two positions in the draft.
Posted via Mobile Device

This! All of a sudden our Front seven look a lot better!!


Jackson /Henderson /Dorsey(Mcgee)

Vrabel/ DJ/ Thomas / Hali


Or switching Vrabel and Thomas if you think Vrabel has lost some speed.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Sign him and Henderson to deals, pair Thomas and DJ in the middle of the 3-4, and put John Henderson at NT.

It definitely would make up for not addressing those two positions in the draft.
Posted via Mobile Device

They wouldn't be long term solutions, but they would make this draft look a hell of a lot better in the short term.

Both would be massive upgrades over what we have, but we won't sign either.

[OnTheWarpath15]

This! All of a sudden our Front seven look a lot better!!


Jackson Henderson Dorsey/Mcgee

Vrabel DJ Thomas Hali


Or switching Vrabel and Thomas if you think Vrabel has lost some speed.

Vrabel would get raped just as hard on the inside, IMO.

You'd think you'd be masking his flaws my moving him inside, only to realize he sucks against the run as well.

[bevischief]

To the ship!

[Amnorix]

Vrabel would get raped just as hard on the inside, IMO.

You'd think you'd be masking his flaws my moving him inside, only to realize he sucks against the run as well.

I didn't see him last year, but he played well on the inside for the Patriots as well. Inside might be better for him at this point in his career, as speed is a bit less important than anticipation and instinctiveness. Of course, I wouldn't want to see him matched up against an elite TE or speedy RB coming out of the backfield. Watching that showed the writing on the wall for Bruschi his last year with us. It wasn't pretty...

[OnTheWarpath15]

I didn't see him last year, but he played well on the inside for the Patriots as well. Inside might be better for him at this point in his career, as speed is a bit less important than anticipation and instinctiveness. Of course, I wouldn't want to see him matched up against an elite TE or speedy RB coming out of the backfield. Watching that showed the writing on the wall for Bruschi his last year with us. It wasn't pretty...

If you had saw him last year, I'm confident you'd change your mind.

I'll give BB credit - he knows EXACTLY when to dump players because of declining play.

Where other teams can take advantage are the few times when they release someone that is still a solid player because of attitude/personality issues. Doesn't seem like it happens often.

From the outside looking in, it appears to me that Thomas is still a solid player, but doesn't want to be there, and is getting his wish.

[The Franchise]

I'd take Thomas if it resulted in Vrabel getting cut.

[OnTheWarpath15]

I'd take Thomas if it resulted in Vrabel getting cut.

I'd take just about anyone if it resulted in Vrabel getting cut.

[MoreLemonPledge]

Thomas won't replace Mays. He's an OLB and I'm sure Vrabel wouldn't be too keen on moving inside at this point in his career.

[RustShack]

You deaf? He left on very bad terms with the Patriots.

Was he on good terms with Pioli was there?

[CoMoChief]

There's our linebacker help. Now we just need to get Junior Seau and Teddy Bruschi and we're completely set.

ROFL

[OnTheWarpath15]

Thomas won't replace Mays. He's an OLB and I'm sure Vrabel wouldn't be too keen on moving inside at this point in his career.

My understanding is that Thomas can play either. Maybe Amnorix can clear that up for us.

And FTR, Vrabel can pound sand.

[Amnorix]

My understanding is that Thomas can play either. Maybe Amnorix can clear that up for us.


Yes, he played both inside and out. He was very effective inside for us.

Though perhaps moving him inside was the start of his lack of affection for BB and the Patriots.

[Amnorix]

Was he on good terms with Pioli was there?

No clue. The problem seems to have begun in 2008, while Pioli was still there. More than likely, his problem wasn't with Pioli, with whom he wouldn't have had that much contact really.

But that said, if BB has him down as a locker room problem, that is likely to affect Pioli's thinking on bringing him in.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Yes, he played both inside and out. He was very effective inside for us.

Though perhaps moving him inside was the start of his lack of affection for BB and the Patriots.

