"Possible Patriots to be Browns?"

[Ring 6]

Why is it when a Patriot player is expected to leave, it is also thought that his new team will be overpaying for him??? I would think what happened with Derrick Mason would convince Patriots fans that this organization is willing to spend $$$??The Pats offered more money to Mason that did the Ravens.

I think you answered your own question.
Yes the Pats are willing to pay 'top dollar' based on their assessment of the player. If another team assesses him higher, they will pay more.

Theoretically, if he is your guy, and you can judge personell well (which I think no one would dispute about the Pats) the other team would be overpaying.
Not a lock, because the other team may assess him better, but I think history shows that the players that walked from here didnt live up to their contracts, more often than not.

 

[BelichickFan]

Tell that to Joe Andruzzi

Irrelevant, the Browns paid a lot more than the Patriots would. We know the Patriots won't get into bidding wars for players.

 

[BelichickFan]

Why is it when a Patriot player is expected to leave, it is also thought that his new team will be overpaying for him??? I would think what happened with Derrick Mason would convince Patriots fans that this organization is willing to spend $$$??The Pats offered more money to Mason that did the Ravens.

And now he calls himself a glorified running back

We can't be responsible for everyone's mistakes :singing:

 

[BionicPatriot]

I doubt McGoo leaves. As said before, he constantly does his contract to help the team. And hey, lets see for some odd reason Cleveland broke the bank on willie. god bloss em' but you just don't break the bank on a 34 year old LB. If they wanted to, I'm sure BB would let them. the only FA that really scares me of leaving is givens. I think he would get offered big money by some foolish franchise, and being young and having major success, he'd take it.

 

[Mike the Brit]

You sure about Willie?

No, of course I'm not sure. But these guys are all professionals, not fans. First, they have agents who pressure them not to take low deals, then they have all seen their friends and team-mates cut and shipped out with no ceremony. They deal with that by telling themselves: no hard feelings, in the end, it's a business. (We have to be thankful for that attitude; that's how they all coped with losing Lawyer.)

Of course, they also have families, houses, kids in school and so on and that counts. They also, I am sure, appreciate the support of the fans. But they know that true fans won't value Willie less (or Joe or Damien or Big Ted) for taking bigger rewards with another team.

I have no knowledge of who will go where and the fact that some Browns fans are salivating about our players doesn't tell you anything. The only point I'd make is that we have to realize that the Patriots don't have the cap room to retain its free agents if a team like Cleveland, with $30m available, seriously wants to hire one away.

 

[Miguel]

I think you answered your own question.
Yes the Pats are willing to pay 'top dollar' based on their assessment of the player. If another team assesses him higher, they will pay more.

Theoretically, if he is your guy, and you can judge personell well (which I think no one would dispute about the Pats) the other team would be overpaying.
Not a lock, because the other team may assess him better, but I think history shows that the players that walked from here didnt live up to their contracts, more often than not.

Let's say that the Pats offered $4 million a year to Givens. Givens because he wants the challenge of turning a bad team into a SB contender takes less money to go to the Browns. Did the Browns then overpay him??

Let's say that the Pats offered $4 million a year to Givens. Givens takes the same money to become a #1 wide receiver on another team. Did the other team overpay Givens??

Let's say that the Pats offers $3 million a year to Neal but the deal is back-loaded?? Another team also offers Neal $3 million a year but the deal is front-loaded with a large roster bonus paid in the spring of 2006. Did that team overpay Neal??

Let's say that the Pats offered $4 million a year to Neal. Neal takes less same money to be closer to home. Did the other team overpay Neal??

Mike the Brit has a valid point. There are teams who will have a great deal more cap room than the Patriots. Those teams will be able to structure deals in ways that the Pats will find difficult to match.

 

[Miguel]

Irrelevant, the Browns paid a lot more than the Patriots would. We know the Patriots won't get into bidding wars for players.

We will have to agree to disagree. IMO, loyalty does have a price in the mercenary NFL. I do not believe that the Patriots players who left the Patriots to join the Tuna did so out of loyalty. They did it because of the money offered to them by the Tuna.

 

[DSal]

Did Cleveland overpay Andruzzi? Andruzzi left because he was offered a lot more money than the Pats were willing to offer a player they felt could be replaced. I'm sure they would have rather kept him given he knows the system, but they also knew that he could be replaced with some of the guys that were already being developed in the system. Romeo knew that he needed veteran leadership on his O Line. He needed a hard nosed, championship winning, lunchpail type of player. In a value system situation, Joe Andruzzi held more value in Cleveland than he did with the Pats, therefore Cleveland didn't overpay and, IMO, Andruzzi would have been a fool to turn down the Cleveland offer. This same scenario - one team's value/need vs another team's value/need will determine the money offered to free agents. In order to determine whether a team "overpayed", you would have to have a full understanding of their value formula at the time of the signing.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Did Cleveland overpay Andruzzi? Andruzzi left because he was offered a lot more money than the Pats were willing to offer a player they felt could be replaced. I'm sure they would have rather kept him given he knows the system, but they also knew that he could be replaced with some of the guys that were already being developed in the system. Romeo knew that he needed veteran leadership on his O Line. He needed a hard nosed, championship winning, lunchpail type of player. In a value system situation, Joe Andruzzi held more value in Cleveland than he did with the Pats, therefore Cleveland didn't overpay and, IMO, Andruzzi would have been a fool to turn down the Cleveland offer. This same scenario - one team's value/need vs another team's value/need will determine the money offered to free agents. In order to determine whether a team "overpayed", you would have to have a full understanding of their value formula at the time of the signing.

I completely agree.

The only sad thing is that JA didn't see it that way -- he seems to have left with the feeling that New England didn't make him the kind of offer he deserved. I hope he gets over the bitterness.

 

[oldrover]

The Pats will never pay big money for O-line help. Light's contract was not big by any means. The Pats IMHO feel they can coach up less expensive players... you can't really argue with their results. That's why I think Neal or Ashworth or both will be gone if they won't take minimal dough.