Speculation:Patriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr contract

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

BradyManny said:

It's tougher to improve our coverage at LB. Those guys are a strength on this team, and their weakness in coverage needs to be made up elsewhere. Again, we could get a real cover LB (or maybe Fletcher is it?) and start getting Spikes & Hightower off the field even more. But as I said in the LB thread, I'd hate to take Hightower off in the nickel, I think he has pass rush and blitz potential.

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Fletcher is a really good coverage LB. If he's healthy, he represents a significant upgrade in that spot without having to make any move at all. I don't see them going after a coverage LB in free agency.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

ivanvamp said:

Fletcher is a really good coverage LB. If he's healthy, he represents a significant upgrade in that spot without having to make any move at all. I don't see them going after a coverage LB in free agency.

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That would be ideal.

I still want Hightower on the field on 3rd downs though. If Belichick can't find a way to use a 6'2, 270 athletic beast, I would be shocked. He has a great bullrush and begs to be used as a pass rusher.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

BradyManny said:

It's tougher to improve our coverage at LB. Those guys are a strength on this team, and their weakness in coverage needs to be made up elsewhere. Again, we could get a real cover LB (or maybe Fletcher is it?) and start getting Spikes & Hightower off the field even more. But as I said in the LB thread, I'd hate to take Hightower off in the nickel, I think he has pass rush and blitz potential.

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I think the Pats think Fletcher is the coverage LB. This homer intends to watch Fletcher closely in the drills this summer where the LBs have to cover RBs or TEs one on one. Typically this drill is an utter disaster for the LBs each summer. Trust me.

And I'd spend a UDFA shot or 2 at a coverage LB.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

mgteich said:

However, Belichick might think that Wilson or this year's draftee will be our future starter and that we simply need a one-year patch. If the future is Moore and McCourty, it is not even clear that we would draft a top safety.

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I think both of those scenarios could potentially mean a lack of a high draft pick at the position. We've seen Belichick pass on the deeper "sure thing" positions that everyone expects before, and I wouldn't be shocked if he did it again.

Of course that would mean one of 3 things: we took a longer-term big name FA addition (like Moore or Goldson etc), we fixed it for the immediate future with a band-aid signing like Reed/Woodson, or we added some kind of veteran depth to the position itself. All of those situations could prove to equal a lack of safety draft pick in rounds 1-3.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

PatsWickedPissah said:

And I'd spend a UDFA shot or 2 at a coverage LB.

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I think they definitely will. Either that or they'll bring in another ST guy who offers a coverage aspect like we've seen plenty of times before. Either way, I would think that it will be addressed at some point in some minor way as you are stating.

Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr co

BradyManny said:

Kenny Phillips intrigues. Any guess what he'll go for?

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We overpaid for Gregory.. Phillips would likely cost about the same.

Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr co

supafly said:

I think they definitely will. Either that or they'll bring in another ST guy who offers a coverage aspect like we've seen plenty of times before. Either way, I would think that it will be addressed at some point in some minor way as you are stating.

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Who is the kid out of Rutgers? Read good stuff about him as a late rounder.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr co

Jax said:

We overpaid for Gregory.. Phillips would likely cost about the same.

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Philips is going to cost a lot more than what Gregory got.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

I agree that we may choose not to draft a safety. I try to always say that I expect us to draft "a defensive back or two".

Now that we have the money for a corner, McCourty really should stay at safety. We have Gregory (a cap friendly backup for the is year) and Wilson. We need one addition to take Chung's roster spot.

supafly said:

I think both of those scenarios could potentially mean a lack of a high draft pick at the position. We've seen Belichick pass on the deeper "sure thing" positions that everyone expects before, and I wouldn't be shocked if he did it again.

Of course that would mean one of 3 things: we took a longer-term big name FA addition (like Moore or Goldson etc), we fixed it for the immediate future with a band-aid signing like Reed/Woodson, or we added some kind of veteran depth to the position itself. All of those situations could prove to equal a lack of safety draft pick in rounds 1-3.

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Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

I'd rather have a 50 year old Reed than Gregory

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr cont

But Terrell Suggs says the other players in the league hate the Patriots, and when people leave NE they talk smack to their new teammates about how bad life is on the Patriots. I'd figure his buddy Ed Reed would agree with that and laugh in our faces.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

tonyto3690 said:

Man I can't say I wouldn't rather have a "in the bank" superbowl, but we have a real shot on winning the next four as favorites while the Ravens build around Joe Flacco.

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Exactly, I think I'll butcher the saying but a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

tonyto3690 said:

Man I can't say I wouldn't rather have a "in the bank" superbowl, but we have a real shot on winning the next four as favorites while the Ravens build around Joe Flacco.

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San Francisco says "Hi!"

Young team, well coached, talented, plenty of high draft picks.

I like our chances too but there are a couple other excellent teams whom we have trouble matching up with.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

PatsWickedPissah said:

San Francisco says "Hi!"

Young team, well coached, talented, plenty of high draft picks.

