At this point, here's what I'd like to see

[ivanvamp]

According to this article (The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald), the Pats have about $10 million in cap space to spend (once you factor in draft picks and bonus money due players), but they can potentially add as much as $15 million by key cuts and restructuring. So let's say they can realistically have $18-20 million for free agency.

1. Sign Rodgers-Cromartie. Yes, I'd love Revis. But not for like $16 million. Just too much. DRC is a solid CB. If Revis came down to a more reasonable figure, then yes yes yes. But if they only have between $18-20 million, I can't see adding Revis for that kind of money. DRC should net a 4-year, $28 million deal. DRC, Dennard, and Ryan are a nice 1-2-3 CB combo. No true "shut down" guy, but solid across the board. 2014 cost: $7 million.

2. Sign Wesley Woodyard. Excellent cover LB, which they need big-time. 4-year, $14 million. 2014 cost: $3.5 million.

3. Sign Jared Allen. I know a lot of guys don't like him here. I think a 2-year deal would work. His 22 sack season was an outlier, but he's been a consistent 11+ sack guy every year. 2 years, $13 million. 2014 cost: $6.5 million.

Those three deals push them to $17.5 million. That leaves them with $3 million left. They still need a WR. I'd look to sign a solid vet WR or two like Emmanuel Sanders and Sidney Rice.

So the defense would be improved despite losing Talib and Spikes, because they'd get Wilfork and Mayo and Kelly back, and DRC is a solid CB, the young guys would have another year of improvement, Woodyard helps the pass defense, and they add a monster pass rusher in Allen. Now Ninkovich, Allen, and Jones rotate, keeping them all fresher and guarding against injury.

Then in the draft, I look to add a big-time TE and offensive line help. Hope Gronk is healthy and pair him with Amaro or Ebron. That alone would improve the offense considerably. Another year of improvement from Dobson and Thompkins and Boyce, and hopefully Amendola is healthier. Plus Sanders and/or Rice would help as well. The RB situation is fine. Ridley and Vereen as the main guys, and you can always get solid, cheap RBs.

 

[billdog3484]

Please give us:

(1) CB. Revis
(2) WR. Edelman or E. Sanders

Thru First 2 Rounds of Draft and FA
(1) Starting SS
(2) Pass Catching TE
(3) mid-level starter OG
(4) mid-level starter C
(5) #3DT
(6) and since we know he is visiting, I wouldn't mind Woodyard, but not a pressing need in my opinion

 

[Rob0729]

I am not going to get into numbers, but this would be my ideal free agency at this point. Not sure if it feasible:

Cut Sopoaga, cut Adrian Wilson, extend Wilfork and Connolly to get numbers down, redo Kelly's deal to free up cap space.

Free agent signings:

Revis when he is cut
Woodyard (upgrade in the passing game)
Randy Starks (probably the best DT on the free agent market, but not getting action because of his age)
Jared Allen (if Ware goes to Denver, his desire to go to a team to win a championship might push him to NE)
Chris Clemons A hard hitting safety who can cover
A big bodied outside receiver who will be a red zone threat, not sure who.

I doubt the Pats can get all those guys, but hopefully two or three.

 

[PatsFan2]

According to this article (The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald), the Pats have about $10 million in cap space to spend (once you factor in draft picks and bonus money due players), but they can potentially add as much as $15 million by key cuts and restructuring. So let's say they can realistically have $18-20 million for free agency.

1. Sign Rodgers-Cromartie. Yes, I'd love Revis. But not for like $16 million. Just too much. DRC is a solid CB. If Revis came down to a more reasonable figure, then yes yes yes. But if they only have between $18-20 million, I can't see adding Revis for that kind of money. DRC should net a 4-year, $28 million deal. DRC, Dennard, and Ryan are a nice 1-2-3 CB combo. No true "shut down" guy, but solid across the board. 2014 cost: $7 million.

