Could this be the year for us to be bigger spenders in the off-season?

[Rob0729]

ESPN had Colvin as the best free agent in 2003. He was higher than Spikes. I know Spikes had the transition tag on him so that might have affected his ranking. I can't remember if the list only listed untagged free agents.

As for Harrison, it did make news because both the Raiders and Broncos were hot on him and we actually stole him away while he was finalizing a contract with Oakland. Also, it made news because we had Harrison, Milloy, and Tebucky Jones on the roster at the time. People were questioning what that meant for the Pats secondary and whether the Pats were going to trade Milloy or Jones. I thought it was a pretty big deal by the media at the time.

By the end of the free agency wave, all our free agent picks were highly puplicized because we were so active that year picking up a lot of players that were rated pretty high.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

Whenever a forum member questions if the Pats will come up with

big money for a premier free agent the names of Rosevelt Colvin and

Rodney Harrison are mentioned.

Exactly how much money did these players cost? Rodney Harrison

received a 6 year contract for 14.5 mil. including a 2.5 mil. signing bonus.

The contract was back loaded and averaged 2.4 mil. per year. The cost to

franchise a safety in 2006 was 3.6 mil. Rosevelt Colvin received a 25.8 mil.

contract including a 6 mil. bonus. This contract was also back loaded and

averaged 4.3 mil. per year. The cost to franchise a linebacker in 2006

was 6.4 mil. Rosevelt Colvin was the top rated free agent in 2003. He

signed the contract for the going rate for a linebacker in 2003.

EXACTLY! And Colvin's signing was a nail biter because he got a MUCH better deal from the Cardinals.

Pats are very value oriented in Free Agency. The talent on this team is going to come primarily from the draft, with a few of these free agent signings that happen to fit into the Bioli value scheme.

Might as well get used to it, folks, instead of holding your breath all year until all the 4th year players either re-sign or walk. It is what it is. A lot of players are going to walk from this team, including the people we cheered on and invested our jersey money in, like Twig.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

ESPN had Colvin as the best free agent in 2003. He was higher than Spikes. I know Spikes had the transition tag on him so that might have affected his ranking. I can't remember if the list only listed untagged free agents.

As for Harrison, it did make news because both the Raiders and Broncos were hot on him and we actually stole him away while he was finalizing a contract with Oakland. Also, it made news because we had Harrison, Milloy, and Tebucky Jones on the roster at the time. People were questioning what that meant for the Pats secondary and whether the Pats were going to trade Milloy or Jones. I thought it was a pretty big deal by the media at the time.

By the end of the free agency wave, all our free agent picks were highly puplicized because we were so active that year picking up a lot of players that were rated pretty high.

We got Colvin for half of what Arizona would have paid, don't expect that to happen all the time.

We got Harrison for a STEAL, don't expect that to happen every season.

We got Poole for what would have been very reasonable money if he ever got off the bench. We paid him very richly for one season he started, but that is only in hindsight, and a good arguement for why Bioli follows the value system so faithfully in the first place.

Honestly, after this year and all the players we let walk and the bottom feeding approach we took in free agency, I really can't even believe anybody who has been paying attention really thinks that we are going to change our ways.

Bioli is a leopard that doesn't often change their spots. They have shown clearly that they will take inferior players and try to coach them up as opposed to breaking the bank on talent. Just ask Brady. He is playing with left overs from other rosters. And he took less to be here so that the team could sign more talent around him.

They will sign the best players they can get at the best value. Best player/best value. Derrick Mason is the only case I am aware of where they actually beat somebody else's offer, and it just so turns out that Mason is 4th amoung all active WRs in production, and is the most underrated WR perhaps in history, but certainly in current history.

 

[Rob0729]

We got Colvin for half of what Arizona would have paid, don't expect that to happen all the time.

We got Harrison for a STEAL, don't expect that to happen every season.

We got Poole for what would have been very reasonable money if he ever got off the bench. We paid him very richly for one season he started, but that is only in hindsight, and a good arguement for why Bioli follows the value system so faithfully in the first place.

Honestly, after this year and all the players we let walk and the bottom feeding approach we took in free agency, I really can't even believe anybody who has been paying attention really thinks that we are going to change our ways.

Bioli is a leopard that doesn't often change their spots. They have shown clearly that they will take inferior players and try to coach them up as opposed to breaking the bank on talent. Just ask Brady. He is playing with left overs from other rosters. And he took less to be here so that the team could sign more talent around him.

They will sign the best players they can get at the best value. Best player/best value. Derrick Mason is the only case I am aware of where they actually beat somebody else's offer, and it just so turns out that Mason is 4th amoung all active WRs in production, and is the most underrated WR perhaps in history, but certainly in current history.

I think you can't use this year as a watermark. I agree with Felger and Tomase and believe the Pats misjudged the market this year because of the jump the salary cap. I think if they had a better handle on the market, they would have been a more active player.

Besides, this year was a crappy year for free agents especially in areas where we had needs. Also, word was our contract offer to Ty Law was reportedly within several $100k of the KC deal which means we would have paid for him. Our offers to Deion Branch were pretty high too. Branch didn't have as much problem with the Pats numbers (that weren't that much less than what the Seahawks paid him). He was upset that the Pats wanted him to play out his rookie contract and didn't put all the money up front (althought the three year deal if you looked at it was pretty much a guaranteed contract because of the way it was structured).

