Despite major holes this offseason, the New England Patriots have little to worry about. Will Antonio Brown be next to join the champs?
The New England Patriots just completed their sixth Super Bowl title in 18 years. That’s a championship 33 percent of the time. They have nine title berths in the same time frame, which means they make the ultimate game half the time under this regime. No one else has done this. What this level of success does is make it really hard to grade or project the Patriots’ offseason. They’re probably just going to make the title game again regardless.
This offseason specifically, New England has a bunch of offensive skill players set to hit free agency. It has pieces on both sides of the ball that need to be replaced. But really the only name of consequence is Trey Flowers. He was the lynch pin of the pass rush for this squad, and if he returns, where are the faults? Even if he doesn’t, what is standing in the way of another AFC East crown?
Will Antonio Brown fill the void at wide receiver? We know the decisions will work out, so how do the New England Patriots proceed?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the New England Patriots in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
We thought 2018 was the regular season that precluded a postseason flame out for New England. After all, the Pats were quite ordinary during the year. They had a league-average defense, and Tom Brady looked pretty erratic at times. It didn’t end up mattering. At some point it will matter, but how can anyone possibly predict when that will actually be?
Instead of trying to guess how bad of a roster will be bad enough to fail to generate a Super Bowl contender behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, let’s just try to build the best roster we can for this squad.
They certainly need Flowers back up front, and he is due a monstrous raise over his previous salary. He could use some help in the front four, as well as another asset behind him in the secondary. The Patriots looked like the stingiest defense who’d ever suited up during the finals, but if the regular season is a more accurate depiction of their true talents, this unit has some improvements to make.
On offense, things get more interesting. All of Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Josh Gordon are free agents. If Rob Gronkowski decides to retire, the receiving group will be decimated. It will be Julian Edelman and all brand new faces in the position group meetings.
But, for one, when has that been an issue before? And two, the running backs look like a real asset here for the first time in a while. Sony Michel, perhaps wasted value as a first-round draft pick, is nonetheless a real player for this team. James White and Rex Burkhead are still signed for a few years as well, giving the running backs the receiving depth that the receivers may lack.
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The bigger holes to fill could be on special teams. At kicker, Stephen Gostkowski is a free agent. He is 35 years old, coming off arguably the worst year of his career, and carried the largest cap hit for any of NE’s outgoing free agents. His worst year is still darn good, but a downward slide could be coming regardless. Maybe the Patriots finally move on, and what will that uncertainty mean for an offense that used to count on close to 90 percent of its field goal attempts to be successful every season?
At punter, Ryan Allen is a free agent. Allen was just one half of the greatest championship punting performance in league history (I assume) along with counterpart Johnny Hekker. Allen is the closest anyone has ever come to winning Super Bowl MVP from the punter position (I assume). How can New England let this guy go, and what type of demands will he have? They should back up the Brinks truck, and I’m only partially kidding.
Dan Salem:
Its hard to argue with the success of the New England Patriots, making it near impossible to seriously question any of their offseason moves. This team keeps returning to a championship level, regardless of who suits up in week one. There is work to be done before September, but does anyone really think the Patriots won’t make the right roster decisions?
Since this team needs another wide receiver of note, is Antonio Brown in the cards?
Gronkowski probably should retire, even if he chooses not to, meaning their weapons are limited. Brown has officially made his trade demands known, and Pittsburgh is looking for partners. The asking price will be high, but I’ve never known Brady to miss an opportunity at proving he is still the best. The last time he had a true star at receiver, New England went undefeated during the regular season. Randy Moss and Brady were a legendary pairing. Brown and Brady would be the same.
It’s tough to envision the Patriots having enough to offer the Steelers in a deal, but with only a season or two left in his career, you can bet Brady would love to prove just how great he still is. You can bet Brown wants to win a championship. This is a perfect pairing, because just like with Moss, Brown needs more discipline and motivation to keep getting better.
He needs a New England style system that features his talents. The Patriots need a dominating receiving weapon, because Gronkowski is no longer that player. Maybe this is wishful thinking, or a reverse jinx because I root for the Jets, but Brown is the receiver prize to be had.
The New England Patriots rarely spend big on anyone, which is how they keep putting a championship level team on the field. They spread the money around and find bargains, turning them into diamonds. This is exactly what I expect to happen at kicker, because Gostkowski will get more money elsewhere. Why overpay for your kicker? That is foolish — New England is not foolish.