Ring 6
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I would have hoped that by now Patriot fans would FINALLY understand how the WR position is easily one of the most "replaceable" positions on the field for the simple reason that there are more capable ones available than almost any other position.
One of the reasons the Pats have been able to maintain that thin sliver of advantage that has allowed them to attain their CONSTISTANT success has been the fact that they have never fallen for the long disproved myth that you have to pay big for a big name RB or WR.
Make no mistake, would I LIKE to have DThomas, or DBryant on the team? Absolutely. However would I be comfortable paying $14MM/yr for the privilege? I don't think so. WR's, ANY WR, just can't impact the game enough to justify that kind of salary and investment. It's been proven year after year When so often the BEST WR's aren't playing in January.
The Pats gave up the opportunity to draft Dez Bryant, who after a few years has become arguably the most impactful WR in the league. BUT Dallas never got beyond 8-8 despite his abilities, and having a great QB UNTIL they made the commitment to invest heavily in their OL
Again the simple reason WR's don't merit the hype they get, is that behind that limited group of elite WR's are dozens of guys who are ALMOST as good, and certainly good enough to run a good offensive scheme, led by a quality QB. That's why I'm constantly amazed with the national fascination, for all thing linked to WR's. To say they are a dime a dozen is an exaggeration, but it's not that far from the truth. An impact DT is worth more than an impact WR, simply because they are more rare.
There is another aspect to this and its Tom Brady.
While novice fans bang the drum of 'when will BB get Brady the weapons other QBs have' they seem to not realize that every player you add (at least the top ones) are done at the expense of a different player. We could draft WRs in the first round, but then we wouldn't be drafting LT, DL, LB, etc. We could sign a high profile WR, but that would be at the expense of a different player at a different position, or a number of them.
What is the best way to help Tom Brady win? Take the pieces of the team that Tom Brady has no impact on and invest heavily in them, and let Brady carry what he has influence on.
Brady will give us a tremendous offense with any teams weapons. Spending big just to make that easier for him would be done to the detriment of all the other units on the team.
In other words, we don't need to spend on weapons for Brady, BECAUSE he is Brady.
When he is through, we may need to reevaluate the WR position based upon who replaces him, and his capability to 'carry' the passing offense.