They have invested even less in short route guys
I'm not sure what point you are making here.
I thought your argument was they built the offense around guys who get open quickly. That's not Gronk and Gronk is as much who it is built around as anyone.
I don't understand your point? You said they built the team on guys who get open quick, but they spent the highest picks they have used on offense on a LT, a down the field receiver and a TE.
He's their biggest FA WR acquisition in a long time. I don't know why you are trying to argue against my point with 'he is a blow the top off receiver' since I never have and never would use that term, and my argument is they are versatile and do everything depending on what the D leaves them.
Nothing in this post backs up your argument that they are a team built around short passes and cant do anything else.
Relatively speaking, the Pats have invested a lot in short, quick receivers. The salaries or draft capital they demand is dramatically less than their tall, fast counterparts. The Pats offered Amendola (and Welker) top of the league money for a short, quick guys. Both were offered contracts of more than double the AAV that Lafell got. Lafell got a 3-year, $9 million deal, which is less money/year and less years than Edelman got.
Although Gronk is more of an intermediate threat, his size gets him open very quickly against shorter matchups, and as I already said, he is great value vs. tall, fast receivers. BB took a chance grabbing him in the second, but it has paid off big time.
The Pats have dedicated more money and high draft picks on defense compared to offense over the last several years. Nate Solder was drafted in 2011, the last time the Pats spent a 1st round pick on offense. The previous 1st rounder spent on offense was Maroney in 2006. Eight out of the last 10 1st round picks have been on defense. All that said, a good LT on a team with a right handed QB is a requirement for any scheme, so citing that investment of a 1st on Solder really doesn't help your argument. Solder is the only 1st round pick on the Pat's offense.
Never did I say the Pats couldn't do anything else but short passes. Their intermediate passing game is good, and something Edelman and Dola are decent at and Gronk and Lafell are good at. The Pats try to build their offense around the short passing game because it's high percentage plays, doesn't require great protection, runs on less expensive talent and can consistently beat the best defenses when run well. None of this means they won't try to find value at field stretchers, but they won't expend high draft capital or huge dollars on it. Nor does it mean they won't throw the ball intermediate or deep if that is what the other team is giving them. With less injuries and better OL play I'm sure they'd throw the ball deeper more often, but even when the OL isn't performing, the Pat's offense can still operate when they have enough quick guys healthy.
Revis was a MUCH bigger FA signing than Lafell was. Revis was considered a bargain while making more in one year than Lafell will make in 3.