2. Sign Wesley Woodyard. Excellent cover LB, which they need big-time. 4-year, $14 million. 2014 cost: $3.5 million.

3. Sign Jared Allen. I know a lot of guys don't like him here. I think a 2-year deal would work. His 22 sack season was an outlier, but he's been a consistent 11+ sack guy every year. 2 years, $13 million. 2014 cost: $6.5 million.

Those three deals push them to $17.5 million. That leaves them with $3 million left. They still need a WR. I'd look to sign a solid vet WR or two like Emmanuel Sanders and Sidney Rice.

So the defense would be improved despite losing Talib and Spikes, because they'd get Wilfork and Mayo and Kelly back, and DRC is a solid CB, the young guys would have another year of improvement, Woodyard helps the pass defense, and they add a monster pass rusher in Allen. Now Ninkovich, Allen, and Jones rotate, keeping them all fresher and guarding against injury.

Then in the draft, I look to add a big-time TE and offensive line help. Hope Gronk is healthy and pair him with Amaro or Ebron. That alone would improve the offense considerably. Another year of improvement from Dobson and Thompkins and Boyce, and hopefully Amendola is healthier. Plus Sanders and/or Rice would help as well. The RB situation is fine. Ridley and Vereen as the main guys, and you can always get solid, cheap RBs.

I like your thinking except for the receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Sidney Rice...one is a mash unit and the other pretty overrated for what he brings. I love the idea of Rodgers-Cromartie when he is on his game he's as good as Talib. I would also add I would love to have the other Cromartie who is a Big CB BB covets. Get those guys sure up Pass Rush we have solid Defense.

 

[SalemPats]

At this point unless we get Revis and re-sign Edelman this offseason will be a disaster again

 

[IllegalContact]

supposedly, revis is going to be cut today....there's little to no guaranteed $$ in his deal, so when nobody offered anything, it's a sign everyone is willing to wait to pounce when he is cut....I think the pats are in a good spot on that one....the need to be aggressive there because his game fits here

and in one move the pats will have blasted what the broncos have done

yes on woodyard and allen....whether it is DRC or revis, this would set up the pats for DT/TE in the 1st 2 rounds

 

[Rob0729]

At this point unless we get Revis and re-sign Edelman this offseason will be a disaster again

Really?!? A disaster? Even if they get four or five solid free agents (and one of them is one of the top CBs left on the market) that improve the team even if they aren't name value.

I don't think Edelman is make or break no matter what happens. Would like to have him back, but they can replace him.

Nothing like hyperbole.

 

[IllegalContact]

Really?!? A disaster? Even if they get four or five solid free agents (and one of them is one of the top CBs left on the market) that improve the team even if they aren't name value.

I don't think Edelman is make or break no matter what happens. Would like to have him back, but they can replace him.

Nothing like hyperbole.

I sensed a bit of sarcasm there.....but I've been wrong before

 

[SalemPats]

Really?!? A disaster? Even if they get four or five solid free agents (and one of them is one of the top CBs left on the market) that improve the team even if they aren't name value.

I don't think Edelman is make or break no matter what happens. Would like to have him back, but they can replace him.

Nothing like hyperbole.

We lost a young CB, who could play man with little or no help, that allows us to do a lot of fun stuff. We have denard, arrington, ryan, etc... We add a finnegan or Cro (and that's a big iff, we already lost on Verner) then we get a nice player, but a downgrade. We saw what happened to us when Talib got injured against Denver. Now, we are playing catchup.

 

[ripatsfan91]

Sign:
Woodyard
Shaughnessy
Blount
Revis


Draft:
Su'a-Filo
Niklas
Exum
Best interior lineman available
Trey Burton

 

[mayoclinic]

IF the Pats wanted to take an aggressive approach to Free Agency, they could potentially do something like the following:

1. Sign CB Darrelle Revis once he is cut. Probably a $10M+ 2014 cap hit, maybe more.

2. Sign UFA OC Alex Mack to a contract that is difficult for Cleveland to match. Probably a $6M+ 2014 cap hit on a contract with an $8-9M AAV.

