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Unfinished Business

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The Patriots just finished up winning their Sixth Super Bowl. After seeing Brady, Edleman, and Belichick embracing and talking about still being here, and the post-game comments from Robert and Jonathan Kraft that were giddy but edged, it all adds up to one thing: The Patriots have unfinished business. What else do they need to accomplish? They are being compared to the greatest dynasties in all sports. Brady arguments are starting with Jordan and Russell, not Montana and Starr.

This team once finished a season 18-1. That nasty taste in the back of all Patriots fans throats is still there. The Patriots have very few goals left to achieve. Let’s look at what might very well be in store for the 2019 off-season.

It Starts With Motivation

The Patriots 13-3 win was by the biggest margin in their Super Bowl history. But according to most outlets, this was a boring Super Bowl. No buzz. More an indictment on the Rams and Sean McVay than a Patriots win. Sure, there’s the occasional 2/3rds of the Ringer football staff, or Greg Bedard, who champion this team’s accomplishments. But this is a taste of what you get when you search ‘Patriots boring’ into google:

Don’t think for a minute Coach Belichick hasn’t noticed. We just saw what happens when Belichick regains control of the team and uses motivation to maximum effect.

Again, the Patriots just pulled into a tie with the Steelers for all time Super Bowl wins. Tom Brady stands alone as the player with the most Super Bowl rings. Coach Belichick can do things like this:

Freddy Mitchell, a part time player, was used as motivation against the Eagles in Super Bowl 39. What do we think a national movement belittling this Super Bowl can do?

Salary Cap & Draft Capital

The NFL salary cap can be convoluted. But the bottom line is the Patriots currently have around $18 Million in cap space. Between potential retirements and restructurings that number could grow to around $50 Million or more. That’s enough cheddar to do some serious damage.

As far as draft picks, the Patriots have 5 in the first four rounds. When have they ever used all their draft picks? Now they have an extra upper round pick to parry with.

All this adds up to a lot of possibilities.

Potential Moves

What are the kind of players we could be talking about? Randy Moss was traded for a 4th round pick in 2007. Aqib Talib was traded for a 4th round pick in 2012. Brandin Cooks was traded for first and third round picks in 2017.

There is a certain Steeler wide out who has just requested a trade. Yes, Antonio Brown, probably the best wide receiver in the NFL, is not outwardly Patriot material. He put the post-game locker room on Facebook live. He doesn’t show up for work at times. Brown also just missed a court date, so is now a convicted reckless driver.

The Steelers will have to be desperate to trade Brown to the Patriots, but his radioactivity might make it possible. With him missing the final game of the season, and now a reckless driving conviction in Pennsylvania, the price could be coming down from 1st round pick territory. Brown is owed a lot of money, around $12 to $13 Million a year for the next three years. But his contract isn’t guaranteed. It’s easy to see a reworked one or two year deal, a la Darrelle Revis in 2014. It’s also easy to see a hardworking, nose to the grindstone Antonio Brown looking to rebuild his value.

Brown on his own wouldn’t be enough. Belichick is always ready to praise the opposition. He just saw the Rams defense do a great job against Brady and Co. Someone like linebacker Donte Fowler, Jr., who is a free agent, would look great next to Dont’a Hightower in the Patriots defense.

Re-signings to look for

A push for an undefeated season would include convincing Gronk to go for it one more year as well. Why go through the pain and hard work? The same reason Belichick and Brady are still doing it. To achieve the unattainable, the immortal.

And of course this would include bringing back Trey Flowers. As stated above, there is room on the Patriots cap, with some massaging, for a few big moves.

The Patriots have the motivation and ability to go all in for an undefeated season in 2019. Let’s put those ’72 Dolphins out to pasture, we want our own insufferable undefeated toasts every year.

Jason McCourty: Just What the New England Patriots Needed

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So far, free agency has been a complete and utter frenzy for the New England Patriots. After losing Super Bowl LI, everyone in Patriots Nation wanted New England to get a big name cornerback. When that fell didn’t happen, hot takes were everywhere. Belichick was asleep at the wheel, and the 2018 Patriots defense was already a failure. However, the Patriots acquired longtime cornerback Jason McCourty from the Cleveland Browns, and he is just what the Patriots need.

Jason McCourty is Just What the New England Patriots Need

What the Patriots Need

With the departure of Malcolm Butler, there was no denying the Patriots needed to look into acquiring a cornerback to start opposite Stephon Gilmore. However, that need was a little overblown among Patriots fans due to how ugly the Super Bowl was. Yes, Eric Rowe struggled against Philadelphia Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery, but once he switched off him he had a really good game.

