No one is denigrating Browner, Kontra. He did exactly what we expected of him while he was here. He got too many penalties, and could rarely handle a receiver one on one in any kind of open space. He was who he was.
Believe me, no one wants to find his replacement more than I do. I'm searching the basketball courts now. Why he's not here is simple. Without Revis so we could always be able to swing a safety to Browner's side, he is too unreliable to be a consistent presence on one side. Believe me there will be times this year I will be dying for Browner to line up on some big WR. But here's the thing. For BB/Patricia dependability is just as important as skill. Between his age and ebbing quickness, Browner was no longer someone who could be counted on as a "dependable" asset, as opposed to someone who was a good matchup against certain receivers and not others
So at $5MM/yr, the Pats didn't have the luxury to afford Brandon Browner with all the things he does well, and the others he doesn't. If Revis had been a possibility, Browner would likely have been back., But their skill sets were a package deal. I think the Saints will find that without having that shutdown guy opposite him, Browner will be less often effective
THIS YEAR, I expect the defenses to be even more week to week and all match up orientated. The use of positions like S and CB will mean less this year than last. The brilliance of the Pats defense will be in their personnel packages. In order to help make up for the loss of Revis, just like the defense never knows who the Pats are going to throw to, offenses are rarely going to be able to figure out how the Pats will cover pre-snap. And knowing how they think , that will change week to week and formation to formation.
Think about it this way. We already know how difficult it is for receivers to change patterns after the sanp, imagine how difficult it will be if that defense is particularly difficult for the receivers to read
