If Talib does walk, how much does that push back the defense from where it was early last season? Because before all the injuries hit, there’s no denying it was looking very promising. But as we all saw in the AFCCG, without Talib the Pats were absolutely picked apart.

First, I thought this was interesting…

If Aqib Talib wants big money, this chart of his 2013 season won’t help: pic.twitter.com/vM78zwkyBi

— Pete Damilatis (@PFF_Pete) March 5, 2014

I do think that there’s something to be said for Talib living off of the good will he earned in those early games last season. We tend to forget the weird meltdown against the Panthers and the hip injury that once again returned. Most focus on his great start and then the knee injury in the AFCCG.

My view, as I previously mentioned this morning, is that if he walks they focus on the front seven with some of the money they had slotted for Talib. As much as the Pats were picked apart vs. Denver, that has as much to do with having no depth in the front seven as it did not having a cover corner for Demaryius Thomas.

The pressure was literally non-existant. PFF had them getting pressure on Manning just six times with no sacks. If they can’t nab Talib they should make a serious play for Jared Allen/Demarcus Ware/Julius Peppers. An elite front seven will make any secondary look good, let’s not forget that.

It certainly makes the need for a corner bigger and they’d likely have to find someone else in free agency and the draft. But they’re not dead in the water with Dennard/Ryan/Arrington.