2019 Patriots Offseason Thread

I'd like it just figured they were going to go younger here.

Meanwhile, Bolden returning after a 1 year vacation in Miami. Per Rapsheet it's a 2 year deal.

I get it. Just didn't think JMac would be cheap. Figured he has his ring and, if NE wants that rotation at CB, then both would move on.

IF he's more interested in the things you mentioned, I'm 100% on board. Didn't want to move on from him just thought that was the way it would go. I'd be very happy to have him back.

Agree on Jones. Was even thinking that they might trade him once the crazy deals are done. Even if Dawson isn't what we'd hoped, you'd still have (in a J-Mac return scenario) you're Top 3 plus Crossen. Could see another cheap FA brought in and even a draft pick (despite not being a need, BB does like drafting CBs).

 I will pat my own back.

Pats brought back Bolden on a 2 year contract.

I'm not a fan of the OBJ trade. First and third round picks, a good young safety just starting to come on for the right to pay him top of the market money? They have like 30 million long-term locked up in two WRs.

What do you want these short windows that almost every team goes for or a model that can make you very good for a longtime? You don't get comp picks when you cut players. Very few players are worth 20% of the cap that aren't QBs. To trade a crap load for the right to pay a guy that much is crazy.

Trade down keep the picks coming for years. That's what you need to be doing. Can the Browns compete in the next few years? The Rams came close, but at a huge cost long-term.

The big reason Bill keeps trading down is lower round picks are the cheapest players you can get. Filling your team with picks after the third is basically minimum salary guys. Keep the guys that are elite and sign team friendly deals, get picks for the rest. Do it all over again. Yea it drives me crazy sometimes, we don't form those super teams we can, yet we also don't bottom out either. Our crappy seasons are fewer wins and a Superbowl.

I just don't get it. The whole league wants to be the Broncos or Eagles, get that one chance at a Superbowl then have to gut half the team because your capped out. Every team besides the Patriots wants the best starters on offense and defense, yet never builds a deep 53 man team. So if you get lucky with injuries you have a chance, but injuries kill those teams most years. Yea it's easier to talk about, than actually doing it. Yet it's like few teams even try to do it. They act like the NFL is the NBA, top free agents will win you Championships and that just isn't true. Bill is far from perfect, he has made a ton of bad picks and a ton of great picks. He just has more picks than most teams. He uses the picks for depth and future starters, not to fill huge needs most rookies aren't ready for.

I just keep looking at these deals and I just want to know what teams are thinking. Funny thing is no former New England coach embraces the Patriot way of roster construction. They all seem to do the exact opposite, overpay to get former Patriots. Josh McDaniels is one smart guy. Sticking around to be the first coach to actually learn how to build a team and not just coach it. It's all about depth in a game like football, not stars except at QB. If I was the Browns I would have traded that first for a future first and a second round pick this year. Then took a WR, the second and third rounds seem like sweet spots this year. That OBJ trade is as anti Patriot as it gets. It's one thing to get Cooks for two years on the cheap. It's another to trade a ton to pay a guy top of the market money and create a more top heavy older team around a crazy young QB. Nevermind these huge deals create all these team problems. A lot of guys will take slightly less to stay on the team they love. Yet start overpaying certain guys and that is impossible. Now lets start signing a bunch of Vets for a few million per year haha.

 Other coaches and GM's don't get the chance to do it the Pats way is the bottom line. BB is proven over a long period of time all the other guys get a few years to pull it off and then they are done. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with you. It helps that the Patriot way and coaching turns many of these guys into great players, Bill is the best and then Dante and Josh. The D coordinators get to learn from BB so they always end up being good. Although the track record is that both coaches and players seldomly succeed to high levels away from Bill, interesting. Could it be that he is just that good? When you hear some former coaches/players talk about him and the stuff he sees and comes up with they are just in awe. And he is known for coaching every little thing at every single position.

As of right now it will be 2 years in a row that the Pats have 3 3rd picks, of course that will probably change but it is some nice draft capitol. Brilliant !!

The only thing you left out was the Brady factor. Well and ownership that gets it. The entire combination is unprecedented.

Helps alleviate the pressure to get someone else up front as well (can't get away from the pun; I tried).

How could you leave out Brady and ownership in any conversation about success?

Yes the secondary was about the best in the NFL by the end of the season. Loved the confidence they had with Flores to be so creative hiding the coverage, hope they can continue to build on that. A bunch of savvy veterans who played great together.

Sorry to see C Patterson go, he contributed a lot and I thought they could build off that 1st year. But 2 years 10 mil is a bit much, good for him.

Dorsett returns on a 1 yr deal.

I haven’t seen the numbers but I do really like Dorsett, not as a top 3 but he’s reliable

This article kind of highlights what I was talking about a few weeks back when I said this is a super important draft. This offseason and the cap situation is showing it as well. We have one of the oldest teams in the league, which is by design and that’s ok, but the core is getting old and they need to replace it and they need to fill in with good cheap players to alleviate some of the “expensive” middle of the roster. It’s not really expensive on a per player basis but there is a high volume of them. I think it’s key they come out of this draft with 1 or 2 long term core player plus a couple more who are for the shorter term on their rookie deals. And I think they will.


www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/it-goes-beyond-brady-why-are-patriots-ok-being-oldest-kid-block