Quick Thoughts: Patriots Free Agency Noise

Since the beginning of free agency last Tuesday at 4pm, many teams have made some good moves, and hammered out some great (borderline crazy) deals. The Patriots however, are not one of those teams. After losing Darrelle Revis to the Jets, in a crazy biding war...that wasn't even a war at all because New England was out of it Monday afternoon...many people seemingly gave up on New England's season right then and there. To top it off, we also lost Browner, Vereen, Casillas, and possibly Wilfork. More thoughts on that later. While the Patriots haven't made any big splashes or national-headline-acquisitions, all hope is not lost. Why? Because we still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, and because we are the New England Patriots. We make studs out of no-name guys all the time. More accurately, we don't take losing well. Hence why the Patriots have been a-okay the past 15 seasons, and will continue to dominate the league, this season. Feel a little better, now?

Things to ponder:

• It's typical for New England to stay quiet during free agency. Very rarely do we hear about the Patriots giving guys max deals, with a ridiculous amount of guaranteed money. I should also point out that we don't usually go after big-name players. One of the things that makes this organization so consistently good. 
• Just because we have no secondary right now, does not mean that we are doomed for the 2014-2015 season. Belichick has 5 months to figure this out. Does a secondary made up of Arrington and Chung excite me? Not necessarily. In fact, it actually frightens me. But hey, in Bill we trust, here in New England. 
• "Oh no! This means were back to playing nothing but zone?! How will we ever win another game?!" First, we've won playing predominately zone coverage before. That's really all we played before we signed Talib, a couple seasons ago. So everyone should chill. Second, just because we lost Revis doesn't necessarily mean we're back to zone. Bill has 4 months minimum to figure this out. Will he have to essentially reinvent the Patriots defense and defensive schemes? Yes. But he's the man for the job. It's only the middle of March. I'm not even thinking about being worried, yet. 
• "Since we didn't sign Revis there's no reason we didn't bring Browner back. We could've at least had a half-way decent secondary." Browner wouldn't have been anywhere near as good without Revis starting opposite him. A lot of what made Browner so good was Revis. Browner in my opinion, was decent, definitely the physical presence we had been missing, but he really just reaped the benefits of what Revis did. Plus the outrageous amount of penalties he drew alone, is a good enough reason to double-think resigning him. I mean, I appreciate all he did during his time in New England, but I wasn't devastated to let him walk. Adios!
• Since we didn't bring in Andre Johnson *sigh* (which after seeing his deal with the Colts, Im just as glad we didn't), I would love to see the Patriots make a run at Stevie Johnson. He's visiting New England on Monday...the best part about it? He's the only receiver in the league who is consistently successful against Revis. I would love to see Brady to Stevie Johnson every Sunday. And I would love for Johnson to embarrass Revis while in a Patriots uniform. Seriously, that's gotta be every Patriots' fans dream. 
• The Patriots' front 7 is getting a tremendous boost. Defensively, I think our main concern is our back 4. But I still wouldn't hit the panic button just yet. With a great front 7, and I think New England could potentially have a top five front, there's (a little) less pressure on the secondary. Kill plays before they make it into the secondary, and you're in business. Ps. pleaseeee bring in Evan Mathis. This has been a rumor for the past week and it really needs to become a reality.
• What we don't tackle during free agency, we will get to in the draft. OLine is definitely still a concern, and now obviously our secondary is something we have to address. 

That's all for now. 

As always, go Pats. 

So long, thanks for the...shutouts, lockdowns, & top-corner plays.

So Revis pulled a Deion...essentially rented himself to a contending team, won the Super Bowl, then chased the money, and left. One-year-rental-Revis. Only difference? Revis *probably* won't be getting ring #2. 

Now, I understand that the NFL is a business. And what NFL player isn't about the money? I got that. It's not about the love of the game anymore, but merely about the love of the almighty dollar. Greed, if you will. Revis is one of the best to ever do it, and arguably the best corner in the league right now. So did he deserve to get paid? Yes, of course! Did the Jets (over)spend a ridiculous amount of money on #24? Yes. Do I blame the Patriots for not matching their offer? Nope. In my opinion, though Revis is in his prime and balling, a 5 year deal THAT big is too much for a 30 year old who's blown his knee out before. Since "Revis Island" is officially back, and he finally won a championship, there was no doubt in my mind that he would be going after the money. I can't even say I blame him for that. No one works the system better than Revis. 

