5 starters and 3 captains set to hit the free agent market

Tunescribe said:

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Yeah if I say something that isn't rainbows and sunshine I have that. It's sort of dumb when you really think of it, these posters who want to get all huffy if I say anything they don't agree with. The funniest part is you and others open threads and posts all the time and I never say anything when I disagree that is aggressive or confrontational. The only time I get confrontational is when posters attack me, and I am defending myself. I'm not a disrespectful troll who gets off on bullying and degrading others on the Internet. I am here to talk football but sometimes depending on the subject I'm forced to spend my time defending myself against this unsavory segment of posters.

Kdo5 said:

Not sure and I don't profess to know the answer to that question.

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Right. Me neither. I hit the reply button too quickly and added this...

In the 14 years BB has run this team, you can count on zero fingers the number of times the team has spend big bucks on a free safety. Doesn't mean that they are opposed to it. It just means that there isn't a track record of them doing so.

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That might give us some insight into their philosophy on the FS position.

Brady6 said:

Anyway for those who don't want to just argue the question remains what should the team do.

I think if McCourty walks you love Logan Ryan to FS.

I think we should target Dan Williams as replacement for Wilfork.

I think we should just pay the $20M for Revis and try and work out an extension before the start of camp and then backload the other contracts Ito next season if need be.

I think James White is going to be as good as Vereen out of the backfield.

I want to draft a RB in the first 3 rounds preferably Tevin Coleman in the 3rd.

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1. They trusted Harmon to replace McCourty last year as the single-deep when McCourty moved up into the slot or onto a TE. I don't see that changing.

2. There are some good FA possibilities. I think they should re-sign Branch and draft a DT (not necessarily in the first).

3.The vibe I get is that Revis re-signs. No need to hamstring themselves for future years.

4. I don't know about White. David Johnson from N. Iowa is interesting as a sort of Charles Clay option. Ameer Abdullah is better than Vereen.

5. See above. I want to see what Gaffney offers. Either that or get Gurley in the first.

robertweathers said:

Right. Me neither. I hit the reply button too quickly and added this...



That might give us some insight into their philosophy on the FS position.

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Hmm didn't think about that. Indeed we haven't thrown much money at all to a FS during this run.

ausbacker said:

I find you amusing. That doesn't mean I value your opinion or particularly care for your thoughts.

As a secondary notion, I'm really not sure why you've taken the position on tagging Gostkowski. At his current tender, it provides the Patriots with a manageable cap hit and allows them to address a contract extension further into the offseason. Putting him on ice and attempting to lock up tricker, larger contracts (i.e. Revis & McCourty) is textbook Belichick. In fact, it's smart business practice.

Super Bowls are incredibly difficult to win. The fact that the Patriots are able to compete year in year out, no doubt aided by Brady speaks volumes about their competency.

If McCourty leaves it will be because he was offered a tremendous contract not because the Patriots didn't try or they were inept. As @manxman2601 said, BB has his price point, he lets the market do its work and it's on from there.

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I think when you let the market do the talking you have to consider the market. In the past Edelman hit a strong FA market and really strong draft for WRs so he was not someone teams were chucking money at. When you look at the 2 best secondaries in the SB combine that with a weak FA and draft for DBs the market is going to pay McCourty. We could have franchised him, we should have franchised him.

Brady6 said:

I think when you let the market do the talking you have to consider the market. In the past Edelman hit a strong FA market and really strong draft for WRs so he was not someone teams were chucking money at. When you look at the 2 best secondaries in the SB combine that with a weak FA and draft for DBs the market is going to pay McCourty. We could have franchised him, we should have franchised him.

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Conversely, if you franchise McCourty and Gostkowski walks, who do you replace him with? The market for kickers isn't strong nor (supposedly), is the draft class. I understand and realize the importance of McCourty (I have championed his wares long before it was fashionable) but I'm suggesting people may be losing sight of the importance of Ghost, especially when you consider how Denver botched their position.

Kdo5 said:

Right more than 99.9% of the posters here? Are you kidding with that arrogance? I don't have any problem with you having your opinions but when you say stuff like that, it doesn't help your cause.