I don't expect the Pats to radically change their spots by becoming another version of Daniel Snyder. But I think they will go after a top free agent if they think he is a value at his price.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I think you can't use this year as a watermark. I agree with Felger and Tomase and believe the Pats misjudged the market this year because of the jump the salary cap. I think if they had a better handle on the market, they would have been a more active player.

Besides, this year was a crappy year for free agents especially in areas where we had needs. Also, word was our contract offer to Ty Law was reportedly within several $100k of the KC deal which means we would have paid for him. Our offers to Deion Branch were pretty high too. Branch didn't have as much problem with the Pats numbers (that weren't that much less than what the Seahawks paid him). He was upset that the Pats wanted him to play out his rookie contract and didn't put all the money up front (althought the three year deal if you looked at it was pretty much a guaranteed contract because of the way it was structured).

I don't expect the Pats to radically change their spots by becoming another version of Daniel Snyder. But I think they will go after a top free agent if they think he is a value at his price.

I use the entire Bioli/Pats era as the only watermark. And I repeat, the only player I am aware of that got a BETTER deal here was Mason. If Law's deal was so close, surely the Pats had a chance to best the Chief's offer. Law did meet privately with Belichick for several hours in the offseason. And if they didn't get the chance to beat the offer, my point remains the same.

As I said early, and you have also stated, the Pats will go after the Best Players at the Best Value. Best Player/Best Value.

Nothing will change in that approach. We will likely see good players walk this year, players we like passed by in the draft for players that Bioli likes, and a value approach to free agency, no matter who is available.

And everybody should just try to get used to it, instead of worrying all season about whether so and so re-signs or if so and so is going to be available in free agency or if so and so is going to be available with our draft pick. My two cents worth.

 

[arrellbee]

Excellent topic, Ironwasp.

There are so many really excellent comments that it's not feasible to quote them here, but a couple observations that I think are in additon to all of the great comments.

The Patriots were positioned as well as or better than any team in the league if the new CBA had not been signed. They would have had money and other teams would have to have been shedding quality players making a market glut.

As it turned out, all of the teams in a bind got this humongous 'get out of jail free' card. And, in contrast, there was enough cap money available for teams to overpay a bunch of free agents - many of whom got more money than there rank at their position deserved.

The Patriots did not just go out and change their formula. And the top flight FAs were too expensive and the teams were able to hold onto to their middle class, which is where the Patriots often shop.

One factor that I think folks are missing a little bit. The new significantly higher caps will translate quickly into inflation of every roster position. Many of these teams (and fans that think there is big extra dollars laying around) are going to be behind the eight ball again when they have paid the big bucks and the middle class come up for new contracts. That big 'extra' money is going to disappear fast and the teams that haven't planned for it are going to be hurting again. The Patriots will not be one of those teams.

Next year, as was so well pointed out by several folks, will still be a problem year for teams like the Patriots. There will still be a fair amount of 'newly available cap money' for teams to pay unwisely for FAs again. It's not until probably 2008 that enough new contracts have been written to begin to normalize the salaries. The Patriots will be well-positioned at that time to take advantage of that.

As folks said, there won't be many FAs available for reasonable prices next year. It may be slim pickings.

The new lower limits on number of years in a rookie contract for certain ranges of draft picks WILL hurt the Patriots approach. It will cause quicker turn over of developed talent than in the past. Makes life tougher.

 

[ironwasp]

As I said early, and you have also stated, the Pats will go after the Best Players at the Best Value. Best Player/Best Value.

Nothing will change in that approach. We will likely see good players walk this year, players we like passed by in the draft for players that Bioli likes, and a value approach to free agency, no matter who is available.

And everybody should just try to get used to it, instead of worrying all season about whether so and so re-signs or if so and so is going to be available in free agency or if so and so is going to be available with our draft pick. My two cents worth.

I agree with this. Totally. And I consider myself both happy with, and extremely used to, the BB/Pioli approach.

But what prompted this post - primarily - was whether this year Adalius Thomas/London Fletcher/Lance Briggs (notwithstanding likely franchise designation) might constitute best player/best value given the Pats need to shore up an ageing linebacker corps.

I think this is particularly live this year for all the reasons above, plus the fact that they have shown themselves unwilling/unable to reinforce at LB in the draft, and that previous FA LB experiments (Beisel/Brown) have been far from successful.

So the question remains, I guess, is whether or not best value for the best players this year means breaking the Bank of Kraft to bring in a top FA.

And it might. There are other options, of course. There always are. But top draft prospects at LB in 07 look weaker than in 06. Bruschi/Vrabel are a year older (well they all are, of course, but you know what I mean). There is the "trade one of the firsts" option and the "trade a tagged Asante", and this could play out in any number of ways.

But irrespective of the BB/Pioli history here, paying top whack for a top FA looks live to me.

 

[ALP]

The day they actually sign big named free agents, is the day pigs fly and hell freezes over. I just don't see it happening. It isn't "The Patriot Way". I hope I'm 100% wrong though.

well, my friend, u were...

but its nice to see the opinions of like exactly a year ago

 

[edzo44]

Do you have any idea how much some of us fans absolutely despise having year old threads dredged up again freaking pointlessly?!?!


What, you couldn't come up with something new??????