Last year the Patriots looked like they were taken by surprise. Deion Branch held out and ended up going to Seattle. They let team leaders Adam Vinatieri and Willie McGinest leave as free agents. David Givens, the #2 receiver, also left for greener pastures.
Well, the Pats’ have been like Patton’s Third Army the last two weeks. In a matter of days they not only brought in some new talent, but also brought in replacements for players who would later leave as free agents themselves, before those players could even get on a plane to talk to other teams. Clearly they came in with a plan and executed with the kind of precision we’ve come to expect from this organization.
So, lets start with who they lost this year.
Tully Banta-Cain (LB) signed with the 49′ers. That’s a good move for him as the 49′ers are a team on the rise and it’s a nice place to live. He had his best season for us last year, but even with that he was mainly an edge-rusher. He came up with some big plays, but just wasn’t a consistent force.
Daniel Graham (TE) signed with Denver - where he’s from originally. This is a good move for Graham who grew frustrated by being more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. He landed a $30M contract, which seems pretty high given that Graham rarely played more than 12 games per season due to injury. They made him a team captain last season, which would make one think they wanted to keep him around. But the way it sounds, it doesn’t seem like there was much effort put into that. So I have to wonder if making him a captain wasn’t intended to raise his stock.
Corey Dillon (RB) has left the building. This is one went down squirrelly. Dillon first said he wanted to retire. That he’d had enough football. Then he and his agent say they want the Patriots to release him instead, so he can look at other offers. Then in a radio interview Scott Pioli says that Dillon was cut. It’s hard to say what’s really going on here, Dillon looked pretty pissed off a lot of the time last year. But the team granted him the release and the latest rumor is he’s talking to Buffalo.
There are still a few question-marks left. Troy Brown (WR) may retire. It’s unclear if Vinny Testaverde (QB) will be back. There’s been no word about Junior Seau (LB) coming back.
They did re-sign Special Teams captain Larry Izzo (LB), and they franchised Asante Samuel (CB). Rodney Harrison (SS) and Tedy Bruschi (LB) are both coming back for next year. They also signed Heath Evans (FB) to a new contract - this was a great signing as Evans said he “didn’t care about the money,” he just wanted to be a Patriot. With Dillon going, Evans should become the go-to guy on short yardage.
On the plus side of free agency, the Patriots made some really bold moves. And they made them lightning fast.
Adalius Thomas (LB) was one of the prized pick-ups this off-season. He’s a little long on years (29), but he’s fast, smart, and very versatile. He’s a LB who can rush the passer and also play Safety if need be. He’s a perfect Belichick kind of player and injects some speed into the LB corps. One really cool thing about his signing was he didn’t dick around. He came to Boston, liked what he heard, closed the deal - with no media spectacle or spin. Some “experts” said Thomas wouldn’t do well on his next team because no other coach would leverage his flexibility. I don’t think these experts counted on Belichick being that coach. This is a great move for the Patriots.
Kyle Brady (TE) was a pre-emptive strike for Graham leaving. Brady is up there in years (35) but only missed games in 2 of 13 seasons. He’s one of the best blocking TE’s in the game - something the Pats make a lot of use of in their offensive scheme. And why shouldn’t he be a good blocker at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds? It’s like having an extra lineman. Given the other TE’s we have (Thomas, Watson, and Mills) are better at catching than blocking (and damn good at catching), this is a solid move to provide some more beef for the rushing attack, and some more security for Tom Brady.
Sammy Morris (RB) is a good back-up RB who is also strong on Special Teams and has good hands as an outlet receiver. He’s a veteran player who looks to be a “bigger Kevin Faulk” - not that that’s a bad thing. We can use all the Kevin Faulks we can get. He’ll be a good backup to Maroney and adds depth to the kick return game. This was a sound tactical move. With Dillon leaving and the new FieldTurf, having more speed in the backfield is almost an upgrade. Morris won’t have Dillon’s brutal running style, but he’s a solid player.
Wes Welker (WR) is the most interesting addition. He’s only 5-foot-9 and only had one really memorable season in Miami. But he was nick-named “The Natural” in college for his playmaking. He has a very different running style, I’ve read that he played soccer and that’s evident from the way he moves and uses his free hand to regain his balance. The net result is a very quick and shifty WR who can gain a lot of yards after the catch. He has a great work ethic and is fearless when catching the ball. He looks to be in the Steve Smith mold of player, so he could end up being the “next Troy Brown” for us. And he’s only 25 years old. Another great thing about having a guy like Welker is the pressure it takes off the offensive line. If Brady has a receiver who will always be open for short yardage, and who’s smart about recognizing the Blitz, he can make defenders pay for a strong rush.
Donte Stallworth (WR) was the “big time receiver” Pats’ fans have been waiting to see. Stallworth has blinding speed and great play-making ability. But has had injury issues the last few seasons. If he’s 100% and can get the hang of the Patriots system before Week #1, Stallworth will probably be the most dangerous WR Brady has had in his career. There was a lot of talk about Stallworth being kind of immature and only looking for the money, but it sounds like he’s wised up. He seems to realize he has the potential to be in New England for many years, with one of the best QB’s ever, win a couple of Superbowls, and get into the Hall of Fame. He turned down other offers to sign with New England - which many “experts” predicted the opposite. Yup, it’s good to be a Patriot.
