Official Free Agency 2018

[DW Toys]

Murphy would be nice. Lynch should’ve been a throw in to the Garoppolo deal, and that’s at the very least.

Sup, You read my mind on Lynch.
DW Toys

 

[DW Toys]

Why would we trade Hightower? I get he's hurt often but he's the best player on our front 7. Not to mention the leader.

To get you have got to give. Hightower is a nice player and y7es best in our front seven but won't play 16 next year. This is more about having Matt P Get some familiar faces and a good return for us.

Seymour was McCourty's age going on 31 when BB moved him. It was a CAP move. McCourty's is one of the top five most expensive Saftey's in the NFL. We get CAP and trade capital not unlike Seymour and have a player in place if we trade.
DW Toys

 

[Deus Irae]

To get you have got to give. Hightower is a nice player and y7es best in our front seven but won't play 16 next year. This is more about having Matt P Get some familiar faces and a good return for us.

Seymour was McCourty's age going on 31 when BB moved him. It was a CAP move. McCourty's is one of the top five most expensive Saftey's in the NFL. We get CAP and trade capital not unlike Seymour and have a player in place if we trade.
DW Toys

Trading Seymour helped sink a season and set the defense back for years. Why would you use that for a comparison, when it so thoroughly demolishes your argument?

 

[supafly]

To get you have got to give. Hightower is a nice player and y7es best in our front seven but won't play 16 next year. This is more about having Matt P Get some familiar faces and a good return for us.

Seymour was McCourty's age going on 31 when BB moved him. It was a CAP move. McCourty's is one of the top five most expensive Saftey's in the NFL. We get CAP and trade capital not unlike Seymour and have a player in place if we trade.
DW Toys

I think the Seymour situation was a bit different because there was a good chance of a top 10-15 pick, and maybe Belichick felt as though that kind of value was too good to pass up, especially if negotiations hadn’t been going anywhere and it looked like we’d lose him in FA.

In regards to McCourty, I don’t see any scenarios where we’d recoup a first round pick, and that’s just looking at the potential trade value. I think losing McCourty would be a bad idea for his on the field leadership, talent, and experience too. That said, it’s the NFL so you never know.

 

[captain stone]

Trading Seymour helped sink a season and set the defense back for years. Why would you use that for a comparison, when it so thoroughly demolishes your argument?

Beacause if Bill didn't trade $eymour he would not have been able to draft Matt Light's successor at LT for the past 6 years.

 

[Deus Irae]

Beacause if Bill didn't trade $eymour he would not have been able to draft Matt Light's successor at LT for the past 6 years.

Sure he could have. He would just have had to get the pick, or a LT, another way. Solder wasn't drafted until 2011, so there was plenty of time to make other moves.

 

[Joker]

Interesting conundrum coming up this season. With Edelman back and assuming Gronk will play another year, I would have to assume Belechick will be looking for defense early, along with the obvious drafting of a QB. Of course, if a stud left tackle is anywhere near their slot, I'd have to think BB jumps at him.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

As it presently stands we only have (5) picks.

 

[supafly]

As it presently stands we only have (5) picks.

We can safely assume another 1-2 comp picks, and I’m guessing that Belichick may acquire another selection via trade down somewhere along the process.

Should be around 7-8 total picks and 4 (so far) in the top 100.

 

[Guts]

Brian Cushing is going to get released by the Texans. Any interest there? He hasn't played much lately due to injuries and suspension, but can be a good Hightower backup?

 

[supafly]

Brian Cushing is going to get released by the Texans. Any interest there? He hasn't played much lately due to injuries and suspension, but can be a good Hightower backup?

We could certainly do worse from an overall talent and heart perspective, but there are some durability issues, and someone else may be more inclined to overpay.

As always though—for the right price, it’s worth a second thought. Some may say that he’s washed up, but I think he still plays with a spark. The main issue is money, of course.

 

[luuked]

Why Patriots should sign Bashaud Breeland over Malcolm Butler

“I feel like I’m a top corner in this league,” Breeland told, via The Washington Post’s Kimberly A. Martin. “It hasn’t been shown, I haven’t gotten that publicity, but I feel like with my confidence level and how I believe in myself, I feel like I’m a top corner in this league. I’m just not one of those players that’s flashy, that’s going to make the flashy play that you want to see, you know what I’m saying? Really, what I do, I bring a lot more to the table — physicality, tackling. I’m a tackling corner. And I play my guy. I make plays.”

“These are all qualities that would resonate well with Bill Belichick.”

“But Breeland would bring more than just a defensive presence. He has served as a kick returner. During the 2017 season, he returned 10 kicks for 208 yards, and averaged 20.8 yards per return. That’s something Belichick, a lover of special teams, would appreciate.”

“Breeland is a spitting image of Butler, but his ceiling could be higher.”

Personally I think anyone hoping we get an upgrade over Butler when he leaves this FA is in for a disappointment. Unless there is some crazy cheap one year deal to be made with someone like Breeland our CBs are set with Gilmore, Rowe, Jonathan Jones, Cyrus Jones et al..

Of course we might draft a developmental CB but that is a different story and almost certainly no direct upgrade on Butler.

 

[luuked]

Brian Cushing is going to get released by the Texans. Any interest there? He hasn't played much lately due to injuries and suspension, but can be a good Hightower backup?