Makes sense. I'd gladly play him outside here, though I know there's a snowball's chance in hell of us signing him.

Thanks for the input.

[Amnorix]

From the outside looking in, it appears to me that Thomas is still a solid player, but doesn't want to be there, and is getting his wish.


I think that's right. In the right situation, he can be a very solid player, IMHO. He was completely disinterested in playing for us by last year.

He was our best defensive player in the SB against the Giants. 2 sacks, etc.

Again, I wish I knew WTF happened -- a marriage that should have been perfect for everyone turned into hell for both parties.

[dirk digler]

But that said, if BB has him down as a locker room problem, that is likely to affect Pioli's thinking on bringing him in.

You would think. The guy was a complete bust and it appears his anus is sore because of BB. No thanks.

[Micjones]

Eh... Not my first choice or ideal for this team, but...we do still have needs at LB.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Eh... Not my first choice or ideal for this team, but...we do still have needs at LB.

Honest question, not looking for a fight - but how is he not ideal, Mic?

He can stop the run and rush the passer. Something none of the LB's on this roster can do.

Granted, it's a temporary fix that has to be addressed in the draft at some point, but he could hold us over for two years and easily be our best LB doing do.

I'm usually not for signing older veterans, but considering we completely ignored the worst run defense in the league, you have to take a shot.

We won't because he apparently pissed on "the tree."

Doesn't mean we shouldn't, IMO.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Anythings better than Larry, Moe, Curly, and Shemp we have out there right now

[philfree]

No clue. The problem seems to have begun in 2008, while Pioli was still there. More than likely, his problem wasn't with Pioli, with whom he wouldn't have had that much contact really.

But that said, if BB has him down as a locker room problem, that is likely to affect Pioli's thinking on bringing him in.

It could I guess but isn't Pioli the guy who brought Thomas to NE in the first place? Maybe he'll decide that BB Fd up his acquisition and decide to bring him in.


PhilFree:arrow:

[BigChiefFan]

Adding Henderson and Thomas would make our draft alot better, IMO.

[Christofire]

You deaf? He left on very bad terms with the Patriots.

So, how would you break down what happened in NE?

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

Can't speak to how much he has left in the tank, but he used to do a local radio show from a restaurant near my house. I used to go see him two or three times a year, esp. when they were going to play against a AFC West team.

Very personable young man. Didn't seem to have an attitude when dealing with the public. He was a pleasure to talk to the few times I visited with him, (even picked on me for wearing my Chiefs gear to a Ravens' broadcast).

So, what does this mean? Probably not much, but at least I "know" this guy as opposed to the majority of the football players we might bring in and he "appears" to be a character person.

[KCrockaholic]

Print em'

[Amnorix]

So, how would you break down what happened in NE?

Personally, I can't. It boggles my mind.

But I just read this, and maybe they've got it right. They're certainly closer to hte situation than I am.


http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2010/04/where_it_all_we.html

Where it all went wrong.


That Sports Illustrated cover is from November 2007, picturing a group that referred to itself as the "Backerhood." On the far left is a smiling Adalius Thomas, happy in his first year after signing a five-year, $35 million deal, the largest given to an incoming free agent in club history.

It's interesting that 30 months later, all five players in that picture are gone. Three retired, and two others (Thomas, Mike Vrabel) fell out of favor and were jettisoned.

So how did things go so terribly wrong with Thomas? Communication might be the buzzword here. Thomas felt that there wasn't enough of it, and what there was wasn't especially clear, and so a divide grew between he and the coaches.

The real dagger might have come not with the much puclicized LateGate incident, but his benching for the Titans game. That one confused Thomas, and the lack of communication on the subject made it worse from the player's perspective, and so the train started going down the tracks of discontentment. In the end, you had two strong-willed sides with neither giving ground.