3. Sign a bunch of low profile, reasonable cost guys like Mike Neal/Matt Shaughnessy, Wesley Woodyard, Brandon Browner and Brandon LaFell. Total cap hit probably around $10M or less.

They could probably do all of these by taking their current $15M cap space and cutting Vince Wilfork ($7.5M), Isaac Sapoaga ($2.5M) and Adrian Wilson ($1.1M). Extensions to Devin McCourty and Stephen Gostkowski could free up another $2M or so, and Dan Connolly would free up another $2.5M if cut, which would handle the rookie pool, PS, and contingency funds.

I'm not suggesting that this is necessarily the best way to proceed. But there are still lots of options, including plenty of ways for the Pats to make a splash.

 

[DW Toys]

According to this article (The Blitz with Jeff Howe & Karen Guregian | Boston Herald), the Pats have about $10 million in cap space to spend (once you factor in draft picks and bonus money due players), but they can potentially add as much as $15 million by key cuts and restructuring. So let's say they can realistically have $18-20 million for free agency.

1. Sign Rodgers-Cromartie. Yes, I'd love Revis. But not for like $16 million. Just too much. DRC is a solid CB. If Revis came down to a more reasonable figure, then yes yes yes. But if they only have between $18-20 million, I can't see adding Revis for that kind of money. DRC should net a 4-year, $28 million deal. DRC, Dennard, and Ryan are a nice 1-2-3 CB combo. No true "shut down" guy, but solid across the board. 2014 cost: $7 million.

2. Sign Wesley Woodyard. Excellent cover LB, which they need big-time. 4-year, $14 million. 2014 cost: $3.5 million.

3. Sign Jared Allen. I know a lot of guys don't like him here. I think a 2-year deal would work. His 22 sack season was an outlier, but he's been a consistent 11+ sack guy every year. 2 years, $13 million. 2014 cost: $6.5 million.

Those three deals push them to $17.5 million. That leaves them with $3 million left. They still need a WR. I'd look to sign a solid vet WR or two like Emmanuel Sanders and Sidney Rice.

So the defense would be improved despite losing Talib and Spikes, because they'd get Wilfork and Mayo and Kelly back, and DRC is a solid CB, the young guys would have another year of improvement, Woodyard helps the pass defense, and they add a monster pass rusher in Allen. Now Ninkovich, Allen, and Jones rotate, keeping them all fresher and guarding against injury.

Then in the draft, I look to add a big-time TE and offensive line help. Hope Gronk is healthy and pair him with Amaro or Ebron. That alone would improve the offense considerably. Another year of improvement from Dobson and Thompkins and Boyce, and hopefully Amendola is healthier. Plus Sanders and/or Rice would help as well. The RB situation is fine. Ridley and Vereen as the main guys, and you can always get solid, cheap RBs.

Love your post Cousin. Perfect. I might double up on this. Nolan Carroll is 6'1" and 205. He had one of the best pass against percentages of any NFL CB including the Cromarties.He would be a "value" alternative although DRC works. Revis might be a dream. The Broncos were going to offer DRC the same type of money as Talib!!!!!!!

I would sign Brandon Browner and Carroll. Both big CBs and Browner would be a great SS is a dual roll. Mayoclinic gets Props for that one. BB loves flexibility.
Browner had 23 PD in 2011!

I would love he and McCourty as the starting Safeties (after Browner's 4 game vacation) . You can get both Browner and Carroll for less than DRC. Let's hope Browner can become a good citizen here at BB's school for little wanderers.

You have Matt Shaughnessy coming in for a visit. OLB/DE flexibility once again. There is your rotation guy with Nink and Jones.

Now add Woodward and your coverage LB/SS as well.

