mgteich

Step 1 & 2
Duh. We will franchise Cassel and get what we can as soon as we can.

Step 3A/4
I don't think you'd get Suggs for $7M a year, but I have no conceptual problems with replacing Vrabel with Suggs. Personally, I would extend Vrabel.

Step 3B
Cutting Green is as lousy an idea I've seen in awhile. Seymour is in his contract year. Wright is a free agent this year. We NEED our defensive ends. Oh, BTW, we have no backup NT and Wilfork is also on his contract year (although we would likely franchise him next year.

Step 5
Belichick will sign a start safety. Jones is one option. $4M is fine. Or we might re-sign Sanders, or sign someone else. The cap difference is small no matter who we choose.

Step 6
Belichick will make sure that his second day picks are all-pros. More likely is that half of them won't make the team.

================
BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is that we have many needs for 2009-2011. After all, the draft is not primarily for this year. For example, we have exactly zero guards signed for 2010. As Miguel has indicated, we have 21 free agents. We also have lots of key players in their contract year: Wilfork, Seymour, Green, Hobbs, Kaczur, Mankins, Watson, TE Thomas. Suggs is your focus. We need to focus on a lot more than Suggs.

AndyJohnson

Vrabel is many things more than a pass rusher. He is a complete LB, as complete as BB has ever had, and as intelligent and effective at everything he needs to do as anyone.
I'm sure YOU would like to cut the guy who has probably been our most solid defender for over 5 years in order to give a boatload of money to a one dimensional pass rusher who is good in a system that only asks him to rush the qb and would be half the player in our system that asks much more, but BB will not.

as far as green, keeping him makes us a better team than not keeping him, but the cost is high, so what we add with the money may be worth more. a better solution would be to keep and extend him.

mgteich

I agree that we should decide about the plan for our own before considering going after major free agents. My perference is to extend our own instead of major acquisitions. See below for a PRE-PLAN that answers your questions. I would note that the OP's plan has no need for backup DE's and OG's, IMHO absolutely essential for this year and next.

START WITH $18.6M of cap room (plus or minus 2008 adjustments)

STEP 1 (cost = $3.2M perhaps leaving enough to franchise Cassel; otherwise a restructure is needed. Cassel needs to be gone soon after the beginnning of free agency). These two tenders bring us to the 51 man cap rule limit.
Tender VENTRONE at $1.0M
Tender WOODS at $2.2M
pass on Alexander
pass on Britt (he has been passed by LeVoir, and O'Callaghan is coming back)

STEP 2 (net cap cost about $6.4M leaving $9M for further free agents, extensions, rookies, Player 52, Player 53, the Practice Squad, players on IR, and a fund for replacement players during camp and season). Each is expected to cost a gross of $1M a year except as noted.
re-sign EVANS
re-sign GAFFNEY or equivalent talent value replacement for $1.5M
re-sign HANSON
re-sign HARRISON for $1.5M
re-sign IZZO
re-sign PAXTON
re-sign LEW SANDERS
re-sign TANK WILLIAMS or equivalent talent value replacement
pass on COLVIN
pass on SEAU
pass on JORDAN (I don't think he want to stay)
pass on O'NEAL
pass on KENNY SMITH

STEP THREE - NOW THE REAL START OF FREE AGENCY WITH $9M OF CAP MONEY
re-sign JAMES SANDERS or another starting safety
re-sign WRIGHT or talent level equivalent (this will not be cheap)
re-sign HOCHSTEIN He is the perfect patriot, backing up as several positions.

STEP FOUR
Sign the usual set of veterans to compete in camp and for roster positions, for starting positions, especially at DB.

STEP FIVE
Draft well and sign more veterans as needed.
Restructure as needed to sign rookies and to have enough flexibility for the season, and hopefully to extend a player or two.

BOTTOM LINE
I am not willing to cripple the team to bring in Suggs or any other top free agent. The OP indicated what would be needed. We would need to cut two key players. A starting safety for $2M - $2.5 of cap money should be doable within the above framework. Sean Jones is a fine choice. The issue is Suggs.

Box_O_Rocks

Bubba is an ERFA there big spender.
Why? After two years Woods showed much better progress in his 3rd season than TBC who is the only comparable predecessor. Yates was signed to a contract rather than tender him - do the same (3 years worth $2.1M), it's cheaper and if Pierre continues to progress you get him for a couple extra years before you have to shell out big money.

Premature, he won't be ready before late summer and more likely mid-season.

I'd bring Kenny Smith back, this is a bad draft for 3-4 DL and Kenny is a decent #6 DE.

I wouldn't bring him back unless he's your new Long Snapper. As long as you want him, no more than a one year deal, minimal signing bonus. I love Hoch, but I'd be surprised if he survives cutdown. Hoch has slipped behind Yates at G, he's still a very good C; however, Connelly is moving up and drafting one of those good Centers in the middle rounds or an equivalent OL (Urbik, Canfield) to develop inside in case Neal gets hurt again makes much better sense.

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Patjew

How about restructure Green and watch Vrabel play healthy and at a high level again?

Anyway, I don't care about 1 to 8 as long as 9 and 10 happen again.

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Joker

and as we all know...9 times any number ALWAYS adds up to 9...so there's that...

9 x 3=27..7 and 2 =9

9 x 999=8991...8+9+9+1=27...2+7=9

I think we need 2 good inside ninemen

Patjew

That, my friends, is science.

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AzPatsFan

AJ,

You can't talk sense to a draftnik, FF player, about draft picks. Un-discovered All-Pros lie under every unheard of player from Okeefenokie U that these guys think go from second day draft pick, and instantly can play and replace a key team vet from Day 1 at Training Camp.

Or they fall in love with some possible free agent that doesn't and wouldn't be effective in the Pats schemes. For example Peppers wants out of Carolina. He says he wants to go to a 3-4 team even though he hasn't played in that scheme before.

I question what he would do in such a scheme. Would I pay $10 million dollars a year to him to experiment and to find out?

Why sure say they. You're Nuts say I.

I'd rather take the $10 million and re-sign Seymour who has shown he can play at an All-Pro level in the 3-4 and should have gone to the Probowl once again this year, on his career journey to the HOF. Paying $10 million to Richard happens to be what we pay him today, on the CAP, so re-signing changes the CAP not one whit.

Lampshade

What is it like in the future?

With a bum shoulder he was in for as many snaps as any LB this year. Why would he not do so again next year?

JDSal45

Why cut Vrabel and Green? Nothing in your plan really indicates the need for the cap room. They already have the room for the two signings you mention if they trade Cassel. Just merely having cap room doesn't really help you if there is nothing you can do with it that is better than having Vrabel and Green.

J D Sal