"Anybody that knows me personally knows that I’m not a bad person. I haven’t had a problem in the 10 years I’ve been in the league; I haven’t had a run-in with any coach. That’s not me," Thomas told our own Shalise Manza Young two weeks ago (http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2010/04/17/thomas_on_the_outside/?page=1). "Am I a ‘yes’ person? That’s not me. I respect the coaches and I respect their position. If you have something that you want me doing, that’s fine. But coaches are going to do what’s best for the organization, or for them. At some point you have to look out for you, so the only person that’s going to do that is you.

"I’m not bitter. At all. But I guess it comes across ... I don’t think anything I said is untrue, and if it’s not untrue, then why is there a problem?"

The truth is that while the Patriots and Ravens have both been very successful, the makeup of the teams is very, very different. If the Ravens are Jimmy Johnson's swaggering Miami Hurricanes, then the Patriots are Tom Osborne's buttoned-down Nebraska Cornhuskers.

And so going from one way to the other can be difficult.

This whole affair is also further proof of this: Locker-room chemistry is, in large part, controlled by winning and losing. When the Patriots were kicking everybody's tail in 2007, Thomas was fine. When they were fighting through 2009, he wasn't.

In the end, the Patriots and Thomas didn't seem to fit each other, personality-wise, and winning simply hid that early on.

The bigger issue, of course, for the team is its own mis-evaluation of the player Thomas was, even with warning signs out there (http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/03/04/more_of_the_same/), and also misfiring on the kind of fit he was for their particular belief system.

It's over now, and there's a chance Thomas will have the opportunity to make them pay by staying in the division. Jason Taylor did sign with the Jets, but even so, there might be a spot there for him with Vernon Gholston being moved to end. The Dolphins are an obvious landing place, with Mike Nolan there as defensive coordinator (he made a serious run at Thomas as 49ers coach back in 2007), and the team having a need for a veteran presence at the position. The Niners and Bengals also have connections to Thomas.

But even considering all that, this was a move that had to be made. It was time to move on.

The player saw things one way, the team saw things another, and that divide was simply never going to be reconciled.



And the article links to an article in the Globe from 2007 regarding the dangers of signing Ravens defensive players, who historically have not fared well after leaving Baltimore.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/03/04/more_of_the_same/

[Amnorix]

Oh, I should note that I disagree with the article in my prior post saying that Vrabes "fell out of favor" in NE. I actually disagree with that VERY strongly.

[DTLB58]

Adding Henderson and Thomas would make our draft alot better, IMO.

They could possibly make the team better
but the draft is over. Those seven players
stand on their own.

[Mr. Laz]

They could possibly make the team better
but the draft is over. Those seven players
stand on their own.
truth ... but if they find a way to supplement our defensive front 7 now then it makes the selection of the smurf twins in round 2 much more acceptable.

[Basileus777]

Thomas was a locker-room cancer last year, there's zero chance Pioli even considers him.

[Mr. Laz]

Thomas was a locker-room cancer last year, there's zero chance Pioli even considers him.
probably ... Pioli should have the inside skinny on exactly what was going on.

[Amnorix]

Thomas was a locker-room cancer last year, there's zero chance Pioli even considers him.

I am fairly inclined to agree. For the benefit of the rest of the board, one thing that became very clear after the season was over is that the Patriots leadership (owner and coaches) were VERY displeased with the locker room's chemistry. Dumping AD was a big part of fixing that, and that displeasure is shown in the players they drafted -- nearly every damn player was a team captain on their college squad -- even the PUNTER that we drafted!

The Patriots are trying to return to their roots -- big, strong, football-loving character guys.

[OnTheWarpath15]

I am fairly inclined to agree. For the benefit of the rest of the board, one thing that became very clear after the season was over is that the Patriots leadership (owner and coaches) were VERY displeased with the locker room's chemistry. Dumping AD was a big part of fixing that, and that displeasure is shown in the players they drafted -- nearly every damn player was a team captain on their college squad -- even the PUNTER that we drafted!

The Patriots are trying to return to their roots -- big, strong, football-loving character guys.

They better hope they fall ass-backwards into another 6th round franchise QB soon - Brady's not going to play forever.

