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The New England Patriots have been remarkably quiet in an offseason that has featured numerous blockbuster trades and free agent signings.
It has been somewhat maddening, as a Patriots fan, hearing about the latest personnel moves throughout the NFL, and especially in the AFC East.
Take receiver, a position the Pats currently have a need in, for example.
The Jets have picked up former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes for (virtually) nothing in a fire sale spurred by the Steelers’ character jitters. They now have a weapon opposite Braylon Edwards, and have substantially improved their passing game.
The Dolphins traded two second-round picks for troubled receiver Brandon Marshall, which also looks like a bargain. The draft is inherently uncertain, and two second-rounders is a small price to pay for young, proven talent.
The Ravens, earlier this offseason, acquired Anquan Boldin for third- and fourth-round draft picks. Once again, character issues seem to have played a part.
See a pattern? Several of the league’s top receivers have gone for less than market price because of character concerns. Given that New England seems to have the magic touch when it comes to former bad boys (Randy Moss, Corey Dillon), shouldn’t they, at the very least, have been in the discussions for these players?
What have the Patriots done? They’ve re-signed cornerback Leigh Bodden, tackle Vince Wilfork, guard Stephen Neal, and running back Kevin Faulk. All are crucial players, but the moves, at best, return the team to status quo.
Status quo, you may remember, involved getting steamrolled by the Saints, collapsing against the Colts, and being humiliated by the Ravens at home in the playoffs.
(In fact, status quo might be optimistic. Remember that Wes Welker, the most reliable player on the offense last year, is recovering from a serious injury.)
Since the Patriots have as many needs as they do, this inaction means the brain trust is banking on one thing: a highly successful draft day on Thursday.
This would be more heartening if the team’s recent draft-day track record wasn’t so spotty. Certainly it looks like the team picked up some talent last year (Julian Edelman and Sebastian Vollmer were the standouts), but before that there have been some problems (especially with the ’07 draft).
So the Patriots must pick (or make late draft-day trades for) players to fit their needs. It is fortunate that this is generally regarded as a deep draft, but their margin for error is slim.
If a few picks don’t pan out immediately, this team could face a replay of last year, in which they listlessly played to a 10-6 record and a quick exit from the playoffs.
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Since my last mock draft, the New England Patriots have had many players in town for a chat, while others have been witnessed at workouts.
Certainly, the same can be said for every team in the NFL with various other players. While some would say that the draft is beginning to take shape, I would contest that there’s always the one head-scratcher pick that shakes up the rest of the draft and even has some teams changing their plans.
Before I get to the mock, here are the Patriots’ five biggest needs:
OLB—This is no secret to anyone in the league. The Patriots’ pass rush was a joke all last season, and they seriously need to beef it up with a big-time edge rusher in the 3-4 scheme. There are a few of these type of prospects that will be available in the first round.
DE—See above. Add to that the departure of All-Pro defensive end Richard Seymour and you have one heck of a hole to fill, possibly at both end spots.
OL—Matt Light, Dan Koppen, and Stephen Neal are serviceable but aren’t getting any younger. Logan Mankins’ contract situation is shaky. The face of New England’s offensive line is getting ready to change, and the Patriots need to make sure they keep Tom Brady’s jersey clean.
WR—With the uncertain contractual future of Randy Moss as well as the uncertain injury status of Wes Welker, the wide receiver spot seems to be…well, uncertain. The offense relies on the athletic play and sure hands of their wide receivers, and Brady can always use more targets.
RB—The only running back in New England’s backfield that’s not over the age of 30 is the on-again off-again Laurence Maroney. The Patriots’ patience is certainly wearing thin with his penchant for big-time fumbles inside the opponent’s 5 yard line. The Patriots need a young set of quick legs to follow up Kevin Faulk upon the veterans retirement.
Without further ado, here’s my revised mock draft for the New England Patriots, outlining the best case and worst case scenario picks for the first four rounds, and providing a list of prospects to look out for in the later rounds.