As for some of the content. I too am a bit surprised that we didn't extend McCourty earlier. I was really confident it was going to happen. Yes there are some concerns but I'm not panicking before we have even hit FA. The fact that they did just win the Super Bowl helps reinforce the way they've done things for 14 years. It would be a blow to lose both Revis and McCourty (not a sure thing) but I trust that they'll figure something out like they always do and hopefully it'll be enough to get back to the big game this year.

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The 99.9% thing was more said in defense of myself when I felt under attack by another poster. I value the majority of the things posters write on here and think there are many highly educated football fans.

Kdo5 said:

Hmm didn't think about that. Indeed we haven't thrown much money at all to a FS during this run.

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Thats where my head it at. No question the team likes DMC and wants him here but this goes back to how valuable the team sees the FS position compared to the other priorities it has.

The only loss the Pats have that will be really tough to overcome is McCourty. He is a top safety and anyone who replaces him will likely be a downgrade.

I guess I am whistling past the graveyard on Revis, but I think he will be back.

The Pats have shown they can find that 3rd down/change of pace backs. They went from Faulk to Woodhead to Vereen. I think they will find a more than adequate replacement.

I think Connolly will be back. I think he is relatively easy to replace if not.

Wilfork will be tough to replace, but a big run stuffing DT is not as important as it used to be.

ausbacker said:

Conversely, if you franchise McCourty and Gostkowski walks, who do you replace him with? The market for kickers isn't strong nor (supposedly), is the draft class. I understand and realize the importance of McCourty (I have championed his wares long before it was fashionable) but I'm suggesting people may be losing sight of the importance of Ghost, especially when you consider how Denver botched their position.

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I don't really like Gostkowski for $4.6M. I mean we gave him nearly a half a million more than the franchise tag tender # was because it was 120% of his 2014 salary.. Gostkowski is has the highest cap # of any kicker by a decent amount. So I'm not really sure what we gained with the tag, I mean did we even try to sign him because we made him the highest paid kicker in the NFL I just don't understand why you would have to use a tag to make a player the highest paid player at their position.

My issue is the same this offseason as it was last, and I'm not saying it is the case, I don't know I just see things portray as if nobody is doing things until the last minute and it's already to late.

Brady6 said:

Lol you are so simple you don't even see that you ridiculing posters that say something you don't agree with is the same thing only you are offensive in the process of being narcissistic.

For the record that line about the segment of posters who won't see it, that was specifically added for you, Ivan and a few others, I was essentially setting the bait that I knew you were going to take and unsurprisingly I was right. I was just letting everyone else know that 1/4 posts would be you or one of the other chicken farmers talking **** that has zero to do with anything.

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How many time do you and Buins29 have to be told to put each other on ignore? Then we are told it's done and then you 2 start the same old pissing contests. This is usually via PM, but it is getting absurd.

Do it now. This is going to be discussed in the admin forum and the results may not be to the liking of both you guys.

PATSNUTme said:

How many time do you and Buins29 have to be told to put each other on ignore? Then we are told it's done and then you 2 start the same old pissing contests. This is usually via PM, but it is getting absurd.

Do it now. This is going to be discussed in the admin forum and the results may not be to the liking of both you guys.

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Him and Ivan are both on my ignore list. When I use the tapatalk app it does not recognize it and I see the posts. I never and have never been the first poster to quote Bruins29, all I do is defend myself from what I view to be an unprovoked attack. I have approached the admins and even Ian asking for them to intervien because I do not enjoy having to constantly feel under attack by a handful of posters because they don't like my opinion.

Brady6 said:

I don't really like Gostkowski for $4.6M. I mean we gave him nearly a half a million more than the franchise tag tender # was because it was 120% of his 2014 salary.. Gostkowski is has the highest cap # of any kicker by a decent amount. So I'm not really sure what we gained with the tag, I mean did we even try to sign him because we made him the highest paid kicker in the NFL I just don't understand why you would have to use a tag to make a player the highest paid player at their position.

