Great move on Stallworth but are we morphing into the Yankees?

[Patriot Missile]

I hate this comparison. It's completely unjust and unwarranted. If we were over the salary cap by 100 million dollars compared to most other teams in the NFL then I would agree we were the Yankees. But the simple fact is, everyone else has the same amount of cap space, we just chose to use it this year. This team is justified and again I resent the comparison.

 

[signbabybrady]

I know that this isn't news to most of the sophisticated fans on this board, but if you study the way the Patriots operate, I think these moves make perfect sense for them. Their normal operation is to build primarily through the draft, and get economical production from players in their rookie contracts that normally last 4-5 years. When the contract expires, the Patriots either try to re-sign them at a reasonable or slightly below market value rate, or they let them go and try to replace them from the draft. The problem comes with positions that normally take 3-5 years to learn. With the Patriot system, one could argue those positions are quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker. They are of course set at quarterback, but last year they ended up with problems at the other two positions. Although linebacker is one of the fastest positions to learn in most systems, it is exceeding complex in the Patriot system, and almost nobody starts in their first or second years. Thus, of their current linebackers, three were traded for or signed as free agents (Colvin, Vrabel, and how Thomas). The exception that proves the rule was Bruschi, who was slowly developed in house. A similar situation is true to a lesser extent for the wide receiver position. With the exception of intelligent, fast learners such as Deon Branch (who the Patriots really did not expect to shoot his way out of town), most Patriot receivers take 2-3 years to be able to learn the position. Hence, it seems to me that this year they have decided to restock the hard-to-learn positions of receiver and linebacker via high priced acquisions in free agency (Thomas, Stallworth) and trades (Welker, although his contract was reasonable). I suspect they will primarily continue to stock other positions via the draft or low-cost, lower tier free agents.

Agree, disagree? Any feedback for a first time poster?

You are right that the pats like vets at those hard to learn positions. but I still hope they go LB early so we can start developing one for the future.

 

[Bella*chick]

Hey, let's ease up here....Fanfrom1960 is a great poster and he is not trying to be intentionally negative, just tossing out another topic for discussion on a messageboard meant for such things.

Now to my thoughts....I have heard us compared to the Yankees already (the successful teams that everyone grew to hate, not the current spending monsters who can't get anywhere ) but I take it you are looking more at the current Yankees. As others have noted, the salary cap really is the big difference. Now expectations-wise, I think you have a interesting point....people WILL expect us to win every week, win the SB, etc. I'd like to think our team puts a ton of pressure on themselves to do that anyway. Our core group of leaders is pretty used to pressure, and will help the new guys with the pressure too, hopefully.

I don't think we are the Yankees. Nor are we the Redskins (although "Redskins with a brain" cracked me up). We are building a better team with what resources we have through free agency AND the draft. The Redksins go out and sign flashy people (Deion Sanders, anyone?) to get fans excited every year without regard to whether the players are a good fit for the team, or even really necessary. And they don't value the draft much at all.

Just because we have some money to spend and we have spent it on good talent to shore up positions that were badly in need of some help, doesn't make us arrogant and stupid, like the abovementioned examples. at least not in my opinion.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Agree, disagree? Any feedback for a first time poster?

Nice first post. I agree but would add SS to that list of players they would almost prefer to replenish via FA. Just haven't come across the next Rodney yet, and the position is starting to gain in league $tature so to speak so there is a good chance they will try to replace it via a day one draft pick this year. There only really good shot of grooming a replacement is doing so while Rodney is still able to play, and with his growing injury concerns time is getting short. If that doesn't pan out, by next season they could be forced into looking at a trade or pricey FA if one shakes loose.

 

[PatsMyBoyz!]

If we look in terms of the Big Picture,we've had a lot of losses in the last couple of years due to cuts and injuries. Last year we patched some holes with good success but this year not only did we have the $$ (which we sacrificed to get) but we also had some Patriot-Perfect FA's out there this year.
No doubt Chad's injury has dampened BB's hopes and when combined with last year's track record their confidence level must be hovering around zero. If healthy he'll contribute and he proved that much last season with some outstanding catches, but to completely rely on him at this point would be short-sighted.
The Maroney/Dillon situation didn't live up to expectations either.
While our offense had flashes of brilliance it also had it's share of pain.
Defensively we had some devastating injuries,and everybody's one year older already.
Given all these factors maybe we shouldn't be all that shocked at our recent flurry of signings at all. In fact,they'd be crazy NOT to make these moves,if we think about it.
We have a b***ch of a schedule coming up and HFA will be a must (last year showed us how vital that can be).
No,we are not the Skins nor are we the Yankees. We are the same old Patriots but with the money and opportunity to (hopefully) eliminate a lot of the guesswork we went through during the last 2 years and build a solid team as we go into what looks like a very difficult schedule.
BBPioli did what they had to do,no more,no less. And they were extremely foresighted in their prior cuts,thus enabling our present situation.
Brilliant management. jmo.