The rumored trade between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks that would swap DE Alex Brown and G Rob Sims is so good for both sides that it almost makes too much sense.
After announcing that they’re desperate to move Brown, Chicago has put itself in a position where teams can simply wait for the veteran defensive end to be released rather than give up an asset in return.
In Seattle, former fourth round pick Sims seems to be an incompatible fit in the offense’s new zone blocking scheme. A restricted free agent, he was given an original round tender, despite starting 14 games at left guard and playing relatively well.
Actually, Sims played very well.
According to profootballfocus.com, which analyzes every snap by every player in the league, Sims was the eighth best guard in the NFL last season, and the second best pass blocker at his position.
Walterfootball.com rated Sims as the fifth best offensive guard available in free agency, ahead of more heralded players like Tennessee’s Eugene Amano and New England’s Stephen Neal.
It can be difficult to evaluate the impact that one player has on an offensive line, especially at guard, but this much is clear—at 26 years old, Rob Sims has the potential to become a very good player for many years to come.
If Chicago is truly intent on moving Brown, I can’t imagine a better return than Sims, and I can’t think of an available player who would fit as well on Chicago’s offensive line.
The best unrestricted free agent guards available are 33-year-old Bobbie Williams, who may retire, and 31-year-old Chester Pitts, who is likely to sign elsewhere.
The Bears could certainly address the position with their first pick in the draft (75th overall), but would that player have more impact than Sims, who has already proven that he can hold his own in the league and still has loads of potential?
Chicago needs a guard. Seattle needs a defensive end. Each team has a disposable player that the other team should covet. It’s almost too good to be true.
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Last season, the two top teams in the AFC East were the division champion New England Patriots and the New York Jets.
In the playoffs, the Patriots burned out fast, getting blown apart at home by the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, the wild card Jets surprised everyone by making it to the AFC Championship game before bowing out to the Indianapolis Colts.
The two teams seem to continue to be going about their business differently in the offseason.
The Jets, feeling they were on the brink of the Super Bowl, have made a splash and added a few talented players to the mix in an effort to push them over the edge.
Meanwhile the Patriots, as per usual, have not gone out and paid big bucks for any free agents and have sat mostly quiet just bringing back their own players who were out of contract.
Two distinctly different styles, but which is the right way to go about business?
The Jets, who also made a big in-season trade acquiring wide receiver Braylon Edwards, brought in two very sexy names in the NFL: cornerback Antonio Cromartie and running back LaDanian Tomlinson.
Cromartie came to the Jets by trade for a conditional third round pick. He is best recognized for two things: intercepting Peyton Manning three times in Cromartie’s first start, and setting the NFL record for longest play in NFL history when he returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown.
Cromartie is extremely athletic and the Jets hope that they have the most dangerous cornerback duo in the NFL, pairing him alongside shutdown defender Darrelle Revis.
The Tomlinson move is a little more controversial.
Last season was the first time in Tomlinson’s nine-year career that he failed to reach 1,000 yards (730). He is certainly entering the twilight of his career.
The move looks especially odd when Tomlinson is compared to the player he is replacing, Thomas Jones. Jones rushed for 1,402 yards last season (almost double Tomlinson’s total). Also, the deal that New York signed Tomlinson to is not cheaper than the salary that Jones commanded.
However, the Jets did not want to pay Jones’ $3 million roster bonus. They also may have bought into the trend that running backs go on the decline once they hit 30-years-old.
They might have also felt that Jones, 31, had reached his peak. Rookie Shonn Greene had also taken most of the snaps at running back in the playoffs.
Also Tomlinson still managed to score 12 touchdowns last season, and it may be best for Greene to learn from and split carries with the former MVP, not to mention the excitement a name like Tomlinson has brought to the fan base.
The Patriots, on the other hand, have not given into the rumors of them chasing players like Tomlinson, Julius Peppers, and trading for Greg Olsen. Instead they have sat back, protected their wallet, and just brought back their own key free agents.
