Crazy Patriot Guy

Absolutely. As I said orginally, I'm not againts that idea and I'm certainly not looking at this offseason as a fail if they don't sign a stud free agent. At the same time, I hope that's at least considered.

For example, if Mario Williams has an interest in joining the Pats, maybe be willing to sign for a little less than his max value, that's something that should strongly be considered. It's not simply that players like him don't come around very often, they also aren't always going to be interested in becoming a Patriot. I'd hate to think we could have brought in a player like him but decided against it to save room to sign a safety. (and considering the minimal amount of FAs available and in the draft, they might cost way more than theyre worth, similar to the Bodden situation)

That's my point. If we can plug all our holes and add depth, that's great. I just don't want it to be at the expense of even considering players like Williams, Colston, etc.

Fencer

I think it's a bogus distinction. There are few positions where the Pats are likely saying "We're set; there's little improvement possible." K/P/LS probably won't be touched, except for some token camp competition, but beyond those:

• QB is pretty set.
• TE is pretty set except for depth/#3.
• OT is pretty set except for depth.

and that's pretty much the complete list of position groups at which there's no serious consideration being given to an upgrade.

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AndyJohnson

It works both ways. If you overspend on one player and it inhibits filling the existing and developing holes, that isn't a real good plan, as history has proven.

Rich<3TheWoodhead

The real questions is can we find in this offseason defensive acquisitions that are not high $$ players that are better than what we have now? I sure hope so otherwise we might not have a choice but to go after a high profile player like Williams.

Deus Irae

It's not a bogus distinction. It's a different mindset. You're coming at it from "They're only 'set' at....". Those talking about plug ins are coming at it from "They're really in trouble at....".


Are the Patriots better served by getting

S (i.e. Griffin)
DE (i.e. Carter)
OLB (i.e. Lawson)
DE/DT (i.e. Smith)


Or just getting Mario Williams? That's the sort of the question we're looking at here.

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BlueThunder

I'll take improving 4 positions/depth over signing one super star every time....

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NEboiTB

For anyone that thinks breaking the bank to sign superstar free agents and neglecting a teams true needs is a good idea, look at the Washington Redskins. That team has been a joke for a long time because of moves for Albert Haynesworth, Donovan McNabb and Adam Archuleta.

Crazy Patriot Guy

I understand but couldn't you say the same thing as a reason not to re-sign Wes Welker, or if we have needs going into 2014, a reason not to re-sign Rob Gronkowski? Doesn't the overspending of those two players inhibit filling existing and developing holes? What makes a player like Mario or Vincent or Marcus Colston any different?

Clearly we need to bring Welker back and I hope beyond all hope we can extend Gronk before we have to. Again, those guys, just like Brady, Mankins and Big Vince will take up a lot of cap space to bring back. What is the cutoff for the overspending on key players?

I know you've debated that bringing in a high priced free agent has never won a team a Super Bowl. Unless we're signing one of these elite players to a one year contract, it's not boom or bust in year 1. Brees may not have won a Super Bowl in 2006, the year they signed him, but they certainly don't win in 2009 if not for having him. Also, I'm sure if a study was done, I'd expect that most playoff teams over the last decade had far less cap space overall going into the following season than the teams at the bottom of the league. In most cases, the teams that can sign these elite free agents are the teams not good enough to win that year anyway.

I'll say it again, this isn't my "We must do it this way" approach to the offseason. I would love to see us add a handful quality players for an upgrade in overall talent in depth. I simply won't call it a mistake if we use a lot of our money on a guy like Williams, Colston, Jackson, etc.

Snake Eyes

Isn't overspending, by default, paying more for a player than their production is worth? Just because we sign Mario Williams doesnt automatically mean we'd be overspending.

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AndyJohnson

No it doesnt, but it stands to reason that the players teams are fighting over and outbidding are the ones that get overpaid.
It is also a reality that the higher paid a player is the more likely he is to be overpaid in the event of an injury or decline in performance.