Idle Thoughts – Post Revis Edition

Spiral said:

Here are the top three cap numbers for the defense:
Mayo
McCourty
Arrington

This make no sense and I think there are going to be some issues among the players on this team.

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The only one that doesn't really make sense is Arrington.

Spiral said:

In order of cap numbers, here are the three highest paid players on offense:
Brady
Gronk
Solder

This order correlates with their value to the offense. Few people inside or outside the locker room would have any issues there.

Here are the top three cap numbers for the defense:
Mayo
McCourty
Arrington

This make no sense and I think there are going to be some issues among the players on this team.

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This can be a dangerous game to play, because cap hits fluctuate depending on how a contract was structured, and doesn't take into account players on their rookie deals. So it's basically saying those are the top cap hits, for this particular year, amongst players that have played at least four seasons already. It's not a list of who the Patriots think their three best defenders are in a vacuum.

JackBauer said:

The only one that doesn't really make sense is Arrington.

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Arrington at #3 is crazy

ausbacker said:

I can't wish injury on any player and I certainly don't blame them for chasing the money but the competitor in me takes less money for the right to compete. Neither Suh nor Revis will sniff a Super Bowl with their current teams. Their contracts preclude it.

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I don't wish injury for any player either but if Felger, Borges or Shaugnessy got run over by a bus I'd have a hearty laugh.

once again, the patriots are back at the bottom of the division


when it comes to winning the NFL in March/April

grux said:

Why did the pats have to overpay, did Revis need the extra money? IMO, Revis waned to be the highest paid corner and he accomplished his goal. The contract he signed with the Jets was never happening in NE. If you believe some of the rumors the pats were out of the picture early which makes me wonder who the Jets were negotiating against.

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I heard some talk that the Steelers tried to come in late, but I won't admit that to a Jets fan. As far as they're concerned the Jets were bidding against themselves for about a day.

1960Pats said:

I heard some talk that the Steelers tried to come in late, but I won't admit that to a Jets fan. As far as they're concerned the Jets were bidding against themselves for about a day.

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I also heard that the Pats had dropped out of the running on Monday, but I guess both the Revis camp and the Pats somehow BOITH lost the Jets # at the exact same time and so they didn't let the Jets know that they were negotiating against themselves.

JackBauer said:

The only one that doesn't really make sense is Arrington.

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Mayo?

We need a FAQ to answer the 400 Mayo cap questions that nothing happens with Mayo until he passes a physical

Spiral said:

Here are the top three cap numbers for the defense:
Mayo
McCourty
Arrington

This make no sense and I think there are going to be some issues among the players on this team.

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There are 7 guys who have a claim to be in the discussion -- the 3 you named, Ninkovich, and 3 who are still on rookie deals. So what exactly is the problem you are calling out?

Brady_to_Moss said:

Does Revis need any money at all? He went to the rival...your own team got much weaker....Best corner in the game and if you look at other top CB contracts...it's what we all expected his contract to be

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Miguel wrote up a nice blog post comparing Revis's current contract with other top corners. He also said it would have been tough to match the jets offer. I agree that our secondary is weaker but we also have to think about signing Hightower, Collins etc.

http://www.patsfans.com/salary-cap/?p=1059?sc=rss

If the Pats are in a position where no good/great CB options exist for the upcoming season, would it be a bad strategy to insure that their own offense is very potent? Would adding another formidable TE, great WR and solid RB be a bad attempt? Maybe Malcomb Butler et al are better than the rest realize?

Regardless, every year, we all get on our soap boxes about the Pats. And every year, they have a winning season and typically a play-off spot with a chance to win. The bottom line is: The Belichick knows a LOT about football.

They are gonna win games and make the playoffs but I can actually see this division being very tight for
thr first time. I dont think this pats team at the moment is a superbowl winning team but things cam change with a couple of upgrades.

Belichick knows football but he has a hard time building a secondary before guys like talib and revis. Now he has to do it again.

JackBauer said:

The only one that doesn't really make sense is Arrington.

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And if you give it two years, you will notice that we have a bunch of guys on their rookie contracts. Jones, Hightower, Collins. Assuming they continue to improve they will be handsomely paid.

I meant to quote the person you were quoting btw.

everlong said:

the Patriots take the long view when regarding fiduciary assets and their depreciation as a cost of ownership. I only use the financial buzzwords

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The idea that teams "win" an auction, or that people actually "win" auctions in general is a dumb premise. The highest bidder makes an investment; the other bidders refuse to make that same investment because they don't feel it will be a good investment. The winner's curse is that in general, the team or person that wins an auction is going to be wrong more than are right, considering that they are the only ones who believe they are making a good investment at the price they've paid to win the auction. But the winner's curse is particularly true of high-profile auctions where players (or items) are likely to attract many knowledgeable bidders with significant interest; it is easier, that is, to find a truly good investment opportunity a low-profile auction against just a couple of bidders, as the odds are more likely that the "winner" was in fact right. In addition, auctions that involve little risk and playing the odds that a bunch of small investments could yield one big return, is often a successful strategy by investers.

So it is amusing to me that in the world of the NFL, the press and fanbases typically praise the team that "won" the auction by making an investment that is much more often foolish than not. In the NFL, teams spend millions of dollars in research and analytics, so the idea of making a good investment in a high-profile, all-in auction is extremely low.

A lot of good owners realize this; however, I would expect that many dumb owners who inherited money from their daddies, such as Johnson and Irsay, don't get it. They desire praise and adulation and can't stand their failures, so even the emotional satisfaction of "winning" a free agency battle, almost makes them feel like they are successful and important.

That is why the Patriots win; they are rational. They don't give into the emotional demands to satisfy their fans and press to receive accolades in the moment. It's that simple.

Nunchucks said:

One player did allow the Patriots to play man defense, 1 player did allow the defense to play a style that gave guys like Andrew Luck fits....without that 1 man, we are looking at a zone defense and zone defense is dead in the NFL.

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They were giving Luck fits long before Revis came on the scene.

Brady_to_Moss said:

If the Pats were at 35 and jets were at 40..i agree what's 5 more mill...

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It wasn't just raw 35 mil vs 40 mil. There is the way the guarantees are structured. Revis wanted, and got, all his money fully guarenteed and upfront each year. No signing bonus to spread out the cap hit.

rochrist said:

It wasn't just raw 35 mil vs 40 mil. There is the way the guarantees are structured. Revis wanted, and got, all his money fully guarenteed and upfront each year. No signing bonus to spread out the cap hit.

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Revis wanted no strings attached. The pats don't do business that way.