 

[bb07]

Totally different. Yankees don't have salary cap, totally unfairness. we are using our cap room.

 

[ClevTrev]

No offense, but this thread makes no sense. Is it that despite strong positive actions by your team, there are always things to worry about? That the great balance of force in the universe will always knock you back for each step forward?

If that's the concern, wow! Keep your head down and watch your back!

 

[nescott]

Who cares the league changes year to year and the time is now get rings 4 and 5 before Brady is to old NOW NOW NOW!!!!

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Hey, let's ease up here....Fanfrom1960 is a great poster and he is not trying to be intentionally negative, just tossing out another topic for discussion on a messageboard meant for such things.

Now to my thoughts....I have heard us compared to the Yankees already (the successful teams that everyone grew to hate, not the current spending monsters who can't get anywhere ) but I take it you are looking more at the current Yankees. As others have noted, the salary cap really is the big difference. Now expectations-wise, I think you have a interesting point....people WILL expect us to win every week, win the SB, etc. I'd like to think our team puts a ton of pressure on themselves to do that anyway. Our core group of leaders is pretty used to pressure, and will help the new guys with the pressure too, hopefully.

I don't think we are the Yankees. Nor are we the Redskins (although "Redskins with a brain" cracked me up). We are building a better team with what resources we have through free agency AND the draft. The Redksins go out and sign flashy people (Deion Sanders, anyone?) to get fans excited every year without regard to whether the players are a good fit for the team, or even really necessary. And they don't value the draft much at all.

Just because we have some money to spend and we have spent it on good talent to shore up positions that were badly in need of some help, doesn't make us arrogant and stupid, like the abovementioned examples. at least not in my opinion.

Thanks Bella*chick, for the support. First off, I don't deserve what you said. I'd gladly settle for "good".

Where I went wrong was in the thread title. I just meant to say that the expectations of the Patriots now will be higher, like they always are for the unmentionable baseball team, and they, the Pats will probably be favored to go all the way, like that baseball team generally is favored. Maybe not, maybe the Chargers will be considered the strongest, but I don't think their coaching is great. As for the Colts, teams generally have some letdown after their first SB win. JMO. In previous years, the Patriots were always under the radar a little, well, a lot in 2001, and in other years, either the Steelers or the Colts, and last year the Chargers were sometimes favored over the Pats. Now, I don't see them as below any radar, or sonar, or any reconnaissance measure. They should be considered the best team in the NFL. Kind of scary, but we as fans couldn't have asked for more.

Maybe I'm digging a deeper hole here, but I do know what the salary cap is, and I am very pleased with the Pats' FA acquisitions.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I love the position the Pats have put themselves in. I've said all along that they needed to get aggressive in this year's free agent class. They've done that and they've filled a lot of important needs via free agency. This allows them to be very flexible in their approach to the upcoming draft. More than ever they have the luxury of picking the best players that will benefit this team in the future and not just in the short term.

I think perhaps BB did learn something from his time schmoozing with the Yankees. Maybe he learned to be not afraid to throw around some serious cash to accomplish his objectives. The Pats situation has now changed from when he first took over the team. This is not a team rebuilding that needs to take a throw a whole bunch of free agents at the wall and see who sticks approach. Rather this is an accomplished team with a strong core that needed specific upgrades at particular weak areas. The Pats addressed those weak areas with the best free agents this year's market had to offer. I think it's a jolly good job for this organization to recognize their position, see who is available to fix the weaknesses, then go after those guys aggressively.

If BB learned something from his time with the Yankee skippers it was time well spent. I applaud the New Look Pats, even though some folks will compare them to a certain New York Baseball team.

 

[zydecochris]

I agree with you MoLewisRocks, I shouldn't have left out SS, that is another area where they have often picked up veterans, in addition to the linebacker position.

