Gary Guyton

rgess and Rob Ninkovich as well as hold off a healthy Crable. 

In the Middle of Everything: Gary Guyton was rewarded with a new two-year contract following his first season as a starter. It could be his only season as a starter if Guyton can’t repel the challengers McKenzie and Brandon Spikes. Spikes is intriguing because he was so productive during his Florida Gator days and has a solid reputation as a leader. Brandon seems like the bigger threat and could demote Guyton. 

Continue reading "Starting 11"

rated for the Patriots’ need, with 1 not a need and 5 being ugent:Linebackers

Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, Tully Banta-Cain, Adalius Thomas, Rob Ninkovich, Tyrone McKenzie, Eric Alexander, Bruce Davis, Shawn Crable, Bo Ruud, Thomas Williams, Marques Murrell

Continue reading "Draft Evaluation: Linebackers"

He can still play when healthy, of course. But I want him around Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, and Tyrone McKenzie to teach them how to be professionals and leaders. 

Pierce would play in a reserve role, maybe even be a consistent part of the rotation, spelling either Mayo or Guyton or being part of certain defensive packages. But his locker room presence and approach to the game would be invaluable to the young inside trio as they learn how to become better pros. There are a lot of tips Pierce can teach them through film study, he would set an example for the work ethic needed to improve year after year, help them fine tune their technique, and so on. 

Continue reading "Window Shopping"

Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton will be third year players in 2010. If blessed with good health, Shawn Crable and Tyrone McKenzie will contribute after a season on injured reserve. If more youngsters are added through free agency and the draft, it will be a very impressionable unit. 

Continue reading "A New Coach"

As we sit here on January 21st it seems like the 2010 NFL season is a lifetime away. There will be many moves made between now and the start of training camp, and probably even more made between training camp and the opener in September, so while it is both foolish and presumptuous to predict what will happen over the next seven months it will make me feel somewhat better seeing what needs to be addressed.

Continue reading "2010 New England Patriots Defensive ..."

The decision for the exclusive free agents shouldn’t be hard. Between Brett Lockett, Gary Guyton, and Chris Taylor, Guyton should be resigned. Some thought must go into what to do with the remaining free agents though: 

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Derrick Burgess has a sack in three of his last four games. And Gary Guyton chipped in with 1.5 within the last three games. 

A disclaimer: Two of the last three opponents didn’t have strong offensive lines. Buffalo’s O-line (46) was in disarray from day one, starting with the decision to trade LT Jason Peters. By the time New England came to town, they were breaking in OG Ritchie Incognito, just signed after being released by St. Louis and only a few practices with the Bills under his belt. It’s no surprise the Patriots finished with six sacks that afternoon. 

Continue reading "Line of Defense"

They were led by OLB Tully Banta-Cain with three. And ILB Gary Guyton picked up his first career sack as well. This was New England’s best sack day since they had seven against Miami in week 16 of 2007. 

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o a few bad decisions. 

Head of the Class: Something makes me believe that WR Randy Mos, LB Gary Guyton, and Burgess have big games after being sent home early on Wednesday. 

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 14"

ling a path to walk the plank. 

On Wednesday morning, WR Randy Moss, LBs Adalius Thomas and Gary Guyton, and DE Derrick Burgess were late for an eight AM team meeting, because of bad weather and resulting traffic. Head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t accept excuses and he sent the quartet home for the day, missing the game plan installation meetings and practice. 

Continue reading "The Message?"

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A few things I’m looking for: 

Gunther Gebel-Williams: ILBs Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton need to take a page from the late Ringling Brothers lion tamer and cage Miami’s Wildcat. 

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 9"

adding up. 

Two players who likely will have at least one int before the year is out are LB Gary Guyton and S Brandon Merriweather. Guyton might not play the run well, but he gets his hands on passes. And Merriweather was a step away from a turnover at least twice. 

Continue reading "Pick Six"

I picked LB Gary Guyton to have a breakout year just before the season started. Now he has no excuse. 

Already pegged as a starter in his second year, now he’s the focal point of the defense with MLB Jerod Mayo out for six to eight weeks with a sprained MCL. Guyton slides over from outside linebacker to Mayo’s spot. Guyton must also shoulder the extra responsibility of delivering the defensive play calls in the huddle and making sure his teammates are in the right places before the snap. 

