Patriots cut Jason Vega

[bluto]

http://www.patriots.com/news/article-1/Patriots-sign-rookie-TE-Evan-Landi-Release-DL-Jason-Vega/731ee6f0-80d8-46bf-9686-7291d5ad1fcb

he'd be a great fit at DE for us... unrestricted free agent.

[Argo57]

Would love to see him with the Argonauts, wonder how Armstead is doing???

[flafson]

I always wonder how NFL teams decide on those things, those CFL guys are just as good as many other regular NFL players. It sometimes look like they go by other non football things like name, likeness, celebrity caliber etc...

[ArgoRavi]

I always wonder how NFL teams decide on those things, those CFL guys are just as good as many other regular NFL players. It sometimes look like they go by other non football things like name, likeness, celebrity caliber etc...

The Patriots invested a lot more money - up front at that - in Armstead than they did in Vega. Likewise, first and second round draft picks will be given much more slack than a free agent from the CFL. Armstead, from what I understand though, is getting money that is comparable to what a fairly high draft pick would get and he would have been a first or second rounder last year if it were not for his health issues at USC.

[flafson]

He also seems to be recovering from a surgery he did last month, not sure why you need a surgery for an infection but that what i read...

[gilthethrill]

I am still a bit surprised the coaching staff went with unheralded Ivan Brown at DE instead dressing Jermaine Reid in last Thursdays contest against Montreal.

[OV Argo]

I am still a bit surprised the coaching staff went with unheralded Ivan Brown at DE instead dressing Jermaine Reid in last Thursdays contest against Montreal.

Also - i didn't see David Lee on the field at DE last game (?) - but Brown got some reps at DE?; and meanwhile the Argos trot out a totally inexperienced new DE (name escapes me now) for playing time at DE (right birth certificate though); Lee fallen out of favor so fast after looking impressive last year (though not doing so much this year IMO) - maybe Lee was injured and i missed that ?; and meanwhile - Reid - guy with some CFL experience - at both DT and DE - has been given basically zero shot ??? Tripp has been average to mediocre IMO and K. Mitchell is basically a shadow of his former CFL self from his big BC season 2 year back.

= Argo D-Line needs some big improvements IMO; signing Vega could possibly help.

And as far as Armond Armstead being some sort of sure-fire first or 2nd round NFL draft pick last year if not for some "issues" - not sure where Ravi is getting that from (aside from buying a lot of team shill reports / revisionist history) ? - as Armstead does not show-up in the top 10 as a "look ahead" draft pick in a reliable NFL publication i read - they list 10 or more top upcoming draft prospects - at both DT & DE - and Armstead was not top 10 at either - and after top 10 types are maybe lucky to be be mid to late round NFL draft picks.

[ArgoRavi]

Also - i didn't see David Lee on the field at DE last game (?) - but Brown got some reps at DE?; and meanwhile the Argos trot out a totally inexperienced new DE (name escapes me now) for playing time at DE (right birth certificate though); Lee fallen out of favor so fast after looking impressive last year (though not doing so much this year IMO) - maybe Lee was injured and i missed that ?; and meanwhile - Reid - guy with some CFL experience - at both DT and DE - has been given basically zero shot ??? Tripp has been average to mediocre IMO and K. Mitchell is basically a shadow of his former CFL self from his big BC season 2 year back.

= Argo D-Line needs some big improvements IMO; signing Vega could possibly help.

And as far as Armond Armstead being some sort of sure-fire first or 2nd round NFL draft pick last year if not for some "issues" - not sure where Ravi is getting that from (aside from buying a lot of team shill reports / revisionist history) ? - as Armstead does not show-up in the top 10 as a "look ahead" draft pick in a reliable NFL publication i read - they list 10 or more top upcoming draft prospects - at both DT & DE - and Armstead was not top 10 at either - and after top 10 types are maybe lucky to be be mid to late round NFL draft picks.

Armstead wasn't drafted because he missed his entire senior season. Prior to that, he was considered one of the better defensive line prospects in the country.

[flafson]

Everywhere you read about Armstead you will see that they say he wasn't drafted because he had a heart attack (he blames the doctor for giving him some drug that caused it) and cause of that he also missed his senior year.

[gilthethrill]

OV, I think David Lee was nursing an injury & did not dress. The import DL you were thinking of is Austin English, who has been in camp about 2 weeks now. I am not keen on a player being dressed after such a short time, which really makes me wonder about Jermaine Reid. I thought for sure he would have been activated for a the first time this season ahead of newcomer Ivan Brown.

[paulwoods13]

I can think of three possible explanations for Reid not dressing for a game yet: 1. He's injured. 2. He's not as good as the other d-linemen, in the judgment of his coaches. 3. He's a non-import. Obviously I don't think the explanation is No. 3.

[OV Argo]

Armstead wasn't drafted because he missed his entire senior season. Prior to that, he was considered one of the better defensive line prospects in the country.

By who? - as i tried to tell you - a big NFL publication that lists NFL draft prospects a year before they are to enter the draft - did NOT have Armstead in their top 10 at either DE (his college position before he played DT in the CFL), nor at DT; he may have been a fairly high rated draft prospect for the NFL, but certainly not 1st or 2nd material round like you were led to believe.

[OV Argo]

OV, I think David Lee was nursing an injury & did not dress. The import DL you were thinking of is Austin English, who has been in camp about 2 weeks now. I am not keen on a player being dressed after such a short time, which really makes me wonder about Jermaine Reid. I thought for sure he would have been activated for a the first time this season ahead of newcomer Ivan Brown.


