Time to Get Brady Weapons

[CISGS]

It is getting ridiculous.

I understand the following

• Hernandez was arrested
• Gronkowski was injured

But, you cannot ask a QB who is at the end of his career to continue to will this team to miracle comeback after miracle comeback. Its time to break the bank and trade for Fitzgerald or someone of that ilk.

Next year's targets should be

• Larry Fitz/A Legit Deep Threat
• Dobson
• Edelman
• Amendola
• Gronkowski (for as long as he can give us)

Those are weapons. We need them to beat teams like Denver. With a healthy defense, we would roll teams.

 

[Brady6]

It is getting ridiculous.

I understand the following

• Hernandez was arrested
• Gronkowski was injured

But, you cannot ask a QB who is at the end of his career to continue to will this team to miracle comeback after miracle comeback. Its time to break the bank and trade for Fitzgerald or someone of that ilk.

Next year's targets should be

• Larry Fitz/A Legit Deep Threat
• Dobson
• Edelman
• Amendola
• Gronkowski (for as long as he can give us)

Those are weapons. We need them to beat teams like Denver. With a healthy defense, we would roll teams.

We also need to make plan to prevent Brady's weapons from getting their own weapons...

 

[Gronkandez]

Once the Pats trade Mallet for Fitzgerald you should have your wish list. It'll probably happen on draft day.

 

[dales804]

How do you propose the Patriots trade for Fitzgerald and then afford his salary? At the cost of what? And Edelman is a FA. You said with a healthy defense they could roll people; Talib is a FA, Wilfork is on the downside of his career coming off a serious injury. They have other areas of need, in my opinion, to focus on than a "legit deep threat." Those being both lines, TE, LB.

I have faith Dobson will improve in his second year along with Boyce. Health is always a big factor during an NFL season and hopefully it's fate is kind to NE next year.

 

[Froob]

Need to push hard for Eric Decker. I wonder what it would take to get him. If they could snag him for like 6m that would be awesome.

 

[Brady6]

Once the Pats trade Mallet for Fitzgerald you should have your wish list. It'll probably happen on draft day.

Oh I heard it was a 3 team deal between the Patriots, Lions and Cards and we’re going to receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Calais Campbell, Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson Jr. and give up Mallett, Bequette, Arrington and Amendola...

 

[paragon11]

Can folks stop with the Larry Fitz talk? The Cardinals were 10-6 last season and look to be back on the upswing now that they've somewhat stabilized the QB spot for the time being. They aren't dealing him.

 

[Rob0729]

How do you propose the Patriots trade for Fitzgerald and then afford is salary? At the cost of what? And Edelman is a FA. You said with a healthy defense they could roll people; Talib is a FA, Wilfork is on the downside of his career coming off a serious injury. They have other areas of need, in my opinion, to focus on than a "legit deep threat." Those being both lines, TE, LB.

I have faith Dobson will improve in his second year along with Boyce. Health is always a big factor during an NFL season and hopefully it's fate is kind to NE next year.

Although I doubt the Pats would trade for Fitzgerald, I don't think his contract is really that much of an issue. Yeah, he has huge base salaries the rest of the deal, but the Pats would acquire him with no guaranteed money. The Pats could easily redo his deal to give him more guaranteed and bonus money up front to minimize the cap hits.

From what I can see, he has 65 million or so in base salary left over the next four years. Doubtful he will see all of that money since about $30 million of it will be in the last two year of the deal and he probably will have declined enough by then that you can't justify paying that. I bet he would be more open to a deal now that gave him more bonus money up front and bringing his yearly cap value the first few years down and even take a pay cut since the last two years are funny money anyway.

Again, I don't see a trade happening, but I don't think his contract is nearly the issue that people think.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

How do you propose the Patriots trade for Fitzgerald and then afford is salary? At the cost of what? And Edelman is a FA. You said with a healthy defense they could roll people; Talib is a FA, Wilfork is on the downside of his career coming off a serious injury. They have other areas of need, in my opinion, to focus on than a "legit deep threat." Those being both lines, TE, LB.

I have faith Dobson will improve in his second year along with Boyce. Health is always a big factor during an NFL season and hopefully it's fate is kind to NE next year.

How the Pats build their roster = ridiculous; spending 30M a season on a QB and WR = reasonable. Considering how well this worked for the Pats before I think this plan is gangbusters.

 

[Brady6]

Need to push hard for Eric Decker. I wonder what it would take to get him. If they could snag him for like 6m that would be awesome.

I agree the Gisele Bundchen/Jessie James duo on the same team would be incredible.

 

[dales804]

Although I doubt the Pats would trade for Fitzgerald, I don't think his contract is really that much of an issue. Yeah, he has huge base salaries the rest of the deal, but the Pats would acquire him with no guaranteed money. The Pats could easily redo his deal to give him more guaranteed and bonus money up front to minimize the cap hits.

