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Like most of my Idle thoughts posts, it is often a kind of a therapeutic exercise designed to help me think things through in chaotic times. So I’ll put down some things that might help me, and when you participate, might help you. 
- OK he’s gone. I’d like to say I’m not surprised, but I truly am. Why anyone would choose to voluntarily sign to play for that cesspool, regardless of the money, is truly baffling.
- That being said, if he had to go somewhere, I’m happy it was to the Jets. Of course he will help them be a better team, but he won’t hurt us. Let me explain. We aren’t a team that relies on just one or two receivers for our passing game. Quite frankly, it won’t matter as much that he can shut down one of our WR’s. We will simply throw to the others.
- The Browner move makes more sense now. With Revis, and the Pats playing predominately press man coverages, Browner made a lot of sense. His physical play was a perfect counterpoint when you could afford to protect him from his limitations. Without Revis, all his flaws become more exposed. His value as a 3down CB is diminished, and his price as a situational CB was too high. I’d love to see him come back because there ARE situations where he can be valuable, but it would have to be at a better price.
- The Felgerites and most of the rest of the mediots will spend the next month bashing BB and Kraft for not “getting this done”. Then they will predict that the Pats will be good but not Superbowl worthy. They will celebrate all the great moves their rivals have made, and question everything the Pats did. I know that BB is not infallible. He makes mistakes, and maybe this is one of them. However 15 years of unprecedented success SHOULD earn him some credibility. Sadly it won’t with the mediots. Ah well, another off season Lombardi lost to the Jets.
- There are no ready saviors this year for the Pats to pick up. But I’m looking to add some size, so Cromartie and Culliver would seem like the best options. While not nearly as physical, Cromartie has similar length and more flexibility. Culliver is a 27 year old, 6 footer, and had 2 productive years with the Niners with 14 passes defended in each of the last 2 years. Certainly not ideal, but would add some size and experience to our CB group.
- I’ve mentioned this before, but our current CB group as it stands right now is significantly better than the one that got the Pats to the superbowl in 2011. And this is based on what we have here in March. Who knows what the make up will be come September…and beyond.
- And before everyone wants to bash our current secondary, what we have now is STILL better than the secondary groups that the Ravens, Steelers, Colts and Bengals put out last season.
- And secondaries don’t work in vacuums. So while we can expect to get less production from the secondary, we have every reason to expect improved play from the still developing LB’s, and Mayo returning. Plus improved play from the DL with Easely and Buchannon coming back. Plus the improvement from the young DLmen
- The weakened secondary should also get help from an improving offense. A. The OL should be better with Volmer and Solder as anchors and Connolly and Wendell back as stable starters or back ups, and a young corps of good young guys like Stork, Flemming, and Kline.
B. A young WR group with another year to work with Brady, plus Dobson.
C. And a good solid corps or versatile RB’s
D…… And Gronk.
- The point being, that while this hurts, we can’t lose track of the fact that this is a TEAM, and when there are loses in one area of the team, other areas have to take up the slack. Good teams do that, and when they do, losing a guy, even as good as Revis, they will continue to win.
- And then there is the draft. If it is as successful as the drafts we’ve had In recent years we should be looking at getting 2-3 players who will help us in at least on a rotational role to start.
- I’d love to keep DA around, but if cutting him gave us a shot at Andre Johnson I’d do it in a flash. I really don’t think he’d come here because he would never be “the guy” here, and that’s why he’s left Texas. The Colts would look like the ideal destination.
- Until the dust clears in a couple of days, I get the feeling all cap numbers are guesswork. I’m hearing anything from 10-14MM under the cap. That could get us a couple of decent FA’s as the prices go down, but probably no one that will excite anyone. Remember the first reaction when the LaFell signing was first announced.
- In the end, it is calm and patience that is needed now. Outrage and hand wringing aren’t going to bring back Revis. The building of this team has over full 5 months to run, and if you start *****ing now, you won’t make it to the start of the season with your sanity intact.
- BTW- Slow start warning - I wouldn’t forget that Pats, Seahawks, and Packers all got off to very slow starts last season. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit that all the final 4 teams struggle at the start of the season as they have played over a month longer than most of the league.
- Still this is a loss, and losses hurt. So like I do during the season when they lose, I will avoid the sports media like the plague for the next week or so, and probably spend a lot of time on the Draft board thinking about what the Pats can do with that extra draft pick they are going to get from the Jets.
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