The front seven and poor coaching decisions were the main reasons the defense played so poorly, so signing a top-tier cornerback wasn’t a necessity. If New England could get players to fix their front seven, then a typical number two cornerback would easily suffice in the secondary.

What Jason McCourty Brings

He’s not a superstar along the lines of Aqib Talib or Richard Sherman, but McCourty is still a quality starting NFL cornerback. Initially selected as a sixth-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft, McCourty has carved out a nine-year NFL career as a defensive back.

While the Cleveland Browns were terrible in 2017, McCourty was not. He had moments where he looked like a true number one cornerback, and finished the year as the 27th ranked cornerback in the league, per Pro Football Focus. By comparison, Malcolm Butler finished the year ranked 51st among cornerback. If McCourty can have a similar 2018, the Patriots should have one of the better cornerback duos in football.

Additionally, McCourty’s style of play is a perfect fit for the New England Patriots. McCourty is at his best when he’s playing press coverage, which perfectly aligns with what Gilmore excels at. When Gilmore and McCourty, the Patriots can run tough, physical man coverages and don’t have to worry about the corners getting beat off the line.

Lastly, McCourty does the little things well. Just like his twin brother and teammate, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty is a great tackler. He’s not afraid to play the run, lower his shoulder and do the dirty work. Some cornerbacks shy away from making tackles, but McCourty is not one of them. Nobody values fundamentals more than Bill Belichick, which just gives McCourty more value on the Patriots.

Money Talks

While it would have been great to see Sherman, Talib, or Trumaine Johnson in a Patriots uniform, it would have taken a lot of money to make that happen. Per @patscap, The Patriots currently only have a bit over $21 million in cap space. Signing any one of those players would have taken up a sizable portion of that cap space.

Instead, the Patriots got the significantly cheaper option of Jason McCourty. McCourty only has a $3.6 million dollar cap hit in 2018. This minimal hit on the salary cap means that the Patriots got a good player without sacrificing roster depth.

Additionally, it cost nothing to get McCourty. The Patriots swapped their late sixth-round pick for the Browns early seventh. That small drop in draft positioning makes it such that the Patriots got McCourty essentially for free.

Had they signed a free agent, this would not be the case. Currently, New England will probably receive two third round compensation picks and an additional sixth rounder for the departures of Solder, Butler, and Lewis. If the Patriots had signed a free agent cornerback, that would affect their compensatory pick formula.

Obviously, there’s no way to know how much a free agent cornerback would have affected New England’s compensation picks, but now there’s no need to worry about that. Free agent signings are the only factors that play into the compensation formula. Since McCourty was acquired via trade, he has no effect on how the compensation picks are determined.

 

Cover image courtesy of NBC Sports.

Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib Were Luxuries, Not Necessities

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It’s no secret that the New England Patriots need a second cornerback in free agency, and it looked like two perfect targets could fall into their lap. Longtime stars Aqib Talib and Richard Sherman were both available, yet the Patriots couldn’t acquire either. While having one of those two on the team certainly would have made the team better, it’s not the end of the world that the Patriots didn’t get them. Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib were luxuries, not necessities, and the 2018 Patriots can build a great defense without them.

Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib Were Luxuries, Not Necessities

Where the Secondary Currently Stands

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The secondary has some pretty good talent in it

Image credit: CBS Sports

The second cornerback position is in something of a flux, but the rest of the starting secondary is in great shape. Stephon Gilmore proved to be one of the best free agent signings in recent Patriot history, and Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung are among the best at their position. Add in Duron Harmon coming off the bench, and New England should boast one of the better secondaries in football, regardless of who lines up opposite Gilmore.

With that in mind, the Patriots don’t need a superstar at the second corner position. Should they choose to spend big, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson is the best guy on the market. He’s younger than both Talib and Sherman, and is roughly the same caliber of player.

However, the Patriots will likely go the cheaper route, which means they’ll probably target players like Jacksonville’s Aaron Colvin or Indianapolis’s Rashaan Melvin. Colvin was mostly utilized as a slot corner because he was buried behind the best cornerback duo in football, but he’s performed well when he’s been called upon. Despite his bad 2015 cameo with the Patriots, Melvin actually has two good years of film from 2016 and 2017 with the Indianapolis Colts. His market seems small, so he could be a good buy low option for New England.