We need a Center. Is Costa the answer? Again plays two positions.

In a perfect world we snake Ware from the Broncos and sign Revis. Then we sign Decker and resign Edelman. I love Jared Allen as well here.

Interesting facts about Revis and DRC. Notice. No Talib! Football focus CB top twenty ratings. Revis was 3rd and DRC was 5th. Verner was 16th?

If VW won't redo, I say a cut is happening. Don't want to lose him but unless Bianca can play CB, we don't need that salary to hamstring us.
A younger alternative for run stuffer is Terrance Cody who is only 25 and played under Nagata. Cody could take over a game at Alabama.

Collecting Talent probably wins you a couple more games Bill, like a Super Bowl or two. Some great NFL"TEAMS" sit on the sideline. A talent piece here or there make a play or two that you beloved JAGS don't have the ability to compete with. Yes, I would opt for collecting Talent. The Broncos are and they won at the least one more game than you did.

How many of us on this forum care what the 2020 N.E. Patriots record is versus success this year and next?


DW Toys

 

[Jimke]

Really?!? A disaster? Even if they get four or five solid free agents (and one of them is one of the top CBs left on the market) that improve the team even if they aren't name value.

I don't think Edelman is make or break no matter what happens. Would like to have him back, but they can replace him.

Nothing like hyperbole.

I'm afraid your five solid free agents will be minimum salary players on one year contracts. They won't be as good as the players they replace (Talib, Edelman).

 

[Rob0729]

We lost a young CB, who could play man with little or no help, that allows us to do a lot of fun stuff. We have denard, arrington, ryan, etc... We add a finnegan or Cro (and that's a big iff, we already lost on Verner) then we get a nice player, but a downgrade. We saw what happened to us when Talib got injured against Denver. Now, we are playing catchup.

First Talib isn't so young. He is 28 which is in his prime, but it isn't like he is 25 or 26.

Second, it all depends on which Talib you get. People seem only look at Talib the first five weeks of the season last year and ignore that he was inconsistent in 2012 (some great games, some games he got burnt badly) and the same in the final ten games. He did require over the top help after he got injured depending on who he faced.

Third, if the Pats add say Jared Allen, Chris Clemmons, and Wesley Woodyard, the deficiencies in tat CB can be hidden by a strong front seven and safeties. People forget in the Super Bowl years that the Pats had a lot of mediocre CBs starting and playing key roles (including a converted WR in Troy Brown). There are different ways to build a solid defense than having a shutdown CB.

Fourth, I will not count out Revis until he signs somewhere else. I think he is one of those special once in a generation players that Belichick may throw his typical business plan out the window for.

 

[jmt57]

I'd still like to see a DT added prior to the draft, such as Henry Melton. Another possibility would be a DT who would be a better fit in a 4-3 than a 3-4; two players coming off sub-par years due in part to not being a fit in the 3-4 are B.J. Raji and Ziggy Hood. It all comes down to the price being right, and being a good value. In Melton's case he's coming off a torn ACL early in the season and an arrest in December, so he should be available at a decent price; Raji and Hood shouldn't get top dollar either because they didn't set the world on fire last year.

With Talib gone the Patriots need another corner to go along with Dennard, Ryan and Arrington. With the cap reportedly going up dramatically in the next two years, a deal for Revis could be worked out that gives him the guaranteed money he's looking for without a huge cap hit this season. I'd prefer that, but if not then go with Plan B (Antonio Cromartie, DRC, Cortland Finnegan, Peanut Tillman, Captain Munnerlyn, Walter Thurmond), which would leave more money and options at other positions.

Next, how about another TE such as Scott Chandler, Brandon Pettigrew or Jermichael Finley? That would make the position one of much less need in the draft. Hoomanawanui is strictly a blocking TE; the club needs another TE that is at least a threat to run a pass route and catch the ball.

