What free agents do you think the Patriots will sign?

[patsinthesnow]

If Talib leaves, and assuming Davis/Verner are close to being signed, my CB preference list:

1. Browner
2. A. Cromartie
3. DRC

Not sure about Munnerlyn; is he a zone CB?

All three of those CBs would be downgrades from Talib but would still be serviceable #1 CBs. Rob summed up A. Cromartie up well by saying he's very inconsistent. DRC is one of the softest CBs in the league but a pretty good pure cover corner. I think Browner could emulate Talib the most from the remaining free agent CBs.

 

[strngplyr]

If Talib leaves, and assuming Davis/Verner are close to being signed, my CB preference list:

1. Browner
2. A. Cromartie
3. DRC

Not sure about Munnerlyn; is he a zone CB?

All three of those CBs would be downgrades from Talib but would still be serviceable #1 CBs. Rob summed up A. Cromartie up well by saying he's very inconsistent. DRC is one of the softest CBs in the league but a pretty good pure cover corner. I think Browner could emulate Talib the most from the remaining free agent CBs.

AC is too boom or bust, DRC is probably too expensive, I'll take Browner and a mid tier safety though.

Edit: We've survived without a shutdown corner for awhile, and we only really had one for half of the games last year.

Give me a pair of solid corners (Browner and Dennard, with Ryan backing them up, and Arrington in the slot) with solid safety play, and I'll accept it. Add a DE to rotate with Jones and Ninko and draft the best DT available and LB Depth and our defense should be decent. We don't need to be Seattle.

 

[Joker]

There sure are gonna be a lot of disappointed Patriots fans on this board when Bill and Co. do exactly nothing of consequence in FA. Of course,this fanbase is so jaded that if they signed everybody on the market,a contingent of Jr. GM's would be complaining about wasting too much money on FA's.

I have never understood the anguish of fans that other teams are signing FA's THEY want. You don't own the Patriots. You follow them as a fan. They will put whomever it is they decide to on the 2014 roster in spite of the tortured wishes of some fans. Personally, I try not to idol worship names off the flavor of the week FA lists.They'll sign a few FA's that are mid level or lower and all the "knowers" will go beserk.

 

[Keyser Söze]

There sure are gonna be a lot of disappointed Patriots fans on this board when Bill and Co. do exactly nothing of consequence in FA. Of course,this fanbase is so jaded that if they signed everybody on the market,a contingent of Jr. GM's would be complaining about wasting too much money on FA's.

I have never understood the anguish of fans that other teams are signing FA's THEY want. You don't own the Patriots. You follow them as a fan. They will put whomever it is they decide to on the 2014 roster in spite of the tortured wishes of some fans. Personally, I try not to idol worship names off the flavor of the week FA lists.They'll sign a few FA's that are mid level or lower and all the "knowers" will go beserk.

I have to wonder how many SB we would have if this wasn't true year in and year out. It's like Adalius Thomas scared them away from FA forever.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I have to wonder how many SB we would have if this wasn't true year in and year out. It's like Adalius Thomas scared them away from FA forever.

If gronk were healthy..talib healthy. Hernandez didnt kill someone They may have another SB. FA doesnt decide that.

And why do people want Cromartie? You think Arrington gets torched a lot

We should all know by no the pats wont get the big names in FA. 07 being the huge exception. And even that didnt win them the SB

 

[Joker]

I have to wonder how many SB we would have if this wasn't true year in and year out. It's like Adalius Thomas scared them away from FA forever.

I often think about this. A.T. was the last really top tier FA they signed. He performed for a year and 1/2 and then it all went sideways. One real threat on the DL and Manning doesn't get the time to perfectly deliver that sideline pass to Manningham. Manning had the time to deliver a 38 yard pass to the sideline.That is bend and break.

It seems they're determined to build through the draft and UDFA's since the Thomas contract.

 

[supafly]

I often think about this. A.T. was the last really top tier FA they signed. He performed for a year and 1/2 and then it all went sideways. One real threat on the DL and Manning doesn't get the time to perfectly deliver that sideline pass to Manningham. Manning had the time to deliver a 38 yard pass to the sideline.That is bend and break.

It seems they're determined to build through the draft and UDFA's since the Thomas contract.

Yeah, it seems as though Thomas did scare them off a bit--although as we know, they rarely went after big names prior to that either.

One thing of note however, is that Thomas actually looked pretty good in 2007, and was even a major contributor and leader in 2008 until he broke his arm down the stretch.

Unfortunately, 2009 was the end of the road, as the attitude wasn't equaling the high priced pact, so they removed the cancer from the locker room as soon as they could.

I know that you pointed this out by talking about the 1.5 yrs of production, but I think some people remember it differently, as they seem to think that Thomas failed from the get-go, and I don't really think that is true.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I know that you pointed this out by talking about the 1.5 yrs of production, but I think some people remember it differently, as they seem to think that Thomas failed from the get-go, and I don't really think that is true.

His first year he was fine..it year 2 and after.

I still have his jersey with his sig on it

 

[supafly]

His first year he was fine..it year 2 and after.

I still have his jersey with his sig on it

He was looking pretty damn good in 2008 as well until he became injured with the broken arm. He had 5 sacks in the first half of the year, and was on pace to have more passes defended than any other season.

I can see why some don't remember it that way however, due to the injury and not playing more than 8-9 games.

He was on pace to blow away the sack totals from the 2007 season until he got hurt, as he almost matched it in only 8-9 games.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

He was looking pretty damn good in 2008 as well until he became injured with the broken arm. He had 5 sacks in the first half of the year, and was on pace to have more passes defended than any other season.