The Patriots signed nose tackle Vince Wilfork to a long-term deal, an important and vital piece to the team’s 3-4 base defense.
They also brought back cornerback and interception leader Leigh Bodden, running back Kevin Faulk, linebacker and sack leader Tully Banta-Cain, offensive lineman Stephen Neal, and tendered offensive lineman Logan Mankins and kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
The only real move the Patriots made in the offseason was filling a vacancy at the tight end position by bringing in Alge Crumpler; a nice, solid addition, but certainly not a top story on ESPN.
Which strategy will prove triumphant though?
The Jets were active, aggressive, and acquired some serious talent.
However, the Washington Redskins have been notorious for doing the same thing; opening the checkbook to bring in the prizes of free agency only to make the playoffs twice in the past 10 seasons.
As for the Patriots, there is something to be said about bringing back key players, making them happy, and keeping some good chemistry amongst the team.
However, these are the same players that got annihilated in the opening round of the playoffs last season. How can a team improve with the same cast of characters while there are obviously holes throughout the lineup?
Early indicators say the Jets have improved their team more. Still, the key word there is not “improved,” but “early.”
There are still a ton of free agents remaining. The draft which can either infuse rosters with young talent or is prime-time for trades to happen, and the second round of cuts/free agency can also add to rosters before the season begins.
Pats fans should remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, how the rabbit got off to a quick start but got tired and rested while the tortoise just kept slowly plugging along, not differentiating what’s always worked for him and wound up winning the race.
That being said, Pats fans should also be leery that it’s just business as usual, not the ownership falling asleep at the wheel.
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The New England Patriots have been active in the free agent market, sort of.
The team has resigned several key players, including taking care of their top priority, nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
Wilfork and the Pats agreed to a five-year deal that would make him the highest paid nose tackle in the NFL. New England has rewarded cornerback Leigh Bodden with a new four-year deal, has resigned team sack leader Tully Banta-Cain, Kevin Faulk, Stephen Neal, and tendering restricted free agents Logan Mankins and Stephen Gostkowski.
All these players are important pieces to the puzzle and New England needed to make sure they brought them back, especially Wilfork. However, the ownership needs to remember that this previous season those players only brought the team to the first round of the playoffs before getting blown out by the Baltimore Ravens.
The only roster concern the team had coming into the offseason that has been resolved is Wilfork, and they even managed to create another one. More needs to be done to this team to bring them back to the Super Bowl, and that more needs to come from outside of the organization.
The need for a dramatically improved pass rush has been made worse. Keeping Banta-Cain is good, but it’s asking a lot of him to recreate the season he had in 2009. The team still hasn’t found anyone to replace Richard Seymour and now Jarvis Green has left the team, leaving the team with a thin defensive line without much experience.
With the news that Wes Welker won’t be around for the start of the season and that Randy Moss doesn’t plan on being around after this season, wide receiver help became a must. The team signed David Patten. Though he is a former Patriot, he is not a difference maker. Last year’s surprise, Julian Edelman, did not perform on a consistent basis enough to fully trust him yet.
They also have not made any moves to shore up a weak secondary, mainly at the cornerback position, and improving a disappointing and inconsistent running game that is used with a “by-committee” approach.
The team also managed to create a huge hole at the tight end position by letting Benjamin Watson go and sign with Cleveland and releasing backup Chris Baker. Now in addition to solving the problems the team came into the offseason with, they now have to address another glaring weakness.
There is still a lot of time left until the roster is set and the season starts. There are still a number of talented free agents available in the pool. The draft is still upcoming as well, and with five picks in the first two rounds the Patriots have the resources to collect a lot of talent, either by using the selections themselves or by packaging them for good players from other teams.
The resources are there but the Patriots have to utilize them. It has never been the team’s mantra to throw tons of money at All-Pros from other, less successful teams, and they don’t have to. The team has previously showed that they didn’t need the biggest names to win it all. Still, the aging and average retreads will not push the Patriots back to the next level.
You’ve taken care of your in-house business New England, now go out and make your team better, not just keep it the same.
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