I'm not mad or upset at New England for letting Revis walk. If it really was between the Jets and the Patriots, and it was coming down to the money, we all knew New York would outbid us. The Jets tend to overpay, and be okay with it, and still find themselves on the couch come January. But hey, to each their own. I am however disappointed that we couldn't work out a deal with Revis before he had the chance to hit the open market. I still like Revis, think he's a great player, and wish him all the best...just not when the Pats play the Jets. I'm grateful for what he did during his time in New England. He helped us bring the Lombardi back to Foxboro. The 2014 Patriots' secondary is one we'll remember for ages. 

This does leave a lot of question marks for the Patriots, though. I have no doubt that Belichick already had something up his sleeve. What or who that is exactly? I do not know. Maybe PrimeTime is making an unexpected return to the NFL. Maybe Bill's got a trade for Joe Haden or Patrick Peterson in the works. Maybe we bring back Browner and sign Cromartie. Or maybe, PatsNation should have a little faith and trust Belichick & Co. He always has a backup plan. Ehem, look at last March...we lost Talib, Pats fans freaked, hours later, boom, we got Revis. 

This was a hard one to swallow, for sure, but it all works out for the best in the long run. If we had decided to meet the Jets' offer, we would be tight in cap space, and left with little to no money to improve the rest of our team. Luckily, we have genius head coach who is known for making studs out of the least expected players. I'm not writing us off for this year. I still like our chances to repeat. We need a ring for the thumb. Besides, it's only day 1 of free agency. We have no idea what Belichick is working on right now. I just know that we'll probably like it. 

As always, go Patriots. 

Why I want Andre Johnson In a Pats Uniform

Andre Johnson's name has come up in multiple conversations and has been linked to the Patriots for years now. In my opinion, he's one of, if not THE most underrated receivers in the game. His entire career as a Texan, has been spent with mediocre quarterbacks, at best, and little to no help from other receivers on the roster. That is unfortunate for a guy like Andre Johnson. Even though he was catching passes from less-than-average quarterbacks and basically doing it all himself, he's remained virtually uncover-able. I don't use the word "beast" much, but Andre Johnson is just that. At 33 years old, some might hesitate to sign him. If it's up to me though (which unfortunately it isn't), I look at Johnson as a standout, veteran receiver with a ton of experience, and someone who wants to win. Give Brady a threat like Andre Johnson, and watch the magic unfold.

He's made it pretty clear that he no longer wants to be in Houston. As the best receiver in Texans' history, he deserved to be able to either seek a trade or to be let go so he is free to sign with a contending team. Since Johnson was released earlier today and will hit the open market tomorrow, I expect him to get a lot of calls. I just hope the Patriots are one of those calls and leave a convincing offer on the table. 

For this 'dream' to become a reality, it's inevitable that the Patriots will have to make some roster moves. Unfortunately, if Johnson becomes available and garners some interest from New England, I don't see Amendola lasting too much longer in Foxboro. Which would be the better option? Long term? Amendola, for sure. Short term, as in next couple seasons, Super Bowl or bust? Andre Johnson.
Do we absolutely need Johnson? Not really. In fact, if it comes down to either being able to resign Shane Vereen or sign Andre Johnson, it's a no brainer to me....bring back Vereen and tell Andre we wish him all the best.

Tomorrow should make for a very busy and interesting day around the NFL. I can't wait to see what New England does. Because knowing Bill, he's got a few things up his sleeve.

As always, go Patriots.

The Calm Before the Storm..?

The start of the legal tampering period is always an eventful weekend. 

There was quite a bit of noise in the AFC East over the past few days. The Bills acquiring Shady, one of my favorite players; the Dolphins overpaying Suh, I mean the Dolphins getting a deal done with Suh; the Jets trading for Brandon Marshall, which, I love B. Marshall but I absolutely cannot support him when he's wearing that Jets uniform, nope; and of course, my personal favorite, D-Mac returning to Foxboro. 

The Eagles were the team that had the most interesting weekend, though. First, let's just take a minute to remember that they cut DeSean Jackson last offseason (big mistake), their quarterbacks are Mark Sanchez (who is returning this season) and Nick Foles, and Chip Kelly is trying to turn the Philadelphia Eagles into the Oregon Eagles (or the Philadelphia Ducks?). I wasn't sure how I felt about Chip Kelly coming into the NFL...and after two 10-6 seasons, I'm even more unsure now. 

I mean...

