Here you go:
- No way to spin it. This loss hurts. Revis is a special player. He changed the way the Pats played defense. He was that good. The Pats are clearly not as good today as they were yesterday.
- That said, the Pats are a favorite or the favorite to win the AFC. By the end of last year, it was pretty much the Pats and everyone else. Yes, the Ravens played the Pats tough in the Division Round, but they are not nearly as good and they are not the same team today as they were yesterday after losing 3 key players (Torrey Smith, Ngata, and Pernell McPhee).
- Remember the Pats were one minute from winning the Super Bowl several years ago with McCourty and Arrington as their starting CBs and Ihedibgo and Chung as a starting safeties. Not exactly the best secondary in the league that year.
- Until we freak out, we need to see what the Pats do to counter the losses. I think we will see them address this problem by improving the offense and the front seven. I think the Pats will adapt to what they have and what is available. I think the Pats may try to make their defense more of a pressure defense up front.
- I still cannot see how this was a good news for the Jets. Yes, it gives Woody a lot praise from the NY media and fans, but this signing might actually be a hinderance for them to build a Super Bowl competitor.
- I don't see Browner coming back. I agree with the sentiment that he is not needed without Revis. I don't think the Pats will be doing the press man as they did last year and Browner is not a zone player. He is only needed if the Pats are going to do press man.
- The CBs I would be targeting right now are Chris Culliver, Rashean Mathis, and Tramont Williams. They clearly aren't Revis, but they would be upgrades and give some stability to the secondary.
- I might be targeting Pot Roast right now. Great run blocker and disruptive with the pass rush. If Easley can step up in his second year, the Pats could create a lot of problems in the backfield with that d-line to make up for a lot of lost for Revis. If opposing QBs have to get rid of the ball quickly, then who your CB is isn't as important. Granted he needs to be more realistic about his value, but since no one is willing to pay it, the Pats might have a chance. He might put the Pats ahead of everyone else since he grew up a Pats' fan.
- I don't think anyone won last night other than Revis. Obviously money is really important to him and he got it. The Pats were weakened and I think the Jets sacrificed building a Super Bowl contender for a shiny toy.
- I appreciate everything Revis has done for this team. I knew there was a decent chance he was an one year rental. We got everything we wished for from him on that rental. I thank him for last year.
Good thoughts, Rob. Some comments:
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The Pats are clearly not as good today as they were yesterday. I agree that the move hurts the Pats in the short term. We're not as good a team today as we were 2 days ago. Whether we're as good a team in 4 months or 11 months remains to be seen. Long term, it's clear that to match a "pay as you go" deal to Revis would have crippled the team's ability to keep some of it's most valuable young assets. Not an option.
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I don't see Browner coming back. I agree that Browner isn't likely to be back. In retrospect, it seems like the Pats realized that they weren't going to keep Revis on Monday (if not earlier), at which point they decided that Browner didn't fit, and gave him permission to talk to other teams.
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Until we freak out, we need to see what the Pats do to counter the losses. I agree that the Pats' can't counter the loss of Revis (and presumably Browner) by replacing them, so they have to get better elsewhere. I'm not 100% sure how best to do that at the moment, but I think some of your ideas are reasonable options.
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I don't think anyone won last night other than Revis. Revis clearly worked the system. There are rumors that the Pats dropped out Monday, and his agent may have continued to drive up the Jets' price. I'm not sure why he's better off playing for the Jets than getting handsomely paid and chasing more SBs with the Pats, but he got what he wanted.
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I still cannot see how this was a good news for the Jets. It's very good in the short term. Aside from the publicity in media-driven NY and giving hope to a dejected fan base, it makes them more competitive for 2015. Especially if they also sign Antonio Cromartie, as rumored. They already have a very tough run defense; add a tough pass defense and they can get even more aggressive up front. Keep the score down, and you can stay in a lot of games, and win a share. Will they get closer to winning the SB? I doubt it. Will they get closer to re-establishing themselves as a legitimate franchise and not a laughing stock? Yes. The big question is how some of these deals will effect them down the road with guys like Wilkerson and Richardson.
It's worth noting - as you do - that the other team in the AFC that took the biggest short-term hit yesterday was the Ravens. So far they've lost/traded Haloti Ngata, Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, Owen Daniels, and Pernell McPhee. Justin Forsett could also be gone, which would take away most of their offensive skill players. But they'll be competitive, just like the Pats, whereas most of the teams over-spending on FAs will still be on the outside looking in. The good teams are the ones that have discipline and don't overpay, especially for replaceable players. Revis doesn't fall into that category, but even so, there is a limit.