Offseason rankings: Pats loading up

[Box_O_Rocks]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...elin/stories/060307dnspogosselin.3041c19.html

New England restocks on offense, defense to make run at winning fourth Super Bowl
02:18 PM CDT on Sunday, June 3, 2007

It's been two years since the New England Patriots have won a Super Bowl.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts haven't been the problem, although those two AFC rivals have captured the last two NFL championships.

Attrition has been the problem for the Patriots – good players have been leaving New England at a faster clip than good players have been arriving. Forty-five different players started in New England's three Super Bowls in 2001, 2003 and 2004. Only 16 of those starters remain.

Veteran Pro Bowlers Corey Dillon, Ty Law, Willie McGinest and Lawyer Milloy all became salary-cap casualties. Fellow Pro Bowlers Damien Woody and Adam Vinatieri left in free agency, and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch was traded.

That departure of individual greatness has chipped away at New England's dominance this decade. The Patriots lost in the AFC semifinals in 2005 and the AFC title game in 2006. The Patriots have come to the realization that they need more than the aura of Tom Brady to win championships.

So coach Bill Belichick has loaded up for what appears to be a one-year run with one of his busiest offseasons ever. He traded for pass catchers Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and signed Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas in free agency.

On paper, the Patriots are again the most talented team in the AFC. So put them atop the annual offseason rankings by The Dallas Morning News.

TEAM-BY-TEAM RANKINGS

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2001 yet have one of the NFL's best passing games, never finishing lower than 12th in Tom Brady's five full seasons as the starting quarterback. Even in 2006, New England finished 12th without a difference-maker on the flank. Reche Caldwell led the Patriots with 61 catches for 760 yards. How good would Brady be with elite receivers? We'll find out in 2007 with the addition of five-time Pro Bowler Randy Moss, Miami's leading receiver Wes Welker and former first-round draft pick Donte Stallworth.

Final 2006 rank: 2

 

[pats1]

I asked Rick about the whole "1-year run" thing and this was his response:

"There was a definitive change in philosophy this year. A Randy Moss doesn't fit the profile of the players the Patriots have been bringing in. Neither does Brandon Meriweather. He was off some NFL draft boards in April. I saw the salary cap dismantle the Cowboys and 49ers in the 1990s and it's working the same way with the Patriots in the 2000s. Ask Tom Brady, who watched David Patten, David Givens and Deion Branch all leave in a period of two offseasons. Pioli has done a better job combating the attrition than most with some good drafts. We'll just agree to disagree on this one."

 

[PATSNUTme]

For the 2005 season we were injury riddled and the team did it's best to put band aids on those injuries. Yet, we won a playoff game and blew it in Denver.

Last year, with the losses in the WR corps and again injuries to the DB's, we were one stop on D or one play on O to making back to the SB. So, we haven't been declining.

We should be a SB contender again this year. That's all we can ask for as fans.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I asked Rick about the whole "1-year run" thing and this was his response:

"There was a definitive change in philosophy this year. A Randy Moss doesn't fit the profile of the players the Patriots have been bringing in. Neither does Brandon Meriweather. He was off some NFL draft boards in April. I saw the salary cap dismantle the Cowboys and 49ers in the 1990s and it's working the same way with the Patriots in the 2000s. Ask Tom Brady, who watched David Patten, David Givens and Deion Branch all leave in a period of two offseasons. Pioli has done a better job combating the attrition than most with some good drafts. We'll just agree to disagree on this one."

The one year run comment is just foolishly wrong. The Patriots trade two 2007 draft picks for 2008 draft picks because they're trying to win it all now? And then he attempts to justify this comment by comparing the Patriots the salary cap situation to the Cowboys and 49ers blowups? At least the Randy Moss and Brandon Meriweather comments have a shred of truth in them even if they ignore that the Patriots have, indeed, had troubled players on their team before.

 

[spacecrime]

It's been two years since the New England Patriots have won a Super Bowl....

Attrition has been the problem for the Patriots ....

Veteran Pro Bowlers Corey Dillon, Ty Law, Willie McGinest and Lawyer Milloy all became salary-cap casualties. Fellow Pro Bowlers Damien Woody and Adam Vinatieri left in free agency, and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch was traded.