My issue is the same this offseason as it was last, and I'm not saying it is the case, I don't know I just see things portray as if nobody is doing things until the last minute and it's already to late.

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Five Letters R E L A X......................

In the beginning of the FA, teams will overbid and overpay players.
Let the market settles and big FAs takes majority of the others' CAP space. Then you will find values. No single player can guarantee a SB win. You need multiple players.

Remember last year, people thought Talib leaving was the end of any chance at SB. People panicked when Blunt left too. See what happened? We got Revis and a 3rd comp pick. Got Elderperson and JoJo for cheap.

Relax. You have no control over it and BB is better than anyone at finding values.

I'm not sure what the real point here is in this thread.
Its obvious that the SB Champion team that has key players reach the end of contracts with extremely low cap hit in comparison to their role will not be able to keep them all.
I can understand not liking that, but to criticize it as if it were preventable is naive.
Revis probably isn't signed because Revis is the best corner in the NFL and may want to see the market. BB cannot handcuff him to a chair and make him sign. It is a process, yet continually posters want to overlook that and crow that the team let them down.
I would be very upset if the Patriots had tagged Devin McCourty for 9 mill. That is ridiculous money for any safety and would hurt the team. You cannot pay 9mil at one spot without taking it away from others. It is not unlikely that the Patriots like McCourty as much or more than any other team, but place less value on the position he plays than many other teams. They love him, they would pay him more than any other safety, but they cannot keep him because they disagree with market value and can field a better TEAM by spending the money differently. I'm not sure how any fan can actually with a straight face believe they are a better judge of this dynamic of cost to value than Bill Belichick, given the success that his had based upon his beliefs. He IS right more often than 99.9% of people regarding building a football team.

I love McCourty but I have a hard time saying he or any safety is worth 9 mill.
At RB, Ridley really cannot be considered a starter, even before he was damaged goods.
I like Vereen, but again, if the money being reported is what he can get, he is just not worth it on this team.
Wilfork had to go, the cap hit was just too high. I don't know that anyone thinks he is worth 9 mill at this point.
Gostkowski may be the best K in the NFL, so having the highest cap # while the team works on an extension seems about right.

As far as what seems to be the chief complaint, that BB just sat around doing nothing and really wanted to sign these players, but was too lazy to do it and all of sudden is sitting there thinking I am losing my team because I forgot to negotiate contracts, well that doesnt even merit discussion.

betterthanthealternative said:

If McCourty can get $9M a year for a few years, most of it guaranteed, he should grab it. Every $1M he banks is another generation of little McCourty's that he can underwrite. It would be profoundly selfish of him to walk away from that just because for 3-4 years of his 80 year life he wants to play for the Pats vs. another team.

The same is true for all of the other players.

Perhaps the Pats "can't come to an extension" because those players know they can get much bigger money from another team than the Pats.

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Yes, after reading this Im going to work now. I have no right to enjoy life. I have to work for my grandchildren and their children too.
I cant choose where work I have to collect as much money as I can. Even though I get a 45 million contract - with the same number of guaranteed money - the 5/7 million that I left on the table, is going to leave my future generations poor. THEY WILL HAVE TO WORK.. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?
I will never be champion again and should be exiled in Okland because my future generations depend on me. My source of income can only my salary. Sponsors are out of t question ... The money that I left on the table, I have no way to recover because I am useless after 35 years.

It makes sense .. right ...

Kdo5 said:

I would not know. Devin seemed very keen on returning to the Patriots and I can't profess to know what has happened in negotiations or if there has really been much negotiating.

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And apparently he is also very keen on making $9m a year.

Exactly how many players in the Belichick era have we lost to free agency that

we should have paid more to keep ... this thread wreaks of homerist paranoia ...

The depth in our roster was a factor through the playoffs ... cannot have great depth when overpaying some players. As to McCourty ... a very good player who appeared excellant this year due to the Revis factor

These threads are the best. 99.9% you guys, 99.9%

jays52 said:

These threads are the best. 99.9% you guys, 99.9%

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The real question is who is the 0.1%?