PatsSuck456 said:
Its strange isnt it? They loose key guys like Givens, Dwight, McGinest, Poole, Starks, Vinateri, and Ashworth, and yet they don't try to replace them. They should have some cap space and yet it seems that they have signed no one.
I know that there are Pats fans here so I would like to know your opinion on the matter at hand.
Pats troll checking in on this.
The Pats are generally quiet during this first period of FA with the notable exception of Colvin and Harrison coming in during the "Great Defensive Revamp of 2003".
I really think this offseason with go down as the "Great Youth Movement of 2006". I believe Belichick watched all the game tapes during the offseason, reckoned they were getting "old in the tooth" at key positions, witnessed injuries exposing other depth problems, and decided to retool the roster a little. IMO, the Patriots will still be a very good team this upcoming season, but will be relying on a lot of young new players (and the good and bad that comes with that) as they re-load with an eye towards keeping a competitive squad together for the next 3-4 years.
They've got a possible 11 draft picks (9 regular, 2 comp most likely), including 6 in the first 4 rounds, coming in April, along with $20MM or so in unused cap space (prior to the T Brown and Neal signings, which I'm guessing will knock about $2.5 MM off that number), so they've also got the chips to try to fill a lot of the gaps on the roster via the draft or "sign & trade" deals a la Dillon and T Washington (a few years back). Having gotten burned on a most of their trades last offseason (Starks, A Davis, D Terrell), I wonder if they will be a little more cautious in regards to that course of action this year.
In regards to the specific guys they lost, I'll sum them up thusly:
W McGinest - great leadership & a guy who had an extra gear when a big play was needed; the Pats had to cut him as his cap hit would've been extraordinary, but that was foreseen; McGinest had a tendency to disappear for streches, and maybe Belichick saw him as a player who may have "topped out" production-wise; Pats management did him a favor by releasing him early and allowing him to grab Cleveland's big bucks while they were available, but I do believe the Pats would've taken him back at the right price....which was much less than $4MM/year.
A Vinatieri - this one may come back to haunt the Pats, as Vinatieri was the Mariano Rivera of the team, and there's no bona-fide replacement anywhere on the horizon; the Pats have been trying to work out an extension with him for years in which he would become the highest paid kicker in the game, but Vinatieri was determined to get to FA, despite being franchise-tagged the previous two years; I believe BB also might think that Vinatieri has "topped out" as he hasn't hit a 50+ yard FG in years, his kickoffs have ever-so-slightly begun to drop in yardage the past 5 years, and he's had some recurring problems with his back; the Pats thought a $3MM franchise was too much to pay for a kicker in 2006, and let him test the FA waters, I'm guessing not thinking that Indy was going to step up to the plate with that kind of record-setting offer for a kicker; I'm still kind of scratching my head a little on why this loss had to happen. :confused:
D Givens - former 7th-round pick who kept improving his game despite less-than-superb natural ability; the Pats mistake here was not extending him last offseason (he probably would've signed at the time for what they offered him a few weeks ago); Givens is not a #1 WR as he doesn't possess the speed nor the hands IMO, but is going to be a solid #2 in this league for a long time b/c of his tremendous work ethic; having been paid peanuts to-date in the NFL, he stated for all to hear, that he was moving on for the money...and at close to $5MM/year, there was no way the Pats were going to play in that auction, especially with money needed to extend Branch, who is scheduled to be a UFA in 2007.
T Poole - important piece of the 2003 team that has spent more time in the hottub the last two years than the playing field; getting long in the tooth, and folks questioned his toughness and commitment to the game.
D Starks - probably the most maligned FA signing in the history of the Patriots; truth-be-told, Starks was playing with some fairly serious injuries for a CB, but since the Pats had virtually no one left at the position due to a rash of injuries, sucked it up for the good of the team; the fans have more-or-less run him out of town (not to mention he was expensive to keep) as he was routinely burned last season; maybe he can revive his career with the Raiders.
C Brown - I believe he was originally signed to play OLB, but was forced to learn and play (for the first time in his NFL career) ILB due to T Johnson's unforseen retirement and Burschi's stroke; he was a consummate professional who struggled with the new assignment but never complained; the Pats may re-sign him dependent upon the rest of their plans this offseason.
T Ashworth - former practice player who eventually became a mediocre starter; considering his back problems and limited athleticism, was not worth keeping as the Pats have adequate depth on the OL and would not think of matching the 2.5MM/year he received from the Seahawks.
Fauria - 3rd string TE who had his moments in NE, but was somewhat unhappy with his role playing behind Graham and Watson; Pats weren't going to play "highest bidder" with Dan Snyder.
A Davis - talented player who began to show more promise as a receiver and special teamer as the season wore on, but whom NE never saw much "real production" of out.
T Dwight - gritty player who was an okay #4 WR and punt returner, whom the Pats were just not going to pay up to keep.
M Chatham - solid special teamer who was looking, in his 7th season, to finally crack the lineup somewhere as a LB; Mangini will give him that chance, along with an incentive-filled contract, in NY it is believed.
They re-signed S Neal (starting RG), T Brown (#4 WR and possible PR), A Hawkins (holding down Harrison's spot at S), C Scott (in the mix at CB), H Evans (seldom-used FB), and H Poteat (dimeback). M Stone (a quality special-teamer and emergency safety I'd like them to re-sign) is their lone remaining FA of any importance. When judging all the sudden departures from NE I think it's important to note that former Pats' coaches, Mangini and Crennel, readily scoop up guys they are already comfortable with (McGinest, Dwight, Chatham this year; Crennel grabbed other UFA Pats in 2005), so that's had an effect on the Pats' ability to re-sign their own guys.
Caldwell, signed away from the Chargers, is believed to be a guy coming off serious injury in 2004 that has #1 or #2 WR potential that hasn't yet been realized in part b/c of the numerous other targets (Gates, McCardell, Tomlinson) Brees had already developed confidence in, in SD. I think most folks in NE project him as the #3 WR going into camp and any production above and beyond that will be counted on as gravy.
That leaves that Pats at this point still needing a #2 WR, #3 TE, a ball-carrying RB to share the load with Dilon, K, backup QB, #2 NT, starting LB (inside or outside b/c of Vrabel's flexibility), a couple of backup LBs, a couple of DBs who could compete for starting spots, and maybe another OL guy or WR. In summary, they need about 11-12 new guys, and have 11 picks (to sign them all would cost about $5MM let's approximate) and about $17.5MM to do it with.
My hunch is that the Pats will work a few trades with teams for experienced players and during draft day to satisfy 7-9 of their needs, grab a few bargain UFAs, and
maybe take a run at an RFA or two. That doesn't mean they won't sign big contracts (they've certainly got the money for a couple big signings) with headline-name players, it just means they won't (in their eyes) overpay for anyone.
The only position I'm more-than-a-little worried about right now is K...the cupboard's pretty bare on vets, and taking a flier on an untested guy for a team whose goal is Championships, is a risky proposition. The rest...well there's a saying amongst Pats fans, "In Belichick We Trust" - it's a long list of to-dos, but not insurmountable; and the front office has a GREAT draft track record the past 6 years.
Anybody want to run down the state of affairs in Miami? Y'all have been a lot more busy than we have this offseason. (Aside: how do you like your chances on Arrington? Would you rather have had Brees than Culpepper?) Saban looks like he's putting together a winner down there in Miami; I'm just not sure Culpepper's going to perform miracles his first year in a new offense (although you've still got to believe he's an upgrade to what the Fins had last year, right?).
