Patriots Running The Old Switcharoo on WR Emmanuel Sanders?

[Ive_Killed_People]

Submitted for consideration:

Timeline(Albeit with no times) :

Reports Surface Giants worried a team may sign Victor Cruz.
Pats linked to Cruz via speculation
Pats bring in Pittsburgh WR Sanders who is a RFA
Pats dont sign him to an offer sheet
REports that Pats are waiting for Pittsburgh to gorge in free agency
Pittsburgh never gorges in free agency...ever
Actually Pitts would have time to restructure contracts to match an offer
.............................
So what's next Pats follow the timeline and sign Sanders like expected?
Or BB drops a Patriot missile on the Giants by intercepting Cruz?
(And please no: BB respects and loves the Giants org. and wouldn't do them 'dirty' as I will direct you to the BB Handbook Section 7 article 3: Ballard,Jake)

 

[letekro]

haha. wait, wut??

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

They're definitely slow playing the situation... will be very interesting to see what pans out (unless nothing pans out at all )

 

[patfanken]

First the Giants are NEVER going to let Cruz go....period. Two, the Pats are not going to pay big money to another receiver. They are already have big contract commitments to Gronk and Hernandez. They have a little bit less on the line for DA. They are NOT going to add a 4th big contract for another receiver. And Cruz is a guy who is going to command a big contract.

Any visions you have about Victor Cruz wearing a flying Elvis are purely figments of your active imagination.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

What PatFanken said. I mean, that's like us letting go of Welker or something

Seriously, this looks like wishing rather than analysis (but I'm certainly no expert)

 

[IllegalContact]

isn't cruz basically a slot WR? he has caught about as many deep throws as welker has the last 2 years.

I don't see the pats forking over the kind of resources that will be needed to wind up with him......giving up a 1st rounder as well as a franchise type WR contract?

don't see it

 

[Steve102]

Cruz ain't coming here. The Pats have only five picks, as we know. IMO, BB will trade down the first, grab a couple lower (high 2nd and 4th round) pick. Can't sign Cruz if that's the intention.

If they take Sanders, it'll be a draft day deal, based on what's available in the third. If the best player available is Sanders, then they'll make a deal with Pittsburgh and get him.

 

[PATS68]

Well Kraft said in his interview that they have a lot of money tied up to the middle of the field, so based on his comments I do not see it happening.

Need help on the outside!

 

[patman52]

Cruz ain't coming here. The Pats have only five picks, as we know. IMO, BB will trade down the first, grab a couple lower (high 2nd and 4th round) pick. Can't sign Cruz if that's the intention.

If they take Sanders, it'll be a draft day deal, based on what's available in the third. If the best player available is Sanders, then they'll make a deal with Pittsburgh and get him.

The window for RFA offers close on the week before the draft.

I think the offer they made (if any was made) was on the low side and Sanders will go back and play under the tag and hope the market returns when he is a FA and a year as a starter to boost his value.

I think BB saw an opportunity to either steal a guy or hurt a competitor short term.

 

[JFK]

We don't need Sanders. If we didn't have DA, I would want Cruz.
What we need is a big WR with some speed that can win jump balls. Sanders isn't it. Cruz is an expensive 1000+yd receiver. We don't need either.

 

[Kontradiction]

Cruz ain't coming here. The Pats have only five picks, as we know. IMO, BB will trade down the first, grab a couple lower (high 2nd and 4th round) pick. Can't sign Cruz if that's the intention.

If they take Sanders, it'll be a draft day deal, based on what's available in the third. If the best player available is Sanders, then they'll make a deal with Pittsburgh and get him.

The wide receiver situation is among the worst in the NFL right now. If the team isn't going to make a move for a guy like Sanders (I would like Cruz, but I'm also aware of how slim a possibility that is), then they absolutely, positively have to hit on a WR in the draft. There is zero room for error there. Further, that rookie has to be able to crack the starting line-up (shouldn't be hard, given the crap we have there now) and contribute immiediately (much harder given the system the Patriots run on offense).