I can see why some don't remember it that way however, due to the injury and not playing more than 8-9 games.

i wish they saved that $$ on a Raven and spent it this year on the other Raven Arthur Jones. I think he is going to be pretty good

 

[ausbacker]

If gronk were healthy..talib healthy. Hernandez didnt kill someone They may have another SB. FA doesnt decide that.

And why do people want Cromartie? You think Arrington gets torched a lot

We should all know by no the pats wont get the big names in FA. 07 being the huge exception. And even that didnt win them the SB

We really need to stop thinking like this. The Patriots have 0 Super Bowls since 2005. That's the simple reality of roster decisions, injuries and dumb luck.

 

[supafly]

i wish they saved that $$ on a Raven and spent it this year on the other Raven Arthur Jones. I think he is going to be pretty good

Yeah, I'd have to liked to see him come here as well. I think that is what is mildly disappointing, although I don't want to come off as one of those fans that Joker speaks of.

It just seems that while we all expect a bunch of nothing, and a business model adhered to, it'd still be nice to see a talented new player brought in to address an obvious weakness like DL.

 

[Joker]

Hey, I don't care what any Pats fan thinks about anything...for the most part. Fantasizing about big time FA additions is part of being a fan from the cradle.I thought this business plan was garbage back at the start. I was dead wrong. I think a lot of us have put our inner fanboy in the closet the last decade and just rode this wave. I do feel that the latest contract has changed the landscape,established a whole new set of parameters and requires some fundamental shifts in team building thinking. I just hope Belichick is adjusting or has already made the adjustments necessary to keep the Patriots moving forward. He is the one that has created these expectations of year in and out winning.

edit: I WILL be disappointed if center and D tackle remain status quo. I may be a moron when it comes to the team's roster building philosophy but I KNOW the game. I see glaring flaws on the O line and interior D line. It's not some guess. It IS real.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

It just seems that while we all expect a bunch of nothing, and a business model adhered to, it'd still be nice to see a talented new player brought in to address an obvious weakness like DL.

I still think pats fans expect some big splashes every year but it never comes (we will see the "sky is falling" threads on day 2 of FA when we haven't done anything)

I still want all the new and talented FA..but i know it will probably never happen so i don't get worked up over them not going after them. It's just what they do.

Now if they were missing the playoffs and pulling what they are pulling now..then it would be a major issue

 

[OhExaulted1]

I often think about this. A.T. was the last really top tier FA they signed. He performed for a year and 1/2 and then it all went sideways. One real threat on the DL and Manning doesn't get the time to perfectly deliver that sideline pass to Manningham. Manning had the time to deliver a 38 yard pass to the sideline.That is bend and break.

It seems they're determined to build through the draft and UDFA's since the Thomas contract.

Well, maybe it's time to do it again. The same year we got AT, we also signed Stallworth and Sammy Morris, made trades for Moss (took cut) and Welker (with signing), re-signed Izzo, Gay, Yates, Mruczkowski, Testaverde, Junior and Troy, drafted Merriweather, extended Warren and tagged Samuel. Not a bad haul. All we lost were Graham, Dillon, Banta-Cain and Jones.

Besides a catch that's for some reason blotted from my memory, I think they were pretty decent that year.

Oh, how I long for those old days. Where are you now Bam Childress and Oscar Lua?

 

[Joker]

Well, maybe it's time to do it again. The same year we got AT, we also signed Stallworth and Sammy Morris, made trades for Moss (took cut) and Welker (with signing), re-signed Izzo, Gay, Yates, Mruczkowski, Testaverde, Junior and Troy, drafted Merriweather, extended Warren and tagged Samuel. Not a bad haul. All we lost were Graham, Dillon, Banta-Cain and Jones.

Besides a catch that's for some reason blotted from my memory, I think they were pretty decent that year.

Oh, how I long for those old days. Where are you now Bam Childress and Oscar Lua?

I remember all that very clearly. My point was AT was a top tier, in his prime FA acquisition. The rest of those players you list made far less, including Welker. Moss had been bouncing around and had bottomed out in Oakland. Hardly a top tier player according to all the pundits, who, to a man, derided and degraded that move.

 

[captain insano]

Which Patriots do you think the Patriots will sign come Tuesday?

I see 3 that would be great fits for the Patriots...

OG/OC Evan Smith
WRS Andre Roberts
DE Jared Allen

nice dream. they will do what they do. not much on the first few days. don't get your hopes up.

 

[BradyBranch39]

There sure are gonna be a lot of disappointed Patriots fans on this board when Bill and Co. do exactly nothing of consequence in FA

does this count re-signings? Because I'd be 100% fine with nothing of consequence if Edelman and Talib are retained.

 

[Joker]

Tuesday at 4 pm will at least give us a clue as to Edelman. I'm already moving on from Talib. Some megalomaniac will pay him over 8 mil a season.

 

[OhExaulted1]

I remember all that very clearly. My point was AT was a top tier, in his prime FA acquisition. The rest of those players you list made far less, including Welker. Moss had been bouncing around and had bottomed out in Oakland. Hardly a top tier player according to all the pundits, who, to a man, derided and degraded that move.

Good points. I guess since it's February 38th (pretty much) and with a big cap boost, this season the sentiment will be even more so of "sign the beast" tan usual, like it or not. If BB and co. stay to form, most here will not like it.

You can't stop the dreamers, and I'm guilty of it sometimes to. But I'm also a realist. We ain't gonna score Revis, Graham or Allen and will probably lose Talib. Then we'll finish 13-3 and complain about that too. Were a fickle lot here in NE.