I like our chances too but there are a couple other excellent teams whom we have trouble matching up with.

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San Fran won't make it back to the Super Bowl next year. Teams will figure how to contain Kaep and teams simply don't make it to the Super Bowl after losing it. Too many things have to go your way for it to happen again.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

VectorPrime said:

San Fran won't make it back to the Super Bowl next year. Teams will figure how to contain Kaep and teams simply don't make it to the Super Bowl after losing it. Too many things have to go your way for it to happen again.

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The Patriots have gone SB/AFCCG. The 49ers have gone AFCCG/SB.

Each will likely be the conference favorite by the start of the season.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

PatsWickedPissah said:

San Francisco says "Hi!"

Young team, well coached, talented, plenty of high draft picks.

I like our chances too but there are a couple other excellent teams whom we have trouble matching up with.

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Not to mention that having 15 picks (and 5 picks in the first 90 or so spots) this year will surely force them to move extra picks and more importantly---HIGH round picks into the future, so they are setting themselves up to be in good shape in that aspect.

They are reported to be looking to trade some of that ammo to possibly acquire Darrelle Revis, as they have the choices and cap space to do so, not to mention that one of their CB spots was basically their only real weakness on defense last year.

Their front office has put them in a good situation moving forward in the financial aspects, and they'll knock another 9 million off the books on Mar.12th when the Alex Smith trade goes through. Of course having a starting/winning QB who is cheap and under his rookie deal certainly helps a lot.

Then again, we've seen this kind of thing before and all it takes is one/two injuries to hold a team back from winning the whole thing...but I would definitely say they are one of the best teams in the NFL headed for the future at the moment.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

brdmaverick said:

Exactly, I think I'll butcher the saying but a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

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I realize the popular thought is that BAL will somehow be re-building around Joe Flacco and a bunch of misfits, but that isn't nearly the truth.

Let's wait and see how many key players they actually lose, and how much they rob Peter to pay Paul in getting under the cap first before we hold their funeral service. I am expecting them to lose a key player or two, but that can be said for just about any NFL team on any given year.

There is still a lot of talent for them to be playoff compeitive on both sides of the ball, and they have more than a chance to beat us to send NE home starting the season 0-1 on opening night down in Baltimore.

If they lose Reed and Ellerbe (and/or Jacoby Jones) the world will still be spinning--believe it or not. Some of these media reports are absolutely complete garbage when it comes to Baltimore actually "gutting" their 2013 team. It's ridiculous. I think they got lucky by winning the SB and getting hot at the right time, but I'm also expecting them to be the exact same competitive playoff team that they've been for the past 4-5 yrs or so.

PatsWickedPissah said:

San Francisco says "Hi!"

Young team, well coached, talented, plenty of high draft picks.

I like our chances too but there are a couple other excellent teams whom we have trouble matching up with.

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PWP has a great point. We are setting up nicely for the immediate and the next several seasons, but there are probably at least 4-6 upper echelon teams who will be competing very highly every single year. We've been hearing the "SB favorites" talk just about every single year since we last won it.

I expect the NEP to be very competitive as they have been for awhile now, but that doesn't mean that there won't be many other good teams too, some of them consistent and some of them getting hot at the right time.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed

supafly said:

I realize the popular thought is that BAL will somehow be re-building around Joe Flacco and a bunch of misfits, but that isn't nearly the truth.

Let's wait and see how many key players they actually lose, and how much they rob Peter to pay Paul in getting under the cap first before we hold their funeral service. I am expecting them to lose a key player or two, but that can be said for just about any NFL team on any given year.

There is still a lot of talent for them to be playoff compeitive on both sides of the ball, and they have more than a chance to beat us to send NE home starting the season 0-1 on opening night down in Baltimore.

If they lose Reed and Ellerbe (and/or Jacoby Jones) the world will still be spinning--believe it or not. Some of these media reports are absolutely complete garbage when it comes to Baltimore actually "gutting" their 2013 team. It's ridiculous. I think they got lucky by winning the SB and getting hot at the right time, but I'm also expecting them to be the exact same competitive playoff team that they've been for the past 4-5 yrs or so.



PWP has a great point. We are setting up nicely for the immediate and the next several seasons, but there are probably at least 4-6 upper echelon teams who will be competing very highly every single year. We've been hearing the "SB favorites" talk just about every single year since we last won it.

I expect the NEP to be very competitive as they have been for awhile now, but that doesn't mean that there won't be many other good teams too, some of them consistent and some of them getting hot at the right time.

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Agree w/pretty much all of this, but I would say that for the near future it appears that the NFC/AFC imbalance should continue--meaning, most elite teams are in the other conference.

Still have to beat whoever comes out of there for a title, but the road to get there just isn't as daunting in the AFC.

Re: Speculationatriots will try to lure free agent Ed Reed with a 5 million/yr co

Jax said:

Who is the kid out of Rutgers? Read good stuff about him as a late rounder.

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You don't mean Khaseem Greene? No way he's a late rounder. High third at worst.