More Pressing Defensive Needs

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Dont’a Hightower’s return will help the defense, but it won’t fix every issue

Image credit: CBS Boston

It’s no secret that the defense wasn’t great last season. While it wasn’t as bad as the Super Bowl made it look, it was one of the weaker Patriots defenses in recent years. This was due primarily to the front seven.

New England’s front seven struggled getting to the quarterback. They finished the year ranked seventh in sacks, but most of that was due to the coverage from the secondary. The Patriots had one of the worst average sack times in football, and they didn’t possess enough pass rushing options. Opposing teams typically focused on taking away Trey Flowers, and nobody else could step up. Losing star linebacker Dont’a Hightower hurt too.

The Patriots only have so much cap space and resources, so this is where the main focus should be. There are several good fits on the market, and it would be a surprise if New England didn’t invest a high draft pick into a linebacker and/or an edge defender. They’ve already solved the interior run problem by trading for Danny Shelton, but he won’t help the pass rush.

If New England can find one or two players capable of getting to the quarterback, it won’t matter who the second cornerback is. Think back the Seattle Seahawks’ famous “Legion of Boom” from 2013. They had a star linebacker, a ferocious pass rush, and three superstars in the secondary. The second cornerback, Byron Maxwell, wasn’t anything special, but he didn’t have to be because the rest of the unit was so good. The 2018 Patriots defense won’t be as good as that generational unit, but they’re built similarly.

The Biggest Necessity

Yes, the front seven needs help, but there isn’t one specific player that can fix that. Several key players like Dont’a Hightower and Derek Rivers are returning from injury, and New England has a series of high draft picks to use. Their biggest priority isn’t even on the defensive side.

Longtime left tackle Nate Solder is hitting free agency, and the Patriots cannot allow to let him go. Solder is one of the 10-15 best left tackles in the league, and has been paramount to keeping Brady healthy these last few seasons. With the quarterback now 41, Solder has never been more valuable.

The market behind Solder is abysmal. Solder’s the only starting caliber tackle available in both free agency and the draft. This makes for a great situation for Solder, but a bad one for New England.

Solder is likely to receive offers for more than what he’s probably worth. He’s going to get paid like a top-five tackle, even though he’s not quite that type of player. New England has to match those offers. Yes, they would be overpaying, but the cost of letting him go is just too high. If it means the Patriots can’t afford Johnson or Bills linebacker Preston Brown, then so be it.

Everybody asking for Belichick’s head for missing out on Sherman and Talib need to calm down. Both players would have helped for the right price, but neither one was a necessity. The biggest issues for the Patriots right now are re-signing Solder and fixing the front seven. Belichick has already started to fix the run defense with the Shelton trade, and free agency hasn’t even started yet. We’re a long way from Week One, and there’s still plenty of time to build a roster.

 

Cover Image Credit: CBS Sports

Richard Sherman or Aqib Talib?

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The Tales of the Cornerbacks

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The Patriots will head into the 2018 offseason with defensive problems, like we clearly saw in the Super Bowl. The Patriots have a clear problem on defense and they really need a top corner to fill the hole they have. With Malcolm Butler on his way out the door, we now can see that the hole at the corner back position is huge. There are two names that are free agents that could be a perfect fit to fill that position. Aqib Talib and Richard Sherman. One of those two guys could be just the player they need at defense to win another Super Bowl.

Bring Back Talib

FOXBORO, MA – NOVEMBER 18: Aqib Talib #31 of the New England Patriots watches from the sideline against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half at Gillette Stadium on November 18, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

First, Talib has two years left on his contract worth $11 million this year and $8 million in 2019. Talib would rather play with Tom Brady and the Patriots like he did during the 2012-2013 season. Talib is a five time Pro-Bowler and one time Super Bowl Champ with the Denver Broncos. In his two years with the Patriots ,Talib played in 19 games and started 18 of them. He had five interceptions 71 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded 51 tackles during his time with the Patriots. Aqib Talib’s mindset is to win what better way to win than with the Patriots.

Richard Sherman in a Patriots Uniform

Via Clutch Points

Second, Richard Sherman with the Seattle Seahawks holds the coaching staff accountable still after the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. Sherman is a four time Pro bowler and a one time Super Bowl champ. He had 32 interceptions with the Seahawks and 395 yards. Sherman had two touchdowns and got 286 tackles with his time with the Seahawks. The Patriots are famous for bringing in toxic players for the short term. Examples include Cory Dillion and Randy Moss, but they held on to him too long. If they let Moss go after 2008 they would’ve been fine.