Continue reading "Guyton in the Middle"

y broke through, who on the roster is in line to have a “look at me” season? Linebacker Gary Guyton. 

That’s a heck of a jump for an undrafted rookie free agent to become a significant player on defense. But the Georgia Tech product will be in position to make a lot of plays. 

Continue reading "Breakout Player"

e third preseason game left the Pats short-handed, they can count on second year LBs Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton stepping up. Besides, with the players on defense, the Pats had the flexibility to play either a 3-4 or a 4-3 alignment. 

Continue reading "Out of Reach"

gland playing predominantly a 4-3 alignment. 

Currently on the roster there are Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton and Eric Alexander as known inside linebackers. In years past, a rotation of three ILBs was good enough to get through the season. If this is the rotation for the Patriots, they are in trouble. Based on preseason play, Alexander has shown he can’t get the job done. 

Continue reading "Linebacker Fall-back Plan"

mentioned above are more accomplished than the list of true linebackers: Jerod Mayo, Tedy Bruschi, Gary Guyton, Shawn Crable, Pierre Woods, Erick Alexander, Vinny Ciurciu, Paris Lenon, and sometimes Tank Williams. 

Continue reading "4-3, or Not 4-3? That Is the Question"

ncouraged by Mayo when he’s better in pass coverage. 

Instead I’ll moninate ILB Gary Guyton, the man that came in for ILB Tedy Bruschi on passing downs. Guyton will have his chances to bring the Gillette Stadium crowd to their feet. I like Guyton’s potential as a tone-setter, but he’s not my top choice. 

Continue reading "Establishing the Defense"

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That leaves Eric Alexander, Tedy Bruschi, Tully Banta-Cain, Vinny Ciurciu, Shawn Crable, Gary Guyton, Jerod Mayo, Pierre Woods, Vince Redd, Paris Lenon, and Adalius Thomas as the roster LBs (rookie Tyrone McKenzie is on injured reserve for the year). 

Continue reading "Deep Thoughts"

At this time last year, Gary Guyton was just the linebacker with the fastest 40 time at the NFL Combine. BenJarvus Green-Ellis was a running back with a funny long name. 

We had no idea these guys that couldn’t get drafted would become valuable contributors on the field. Guyton was often substituted for Tedy Bruschi. And when the running back ranks were depleted, Green-Ellis started three games and had a 105-yard performance against Buffalo. 

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But he has a better chance of sharing time with Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton after Tedy Bruschi retires than Izzo ever would. 

91: Myron Pryor – Before Pryor, every player wore the number in the form of a sticker on the back of their helmet in honor of Marquis Hill. The former LSU Tiger drowned in 2007 while rescuing his girlfriend during a Jet Ski accident. The loss of Hill remains a sore spot for some players, especially DE Jarvis Green, but everyone must move on at some point. 

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Could Gary Guyton change his last name to Gumbo? 

The Patriots would have the ingredients for a heck of a linebacking corps in ‘09. Pardon the pun, but I’m distracted now. I’m thinking about food and football. 

Continue reading "Cooking up a Patriots Mock Draft"

the Patriots could use him in 2009, but hopefully as a reserve.

It's early, but rookie free agent Gary Guyton showed a lot of promise in limited playing time. He has the size and speed to play effectively in a 3-4. I can see a future ILB duo of Mayo and Guyton for years, maybe becoming dominant. But injuries happen. Guyton missed the Arizona game and barely played in the season finale against Buffalo. Whether Bruschi is an injury replacement or plays a smaller role as part of the rotation inside, having him around for depth would be valuable to the team.

Continue reading "One More, Bruschi, Harrison?"

They got lucky with Gary Guyton as a rookie free agent. He's learning and performing quickly. But the same can't be said for Vince Redd. He'll play special teams until he shows to the coaches he's ready for defensive snaps, if he has the ability that is.

Continue reading "Younger Depth at Linebacker"

I was going to write about the atrocity that took place on the field of Gillette Stadium on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I couldn't write a sentence without vomiting in my own mouth. So instead I choose to sum up where the Pats are as they head into the final quarter of the 2008 season.