The interesting thing is that in the past, they have never really made big money offers to veteran wide receivers (except possibly for the rumored offer to Derrick Mason that he turned down). I figured that the 12M guaranteed offer to Stallworth was a big departure of their past tactics, possibly a response to their wide receiver problems last year. However, since the last post I now see from PFT and ESPN that evidently that the previous report of a 12M signing bonus was an error (I won't repeat the terms of the deal here, it is discussed elsewhere).

So: the offer to Stallworth actually seems much more reasonable now. Either the Patriots get a decent receiver for one year as a stopgap, or if he lights the league up next year (not completely out of the realm of possibility with Brady throwing him the ball) then they have the option at retaining him over a longer term at a higher cost. It seems like a smart move by the Patriots. And, it looks like they haven't deviated from their usual approach to wide receivers as much as it looked like earlier.

Nice first post. I agree but would add SS to that list of players they would almost prefer to replenish via FA. Just haven't come across the next Rodney yet, and the position is starting to gain in league $tature so to speak so there is a good chance they will try to replace it via a day one draft pick this year. There only really good shot of grooming a replacement is doing so while Rodney is still able to play, and with his growing injury concerns time is getting short. If that doesn't pan out, by next season they could be forced into looking at a trade or pricey FA if one shakes loose.

 

[TealSox]

This is a lame topic.

Yes the Pats are spending money, but it isn't as if they are blowing cash in bad investments. You have to admire the Pats for making moves and signings on their terms and not on any agents terms or the market. Granted they have to swim with the current, but they swim at their own pace.

 

[mac]

In the playoff game with the Colts, I thought both the team and the coaching staff lacked a sense of urgency. So, I am delighted with this off-season. The signings reflect the necessary sense that the window of opportunity may not always be open.

 

[AzPatsFan]

I know that this isn't news to most of the sophisticated fans on this board, but if you study the way the Patriots operate, I think these moves make perfect sense for them. Their normal operation is to build primarily through the draft, and get economical production from players in their rookie contracts that normally last 4-5 years. When the contract expires, the Patriots either try to re-sign them at a reasonable or slightly below market value rate, or they let them go and try to replace them from the draft. The problem comes with positions that normally take 3-5 years to learn. With the Patriot system, one could argue those positions are quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker. They are of course set at quarterback, but last year they ended up with problems at the other two positions. Although linebacker is one of the fastest positions to learn in most systems, it is exceeding complex in the Patriot system, and almost nobody starts in their first or second years. Thus, of their current linebackers, three were traded for or signed as free agents (Colvin, Vrabel, and how Thomas). The exception that proves the rule was Bruschi, who was slowly developed in house. A similar situation is true to a lesser extent for the wide receiver position. With the exception of intelligent, fast learners such as Deon Branch (who the Patriots really did not expect to shoot his way out of town), most Patriot receivers take 2-3 years to be able to learn the position. Hence, it seems to me that this year they have decided to restock the hard-to-learn positions of receiver and linebacker via high priced acquisions in free agency (Thomas, Stallworth) and trades (Welker, although his contract was reasonable). I suspect they will primarily continue to stock other positions via the draft or low-cost, lower tier free agents.

Agree, disagree? Any feedback for a first time poster?

Everyone say Belichick an and Pioli never do this or never do that. I think its all nonsense. He has been here only six years and had to attend to the important positions first. Defensive line, Offensive line and the secondary. They deferred building any place else, until they could afford to do so. They drafted a RB and a couple of WRs. And of course found a QB.

Finally they can afford to look at LBs, which to date they have had to patch and fit, because they couldn't do everything at once. Just like the two of the six years that they had cap room, they spent on front line FAs. This year, they can afford to look at LBs, RBs, and even more secondary people. They have drafted in the secondary and signed premium FAs there as well. Wilson, Hobbs, Samuels, Sanders, Reid, Brock and Andrews were drafted. Poole and Starks were signed as well as several good depth ex-vet starters, players like Scott and Harrison.

I still expect them to stock up on LBs...

 

[SamBam39]

waaaaaaaaaaaay !!!

are we the yankees?
get a life!

yanks don't have a salary cap and it's a ridiculous thing to say, especially at such a glorious time!!!

enjoy now or you never will !!

 

[Seymour93]

Weren't the critics saying during the playoffs that we were playing on house money? Now as soon as we do something about the perceived talent gap, we're the Yankees/Redskins? There is no pleasing some.