The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

[Ickybaluky]

... for DT/DE Jonathan Sullivan.

Basically, it is two teams trading problem children.

Bethel has speed to burn, but has never been able to consistently contribute at WR and spent time regularly in Belichick's doghouse.

Sullivan was the #6 overall pick in the draft a couple years ago, but has struggled to control his weight and apply himself.

Perhaps a change of scenery will help both players.

[YardRat]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

Why would NE want another DT?

[Ickybaluky]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

Why would NE want another DT?

He'll probably play DE for them.

I think they have written off Bethel, and this was getting something in return for him. If they can get him motivated, he has top-10 talent, so there is the carrot.

He played with Seymour at Georgia, so perhaps putting him in the right environment will pay off in a big way.

He was a dog in New Orleans, though.

[Ickybaluky]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

Here is a LINK

[Jan Reimers]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

... for DT/DE Jonathan Sullivan.

Basically, it is two teams trading problem children.

Perhaps a change of scenery will help both players.

Or finish them off.

[eyedog]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

+1 for New England again.
Two underachievers, I'd rather take a chance with the d-lineman.
And as stated maybe Seymour can help straighten him out.

[Goobylal]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

The Patriots haven't fared any better at reclaiming busts. Last year they were supposed to have made a great move signing WR David Terrell, because of his lofty draft status and having been a teammate of Brady, the god, in Michigan. Basically you cannot change a person's character and Sullivan just doesn't have it in him.

[ICE74129]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

The Patriots haven't fared any better at reclaiming busts. Last year they were supposed to have made a great move signing WR David Terrell, because of his lofty draft status and having been a teammate of Brady, the god, in Michigan. Basically you cannot change a person's character and Sullivan just doesn't have it in him.

No but they have won 3 of the last 5 superbowls with that coaching staff, GM and owner so I think I would put more stock into what they do than say....Marv and the Bills esp at this point.

[SquishDaFish]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

Ice go be a fan of a different team bro. We as Bills fans are getting sick of seeing your anti bills messages and negative reactions to everything. GOD!

[Michael82]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

No but they have won 3 of the last 5 superbowls with that coaching staff, GM and owner so I think I would put more stock into what they do than say....Marv and the Bills esp at this point.

wrong, they won 3 out of 5 Super Bowls with the old staff, the one that they don't have anymore. It included OC Charlie Weis (now at Notre Dame), DC Romeo Crennel (Cleveland head coach), and defensive assistant coach Eric Mangini (NY Jets head coach).

If anyone thinks that team is going anywhere again, I got a bridge to sell them. They're done. Face it, the magic is over.

[Goobylal]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

You got it, Mikey. And if the losses of Weis and Crennel were not enough, they lost THE key piece of their SB years, Adam Vinatieri, along with guys like McGinest, Givens, and Ted Johnson.

[Jan Reimers]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

You got it, Mikey. And if the losses of Weis and Crennel were not enough, they lost THE key piece of their SB years, Adam Vinatieri, along with guys like McGinest, Givens, and Ted Johnson.

But they still have Tedy Bruschi, the savior of western civilization as we know it.

[Goobylal]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

True.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

The Pats probably feel that, if Seymour can motivate Sullivan to play with him like they did together at UGa, they will have a solid guy that they can rotate in behind Wilfork in the middle. If not, they really haven't lost much because they weren't getting that much from Bethel Johnson and had already pretty much replaced him as a kick returner (with Hobbs and Dwight) and as a receiver (with Caldwell--who has been doing well in the OTAs--Dwight and Chad Jackson, as well as T.Brown). So it was a no-risk deal for them.

Johnson gives the Saints some depth at WR, where Joe Horn hurt most of last year (as was Az Hakim, although I don't know if he's still with them) and Donte Stallworth recently had a problem that ticked off the coaching staff. It could also possibly signal the end of Aaron Stecker's days in NO as well: Stecker was their primary KO return man last season (Stallworth returned some, but only because it was an emergency situation). Still, Johnson is going to have to show that he can stay healthy (which may be difficult because the turf in the Superdome has not been kind to a lot of players in the past) and be a better WR than he showed in NE.

If the change of scenery works for both players, I give the advantage to the Pats. But, with these two players, who knows...it's probably the last real chance for both of them to show that they deserve to be in the NFL.

[don137]

Re: The Patriots traded Bethel Johnson to NO...

I agree with LBF. The Pats don't have much to lose here and playing with a former Bulldog may help his career. Really nothing to lose here.
This also shows you how important character is to complete a player. Many players without character fizzle out in the NFL with short careers despite having loads of talent. Sullivan and Johnson are two examples. NE is hoping the change of scenery will change Sullivan's character because he has talent.
This also shows why Levy values character so much when drafting a player. Levy realizes talent alone does not complete a player. This is why I think the high character players drafted by Buffalo really will have great careers and McCargo and Whitner will prove the critics wrong.