LOL at the spoiled fans who think aiming for 12 wins and a deep playoff run is half-assing it.

LOL.

Maybe OAK is dumb enough to fall for that....or maybe the NYJ are desperate enough...

Not a shock, but sounds like Edelman isnt looking to take a discount to stay in NE. He also indicated he wants to be paid as an outside guy, not a slot receiver.

My WAG is Pats are probably slightly under a coin flip to keep him, I think some team gives him an offer for a bit more than the Pats want to spend.

I'm not surprised and don't blame him for not taking a discount, but it seems unlikely to me that he's going to get outside receiver money.

I'd be surprised too, sounds like a negotiation talking point.

Would love to have him next year, but also sort of hope he gets big $$ he's earned it.

What will it take to pry Fitz from AZ? He's obviously a great player and seems like the type of guy who could make a major impact on Dobson and the other young WR.

all it takes is for one team to think that Edelman is much more 'talent' than 'system' / 'chemistry with Brady' and there is plenty of bad money out there. so I would lean towards him leaving - mostly because this is likely to be his one and only time to make real money

KBZ you are prob right, but I was also surprised that Welker got very little interest as a FA, so who knows?

Three first rounders or two first rounders and Dobson maybe. That's what Id ask for if I was Arizona. Otherwise dont see why they'd look to trade him. That's not a bad team, he's amendable to a restructure, and trading him this year costs $10MM in dead money.

cliffs: aint happening

I would imagine that Arizona isn't looking to trade Fitz, but from what I have read, he doesn't have any interest in restructuring. A 1st+ would get him IMO. Of course, the bigger issue is paying him, which the Pats can't do. It's a nice dream though.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...-restructuring

That is slightly more recent than the article that I read

It was a pipe dream either way. Pats need to re-sign Talib, fortify the middle of their OL, and most importantly, get healthy.

Fwiw Kraft went of Felger and Mazz today and explicitly rejected the idea that the Pats should load up for the Brady window and rejected the notion the team isn't championship caliber and needs to load up this offseason.

I think there is misconception that the Pats this year built a subpar team that got exposed. Im quite confident in saying that i think the Patriots team as it was built after the draft would be one of, if not the best teams in the NFL.

We all saw the first couple of games with a healthy defense and how they played. The offense was built to be a 2TE offense and it ended up with neither TE being on the field all year barring the 6 Games Gronk played.

This season wasnt a matter of them having a subpar team. They just ran really bad wrt injuries and murder.

As far as bringing in WR's this year, i would rather have someone like Anquan Boldin than Edelman. I would feel confident going into next year with Boldin, Amendola, Dobson, Gronk and another TE.

Im not sure how the contracts/cap hits work but if its possible to cut Amendola and sign Edelman and not take too much of a hit I would be fine with that.

Not easily done, best case they could designate him a post June 1st cut to create more savings on this years cap to help sign Edelman but it would create a big dead money hit in '15. There are better ways to free up money

I've been big on signing Edelman assuming something in the range of 5/20m or whatever. But after hearing Amendola played the entire season with a detached groin muscle I'm more comfortable letting Edelman go -- especially if he commands much more than 4m AAS. I've pretty much evolved into taking the position Gambool took months ago regarding Edelman.

I want a TE and OL high in the draft, and then figure out the Talib situation or sign another solid CB if there is one available in FA that they can afford.

As long as they go into next season with the personnel to play man coverage on D then I'll be happy. If they have to revert back to playing primarily zone I'll be sick because for whatever reason to my untrained eye their zone D seems abysmal.

Looking at free agent list I would like to see them pick up Dustin Keller. He signed a 1 yr $4.25m contract last year and after missing the season with an ACL you might be able to pick him up for cheaper than that. Although its not too inspiring having your 2 TE's coming back from ACL injuries.

It seems inevitable they will go after E.Sanders again this off season. I dont know how much of an improvement he would be. He feels like a 2nd tier guy who would just be an improvement over Thompkins. Would much prefer to see them take a flyer on someone like Nicks who you might get cheap after a down year.

Scott Chandler might not be super expensive, he's interesting to me as a TE insurance policy as well. Would like to see them take a TE high in the draft as well.

Talib is the hardest choice of the offseason to me, and maybe the hardest FA decision I can remember the Pats having depending on how the market shapes up. Really want him back, but can't franchise him and there's a decent chance a big contract turns into a disaster.

Id like to see a veteran leader get signed at TE like they have done in the past. Someone like Jacob Tamme. I think a guy like that would be a crisp fit in our lineup and he's not afraid to come in off the bench and get the job done. I don't think Tamme is a free agent for another year but in this league that doesn't really mean that much. Someone similar to him would also be acceptable.

Maybe this was answered, but what do you guys thinking about picking up Hakeem Nicks (assuming we don't break bank on Edelman)? He is likely to not be too expensive after his down year with ELOL Manning.

A buddy of mine texted me he wanted 10:1 that Brady PLAYS in a Pro Bowl game one more time in his career. I know hes a huge dog to play in one because he doesnt give a **** about Pro Bowls, but at what price hypothetically do we snap take this bet and bet the house?

25-1

Pats draft Troy Niklas, book it.

SI Troy Niklas article


The Patriots have the #29 pick in the first round and the #30 pick in the second round.

I assume the second-round grading means he's unlikely to last until the Pat's second round pick. So, is he worth the #29 pick?

There are two or three (depending on who you listen to) TE's graded as 1st round talent so it probably depends on how things shake out both with the highly graded TE's, and also if another target at a different position somehow slips to them.

I think some of this is intentional. The Patriots strive to limit turnovers, and Brady always tries to throw it where only his guy can get it. This is easily seen on shorter throws, where he throws it down and away from defenders. On deeper throws, this means throwing it long. Either it's a catch, or it's incomplete. Basically lower variance.

That's a fine strategy when you've got a clear advantage over your opponent, like the Patriots have had in most games over the last 10 years. But in a game like @DEN, where they're a clear underdog, I think you've got to throw more contested, but catchable, passes. Try for some long gains or pass intereference at the risk of a slightly higher chance of interceptions. The throw to Slater was a decent example of that, though I'd obviously prefer a healthy Dobson being the target. As the Patriots play teams that compare favorably to them in talent, I think Brady is going to have to make that adjustment.