• What does it say about a team/coach when your best pass catcher, Jeremy Maclin, decides to reunite with his former head coach (Andy Reid in KC) instead of return to his current team, when offered the same amount of money..? To me, it means 1) the Eagles didn't make a strong enough push to bring him back, for whatever reasons and 2) maybe Chip Kelly isn't quite the NFL caliber coach many thought he was. 
• So you were given one of the most talented offenses in the league, with an incredible amount of potential...ya let DeSean Jackson go...okay, that can be forgiven and overcome...then, you trade Shady, one of the best RBs in the league...for a linebacker...and to top it off, you just lost your best receiver...I'm sorry, but nothing the Eagles have done so far has made any sense. Basically they're going to have Darren Sproles, maybe Frank Gore, Brent Celek (one of my favorites), and Mark Sanchez...but hey, Chip Kelly is an offensive genius. 
• Even if the Eagles do trade up in the draft and manage to get Mariota, which is what Chip Kelly wants, he will not be the answer to Philly's now seemingly lackluster offense. I'm not sold on Mariota as an NFL starting quarterback, anyway. 

Tomorrow is the start of free agency and I could not be more excited. First and foremost, I hope we bring Revis and Vereen back. Then, address the offensive line and defensive line needs, whether it's via free agency or the draft.  Whatever happens, I just hope Belichick & co. do their jobs. Which they normally do! 

Will update tomorrow, as more moves are made!

As always, go Pats! 

March: Franchise tags and releases and deals, oh my!

I honestly have a love/hate relationship with free agency. I love it because you have to admit, it's exciting. All the last minute deals and no-deals that shock us all, the thrill you get when your team signs a top FA...it's all great. I hate free agency, though, because obviously, teams can't keep every player each season. What I've kind of gotten accustomed to over the years of being a Patriots fan, is the heartbreak of losing my favorite player. Most of the time to free agency; Welker, Woodhead, Vinatieri, Milloy...just to name a few. Considering the Patriots aren't usually very big spenders, and that Bill Belichick has a ridiculously good knack for knowing when a player is a just season or two away from being out of his prime, New England is usually right about the decisions they make when it comes to free agency. No matter how hard it is to accept.

With the start of free agency quickly approaching, many people are no longer confident that the Patriots work out a long term deal with McCourty and/or Revis. Many fans were stunned after the Patriots placed the franchise tag on Gostowski. To me, it makes sense; we didn't need a 'Vinatieri 2.0' situation. The cap hit for this season would've been a bit too high for the Patriots to tag DMac, and obviously, when it comes to Revis, the situation is either: pick up his 2nd year option, work out a long term deal, or allow him to test the market; tagging was never an option.

As of now, the Patriots are over the cap space. They have until next Monday to change that. There are several things New England can do to place themselves significantly under the cap. Restructuring deals with guys like Browner, Amendola, Mayo, and Wilfork would be the place to start.

This season, Revis and McCourty were the heart and soul of our secondary. It's scary enough to think about losing one of them, but it's even worse when you think that there's a (good) chance we don't have DMac and Revis back next season. The Patriots are obviously not big spenders, and both Revis and McCourty deserve to get paid. I get that. I believe the Patriots' offer for McCourty will be somewhere around $8-9 million per season. Which is kind of low for a safety, considering he's a highly targeted free agent, and this years draft class is lacking at the safety position. With the new cash "handout" requirements, though, the Patriots could essentially give McCourty closer to what he's looking for. Revis is looking at probably his last "big deal". He'll be 30 this year, and entering the most critical years of his prime. I know he wouldn't mind going back to New York and finishing his career there. In my heart, though, I think Revis was looking for a "home" and a place to win. Doesn't that sound like New England? Now that he's gotten a taste of a Championship and consistently winning, why go somewhere else? I think he takes a bit of a discount and stays in Foxboro.
Honestly, it all comes down to whether or not #24 and #32 want to win, or just get money. New England has a good chance to win it all again next year, so if I'm them, I take wins now, money later.

What I will say: after yesterday, Devin McCourty isn't too optimistic about returning to the Patriots. Given the Patriots' history when it comes to safeties, I'm not too confident either. In my opinion, safety just a position that Belichick puts a lot of value in. I mean, c'mon, we're talking about the guy who decided to cut Lawyer Milloy and basically stunned the entire football world. I love DMac; I think he's a great guy on and off the field. So I'll hate to see him go, but wish him the best wherever he winds up. IF the Patriots don't resign McCourty, however, there's really no excuse for them to not get Revis back on a longterm deal. His presence clearly impacted our defense in ways we hadn't seen in years. It'll be interesting to see how this busy offseason plays out. Let's gooooo.

As always, go Patriots.