Kelley Washington (WR) Just when everyone thought Pioli and Belichick were done they went and signed another WR. Washington is big (6-3), fast, and was playing in the shadow of the “big names” in Cincinnati. He was a team-mate of Stallworth’s in college so there could be some interesting rivalries between these two from Tennessee and our existing Gator wide-outs. But Belichick loves competition, so for all we know that could have been part of the plan. Regardless, Brady may finally have that tall receiver he never had before.
OK. So where do all these moves put the Patriots? On offense, this is shaping up to be one of the most balanced and most dangerous skill units New England ever fielded.
Maroney will be the feature back and last season he showed that he’s capable of becoming one of the greats. Behind him are Faulk and Morris as 3rd-down and specialty backs. Experienced veterans who get it done and don’t make mistakes. Heath Evans will be at FB, another player who plays his role and always make positive contributions. They’ll lose a little in the short game without Dillon, but the overall balance and capability is stronger.
At receiver, there’s now Donte Stallworth as the deep threat and Wes Welker as the slot threat. Both of these guys can draw double-coverage if they start to click with Brady early on. That opens things up for everyone else. Chad Jackson needs to recover from his nagging injuries, but once he does that gives us two deep, speed threats. The returning WR’s from last year - Gaffney and Caldwell - should all benefit from another year in the system.
Washington adds yet another dimension to the pass attack with his height. He’ll have a 6-inch advantage on many corners and that allows Brady to just put it up for him to go get. A luxury Brady never really had before.
Troy Brown sounds like he plans to play one more season. No one wants him to leave New England. But with 7 WR’s on the team, something has to give. I think a lot of fans are hoping that Kraft, Pioli, and Belichick find a way to keep Troy Brown on the roster this season.
At Tight-End, we now have Kyle Brady for blocking. One of the best in the league and a seasoned veteran. Daniel Graham is an overall better player, so in a way this is a downgrade. But Graham seemed to get injured every season, whereas K.Brady hardly missed any games over thirteen years. David Thomas and Ben Watson are excellent pass-catching TE’s, so the production should increase at that position. And there’s still Garrett Mills somewhere in that mix - another typical Patriot over-achiever type who was hampered by injuries last year.
So, while there aren’t any real “names” on this offense (other than Tom Brady, of course), the balance between RB, TE, and WR - and the strength at each position - is probably as good as this team ever fielded.
On defense we still have the core players from last year - Samuel, Seymour, Bruschi, Harrison, and Vrabel. Ellis Hobbs had an incredible playoffs at corner. Adalius Thomas adds speed and versatility at LB, a position that has been a concern with the veterans now in their 30’s. Lets keep in mind that this defense set a franchise record last season for fewest points allowed, despite really damaging injuries. So with Thomas and a couple of good draft picks, we could be looking at a defense that could couple that stoutness along with some big-play capability which seemed to be lacking last season. Yes, we’re talking turn-overs. Hobbs and Samuel are poised to start coming up with a lot of interceptions. And with Thomas and Seymour applying pressure on the pass-rush, this could be a great season for the defense.
Special Teams is also going to be stronger as a result of the free agent moves. Hobbs and Maroney did great at kick returns last year, and Chad Jackson contributed as well, but now add in Welker and Morris. Gostkowski had a rough start to his rookie year but settled down nicely. The punter situation is a little more confused - there are 5 punters floating around the organization. But Sauerbrun showed a real strong leg in the playoffs and it would be surprising if he wasn’t asked back.
The aggressive moves the Patriots front-office made say a lot more than that they learned from last year. They just missed the Superbowl last year, which was a rebuilding year - one first down, one catch, one botched call - if any one had gone their way, they were in - it was that close. With all the problems and injuries and other problems, they just barely missed it.
I think Kraft and the Gang realize that they are so strong at the core and have built such depth that if they got bold with signing players they could dominate the league for several years without too much risk of a serious decline.
How can they do this when others have failed? Two big things. One is they draft well. I remember reading that the Patriots have one of the highest ratios of players acquired from the draft still on the roster. Part of this comes from how they treat the practice squad - not just keeping them involved as part of the team, but paying them well.
The other thing is the Patriots are willing to make tough decisions. When a player wants more than they feel they can pay, they’re willing to cut ties if they have an exit strategy in mind. Even popular players like Vinatieri aren’t immune to this - they drafted Gostkowski right after letting Adam go and the kid came through in the playoffs, like you’d expect.
And there’s another thing working in favor of the Patriots that seems unique. The environment. It was interesting to read this week that Deion Branch gave glowing recommendations to Washington and Stallworth about joining the Patriots. And a lot of the new players all laud over the Patriots ethic of who ever works hard gets to play, who ever gets open gets the ball, and who ever makes plays gets to start. Most teams have a hierarchy - which can mean talented players can end up playing in the shadow of a “starter” and never get their chance.
Regardless, I’d bet at least two of the three new WR’s make it to the starting roster. That shores up the weakest part of the offense from last year. This team is balanced and has skill players now who are all in the prime years of their careers, many with three or more years left on their contracts. This means that the Patriots could not only win the Superbowl this year, but they could be well positioned to win for the rest of the decade.
And, for the rest of the league, a Patriots team with this kind of talent is a very dangerous thing.
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