Sorry for not reading all 12 pages of replies, but....
1. Super Bowls aren't won in March. Free agent signings look great on paper and they have the media talking up the teams that signed big names, but if you are one of those teams signing big time free agents, you are probably doing so to fill holes on your team. Not pushing yourself over the top. Peppers isn't pushing the Bears over the top. He is filling a major need. Faneca, Woody or Jenkins weren't pushing them over the top. They were filling major gaps along the lines.
A. Jets traded for Cromartie, who carries a ton of baggage. I think AJ Smith is one of the three smartest guys when it comes to evaluating talent and managing his roster. And for him to trade Cromartie, tells me that the Chargers are better off with a third round draft pick.
B. Jets released Thomas Jones. Getting him from the Bears was one of the best moves they made. Now losing him, only means that they have put all their eggs in the basket of Shonn Greene. One way or another, they are going to have to replace Jone's production.
C. The Jets are gambling and winning with these trades and free agent signings. Hats off to them. The Redskins have gone down the free agent route, only to find themselves on the wrong side of the playoff schedule too many times. The Pats play the free agency and draft game differently and few can argue with the results.
a. Did the Pats not have an offer on the table for Derrick Mason back in 2005? Were they not rumored to be in the hunt for Julian Peterson that same year? Sure, I guess they could had gone after Michael Turner, Nate Clements, Justin Smith or Lance Briggs, but it didn't seem they needed those guys on their way to an undefeated regular season, so what would had been the point?
b. Offers were on the table for Boldin and Peppers, but doing something to do something isn't being smart... it's just being active. Jets, Bears and Lions have been active. Smart? Jury is still out in some cases.
D. The assumption here is that BB and the FO didn't want to sign players like Dansby, Peppers, and Boldin.
a. Because the Patriots want a player doesn't mean, they will get the player. Takes two to agree.
Overall, the Patriots operating as they have always done under BB and Pioli. I didn't expect that to change and I respect the way they do they do business. Neither one is a genius because they threw $15 million at a guy like Antrell Rolle. They are geniuses because they found a far cheaper option in a James Sanders or Eugene Wilson. They traded for a speedster, in Welker. They signed an UDFA in Matt Cassell and then BB traded him to KC for something more than they used to get him. Teams should be looking with concern at what the Patriots do or don't do because they should know that BB also has a plan and does things the way he wants to do them. He doesn't get caught up in trying to please "Joe Fan".
