The recent losses of players has a lot of people, including myself, questioning the "method to the madness" premise that is currently running the New England Patriots front office. During their run the past 5 years they have held to the philosophy of not overpaying for superstars, and signing role players to come in and execute the system. My question is, will this continue to work?
The losses of Willie Mcginest, David Givens, and Adam Vinatieri, while big, are not going to take the Pats of of contention for the playoffs, but after three superbowls in, now, 5 years, fans have come to expect more than just making the playoffs, and rightfully so. Let's face it, the AFC East wasn't very good last year for many reasons (IE Injuries, the Jets and Buffalo in general, etc...) So after losing to themselves against Denver, I have started to question some of the recent moves the Patriots have made.
I would understand choosing not to sign any one of these players, however not signing 3 players, who have played critical roles on this team, in the same off-season is a little bit baffling to me. The way I see it, the Patriots have gotten overly confident in the "In Bill we trust" mind-set. I agree that Bill Bellicheck is arguably one of the best NFL coaches of all time in every aspect (judging talent, making players conform to a system, and getting the best out of all his players). But, how long will these "role players" continue to exceed expectations. For example, Kevin Faulk. He had a great year last year, and is a solid player. But I don't think he is ready to carry the load (with a questionable Corey Dillon). More importantly, I don't see any evidence that the Patriots have been preparing him to be an starting running back. He has played the majority of his career in New England as a third down back. And with holes at corner, line backer, and only one proven wide receiver (pending Troy Brown's decision), I am anxious to see when and who they will sign or draft.
Since the off-season is far from over it is still "In Bill we trust", but come September that may change.
For the most part I am a college sports fan. I am a Boston College fan (born and raised) and a University of Tennessee fan (My alma matter). For the Pro teams I like the Pats, Celts, Bruins, and Sox of the red variety. I will try to write the most unbiased blogs I am able to however if you are a sports fan you know that it is easier said then done. I'd also like to add that I write all my posts while at work, so there maybe some spelling and grammar (amongst others) errors, for this I apologize in advance. I am not trying to be a columnist just trying to get my opinions out there. All comments welcome.