A center (or guard with Connolly moving back to C with a restructured contract) would be nice, but the only one I see that I'd like is Alex Mack. If the Pats could pull something off to add him (see MayoClinic's plan above), that would be great; otherwise address that in the draft.

Some depth at DE would be welcome; again, as mentioned above I'd be fine with a lower-priced player such as Mike Neal or Matt Shaugnessy. Both are only 27 years old and preferable to a guy like Shaun Phillips, who will soon turn 33 and seemed to wear down towards the end of the season last year.

If after all that the Pats can add somebody like Wesley Woodyard, Jon Beason or Daryl Smith at linebacker, great - but that may be a pipe dream consider the other holes to be filled or upgraded.


Obviously not all of those things are going to happen, but if the Patriots could get a few of those things done, then they'll be in a more flexible position to take the best player available in the draft, as opposed to being cornered into having to reach for a player with some of their picks.

 

[Rob0729]

I'm afraid your five solid free agents will be minimum salary players on one year contracts. They won't be as good as the players they replace (Talib, Edelman).

It depends on which Talib you are replacing. The one who played the first six games of the season last year or the one who played the rest of his career with the Pats. The former can only be replaced at this point by Revis and maybe DRC(who has similar consistency issues) or the other Cromartie (only if the Pats can get the 2012 version), but the latter Talib can be replaced rather easily. People act like Talib was a shutdown CB the entire time he was here.

And for Edelman, I think his production can be replaced just like he replaced Welker's production and like he replaced Troy Brown's production. The Pats seem to never have a problem with getting a productive slot WR. Plus, Edelman hasn't signed anywhere. I'd like to have him back, but not at break the bank money.

I think the Pats defense will be better without Talib with the return Mayo, Wilfork, and Kelly and if they add some solid players like just say Woodyard, Clemmons, and Allen.

 

[Gronkandez]

We need an interior offensive lineman. Remember what happens every year in the playoffs?

Cut Wilfork (sorry man) and get two rotational DL types with the money saved. Need another Safety and two more Tight Ends....and a receiver who can return punts.

 

[patfanken]

These are all excellent possibilities and they further add to the notion that all the crybabies who thought that FA ended after day ONE, are just that - crybabies.

Given what we need to sign the rookies (4MM) and a reasonable reserve (3MM), my best guess is after the cuts and restructure that have be talked about (endlessly) and detailed so well by Miguel; we are going to have about $15-18MM in cap space to spend on FA's. I just hope that my hopes are as good as some of the others that have been given.

1. Sign Scott Chandler or Owen Daniels ($2.5MM) to be the vet "move TE"

2. Sign BOTH Browner and ACromartie. Both are big long armed press CB's who excel at covering big WR's. They both have limitations against quicker WR's and in zone coverages. However they both will come relatively cheap, and Browner has some position flexibility possibilities as a S. I think you can do both for around $6MM ($5MM for Cro, $1MM for Browner).

BTW- Cook and Carroll would be another alternative duo, with 2 bigger guys where one is a competent big CB (Carroll) and Cook a big CB with a huge upside, but needs development.

3. Sign Woodyard. That would make a LB rotation of Mayo, Collins, Hightower, and Woodyard. Not bad when your slowest guy runs a 4.7. Speed to burn and depth. (3.5MM)

4. Sign Will Svtek - Swing T - this allows you to move Cannon to RG and either release Connolly or resign to a low cap number reflecting that he's now a back up. ($2MMM)

5. I think after you do all that, we are not going to have enough cap space to compete for JAllen. We need a DE to put into the rotation, so a guy like Shaunessy is probably more in our wheel house ($3MM)

That's a total of $17MM and assumes no cap relief in 2014 from amortizing signing bonuses or any back loading.

Then Draft
1. DT - Hageman - Tuitt - Easly
2. TE - Niklas
3. C - Richburg
4. LB/S - Tripp or Exum
6/.6/7- I don't care because I wont know who any of them are. But I do know that at least one will end up being a keeper