Continue reading "Patriots 2008 Three-Quarters Report"

Keith Brooking turned out to be a very good player. And I'm very optimistic about Gary Guyton's future with the Pats. Georgia Tech's recent history of turning out defenders is good. Robertson w

Continue reading "Another Yellow Jacket for the Patriots"

They can sub in DL Jarvis Green in pass rush situations. And rookie LB Gary Guyton could play a larger role in pass coverage as he shifts outside part-time.

Because the team is in a "do what we must" situation, these kind of manuverings come a t a price. A lot of defensive schemes would become transparent. Based on who the OLB is, teams willl get a strong sense of the Patriots' intentions.

Continue reading "Patriots Mounting Injuries Aren't Funny"

irst interception of the year along with five tackles, good for second on the team for the night.LB Gary Guyton went undrafted in the 2008 Draft, but plays like a day one pick. He recovered a fumble in the game.Guyton's fumble was caused by DL Mike Wright, another rookie free agent who was playing in place of an injured DL Jarvis Green. Wright added a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack.The team leader in interceptions is second-year Merriweather. He added his third on Monday night. Merriweather also defended two passes.Signed from the practice squad to restore some depth lost at the running back position, BenJarvis Green-Ellis played the second half for Sammy Morris and averaged five yards a carry. Green-Ellis finished with 65 yards.K Stephen Gostkowski continues to have a breakout year as he added eleven points to the night, including two field goals and five extra points. He missed just one field goal this season, a 48-yarder.DL Le Kevin Smith made the most of his limited playing time by recovering a fumble.OLB Pierre Woods got a quarterback hit on a play that led to an interception.

Continue reading "Youth Serving"

I expect Mayo to come up with more of these meaningful tackles.

To continue the conversation, ILB Gary Guyton had a great solo tackle as well. He took on a blocker with his inside shoulder before bringing down the ball carrier. He first caught my attention with a 10-tackle performance in the final preseason game. I hate saying this so early, but he's been a real find as a rookie free agent.

Continue reading "Quick review"

 That's how I feel on the inside. I can't wait until I race home from work, turn on the tv, and catch the opening kickoff.

As time ticks down to pre-season game five for the Patriots (I know it's week one, but it's the Chiefs for goodness sake!), there's a few things I'll be looking for:

Continue reading "Hours Until Kickoff: Week 1"

Give LB Tedy Bruschi's old bones some rest as Gary Guyton bumps helmets with RB Larry Johnson. And while you're at it, LB Shawn Crable could try some new pass rush moves as Mike Vrabel and Adalius Thomas give him veteran insight from the sideline. Skip Cassel and play Kevin O'Connell, use Matt Slater on both sides of the ball and as a returner. Empty the bench.

Continue reading "Eye to the future"

nk Green-Ellis, Redd, Richardson, and Thomas will make the practice squad.

Let me congratulate LB Gary Guyton, WR C.J. Jones, and WR Ray Ventrone for defying the odds and making the active roster (for now). If you're cut in favor of a veteran signing, keep your head up as you can be brought back more than once. Just ask Troy Brown.

Continue reading "Cuts and a bust"

in and night out is the kind of player head coach Bill Belichick would value to provide depth.

LB Gary Guyton - Easily the best game he played. He was in on a lot of tackles. 10 to be exact. The problem is there's too many ahead of him for G2 to make the squad. But he showed enough to receive an invite to the practice squad.

Continue reading "The Bubble"

's possible Shawn Crable could make Pierre Woods expendable.

Others hope to hold on: LBs Bo Ruud, Gary Guyton, Vince Redd, and RB BenJarvis Green-Ellis (man I love that name) might only

Continue reading "Less Competition, More Intensity"

north-south approach to kickoff returns and he might have the makings of a good slot receiver.
Gary Guyton - He made the touchdown-saving tackle on the Baltimore punt return , forcing Yamo

Continue reading "Go to the tape"

man Josh Coffman
Illinois defensive lineman Chris Norwell
Georgia Tech inside linebacker Gary Guyton
Liberty outside linebacker Vince Redd
Alabama outside linebacker Keith Saunders

Continue reading "RFAs part Two"

man Josh Coffman
Illinois defensive lineman Chris Norwell
Georgia Tech inside linebacker Gary Guyton
Liberty outside linebacker Vince Redd
Alabama outside linebacker Keith Saunders

Continue reading "Rookie Free Agents"