I’d personally would take Aqib Talib back since he is use to the Patriots system. Sherman has a bigger mouth and more problems with Tom Brady as saying “you mad bro?” With Talib joining the Rams that leaves Sherman to the Patriots.

New England Patriots Free Agency Wish List

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NFL free agency is set to begin on March 14th, and the New England Patriots should be active in the market. Despite making it to the Super Bowl, this team has several roster spots that need replacing or upgrading entering 2018. Additionally, they also have several key free agents entering the market. Without further ado, here is the New England Patriot free agency wish list:

New England Patriot Free Agency Wish List

Re-sign Nate Solder

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Bringing Nate Solder back should be the Patriots top priority

Image credit: Boston Herald

If the Patriots accomplish nothing else this offseason, they must accomplish this. Nate Solder is one of the top ten or fifteen best left tackles in the league, and his presence is crucial on this team. Quarterback Tom Brady isn’t getting any younger (probably), so keeping Brady upright should be the teams number one priority.

It won’t be cheap to acquire Solder, but the Patriots can’t afford to be stingy. Solder is easily the best left tackle on the market, and the NFL Draft is expected to be poor on starting-caliber tackles. This gives Solder all the leverage to break the bank, as teams won’t hesitate to pay for the most important position on the offensive line.

Not only is Solder one of the best left tackles around, but the drop off behind him in talent is staggering. Were Solder to leave, the next man up would be 2017 third round pick Tony Garcia. Garcia missed his entire rookie season with a blood clot issue, so it’s anyone guess how good he will be in 2018.

New England should also look into bringing back Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle. While neither is a starting caliber player, both are more than capable of filling in during an injury and playing adequate football. With right tackle Marcus Cannon’s injury history and the violent nature of the offensive line position, the swing tackle position is highly important.

Address the Running Back Position

The Patriots have quite a few players hitting free agency that New England would love to have back. Running backs Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead were both valuable contributors to the 2017 Patriots, and would certainly be welcome back on the team.

However, the Patriots shouldn’t overspend on either player. Lewis is reportedly fielding three-year, $18 million dollar offers. If that report is true, Lewis would rank among the top ten highest paid backs in football. Lewis is a phenomenal talent, but his injury history makes him not worth that type of money.

Burkhead’s market is more unclear. While he is reportedly receiving interest around the league, there’s no way he’s receiving a contract similar to Lewis. It’s more likely that his offers are more in line with his actual worth, since he’s not coming off the career year Lewis is. Of the two running backs, Burkhead is the one more likely to return.

New England would have no need to sign another running back should one of those two return to New England. However, should New England miss out on both, there are a few interesting options around the league. They probably wouldn’t spend top dollar to sign anyone like San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde, but there are a few good potential free agent bargains.

The biggest running back bargain could be Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris. He probably wouldn’t cost much to acquire, and has a history of success. Prior to joining the Cowboys, Morris was the lead running back for the Washington Redskins. He broke the 1,000-yard mark in three of his four years there. He didn’t do it in Dallas, but that was because he was backing up one of the best running backs in football in Ezekiel Elliott.

Build Depth at Linebacker

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Preston Brown could carry on the annual tradition of the Patriots taking the Bills best players

Image credit: The Buffalo News

As currently constructed, the Patriots are paper-thin at linebacker. They have a legit star in Dont’a Hightower, a good number two linebacker in Kyle Van Noy, and not much else. Linebacker was an issue all season for the Patriots, especially when Van Noy couldn’t play.

There’s two steps to fix this. First, the Patriots should re-sign Marquis Flowers. Flowers had something of a breakout season in his first year in New England. Injuries forced the career special teamer into the starting defense, and he ended up making a name for himself. He’s a great pass rusher and can hold his own in coverage, albeit that isn’t his strength. He doesn’t have the same ceiling, but he has a skill set very similar to that of Jamie Collins. He should only get better as he gets more reps, so bringing Flowers back should be of utmost importance.

Flowers alone won’t fix this. New England should also look into bringing over a run stopping linebacker, and the best fit would be Buffalo Bills free agent Preston Brown. Brown led the league in tackles during the 2017 season, and would be a perfect fit in New England.

Brown’s not great in open space, so he would fill in as the middle linebacker. This frees up Hightower and Van Noy to play on the edge, which suits their skills better. This defense would be hard to run against with Van Noy and Hightower handling edge duties and the reigning tackles leader in the middle of the defense. Add in Flowers as an off the bench pass rusher, and now the Patriots have four linebackers capable of making big plays.

