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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Leon Washington would be a great addition. He would also solve the KR issues. I wonder if he Punts also?Let's not forget about Brandon Tate. Hopefully he will be fully recovered by mini-camp. He has boatloads of talent. I also hopin that Seattle cut Mieon, I think he could fill in nicely.
Although your question is very valid, considering that Moss will be coming back off the shoulder injury, Welker I think we can all assume will be starting the year on the PUP list, Tate is coming off another knee injury, Edelman's arm should be healthy by now. But the list of injuries to TFB's receiving corp is scary.
The Pats brought in Moss and Welker as FA in the same year, and they worked flawlessly. So there is no reason to think that it can not be done again.
My targets:
Trades: (provided it does not cost a draft pick higher than #53)
Marshall
Ochocinco
Free Agents/ Restricted Free Agents:
Mieon
Leon Washington
Draft:
C.J. Spiller
Golden Tate (not too early)
Not sure I understand this one. Here is the state of the WR as I see it:
SE = Moss: Obviously not healthy at the end, but check the 2nd Bills game
FL = Tate: Why assume his career is over at age 22?
Slot = Edelman: Keeping the spot warm until Welker is ready
TE2 = Good blocker and showed good rapport with Brady
Not going to include Aiken even though he has shown he can be a reasonable fill-in for injuries in addition to being a ST captain...meaning he is #5 on the depth chart.
So what is missing and how hard will it be to get?
One more WR on the depth chart to serve as the #4 in the first half of the season and then be a situational (red zone?) guy later in the year. That is a 3rd day draft pick or a low-priced vet.
A #1 TE with a top-shelf set of receiving skills. This one is harder. Nobody in the draft is a sure thing. This is an area where the Pats could invest some FA dollars. There is a thread already, but none of them really float my boat either.
So the only real heavy lifting this year if for a #1 TE. Everything else is either in place or easy to get. Next year you look for the Moss replacement, but luckily there are a slew of candidates in the draft with the Pats sitting on two #1 picks.
Edit: Oops...forgot RB. Time for a Faulk upgrade and McCluster would be ideal for the that. Get him even if you have to use #44.
I'd love to pick up Kevin Walter. His versatility and ability to play both the slot AND the Z really entice me. I see him as a rich man's David Givens. I think he'd be cost-effective and a solid signing.
If Moss, Edelman, Tate and Baker are are starters at the beginning of the season then I am extremely concerned. There is not gaurentee that Tate will be ready. He could be put on the PUP list. Edelman showed promise, but this will be his 2nd year as a WR, ever! And Baker did not give me much hope last season. I think they need to make the WR a strong piont in FA this off season. And then draft a WR in rounds 2-4.
Agreed, he's under the radar and would be very solid, I also like Domenik Hixon, he's another solid receiver and a lethal kick returner.
Leon Washington would also be a great pickup for the running game and could double as a receiver.
Andre Roberts is my favorite receiver in the draft so far, we just need more picks.
So in week #9, you want the depth chart to look like:
Moss
Welker
Mid-level FA
2nd-day Draft Pick
Edelman
Tate
Guess how many practice passes Brady throws to the #5 and #6 WRs on the depth chart. About as many as you and I get. So Edelman has a really positive rookie year and ends up with fewer opportunites in year 2. Tate gets drafted in the 3rd round (only because of injury) and gets replaced on the depth chart by a player drafted in the same range the next year.
How is this not spasming without a sense of direction?
I'd love to pick up Kevin Walter. His versatility and ability to play both the slot AND the Z really entice me. I see him as a rich man's David Givens. I think he'd be cost-effective and a solid signing.
So in week #9, you want the depth chart to look like:
Moss
Welker
Mid-level FA
2nd-day Draft Pick
Edelman
Tate
Guess how many practice passes Brady throws to the #5 and #6 WRs on the depth chart. About as many as you and I get. So Edelman has a really positive rookie year and ends up with fewer opportunites in year 2. Tate gets drafted in the 3rd round (only because of injury) and gets replaced on the depth chart by a player drafted in the same range the next year.
How is this not spasming without a sense of direction?
I think it's more like:
#1 = Moss
#2 = ? (Welker, when available)
Edelman, Tate, Mid-level FA, 2nd round pick, 4th/6th round pick, UDFA all battling for position on the depth chart.
Why so many?
We don't know how well Moss is recovering or how well he'll hold up next season.
We don't know when (or IF) Welker will be back.
We don't know if Tate will ever even play.
Worst case scenario is that Moss is reduced to part time, Welker doesn' make it back at all for 2010 and Tate never plays.
That leaves us with Edelman a mid-level FA and 3 rookies.