We clearly disagree on Bolden and how good he is.
We also disagree it seems in what kind of a team we want.
I do not want a WR driven team. I do not want 3 '100 catch guys' out there at the expense of other areas. (And the expense of next year with all that cap money)
I want us to reestablish defense and a conservative approach to football as the identity of this team.
When that was the case, we won big games all the time, because we were able to do whatever we needed to in order to beat any opponnent.
We have evolved into a team that spreads them out and throws it, and if for whatever reason, we have a bad day in the passing game we cant win.
We didn't lose to Baltimore because of defense. Take away one long run and we allowed something like 3 yards a carry, I'll take that any day, even giving up the easy TD. We lost because our offense was terrible. It was terrible because it has an identity that requires spreading out the defense, keeping them off Brady, letting pass routes develop and putting it all on Brady shoulders. Problem is there are too many other things that have to happen to get it to Brady shoulder ON EVERY FREAKING PLAY.
We are a better team when we rely on Brady to make the difference not on 10 other players to allow Brady to make the difference 50 times a game.
You keep referring to having all the "money" spent on 3 100+ rec. WR and depriving other areas. That is not the case though. Yes, this year they'd all be on the books but you might only have 2 of them on the field all season (Moss and Boldin). It is an uncapped year -- bite the bullet and pay both Moss and Boldin "top money." Welker is an all-pro, but doesn't have the contract of one at ~4 million.
You're argument is that it would deprive other areas of the team, like OLB and CB. To whom are young going to apply that 7 million dollars to? The guys like Peppers, Dansby, Rolle, etc. are all off the market. OLB and CB will likely be filled with cheaper vets and/or guys who want to win instead of make bank, like Jason Taylor or Buchanon or w/e. It will also be filled through the draft, which is very cost effective/cheap.
I'm not planning on making the team very WR heavy in terms of money. The thinking is Welker could possibly not see the field at all this season and may never regain his old form, Moss is aging and is in the final year of his deal. By adding Boldin, you are not only finding another big time WR to replace Welker's production for 2010, but you are adding a security blanket for when Moss leaves.
I think Moss' departure after 2010 is inevitable. If Welker is never the same, what do you have? A lesser version of Welker, Edelman, and Tate. That is not good enough. Now add Boldin to the mix. Moss at 10 million is gone, Boldin is now the highest paid WR at 7 million and has a year of experience/chemistry with Brady. If Welker is never the same, you have a lesser version of Welker, Boldin, Edelman, Tate. That's a pretty solid group.
Then, as talked about by many posters on this board, in the 2011 draft you can grab one of those studs (let's say AJ Green for example) at what will be a very efficient price under team control for the next few years with the new rookie cap. You have: Boldin as the highest paid WR at 7 million, Welker at his bargain price of 4.5 million, Green a promising game-breaker with that Randy-Moss-type impact at a cost & team controlled price, Edelman and Tate still on their rookie deals for cheap money. That's a great WR corps for Brady to work with. If Welker comes back and regains form, that corps is filthy.
As for the cap coming back in 2011:
The money attributed to the WR position actually comes DOWN from what it was in 2009. In 2009 you had the two maing guys: Moss at 10 million and Welker at 4 million, adding up to 14 million. Now you have the two main guys, Boldin at 7 and Welker at 4.5, adding up to a total of 11.5 million. You also have a stud WR with a game similar to Moss from the 1st round at a very efficient price. These moves actually lower the amount of money attributed to the WR position, so you can spend more freely on OLB, CB, DE, and other needs.
I don't understand how you are so opposed to that. It practically addresses everything. Lower the spending amount at WR (especially when the cap comes back), improve the depth at WR, give Brady a consistent WR corps with good weapons to work with for the next 3-5 years. Not to mention the fact that you are getting much tougher and physical with the presence of Boldin, something this team lacked.
I can understand you wanting to go back to what worked early in the decade when we won SB's, but the league has changed. As they've said many times on NFL Network and such: this has become a passing league. You need a QB and WR's. The league has gone from 60/40 base/nickel to 60/40 nickel/base.
The reason our offense was so terrible in the Ravens game is because we had HORRENDOUS depth at WR. It was a weakness all year long. We relied way too heavily on only two guys at WR, Moss and Welker. We missed a guy like Gaffney or Stallworth who was a very good #3 WR. Once Welker went down, you knew we were going to struggle offensively. Moss did nothing in that Ravens game, Aiken was the saddest excuse for a #3 WR I've seen in a while, and Edelman is good but nothing spectacular. If the Pats had Welker, the blitz beater, they probably would have won that game. It was even evident in the Jets game in week 2. No Welker, Moss taken out of the game and does nothing, Galloway not an adequate #3. You can't roll out there with Moss, Aiken, Edelman and expect to have a great passing day in the playoffs. That is why the addition of Boldin would have been so key. Moss, Boldin, Edelman, Tate, and hopefully Welker would be very dangerous.
We can do better than that....can't we?