Find a Second Cornerback

Let’s face it- Malcolm Butler is as good as gone. It was a great tenure that ended on an incredibly low note, but New England needs to move on. Looking around the free agent market, there’s quite a few players that could immediately help.

The Patriots already have one high-priced cornerback in Stephon Gilmore, but there’s talk they could go that route again. If they do, they should look at Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Johnson played the previous two seasons under the franchise tag, and is a match for what New England’s scheme.

Johnson is better playing press coverage, but is certainly capable of dropping into zone and performing well. In many ways, he’s a mirror of Gilmore, albeit not quite as good. Combining those two with Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmon would give the Patriots one of the best secondaries in the league.

There’s also been talk that the Denver Broncos could release former Patriot Aqib Talib. While New England shouldn’t trade for him, they should definitely take a look if Denver does release him. Talib was the biggest factor in solidifying the defense in 2012 and 2013, and was an incredibly valuable member of the team. He’s not quite what he was, but he’s still one of the better corners around. He and Gilmore would arguably be the best cornerback tandem in football.

If New England wants a more cost-effective option, the best choice could be Kyle Fuller. Fuller will have a market, but not as big a one as the previous two. Fuller can play a variety of coverages and should fit in New England’s defense. He’s not a superstar like Talib or Johnson, but he doesn’t need to be. The rest of this secondary is so good that all New England needs is an average second corner to succeed.

 

Cover Image: Masslive.com

Roger Goodell: The Fickle ‘Father’ of NFL Football

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Parents know the difficulties of disciplining their children when they misbehave. But NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell, an actual father himself (and pseudo-dad to NFL players), has botched a number of disciplinary issues in the past and continues to do so.  No parent is perfect, but c’mon man.    The three situations that have involved domestic violence against women remain the worst of the worst:

  • The Mishandling of Ray Rice . I thought Goodell would have used that situation to set a precedent for players who commit acts of domestic violence against women. Unfortunately, he had all the evidence in front of him and still couldn’t hand down the proper punishment. Ray Rice initially receives a two-game suspension.  Two games?? Only AFTER the video of him punching his fiancée was released did the league hand down the indefinite suspension.  The Ravens also threw him to the wolves.

 

  • The Greg Hardy Incident.  Arrested for assaulting and threatening his then-girlfriend,  Goodell didn’t want to fumble this one too.  Hardy received a 10-game suspension. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long because Hardy had the NERVE to appeal. Somehow, using NFL math, the suspension got chopped down to four games. As if it couldn’t have gotten worse, the public heard the horrifying photos and the chilling 911. Meanwhile, this guy was out on the field getting a paycheck every week with the full support of Jerry Jones.

 

  • The Mistreatment of Zeke Elliot. He was suspended six games for domestic assault allegations. The criminal investigation found no wrong-doing AND the investigation done by the league found nothing. The investigator suggested no suspension. But Goodell, with  two previously mishandled domestic violence issues, decided to overcompensate.   He didn’t care who had to suffer.  A well- documented battle between Elliot and Goodell came to an end with Elliot now serving out that suspension.

I don’t understand any of this and quite frankly, I don’t think Goodell does either. And he’s the one calling the shots!

Mishandled Misdemeanors

  • DeflateGate. On a much lighter note, Goodell tried to redeem himself once more and suspended Tom Brady over some deflated footballs. Didn’t matter that all the evidence was circumstantial at best. Goodell figured if he got rid of the most hated quarterback in the NFL for a few games, people would like him again. It was short-lived: the Patriots still ended up being Super Bowl champions.

 

  • WWE: NFL Edition. Fights on the field have been the story this month.   Green and Ramsey top the list of most memorable, followed by the recent Crabtree and Talib bout.  Only A.J. Green caught the fine  ($42,000) for his fight with Jalen Ramsey and neither received suspensions. Then, Crabtree and Talib  got into it after another ruined gold chain rough-up.  It cost both players  a two-game suspension. Raiders coach Jack Del Rio questioned the decision, referring to the Green/Ramsey situation in a tweet. I guess Goodell saw that.   The suspensions were halved to one game.
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Goodell sends a simple message: allegations get you in MORE trouble than real evidence. The fact that a player can get the same suspension for deflated footballs and physically assaulting women is mind-blowing.

No extension for you Goodell.