PatsPropaganda

New England reportedly flirted with acquiring Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith last offseason, and in hindsight, should have. Bill Belichick did not miss a chance to get a crafty veteran this time around, signing Brandon Lloyd to a deal on St. Patrick’s Day. OK, so why is the Lloyd signing notable? Lloyd will be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who coached him last season in St. Louis, and in Denver before that. Lloyd’s productivity was hampered when the Broncos went with Tim Tebow at quarterback, and a relocation to St. Louis took some getting used to. Yet he still caught 70 passes for 966 yards in 15 starts. In 2010, Lloyd led ALL receivers with 1,448 yards. He’s more of a playmaker than the serviceable Deion Branch, and will make teams pay for giving the Patriots’ tight ends too much attention inside the seams. All that, and he costs New England less per year than Pierre Garcon or Josh Morgan command in Washington … or Laurent Robinson in Jacksonville, for that matter. Besides Lloyd, New England got Anthony Gonzalez to provide depth in the receiving corps, safety Steve Gregory, guard Robert Gallery, defensive end Trevor Scott and tight end Daniel Fells (just what the Pats need – another tight end). Re-signing center Dan Connolly was a nice move, too.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/new-england-reportedly-flirted-with-acquiring/

Belichick is building up the middle class of the team’s roster (players 20-40), which will create more depth and increase the level of competition. Part of this is tied to only three draft choices remaining on the roster from drafts in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

It’s been an aggressive approach at the middle and low levels of the market, and most of the deals come with limited financial risk. Some of the signings might not even stick on the roster (e.g. Gonzalez, Stallworth), while others fill specific needs to create more flexibility entering the draft (e.g. Fells as a third tight end).

While using free agency to mostly address the 20-40 range of the roster, it adds importance to this year’s draft as the primary vehicle to address the 1-20 range. That’s the Patriots’ chance to add a much-needed playmaker to the defense at a cost with which they are more comfortable.

The free-agent signings of Fanene, Gregory and Scott should all help on D, but those three alone won’t be enough and Belichick surely knows this.

So this isn’t the complete picture.

While there could be more free-agent signings (DL Luis Castillo), the key remains the draft. Belichick can’t overlook D in the draft like he did in 2011.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/belichick-is-building-up-the-middle-class-of-the/

Less than a week into free agency, the Patriots have picked up three veteran receivers in Stallworth, Gonzalez and Brandon Lloyd. And it appears that they are doing with the wide receiver spot what they did with the defensive line spot last season: bring as many tested veterans in, sift through and find the ones who can play, and toss the rest.

https://www.patspropaganda.com/less-than-a-week-into-free-agency-the-patriots/