No FAs please

[SanAngeloState]

BB should live and die with his draft picks. Not mortage the teams future to make up for his past mistakes...ie pay 10M per year to a broken faced Boldin. Now I like Boldin, but I don't think he's worth that much.

Make some decent draft picks and switch up the defense with his mastermind skills and we're all set.

 

[pats1]

BB should live and die with his draft picks. Not mortage the teams future to make up for his past mistakes...ie pay 10M per year to a broken faced Boldin. Now I like Boldin, but I don't think he's worth that much.

Make some decent draft picks and switch up the defense with his mastermind skills and we're all set.

Woo! Ron Brace and Terrence Wheatley will save the day!

 

[VJCPatriot]

You can't draft an entire team. There are still holes to be filled and that will have to be done through free agency.

 

[ramon]

That makes a lot of sense...and by the time these draft picks are ready to perform at a high level Tom Brady will be ready to retire


I am sure those three 2nd round draft picks are going to produce at least 2 All Pros next year

 

[Jangles]

Woo! Ron Brace and Terrence Wheatley will save the day!

Ya really

I'd feel much more comfortable if we traded away all of our draft picks and picked up some decent FA's

I don't trust the Pats drafting

 

[NickOGS20]

The draft is key, sure, but it won't be enough on its own.

 

[mcmurtry86]

Ya really

I'd feel much more comfortable if we traded away all of our draft picks and picked up some decent FA's

I don't trust the Pats drafting

Yes, they've had plenty of busts drafting (EVERY team does)
But, they've also had plenty of bust trades (Burgess, Gabriel, Starks)
Oh no! They've had lots of bust FA signings! (D.Hayes, Beisel, O'Neal, Thomas, S.Martin, C.Brown)

Well, I guess they're just screwed then aren't they?

 

[Mogamedogz]

I feel dumber for opening this thread.

 

[BadMoFo]

BB should live and die with his draft picks. Not mortage the teams future to make up for his past mistakes...ie pay 10M per year to a broken faced Boldin. Now I like Boldin, but I don't think he's worth that much.

Make some decent draft picks and switch up the defense with his mastermind skills and we're all set.

Who says anything about $10 mill a year.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

Building through the draft is great, but you can't rely solely on it. There are ALWAYS going to be busts. I like getting proven talent for draft picks when the price is right. Boldin for a 3rd and a 6th/7th? Cromartie for a 3rd? I'm sorry but the chance that those picks ever amount to anything close to Boldin or Cromartie is extremely slim. The cap hell thing is overrated.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I won't lie, if Anquan Boldin was added to our offense, I would have been excited. Still, he's going to demand alot of $$ for being the 3rd best WR on this team. You can't get away from what won us 3 super bowls.... good drafting, smart FA pickups and bargains, low risk trades. NOT signing superstars to 8 figure per year deals.

I agree with most of the OP except it's not exclusively draft... we need a few good pickups in the FA pool, especially at a position like WR where we need immediate impact. In the BB era we've never had a rookie WR have solid producation in his rookie year, I think Bethel Johnson is about as good as it gets and his was mostly as a KR.

 

[SanAngeloState]

I feel dumber for opening this thread.

I think you're dumber after opening up every thread. Dumber by the minute. Like sands through the hourglass, the braincells are leaking onto your keyboard.:rocker:

 

[Mr. Pollard]

BB should live and die with his draft picks. Not mortage the teams future to make up for his past mistakes...ie pay 10M per year to a broken faced Boldin. Now I like Boldin, but I don't think he's worth that much.

Make some decent draft picks and switch up the defense with his mastermind skills and we're all set.

Have you seen the last 4 patriot drafts?

 

[Snake Eyes]

BB should live and die with his draft picks. Not mortage the teams future to make up for his past mistakes...ie pay 10M per year to a broken faced Boldin. Now I like Boldin, but I don't think he's worth that much.

Make some decent draft picks and switch up the defense with his mastermind skills and we're all set.

Why cut yourself off from a source of talent? Granted, I'm all over signing big names for huge money and/or picks like Peppers and Boldin but Fred Taylor, when healthy, was our best RB last year, and he was a free agent when we got him.

Why wouldn't you like to add solid players like Brian Westbrook, Kevin Walter, or TO (assuming his contract allowed us to dump him at no cost if he acted up) if you could?

 

[primetime]

The Colts, Chargers, and Steelers build almost exclusively through the draft, and pick up bargain free agents to round out their roster. The Saints did the same thing. The Patriots used to operate this way but the MO (and expectations of the fanbase) changed somewhere around 2007.

Building through the draft is how you compete in the league, not through free agency. Trades and free agents can round out a roster but you need to develop your own talent.

 

[Ryan]

Good draft & solid free agents should be enough to keep the Pats in contention. We do have Brady and the best coach in the league. Missing out on the huge names isn't anything to go crazy about.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The Colts, Chargers, and Steelers build almost exclusively through the draft, and pick up bargain free agents to round out their roster. The Saints did the same thing. The Patriots used to operate this way but the MO (and expectations of the fanbase) changed somewhere around 2007.

Building through the draft is how you compete in the league, not through free agency. Trades and free agents can round out a roster but you need to develop your own talent.

I agree for the most part, except I don't think we changed the MO. Adalius was really the only big signing the rest were the same bargain pickups as early in the decade. Draft is important but don't forget all the cheap veteran pickups.

 

[pats1]

The Colts, Chargers, and Steelers build almost exclusively through the draft, and pick up bargain free agents to round out their roster. The Saints did the same thing. The Patriots used to operate this way but the MO (and expectations of the fanbase) changed somewhere around 2007.

As did their ability to draft well.

Building through the draft is how you compete in the league, not through free agency. Trades and free agents can round out a roster but you need to develop your own talent.

 

[12to81]

Yes, they've had plenty of busts drafting (EVERY team does)
But, they've also had plenty of bust trades (Burgess, Gabriel, Starks)
Oh no! They've had lots of bust FA signings! (D.Hayes, Beisel, O'Neal, Thomas, S.Martin, C.Brown)

Well, I guess they're just screwed then aren't they?

Nice cherry picking kiddo. You forget that NONE of those players besides Thomas were actually thought to potentially make a difference.

 

[WhiZa]

This team needs leadership. I've been saying that since Ray Rice took it to the house, and the only way to find leadership now is to go through FA. I dont care if we have the best rookie class in BBs tenure this year. If we dont sign some vets we are not winning a superbowl next year.