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.