This is weak. How you blame not winning a superbowl based on losing Corey Dillon? Or Lawyer Milloy? We won two in a row after he left.

We have lost no more players than many NFL teams, and less than some.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I don't get his inclusion of Meriweather in the list of players added for this mythical one year run. Why would a rookie, in a position of need, with the potential to start from day one be an addition for a one year run only?

 

[Seven Nation Army]

Everybody always discusses the players New England has lost. Nobody ever discusses the coaches they have lost. The biggest difference between 2005/2006 and this season is the stability at the two coordinator positions. Belichick no longer has to coach the coaches. Dean Pees and Josh McDaniels are the real key to the coming season, not Randy Moss.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

While I may agree with most of his rankings this is not the best of Rich Gosselin. I thought he was one of few who knew better. We've been hurt by attrition, but we've been hurt more by injuries - including those to some aging core players. Yet we finish near the top of the league year after year. Half of the attrition he laments was cut because their cost exceeded production, as the teams they moved on to found out. He names 3 FA additions, 2 of whom are signed for 5-6 years to reasonable contracts that will not break the bank. 3 more were signed to prove it contracts that are also very affordable this season and cause no trouble going forward whether we continue the relationships or not (unlike the mistake Jones made in Dallas that is likely to rear it's ugly head in the second half of this season). The only thing that gets you in cap trouble is overpaying for talent - coupled with overpaying for lack of talent.

And after looking into Meriweather's situation, if what he did dropped players off of draft boards they could cut the draft to 1 day.

 

[PatsSteve1]

I asked Rick about the whole "1-year run" thing and this was his response:

"There was a definitive change in philosophy this year.

* I don't think I've yet seen a media guy, when doing the 1 year run rant or say how much the Patriots have spent in FA this year, at least throw in there that the Pats also have never had this much cap space. It's not BBioli, or any team for that matter, has the same amount of cap space every year to spend in FA.

 

[zippo59]

* I don't think I've yet seen a media guy, when doing the 1 year run rant or say how much the Patriots have spent in FA this year, at least throw in there that the Pats also have never had this much cap space. It's not BBioli, or any team for that matter, has the same amount of cap space every year to spend in FA.

I agree and they also never had the chance to get a player like Randy Moss for a fourth round pick and three million dollar salary that would make him cuttable at any time.

 

[jczxohn1]

Everybody always discusses the players New England has lost. Nobody ever discusses the coaches they have lost. The biggest difference between 2005/2006 and this season is the stability at the two coordinator positions. Belichick no longer has to coach the coaches. Dean Pees and Josh McDaniels are the real key to the coming season, not Randy Moss.

Good point.

 

[mgteich]

The analysis is quite poor. We are certainly not making a one-year run.

Obviously, if that had been the case, we would have used our draft choices rather than trade them.

We had a chance at 28 and 91 to choose

a LB: Poz, Harris, Waters

a RB: Leonard, or Bush

a CB: Hughes

a NT: Branch or

an OT: Staley
---------------------
Would the offense be better this year with Staley and Bush?
Would the defense be better with Poz or Harris and Hughes?
Would the defense be better with Branch and Hughes?
How about Branch and Bush [my choice]
----------------------

No, we could have been better this year had that been our focus. In the end, we will address these area of need. It may be by signing Sam Adams, Chris Brown and Chad Brown.

 

[pats1]

While I may agree with most of his rankings this is not the best of Rich Gosselin.

Shh...don't call him Rich. I did, and that was the first thing he "corrected" me on.

 

[pats1]

The analysis is quite poor. We are certainly not making a one-year run.

Obviously, if that had been the case, we would have used our draft choices rather than trade them.

We had a chance at 28 and 91 to choose

a LB: Poz, Harris, Waters

a RB: Leonard, or Bush

a CB: Hughes

a NT: Branch or

an OT: Staley
---------------------
Would the offense be better this year with Staley and Bush?
Would the defense be better with Poz or Harris and Hughes?
Would the defense be better with Branch and Hughes?
How about Branch and Bush [my choice]
----------------------

No, we could have been better this year had that been our focus. In the end, we will address these areas of need. It may be by signing Sam Adams, Chris Brown and Chad Brown.

I used that same argument, and he never really responded to it.