Yeah - i guess Reid is either nicked with injury or has not impressed the coaching staff ?; Brown has at least been around CFL rosters before and is familiar with the Canadian game ( pretty decent CIS D player); English getting handed CFL playing time after being around a couple of weeks (and obviously zero TC learning/evaluating) = well, pretty typical in some CFL way - the good ole CFL desperate teams air-lift days where NFL cuts were brought in and handed playing time after a day or two in town.

[AngeloV]

By who? - as i tried to tell you - a big NFL publication that lists NFL draft prospects a year before they are to enter the draft - did NOT have Armstead in their top 10 at either DE (his college position before he played DT in the CFL), nor at DT; he may have been a fairly high rated draft prospect for the NFL, but certainly not 1st or 2nd material round like you were led to believe.

Perhaps that publication gets a lot of their info from scouts, and were informed of the issues that caused him not to be drafted.

[argolio]

Projecting draft picks a year in advance is also a crap shoot. Many players rise up from mid-round or even free agent projections, while others drop out of the upper rounds.

[paulwoods13]

By who? - as i tried to tell you - a big NFL publication that lists NFL draft prospects a year before they are to enter the draft - did NOT have Armstead in their top 10 at either DE (his college position before he played DT in the CFL), nor at DT; he may have been a fairly high rated draft prospect for the NFL, but certainly not 1st or 2nd material round like you were led to believe.

OV, you've been very dismissive of sports journalists in the past. Why does this particular publication get your stamp of approval?

[OV Argo]

OV, you've been very dismissive of sports journalists in the past. Why does this particular publication get your stamp of approval?


Dismissive of most "journalists" who get to write about the CFL - guilty as charged for sure i am; most of these guys, IMO, know little about the game and are not dedicated football guys, but are more general sports / joe average / lowest common denominator media types - so we get a lot of standard cliches and dutiful regurigiatating of what they have been told about the league or team they are covering (see Naylor = clueless cliches / shill fed); is what it is - not a lot of real knowledgeable football reporters up here (Duane Forde would be an example of an exception IMO).

The NFL publication I was referring to is Lindy's Sports - does an annual Pro Football Review - written by veteran or dedicated football reporters, and features draft prospects / previews. I've been buying Lindy's for 10 or more years now; before that it was always Street & Smith's (which used to feature a CFL report by Rick Matsumoto); I saved / have a collection of these going back to the 80s.

Too bad the CFL or Canadian football do not have similar yearbook / season preview type publications ; there used to be CFL News - great stuff and i have a few from the early 70s; The Rouge was a nice effort a number of years back, but kinda limited/weak and only lasted a couple of years. The CFL's own Facts, Figures & Records is fine for stats and info, but no commentary, analysis or opinion.

IMO - one of the things holding back the CFL from regaining it's past stature in Canada is lack of real keen and knowledgeable media interest and reporting (amongst the factors anyhow - the lack of CFL marketing - we should be seeing caps, tees, gear, pocket schedules, info, etc. - everywhere in stores, but we don't; i do get to see that for NHL, NFL, MLB, but the CFL continues to miss the boat) ... a whole topic in itself and we have discussed it before.

[ArgoRavi]

Yeah - i guess Reid is either nicked with injury or has not impressed the coaching staff ?; Brown has at least been around CFL rosters before and is familiar with the Canadian game ( pretty decent CIS D player); English getting handed CFL playing time after being around a couple of weeks (and obviously zero TC learning/evaluating) = well, pretty typical in some CFL way - the good ole CFL desperate teams air-lift days where NFL cuts were brought in and handed playing time after a day or two in town.

So it is okay for a non-import to be handed a starting roster spot after being with the team for only a short time but not an import?

[OV Argo]

So it is okay for a non-import to be handed a starting roster spot after being with the team for only a short time but not an import?

Name for me all the examples of young/ new to the team or league NIs being handed starting playing time on O or D.

[ArgoRavi]

Name for me all the examples of young/ new to the team or league NIs being handed starting playing time on O or D.

Ivan Brown just was for the Argos but you seem to have no problem with that while you did with Austin English.

[OV Argo]

Ivan Brown just was for the Argos but you seem to have no problem with that while you did with Austin English.


As i tried to point out in that post - Brown has at least been on CFL rosters before and also has experience at the Canadian game; whereas English had just showed-up in Canada/the CFL and got handed signifigant playing time.

[KCargosfan]

Projecting draft picks a year in advance is also a crap shoot. Many players rise up from mid-round or even free agent projections, while others drop out of the upper rounds.

Projecting draft picks period is a crapshoot.

[Will]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The Dallas Cowboys have signed former Bombers DE Jason Vega who was released by the Patriots. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/nickeatman">@nickeatman</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CFL&amp;src=hash">#CFL</a></p>&mdash; CFLDaily (@CFLDaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFLDaily/statuses/370208005108678656">August 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[argolio]

Did I miss something? When exactly did Jason Vega turn into a superstar?

[KCargosfan]

Did I miss something? When exactly did Jason Vega turn into a superstar?

Remember, NFL teams can now carry 537 players through the first three preseason games.

[argolio]

Remember, NFL teams can now carry 537 players through the first three preseason games.Don't the Cowboys have d-line injuries? I can't see them signing him for just one preseason game, though who knows.