From what I can see, he has 65 million or so in base salary left over the next four years. Doubtful he will see all of that money since about $30 million of it will be in the last two year of the deal and he probably will have declined enough by then that you can't justify paying that. I bet he would be more open to a deal now that gave him more bonus money up front and bringing his yearly cap value the first few years down and even take a pay cut since the last two years are funny money anyway.

Again, I don't see a trade happening, but I don't think his contract is nearly the issue that people think.

Yes, my post was based on assuming his contract as his since Fitzgerald hasn't restructured it at all since he signed that deal, to my knowledge. He's due to cost, I think, around $18 million against the cap this year.

 

[dales804]

How the Pats build their roster = ridiculous; spending 30M a season on a QB and WR = reasonable. Considering how well this worked for the Pats before I think this plan is gangbusters.

What's ridiculous about the way they build a roster?

 

[everlong]

The biggest issue with the receiving core is the entire group has had injury issues.

Vereen, Gronkowski, Dobson, Thompkins, Boyce, Amendola and Edelman all have had issues staying on the field. IF you knew they would all be healthy I think you could make the case that the rookies would continue to develop and that the priority should be the O-Line. I think the O-Line is the higher priority anyway but this unit is just scary because you can't depend on them.

Yes Edelman did it this years and it could be the rookie wall I'm just saying we cannot say with certainty that any of these guys will be healthy for a full season.

 

[TruthSeeker]

How do you propose the Patriots trade for Fitzgerald and then afford his salary? At the cost of what? And Edelman is a FA. You said with a healthy defense they could roll people; Talib is a FA, Wilfork is on the downside of his career coming off a serious injury. They have other areas of need, in my opinion, to focus on than a "legit deep threat." Those being both lines, TE, LB.

I have faith Dobson will improve in his second year along with Boyce. Health is always a big factor during an NFL season and hopefully it's fate is kind to NE next year.

The last sentence sums up our 2013 season. Gronk, Wilfork, Mayo, Kelly & Vollmer play in the AFCCG, we are going to the SB. I have no doubt in my mind that we have the best team in football if we have those guys. I think we can improve offensively in FA and the draft. Need another pass catching TE, AND to stay healthy, and that's about it.

 

[Rob0729]

Yes, my post was based on assuming his contract as his since Fitzgerald hasn't restructured it at all since he signed that deal, to my knowledge. He's due to cost, I think, around $18 million against the cap this year.

Part of the reason he hasn't restructured is because the Cards can't afford to restructure it. They guaranteed him so much money that if they restructured, it would put them in a bind in later years when he is make huge base salaries and his value would not meet his production.

With the Pats or any other team he was traded to, none of the money would be guaranteed (I don't think he has any guaranteed base salary or bonuses left). That would give them far more flexibility to redo a deal that is favorable to Fitzgerald.

 

[Brady6]

I have seen so many of these threads in the last few days about things we need; I understand much of it and I also want to win now but so much of the discussion is about using the cap money, draft picks, trade assets and other resources that we have to sign players for positions and roles that we’ve already invested heavily into.

We will already be basically forced to double spend on signing Edelman to do the same thing we signed Amendola to do last year, along with double spending to replace Hernandez. We cannot spend over and over on the same positions.

I know everyone wants weapons but we cannot go out and sign a James Jones or Eric Decker without seeing if our heavy investment in Dobson shows a return, or sign Emmanuel Sanders without seeing if our investment in Josh Boyce has a return in it. You can only put so many players on the field to play receiver so if you want to trade for Fitzgerald you’re basically sending whatever we need to exchange to get him here, plus wasting the 2nd round pick on Dobson because they both play the same position.

Honestly I think everyone looks at players with the viewpoint of a day trader looking at stocks, but these players are long term investments and we cannot keep selling them before they even have a chance to show growth.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I am VERY optimistic about next year....IF we can get that wideout that demands your best corner, and IF we get 87 back and IF we get freaking physical on that defense.

Yes those are a couple of 'IF's' but absolutely realistic IF's...we are not far off..

 

[Observer]

All these weapons mean nothing without a half decent offensive line. If we are talking about trades, I would rather see them trade Blount and somebody else to the Jets for Mangold; not that that is going to ever happen.

 

[Nordberg]

The biggest issue with the receiving core is the entire group has had injury issues.

Vereen, Gronkowski, Dobson, Thompkins, Boyce, Amendola and Edelman all have had issues staying on the field. IF you knew they would all be healthy I think you could make the case that the rookies would continue to develop and that the priority should be the O-Line. I think the O-Line is the higher priority anyway but this unit is just scary because you can't depend on them.

Yes Edelman did it this years and it could be the rookie wall I'm just saying we cannot say with certainty that any of these guys will be healthy for a full season.

Maybe if they would stop trying to get a deal on every player they draft or bring in via free agency.

 

[Gronkandez]

Serious question, is Eric Decker really that good? The only thing I've seen him do in the playoffs is trip over his own feet when he had a clear path to the end zone on a punt return. If you aren't catching tons of passes from Peyton Manning.....