So you think BB would be so spiteful as to risk his team by putting in Ohrnberger instead of Mankins?
P.S. Sorry, but I've always hated the "we" stuff. We're fans, they're the team.
They could have signed him last year, but told him to hold off. They could have signed him at the very beginning of the offseason. Evans didn't sign until May 5th. Had they signed him before that, he'd have had lower salary figures to deal with. They had him in for talks not that long ago, where he reportedly even apologized to Kraft, but they couldn't get him signed.
Yes, the Patriots screwed the pooch. The questions are "how badly?" and "can the problem be fixed?".
The Patriots were the one with the leverage (driver's seat) before they slapped the tender on him and then lowered it. Since that day, the one with the leverage (driver's seat) has been Mankins.