Billacheat might have stepped in it this time.

[Hawktawk]

I was stunned to hear Logan Mankins was traded. So was Brady and he is reportedly furious. Suddenly a perennial pro bowler is gone.

As a Hawks fan this smells a lot like the Hutch debacle. The old "hes just a guard" argument went out the window 8 years ago IMO. An immobile pocket passer like Brady is least effective with pressure up the middle. I'm no New England fan but wow! Is this the year the empire truly crumbles?

[NorthHawk]

A similar thought crossed my mind whe I first heard about it.
I guess it depends on whether Mankins has much left.
If he plays for 3 or more years, then it's bad, but if this is it then it might be a good move.

[Seahawks4Ever]

B.B. may be a cheapskate but he isn't stupid. This smacks of Mankus having nothing in the tank. Belicose was going to release him when he gets a phone call that allows him to get some value out of a guy he was going to cut.

[obiken]

Non-issue, Brady was pissed when Law was cut, when Branch was traded, and when Walker went to Denver. He sucks it up and moves on. Billi is the most overrated great coach of all time. What was he before TB? Brady is better than Montana. He has done more with less than any QB I have seen in my lifetime.
I don't like him, I don't like the Pats, but he is 2 good Defensive plays away from winning 5 rings. No Rice, no Brent Jones, no Dwight Clark, and no genius as his coach. Matt was a good albeit not great QB for us, but when Branch went from Brady to Hass, sorry it was argument over for me.

[savvyman]

Non-issue, Brady was pissed when Law was cut, when Branch was traded, and when Walker went to Denver. He sucks it up and moves on. Billi is the most overrated great coach of all time. What was he before TB? Brady is better than Montana. He has done more with less than any QB I have seen in my lifetime.
I don't like him, I don't like the Pats, but he is 2 good Defensive plays away from winning 5 rings. No Rice, no Brent Jones, no Dwight Clark, and no genius as his coach. Matt was a good albeit not great QB for us, but when Branch went from Brady to Hass, sorry it was argument over for me.

I agree though I will not claim to be the subject matter expert - but in my opinion I would choose Tom Brady over any other QB who has ever played in the NFL.

[Futureite]

Non-issue, Brady was pissed when Law was cut, when Branch was traded, and when Walker went to Denver. He sucks it up and moves on. Billi is the most overrated great coach of all time. What was he before TB? Brady is better than Montana. He has done more with less than any QB I have seen in my lifetime.
I don't like him, I don't like the Pats, but he is 2 good Defensive plays away from winning 5 rings. No Rice, no Brent Jones, no Dwight Clark, and no genius as his coach. Matt was a good albeit not great QB for us, but when Branch went from Brady to Hass, sorry it was argument over for me.

Nice baiting of me . Montana won 2 SBs with Renaldo Neimiah, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon as his go to guys. You've probably never looked up Dwight's career stats. Montana won with average talent and great talent.

Tom Brady lost a SB with the highest scoring O of all time. I am pretty sure his O was loaded that yr with some of the best skill players of this era and a top 5 D. He put up 14 pts that game. 14. So I think he won with average talent and lost with great talent.

And Montana's SB stats blow Brady out of the water.

I love Brady. #2 QB of alltime for sure.

[Zorn76]

Logan Mankins is 32 yrs old and in his 10th season, so this is hardly a risky move by N.E.

[HumanCockroach]

Non-issue, Brady was pissed when Law was cut, when Branch was traded, and when Walker went to Denver. He sucks it up and moves on. Billi is the most overrated great coach of all time. What was he before TB? Brady is better than Montana. He has done more with less than any QB I have seen in my lifetime.
I don't like him, I don't like the Pats, but he is 2 good Defensive plays away from winning 5 rings. No Rice, no Brent Jones, no Dwight Clark, and no genius as his coach. Matt was a good albeit not great QB for us, but when Branch went from Brady to Hass, sorry it was argument over for me.

Nice baiting of me . Montana won 2 SBs with Renaldo Neimiah, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon as his go to guys. You've probably never looked up Dwight's career stats. Montana won with average talent and great talent.

Tom Brady lost a SB with the highest scoring O of all time. I am pretty sure his O was loaded that yr with some of the best skill players of this era and a top 5 D. He put up 14 pts that game. 14. So I think he won with average talent and lost with great talent.

And Montana's SB stats blow Brady out of the water.

I love Brady. #2 QB of alltime for sure.

Not for nothing, but actually Peyton Manning lost with the highest scoring offense of all time.....

[Futureite]

Non-issue, Brady was pissed when Law was cut, when Branch was traded, and when Walker went to Denver. He sucks it up and moves on. Billi is the most overrated great coach of all time. What was he before TB? Brady is better than Montana. He has done more with less than any QB I have seen in my lifetime.
I don't like him, I don't like the Pats, but he is 2 good Defensive plays away from winning 5 rings. No Rice, no Brent Jones, no Dwight Clark, and no genius as his coach. Matt was a good albeit not great QB for us, but when Branch went from Brady to Hass, sorry it was argument over for me.

Nice baiting of me . Montana won 2 SBs with Renaldo Neimiah, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon as his go to guys. You've probably never looked up Dwight's career stats. Montana won with average talent and great talent.

Tom Brady lost a SB with the highest scoring O of all time. I am pretty sure his O was loaded that yr with some of the best skill players of this era and a top 5 D. He put up 14 pts that game. 14. So I think he won with average talent and lost with great talent.

And Montana's SB stats blow Brady out of the water.

I love Brady. #2 QB of alltime for sure.

Not for nothing, but actually Peyton Manning lost with the highest scoring offense of all time.....

True. I meant at the time. Cut me some slack I am getting older .

[monkey]

The Patriots always trade a player a year before his skills fall off the table. It's what's kept them on top for so long.
When players don't take less pay when asked, they get traded..it's the Patriot way, and it's been proven over, and over, and over.

My guess is that they wouldn't have done this without knowing that the backup will be just fine, and without knowing that Mankins is approaching that point where his diminishing skills are no longer worth his salary, and that is the BEST reasons to make this sort of trade.
If it backfires, it will be the exception for the Patriots, not the rule.

[FolkCrusader]

I'm no expert on Mankins but Football Outsiders had the NE O line rank number one in rushing last season (number 9 in pass protect). They also indicated they were number one in the NFL in avg gain per rush when rushing up the middle. They also rushed up the middle more than 50% of the time. Of course two of those games Mankins was playing LT, filling in for Nate Solder. Josh Kline was playing LG and doing a pretty good job of it. No doubt Belicheat sees Kline as able to fill in at LG.

Still, losing a leader and perennial pro bowler like Mankins is no small deal. I don;t think it is his skills that are in question at all. I think it was simply money. $10 million against the cap this season, $11+ million next season. That's big money for a guard, no matter how good he is.

On the up side, he could make a real difference for an underwhelming TB rushing attack that features two pretty good runners.