The main problem with him is that he is even more often injured than Hightower. With reliability being a huge factor for BB I am not sure how he would fit. On the flipside there should be a lot of tape and information from joined practices in terms of projecting a role for him.

 

[maineman209]

No feckin way.

Chiefs would never trade him.

Yeah. I don't think so either.

OTOH, the rumor was reported by someone other than LaCanfora, so it instantly has slightly more credibility.

 

[maineman209]

Why Patriots should sign Bashaud Breeland over Malcolm Butler

“I feel like I’m a top corner in this league,” Breeland told, via The Washington Post’s Kimberly A. Martin. “It hasn’t been shown, I haven’t gotten that publicity, but I feel like with my confidence level and how I believe in myself, I feel like I’m a top corner in this league. I’m just not one of those players that’s flashy, that’s going to make the flashy play that you want to see, you know what I’m saying? Really, what I do, I bring a lot more to the table — physicality, tackling. I’m a tackling corner. And I play my guy. I make plays.”

“These are all qualities that would resonate well with Bill Belichick.”

“But Breeland would bring more than just a defensive presence. He has served as a kick returner. During the 2017 season, he returned 10 kicks for 208 yards, and averaged 20.8 yards per return. That’s something Belichick, a lover of special teams, would appreciate.”

“Breeland is a spitting image of Butler, but his ceiling could be higher.”

I agree that Breeland has been among the top corners, but the problem is cost. My guess is that he ends up with a bigger contract than Butler, perhaps significantly bigger.

I mean, it's not as if Pats fans were the only ones who noticed Butler's inconsistencies and vulnerabilities this season. In the two games that Bademosi started at corner (and JJ was the 3rd corner), the opposing offense still picked on Butler. IIRC, Butler was targeted almost twice as many times as Bademosi or JJ.

Anyway, I think Butler's market value is lower than Breeland's, at this point - not saying, though, that this would be a reason to keep Butler.
-----

Pats players who regularly return kicks, and even many of those who only return every so often, typically average between 22 and 24 yards. So, 20.8 yards per kick return is kinda below average and not much of a selling point. It's not a bad thing to have another guy on the roster who has some experience returning kicks, but the Pats already have several of those. What they don't have *under contract is a proven competent punt returner, aside from Edelman (unless Cy Jones spent some of his recovery time at an ashram getting over his horrible case of the yips).

Anyway, I'm not sure why the writer of the piece even bothered to mention it.

*Amendola isn't under contract for 2018 at the moment.

 

[maineman209]

We can safely assume another 1-2 comp picks, and I’m guessing that Belichick may acquire another selection via trade down somewhere along the process.

Should be around 7-8 total picks and 4 (so far) in the top 100.

Only a 4th-round comp pick for Sheard, according to overthecap:

Projecting The 2018 Compensatory Picks | Over the Cap

IIRC, the Pats lost the one they would've gotten for Bennett via some arcane rule mumbo-jumbo.

 

[maineman209]

We could certainly do worse from an overall talent and heart perspective, but there are some durability issues, and someone else may be more inclined to overpay.

As always though—for the right price, it’s worth a second thought. Some may say that he’s washed up, but I think he still plays with a spark. The main issue is money, of course.

Cushing (31 years old) might have some value to the Pats at the kind of money that Harris got (~$2.7M). Maybe. It's been years since Cushing was really good in coverage, so, basically, another elderly version of Roberts at this point.

 

[Racervx54]

Brian Cushing is going to get released by the Texans. Any interest there? He hasn't played much lately due to injuries and suspension, but can be a good Hightower backup?

Yea that is a super fantastic idea. Lets bring in the one guy that gets hurt more then Hightower.... Hightower is good ,but can make it a whole season without getting hurt. Last thing we need is another one just like him.

 

[DaBruinz]

Here's your direct quote since you seem to forget:

" KVN saw 100% of the snaps in the 1st 4 games of the season when HT was healthy."

go back and look at your post again if you need help, its quoted in the one you replied to.

Reading comprehension was always an issue with you.

My saying that KVN saw 100% of the snaps while HT was healthy is stating a fact. It's not saying that HT was playing less than KVN.

I said I like him as a 4th linebacker. Never said he was "nothing more than that" my guy. KVN saw the amount of time he did because of our situation at linebacker. This speaks to a couple of things. Injuries and talent. He's far less limited than Harris and Roberts. He deserved to play more snaps than them because he was more capable. Does that mean we shouldn't add any more capable players ? Thats quite an interesting roster building philosophy you have.

BS. Saying that you like him as a fourth means you don't see him as any better than that.

Yep, I think that he is a nice player to have an certainly one that will remain on the roster but also one that doesn't complement Hightower particularly well. He isn't a fluid guy in coverage and he's not a great block shedder. He does a decent job on/off the edge, he's a capable blitzer and smart player. McClellin is still on the roster and I will treat him as such, he's no less certain to play next season than any of our other players no matter what stupid bs claims you want to make

You're the one making stupid BS claims. Not me. But that has always been your modus operandi.

 

[DaBruinz]

Terrelle Pryor is supposedly being released. Doug Martin has been informed of his release. IMHO, the more RBs that are released, the better the chance of bringing Lewis back.

I wouldn't mind seeing Pryor here either.. He gives the Pats that "tall" receiver on the outside. But, I can only see him if they lose Amendola during FA..