Losing the touch?

[AzPatsFan]

Time for some more happy talk, to cheer the pessimists.

Some have said that BB/SP are losing the touch. They are unable to duplicate the Free Agent and trade pickups of 2001 -2003. Every one remembers Cox, Pleasant, Hamilton, Vrabel and Phifer and the trade fro Ted Washington. They complains we aren't getting FA players like that anymore.

Well I'd agree; Its tough to find another Vrabel.

Think of some of the FAs from last year, Chad Scott, Monty Beisel, Chad Brown, Artrell Hawkins, Mike Wright, Mike Stone and Hank Poteat. All were brought back except Stone and he elected to sign elsewhere. From them we have two sometimes starters (Beisel & Hawkins) and a couple of others who are prime reserves, (Brown, Wright, Scott).

This years additions have not settled in yet but indications are positive.
Reche Caldwell has had a great camp, so far.
Mel Mitchell went IR but he looked to be winning a ST job.
Tebucky Jones is a solid addition to both the Safety and ST ranks.
Jonathan Sullivan is a salvage possibility, with talent but no heart.
Fred Roach, and Pierre Woods have both flashed at times, already.
Ross Tucker has already fetched a draft pick for us. Already a win.
Barry Gardner started in the first pre-season game at ILB but was brought in essentially as a ST. Already a win.
Who is the real Patrick Cobbs?
Is there a WR hidden among Childress, Stone or Mushinski?

We forget the strikeouts that BB/SP had in those early years. Ron Lyle, Steve Martin, Big Nickle SS wahizname. There were many other forgettable ones.

The Patriots have augmented themselves with at least six valuable additions from the FA ranks in the last two years. Almost the equivalent of another draft class of talent.

I submit the proposition that Pioli and Belichick don't seem to have lost the touch.

 

[rabthepat]

Time for some more happy talk, to cheer the pessimists.

Some have said that BB/SP are losing the touch. They are unable to duplicate the Free Agent and trade pickups of 2001 -2003. Every one remembers Cox, Pleasant, Hamilton, Vrabel and Phifer and the trade fro Ted Washington. They complains we aren't getting FA players like that anymore.

Well I'd agree; Its tough to find another Vrabel.

Think of some of the FAs from last year, Chad Scott, Monty Beisel, Chad Brown, Artrell Hawkins, Mike Wright, Mike Stone and Hank Poteat. All were brought back except Stone and he elected to sign elsewhere. From them we have two sometimes starters (Beisel & Hawkins) and a couple of others who are prime reserves, (Brown, Wright, Scott).

This years additions have not settled in yet but indications are positive.
Reche Caldwell has had a great camp, so far.
Mel Mitchell went IR but he looked to be winning a ST job.
Tebucky Jones is a solid addition to both the Safety and ST ranks.
Jonathan Sullivan is a salvage possibility, with talent but no heart.
Fred Roach, and Pierre Woods have both flashed at times, already.
Ross Tucker has already fetched a draft pick for us. Already a win.
Barry Gardner started in the first pre-season game at ILB but was brought in essentially as a ST. Already a win.
Who is the real Patrick Cobbs?
Is there a WR hidden among Childress, Stone or Mushinski?

We forget the strikeouts that BB/SP had in those early years. Ron Lyle, Steve Martin, Big Nickle SS wahizname. There were many other forgettable ones.

The Patriots have augmented themselves with at least six valuable additions from the FA ranks in the last two years. Almost the equivalent of another draft class of talent.

I submit the proposition that Pioli and Belichick don't seem to have lost the touch.

I think the pessimism is influenced by our high expections now. It is perhaps unrealistic to expect to find a Vrabel every year.

 

[All_Around_Brown]

Lest us forget the whiffs of the century to date:

DONALD HAYES AND DUANE STARKS

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Lest us forget the whiffs of the century to date:

DONALD HAYES AND DUANE STARKS

Hayes was so ineffective, I could never even remember his name.....Wasn't he with Carolina before the Pats and then....where did he go?

 

[AzPatsFan]

Lest us forget the whiffs of the century to date:

DONALD HAYES AND DUANE STARKS

Hayes was a 2002 or 2003 whiff, if I recall correctly.

But how can we overlook Starks? And Ty Poole wasn't a bad DB pickup on the occasions when he played that is.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Maybe in free agency, they are too damn cheap! But the draft, they have done really well!

 

[TruthSeeker]

I think none of us look at the big picture. BB & Pioli are several moves ahead of us, and quite often they probably would rather sacrifice the immediate future fo long range success (though they want to win it all EVERY year). At first, I used to get pissed off at their draft choices, IE: Deion Branch in the second round of 2002 (he was rated a 6th or 7th rounder), Wilson & Samuel in 2003 when we already had Law & Milloy, etc. They bring in people that fit the Patriot system, not the popular choices. I thought they finally lost their marbles last year drafting Mankins in the first when we needed linebackers, and then picked Kaczur in the third. Did we need these guys last year ? Hell yeah, would we have made the playoffs and won the division witout them ? Probably not. This year, they shock most of us with Maroney in the first. Believe me, they have thought these things out, and have made most of my *****ing look ridiculous. I bet you they have thought out the linebacker situation, and are already making plans for next year.

They may sacrifice a year here and there, but I'm betting they have the future all mapped out, and we just have to sit there and wait it out. I'd be shocked if the Pats don't win at least 1 more Super Bowl in the next 5 years. Of course everything I've said here is all speculation, but they've proven me wrong time and time again. It's very reminicent of the 49er's dynasty, they didn't rebuild, they reloaded. Ricky Watters replaces Roger Craig (Maybe Maroney becomes the next Watters). Steve Young replaces Montana, etc. The Pats seem to follow this line of thinking. The only difference is we don't seem to rent the Free Agents like the 49ers & Cowboys did (See Deon Sanders and Ken Norton JR flip flopping teams).We didn't do that with TY Law.

 

[Flying Fungi]

Lest us forget the whiffs of the century to date:

DONALD HAYES AND DUANE STARKS

<hack> Steve Martin <wheeze>