The Patriots have already made a huge splash this offseason, just a couple days into free agency. They started by signing arguably the best defensive player available in Adalius Thomas - the 29 year old stud outside linebacker / defensive end (Nate Clements be damned!). And they did so for reasonable money - significantly less than he probably could have gotten elsewhere - and all by sticking to their guns. They made a fair offer for a very good player, continuing their efforts to get quality, "team" guys who are willing to adapt themselves per Bellichick's schemes and are focused on WINNING, not Pro Bowls. Great move for both sides.
They also went and got Sammy Morris. Did they need another RB? They already had a pretty strong two-headed monster in Dillon and Moroney, and Faulk is a very good relief back, but Faulk and Dillon aren't exactly spring chickens, and Dillon's starting to show signs of losing a step. I like some sort of move in the RB department, but I don't know enough about Morris to know if this is the right move. We'll label that one TBD.
Yesterday, the Pats finalized a deal for former Dolphins WR Wes Welker. I like this pickup a lot. He's a fast, flexible guy who is going to be a very good slot receiver. This was clearly an area of need, and having watched quite a bit of Welker last year (I had him on my fantasy team for a while), I think its a pretty solid pickup. Still more work to do on the WR front, but this was a pretty good start.
What's next on the horizon? Any thoughts on these pickups or the upcoming draft?
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Comments: 6
there's rumors kicking around about NE dealing one of their first rounders for randy moss. which i'm conflicted on. his upside is just as obvious as his downside. i was talking to a friend about this earlier today and mentioned that he'll get run out of town by the fan base the first time he tries getting mouthy with brady on the sidelines. but my friend countered with "you don't hear any complaints when they're winning" which is a good point. but randy wants the ball and according to him he's always open. with the way brady spreads the ball around i can see brady and moss all blood-brother like through week 4 and then randy blowing up because he doesn't lead the team in receptions or td receptions. he's no spring chicken either. maybe the welker deal nixed pursuing moss any further.
so i'd like to see NE use their picks for young talent, preferably in the defensive backfield.
how many cartwheels do you think belicheck cranked out after hearing thomas signed?
and welker is like a young troy brown. who better to help welker take his game (slot, kick return, maybe cb?) to the next level than the guy that perfected the slot position.
Good or bad?
So what is that impact? We've all heard it said before, but Moss stretches the field. The Pats haven't had someone who can do that effectively in years - probably since Terry Glenn left town. What this does is open up the short-passing game; expect Ben Watson to have the sort of monster year everyone was predicting last year. It also opens up the running game. No longer do the Pats have the in-your-face, smashmouth attack they had with Corey Dillon. Maroney needs to be effective on the edges to be a true threat. Having playmakers on the outside like Moss and Donte Stallworth pulls the corners off the line, and forces the safeties to play back.
Looking over the Patriots roster, they can hurt you in every way on offense. Stop the deep pass, they'll nickel and dime you with dumps over the middle to Watson and Wes Welker out of the slot. Throw eight in the box to jam Watson and Welker? Maroney might just run around you, or Brady can just throw it up for Moss to go up and get in one-on-one coverage.