This is where you and I clash.
You see, we have a big need on the football field right now, and that's a pass rusher. We both agree on that. We probably both agree that Julius Peppers would help the Patriots at that position. He may even make them one of the league's strongest teams, although neither of us can be sure of that.
Now, is Julius Peppers going to play for us for free? No. We both agree on that. Would be pay $1M per year. Yes. Would we pay $30M per year? No. So I think we can both agree that we would both like to see the Patriots sign him, but only if a fair deal can be reached, one that makes sense for us so that we can field a competitive team.
So, 31 teams including the Patriots, Steelers, Colts and Eagles, mind you the four most successful teams of the decade, thought the price needed to sign Peppers was too high and would ultimately not result in a better football product. Only the Bears thought that he was worth the money they paid him. You know what, you're telling me that the Bears made the right decision, but also that we should have offered more than the Bears. Whatever it takes, right? That's where we differ.
As Patriot fans, we've been spoiled by rarely having huge deficiencies on our football team. What you're telling me, is that since we now have a problem, the best decision is to fill that need by paying more for a player than any other team. Despite watching teams like the Redskins consistently fail with this approach, you think we should adopt it, win the media praise for a week, and then deal with the reality later? Through poor drafting, injuries, and weak player development, we find ourselves in a pickle. And arguably, the complete failure from our last "big name free agent", Adalius Thomas, has compounded the matter further, and now limits the amount of money we have to improve. Do you not see this? The way out of this pickle is where we differ. I think the way out is to continue to try and find value on the market and draft players that will fit our system. This system, mind you, was the key ingredient to eight combined Super Bowl appearances for the Pats, Colts, and Steelers in the last decade.
If we can't draft well and develop players, we can't win. It's that simple, and it's the closest thing you will find to a natural law of the NFL. But trying to overcompensate for poor drafting by making unwise decisions and feeling good for ten minutes in the glory of a "big signing" will just prolong our rebuilding schedule. We will not have a deficiency; rather, we will have lots of deficiencies. All of our money will be gone, tied up in Julius Peppers type of players. If we want to win on the field, we need stick to what's smart. If we want to win in the headlines and anticipation, we should have signed Peppers.
