a healthy crable would not fill the hole, and they've know that thomas has not been all that for quite some time now........they knew vrabel was getting old for some time.........and even when they traded him last year, they knew they had nothing behind him which was why they panicked and got burgess....at the end of the day, they got burgess and a 2nd rounder for cassel, vrabel, a 3rd and a 5th.....talk about spinning your wheels.....and by the same token, you could not expect to get the level of play that was needed out of burgess......they left themselves high and dry
You forgot the 18 million in cap space that they got as well. Which allowed them to sign Fred Taylor, Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, and some others..
And we have no idea what a healthy Crable would have done. None.
And no, when they traded him, they still had a feeling that they could get something out of Robertson, Craig and Redd. You know. Guys that weren't cut until Training Camp.
You can only get so much in any given year. You can't get everything, though we all would like to think it's possible. The Pats added quite a bit last year and those players should get better. Do they have holes? Yep. So does every other team in the league. Even the Jets. Anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.
It's Day 1 of Free Agency and the Pats did right in getting Wilfork and TBC re-signed. And they did so in a way to quell some of the BS "The Pats don't take care of their players" talk. Bodden and Faulk are supposedly in talks with the Pats as well.
There are plenty of free agents available, UFA and RFA alike. The Pats have gone into just about every draft with a full roster. There are 49 more days to go for that to happen.
Missing out on Boldin stings, but the Pats do have the right to be cautious regarding an injury plagued WR who may have locker-room issues.
Missing out on Peppers doesn't hurt when you remember Adalius Thomas.
Missing out on Walter stings because that's a deal the Pats should have been able to swing without question. And Walter is worth it. Unless they know something we don't. Which is quite possible.
Dansby hurts the most because he went to the Dolphins. But the Dolpins have a huge number of holes on defense. They are without OLBs. And they don't have a quality NT. And they just let Gibril Wilson go. But, even with them, it's only the first day of free agency. So a lot can change.