New England Patriots: 53-man Roster Projection
By Hal Bent
QUARTERBACK:
Aug 22, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; New England Patriots quarterbacks Ryan Mallett (15), Tim Tebow (5) and Tom Brady walk to the field prior to a preseason game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Soriano:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
I would rather keep five running backs or an extra DB than keep Tim Tebow around, because that other player is better than Tebow and would provide more value to the roster than Tebow. Beyond that, Tebow has played so poorly that I believe the Pats could find a better project player in the late-round of next year’s draft, and that QB would actually have practice squad ability.
Matt Wincherauk:
Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett (2)
These quarterbacks are automatic locks to make the team. The question is where Tebow is, and my answer, is somewhere in the Arena Football League.
Gary Wolff:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
I can still see Tim Tebow being on the roster, but I no longer expect this to be the case. His lack of familiarity with the offense was apparent and really magnified his lack of accuracy. Tebow can win a lot of games in this league if a team committed to his skill set, but it won’t be the Patriots in 2013. A couple weeks earlier, I thought the Patriots may try to deal Mallett now and settle on Tebow leading a run-centric offense should Brady go down with injury. Yet the receivers look good in spite of their inexperience, and Ryan Mallett looks like he could mature very quickly if pressed into action. The Patriots don’t have the luxury of using a roster spot on a 3rd quarterback.
Chris Martin:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
Tebow is gone and if I had the time, I’d write why. But seriously, negative yardage=see ya later, Bro.
Chris Simoneau:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett, Tim Tebow (3)
It is a good thing that the only question at quarterback is whether to cut third stringer Tim Tebow. I see Tebow making this roster, but, hopefully, he won’t see the field.
Cyrus Gellar:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
I think Tim Tebow sealed his fate against Tampa Bay last Friday with his 1-7 -1 yards and 1 INT night. The Patriots coaching staff did not use Tebow at all against Detroit, and that spoke volumes to me in terms of how they themselves view Mr. Tebow.
Celia Westbrook:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett, Tim Tebow (3)
This position has been mind-boggling for me since Tim Tebow took the field in the first two preseason games. Logically, Tebow is a no-go to make the 53-man roster spot. His preseason completion of five of 19 passes for 54 yards and one interception puts Tebow in the lowest passing rank (17.7) so far in this preseason according to CBS Sports. But somehow I can’t ignore this gut-feeling that there’s more in the picture that we’re actually seeing. Right now, Tebow is definitely holding every string he can hold to get his name on the 53rd spot. I think it will very well depend on how well Ryan Mallett will perform in this last preseason game against the New York Giants, and of course, this will be Tebow’s last shot in the matter. If Mallett performs well, he has a chance to raise his stock value for a trade next year and a chance to be a starter elsewhere; thus, leaving the Patriots with Tebow as a backup while he gets the project-development the team sees fit. It’s possible he could be used in a wild-cat formation or some other position Bill Belichick sees during the season just to mix-up scheme and avoiding predictability for defenses. As NFL Network Ian Rapoport indicated via Twitter as one reason Tebow didn’t play was because the plan was to play two quarterbacks in Week 3, just as they did last year in Week 3.
Chris Field:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
I really thought Tebow would have a place on this roster when he was signed, but as of right now I cannot find a reason to keep him in over other players.
Hal Bent:
Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett (2)
This position is one has the least amount of competition for the starting position this side of Green Bay with star Tom Brady at the helm. The only question with Ryan Mallett being on the roster was whether Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden fell flat in training camp and if Browns General Manager Mike Lombardi gave up a top draft pick to New England for a favorite of his in Ryan Mallett. As bad as Wheeden looked against Indianapolis this weekend, he was impressive enough earlier in camp to keep his job there for the 2013 season.
The big question is Tim Tebow, who has simply not been in any way impressive enough to earn a precious roster spot. All along, he has seemed a candidate to suffer some kind of “injury” in preseason game four that lands him on injured reserve and preserves his roster spot until next year.