FCB02062
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2010
- Messages
- 11,674
- Reaction score
- 10,929
First, if you have been a season ticket holder for 18 years as you claim, you saw what this franchise was prior to Kraft which was putrid. You also saw that Kraft wasn't cheap where he overpaid to keep players during the Bobby Grier era and the beginning of the Belichick era. Players like Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, and Drew Bledsoe got record breaking deals. In fact, it took nearly a decade for a CB to get a better contract than Law got in 1998. He also say him overpay for rejects like Max Lane and Todd Rucci.
Second, the Pats did spend from 2006 on. Kraft made Richard Seymour the highest paid d-lineman in 2006. Kraft made Randy Moss one of the highest paid receivers in 2008. Kraft made Brady the highest paid player in the NFL last year. Kraft made Wilfork one of the highest paid interior d-linemen last year. Kraft overpaid for Adalius Thomas in 2007. Kraft gave Welker a well above market value contract in 2007 based on his value at the time (he has far exceeded it). Kraft made Mankins the highest paid guard this year.
Third, name one high priced acquisition the Pats made from 2001-2004. The only one I can think of is Roosevelt Colvin in 2003 and he took a discount to come to the Pats. Even then, he didn't live up to his contract.
Fourth, while on that subject, most high priced acquisitions do not live up to expectations. The Dolphins overpaid for Karlos Dansby and he has been average at best this year. Same with Reggie Bush. The Jets paid a hefty sum for Bart Scott and his bark is bigger than his bite. The Ravens beat out the Pats for Anquan Bolden because they were willing to give him top dollar and the Pats weren't and Bolden gave the Ravens 839 yards and 7 TDs in return last year for the money (the TDs were good, but the yards were mediocre especially for top WR money). Even Julius Peppers, who I really wanted, got a record breaking deal last year for his ability to get to the QB and only delivered 8 sacks for the Bears in 2010. And let's not even getting started on their acquisition of their "franchise" QB who hasn't been close to franchise.
I'm not really concerned with what other teams do. All I know is that this team has way too often gone with broken down, old, free agents - Haynesworth, Chad Scott, Junior Seau, Deltha O'Neal, Chad Johnson, Joey Galloway....there's too many to list - when there were more expensive, younger, better alternatives. Sorry if you think I'm fibbing about being a season ticket holder, but yes, my first year was 92 because the tix were something like 21 bucks a game. Prior to that it was always very easy to get tickets on game day. And this year is my first year without any tickets - for the last few seasons I only went to a couple games a season with family commitments, etc.
And it's clear as day that the trading down for value has not worked out because they've cut most of the players for whom they've traded down - especially in the secondary.....
Look, I hope this team somehow finds a magic elixir and McCourty, Adams, Molden, etc., can somehow figure out how to cover receivers. But until this team, A.) gets CONSISTENT pressure on the qb and doesn't allow him to sit back all day and find the open guy or B.) somehow develops a scheme that doesn't let Heath Miller get open 15 yards downfield all day without a defender within 7 yards, the team isn't going anywhere - especially into a victorious locker room after a playoff game.