:D

[HemiEd]

that displeasure is shown in the players they drafted -- nearly every damn player was a team captain on their college squad -- even the PUNTER that we drafted!

The Patriots are trying to return to their roots -- big, strong, football-loving character guys.

This sounds vaguely familiar.

[JD10367]

One of the biggest FA's busts in history

This. He was a huge disappointment in New England, and when they started to cut into his time he responded with a bad attitude and by mouthing off.

Baltimore didn't put up a fight to keep Adalius when the Pats signed him. Now we know why: Adalius benefitted hugely from playing on the Ravens' defense where the enemy O had to worry about so many other options.

He sucks. You're welcome to him.

[ModSocks]

Thomas will be a Jet. shrug.

[JD10367]

ROFL The beer vendors at Arrowhead all have Boston accents for crying out loud.

That's "beah". Get it right.

BTW, I find the sterotypical Boston accent to be just as horribly stupid-sounding as people find Southern accents to be. Actually, worse. Southern accents at least sound cute on a girl. Boston and New York accents just suck balls on both men and women. I grew up in Boston but no one in my neighborhood talked like that. Maybe it's more of an Irish thing, I dunno, 'cause I grew up in an Italian neighborhood.

[Pushead2]

Paging Miami Dolphins & New York Jets, clean up in aisle 2. Clean up in aisle 2.

[Pushead2]

That's "beah". Get it right.
. I grew up in Boston but no one in my neighborhood talked like that.

Nobody cares about Boston...

[Amnorix]

That's "beah". Get it right.

BTW, I find the sterotypical Boston accent to be just as horribly stupid-sounding as people find Southern accents to be. Actually, worse. Southern accents at least sound cute on a girl. Boston and New York accents just suck balls on both men and women. I grew up in Boston but no one in my neighborhood talked like that. Maybe it's more of an Irish thing, I dunno, 'cause I grew up in an Italian neighborhood.

It's not really an Irish thing either, mostly it juts depends on which particular part of Boston you grew up in. There is some Southie to it, which of course is mostly Irish, but I have had alot of Irish friends, and they don't have the accent.

When I went to law school (in a mid-Atlantic state) I was very frequently asked why I didn't have a Boston accent. My answer was always the same -- that almost nobody in Boston actually HAS that stupid-sounding accent.

And as for the Kennedys -- NOBODY talks quite like THAT. That's a Boston accent with your mouth stuffed full of gauze or something. WTF?

[Amnorix]

Nobody cares about Boston...


ESPN does....




















:p :p :p

[Pushead2]

ESPN does....




















:p :p :p

well then a certain company has poor taste! :)

[DaWolf]

This. He was a huge disappointment in New England, and when they started to cut into his time he responded with a bad attitude and by mouthing off.

Baltimore didn't put up a fight to keep Adalius when the Pats signed him. Now we know why: Adalius benefitted hugely from playing on the Ravens' defense where the enemy O had to worry about so many other options.

He sucks. You're welcome to him.

Kendrell Bell 2?

[Mr. Laz]

Micheal Smith(via_twittermax)
I'm pretty sure you can cross Kansas City off the list of potential Adalius Thomas suitors. (Can't believe how much I'm tweeting about him!)

[JD10367]

Nobody cares about Boston...

Go fuck yourself. I was responding to someone's direct comment about Boston accents.

[Sure-Oz]

Micheal Smith(via_twittermax)
I'm pretty sure you can cross Kansas City off the list of potential Adalius Thomas suitors. (Can't believe how much I'm tweeting about him!)

Why is that? Also he said that we'd grab Okung over Berry

[HoneyBadger]

Mays had a couple decent games ....

High school doesn't count....

[Pioli Zombie]

SNL captured the Boston thing perfectly when Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dreutch did that routine.

[Jethopper]

Mays = unbearable

[Pushead2]

Go **** yourself. I was responding to someone's direct comment about Boston accents.

tsk tsk can't take a joke I see...... well it's ok. in all seriousness someone has to be NYC Jr. :)