PatsPropaganda

Yeah, I think teams that don’t know Edelman, like Bill O’Brien does, might be a little worried signing a guy who’s had one healthy year with good production and with an elite quarterback.

Could he reproduce that kind of season with a lesser QB? Houston makes sense, because the offensive system will likely be very similar, but outside of them, it’s hard to project Edelman and think he will still be as productive.

His elite punt return skills are kind of the wild card, because even if he isn’t the same receiver in a different offense with a different QB, you’re still going to get his punt returns out of the deal.

Let’s face it, there was almost no market last year for Edelman even with his elite return skills, so how much difference does a year of 100 catches make?

I’d be wary if I was another team without any connection to Edelman. That could keep his price low enough that the Pats can retain him.

When it comes to free agency, the Patriots have never been big spenders but they have had their moments in that market, Danny Amendola standing as a good recent example.

However, they probably need to make more waves over the offseason after what was an injury-riddled 2013 campaign. The following trio are all players that would fit into the Patriots’ schemes and strengthen their roster for the future – if they wish to pay big money in free agency.

New England already have an excellent defensive end in Chandler Jones but signing Bengals DE, Michael Johnson, would give them far more flexibility at the position; it would also strengthen their run defense.

His numbers do not tell the true story; his sack total of 3.5 looks tiny but it’s his quarterback pressures that are his real stock in trade. The Patriots have shown an interest in Johnson before and it would not surprise many NFL betting pundits to see them rekindle that interest in this offseason.

But would they be willing to play top dollar for a free agent to be part of a three-man defensive end rotation? Maybe Julius Peppers, if released from Chicago would make sense for less money.

The Patriots are used to having big, strong, and useful tight ends but that position became a problem last year for a variety of reasons.  

Buffalo’s Scott Chandler has always played well against the Patriots in his outings for the Bills, and could fill a gap in New England. In the last two years, Chandler has racked up 16 catches for 220 yards (and three touchdowns) against Bill Belichick’s team.

He would allow the Patriots’ offence to operate with two TE’s again providing Rob Gronkowski comes back from injury. It’s not uncommon for Belichick to sign a player who has given the Patriots problems in the past, Wes Welker being a prime example. If you can’t beat ‘em, they acquire them, right?

New England have already had one attempt at signing Steelers WR, Emmanuel Sanders, and now that he is an unrestricted free agent, the Patriots may take another shot at his signature.

With doubts about the Patriots retaining WR, Julian Edelman, in free agency, Sanders could be a good replacement; he has big play ability, a safe pair of hands, and a solid return game that would add another threat to the New England roster.

People who regularly bet on NFL know you can never expect the Patriots to be massive spenders in free agency – it is not the Patriot way – but many fans would not be surprised to see at least one of this triumvirate popping up in Foxboro for the 2014 season.

As we enter the silly season of free agency and draft, I need to make my yearly commentary about a topic that everyone seems to forget about – the development of young players on the roster.

It’s already started. “The Patriots need weapons”. “The Patriots focus too much on the bottom of their roster”. “Over-priced free agent X is the perfect fit”. “The Patriots should trade up to take player X”. Etc…

The most under mentioned and under appreciated part of team building is improvement by young players. Player X was inconsistent as a rookie? Replace him with Mike Wallace!

The Patriots featured one of the youngest teams in the NFL last year, especially on defense. You cannot discount major strides that could potentially be made by players like Logan Ryan, Dont’a Hightower (who got a ton of experience this year), Jamie Collins, Aaron Dobson and the other rookie WRs, among others.

Michael Buchanan might just be one of the biggest guys to focus on come training camp. His emergence could be a major factor for the Pats if he’s able to take strides in his run defense and pass rush arsenal.

So before we list the “needs” you need to account for young players getting some benefit of the doubt to develop. Do you go out and pay a huge ransom for a free agent wide receiver and the expense of retarding Dobson’s progression?

I’m all for good competition, but you have to trust the draft process and understand that most players don’t truly excel as rookies. It’s takes time and if they’re not given that time they might never hit their full potential.

If someone wants to pony up a second rounder for him, by all means I’d be happy to hand him over. Personally, I haven’t seen enough out of Mallet in three preseasons to make me think he’s ready to be a starter in the league. His inconsistency issues have continued and he hasn’t shown as much progress as I’d like.

But there is something to be said for having a quarterback who’s been in the system for a while in back of Brady, especially as he gets up there in age. Mallet might not excel running the offense as it’s tailored to Brady, but if he ever had to play in a real game, the gameplan would play to his strengths.

And maybe it would give the “deeeeep threat” crowd finally something to be excited about.

I’m looking closely at quarterbacks in the draft now. With four years left on Brady’s deal we’re entering the sweet spot to develop a potential heir. As I’ve said many times, I think Belichick will see replacing Brady as one of the great challenges of his career. The kind of thing that I think he’ll be determined to attempt.

Obviously the Aaron Rogers-Brett Favre model is the ideal. And I don’t think anyone is holding their breath for a Peyton-Luck scenario.

The biggest question is philosophical. Do they stick with a pocket passer in the mold of Brady/Mallet. Or do they try to develop more of an athlete? It’s simple math. A quarterback who can run a bit puts so much additional stress on a defense and it seems clear that is where the game is heading. There are few Andrew Lucks who can throw but run when he needs to. There are even fewer Cam Newtons.

If the Super Bowl proved anything about offenses it’s the value of a quarterback who isn’t necessarily flashy, but doesn’t make the killer mistakes and plays within himself. I think over everything else, that is the kind of guy the Pats will try to develop behind Brady.