 

[Gronkandez]

I'd estimate there is about a 3% chance they'll make a run at Cruz and about a 35% chance they'll sign Sanders to an offer sheet. As others have mentioned, they need to delay the offer sheet to see who they are able to sign in FA first. Sanders may not be a perfect fit as a deep threat jump ball guy but I don't the think the Pats want to depend on jump balls. They want shirt range guys who have the speed to break big plays with YAC.

 

[Ive_Killed_People]

First the Giants are NEVER going to let Cruz go....period. Two, the Pats are not going to pay big money to another receiver. They are already have big contract commitments to Gronk and Hernandez. They have a little bit less on the line for DA. They are NOT going to add a 4th big contract for another receiver. And Cruz is a guy who is going to command a big contract.

Any visions you have about Victor Cruz wearing a flying Elvis are purely figments of your active imagination.

NEVER NOT,NOT NOT NEVER,NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER!!!!. Look, my speculation was wild I didn't guarantee it or even say it was probable. I only planted a seed for discussion. YOU acted offended like I had just suggested your mudder wore combat boots....not necessary.

 

[Ive_Killed_People]

Cruz ain't coming here. The Pats have only five picks, as we know. IMO, BB will trade down the first, grab a couple lower (high 2nd and 4th round) pick. Can't sign Cruz if that's the intention.

If they take Sanders, it'll be a draft day deal, based on what's available in the third. If the best player available is Sanders, then they'll make a deal with Pittsburgh and get him.

Well,if I had advanced knowledge of what BB is doing in the draft like you do I wouldn't have even suggested it

 

[FoxboroFlyer]

Sanders isn't going to sign a lowball offer sheet.
It would make no sense, for him to do so.
Alot of people like to talk about how expensive Cruz will be when in reality Sanders is going to be asking for something in that ballpark.
Cruz at 1 or 2 mill. More a year makes much more sense, imo.

With that being said I don't see either one playing, for the Pats next year.

 

[JackBauer]

Alot of people like to talk about how expensive Cruz will be when in reality Sanders is going to be asking for something in that ballpark.

How do you know this?

 

[Steve102]

Well,if I had advanced knowledge of what BB is doing in the draft like you do I wouldn't have even suggested it

IMO= In My Opinion. But thanks for the snide attitude. Didn't realize I had to disclose every sentence as such. Going forward, I'll be sure to disclose any facts I have as such, and any other conjecture on my part can be seen as just that.

It still doesn't change my opinion that Cruz ain't coming here, no matter how much we wish it so.

 

[Steve102]

The wide receiver situation is among the worst in the NFL right now. If the team isn't going to make a move for a guy like Sanders (I would like Cruz, but I'm also aware of how slim a possibility that is), then they absolutely, positively have to hit on a WR in the draft. There is zero room for error there. Further, that rookie has to be able to crack the starting line-up (shouldn't be hard, given the crap we have there now) and contribute immiediately (much harder given the system the Patriots run on offense).

I agree it's a mess right now. I also agree that it's difficult for the team to draft a guy who can come in and contribute day one. IMO, they'll bring Lloyd back for a much more team friendly salary. While I don't think this is end-all-be-all answer, it's sort of status quo. In my mind, they have to be figuring that Jones takes the place of Branch, Amendola fills Welker's role. If (and a big one) Lloyd comes back at a lower $ amount, they could be wagering that Jones will do 120% of Branch's numbers, and DA will do 80% of Welker's. Then there's less pressure on a rookie to step in and put up 70 receptions.

I also think we're gonna see A-Hern in the slot more, with Amendola/Jones/Lloyd or TBA lining up outside, with Ballard and Gronk at TE.

 

[FoxboroFlyer]

How do you know this?

Because, if he plays out his tender in pitt., and can somehow stay healthy he will easily command 6+ million a year when he hits FA the following year.

You really think his agent is going to advise him to sign a mediocre offer sheet when this is his "prove it" year? I don't.

 

[condon84]

The Pats need an outside WR. Be it Sanders or Cruz or a draft pick. With the recent history of drafter WRs, I don't see how BB can solely rely on a rookie to come in and take the pressure off the middle of the field. Sanders makes the most sense as far as financially and draft pick compensation. I agree with others that this will be a draft day deal when it does happen.

Cruz? I'd love it, but I just don't see it happening.