Looking Forward

[BigKen]

If you think the Patriots were hit hard by losses in 2020, next year will rip your BVDs off. 36 Patriots will be free agents in 2021. There's a better than average chance that at least 8 to 10 will be free agents by the time the 2020 season starts.

To name a few:

Joe Thuney, Jason McCourty, James White, MoHamed Sanu, Donta Hightower, Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler, Rex Burkhead, James Andrews, John Simon, James Devlin, Derek Rivers, JC Jackson.

Bill will need all of the expected $121M in cap money next year if these guys all walk away.

The 2021 Draft will be interesting because there certainly will be spaces to fill and if Stidham isn't the answer at QB, the draft will be the most critical in years. The will be a lot of compensatory picks and probably at least three in the third round.

The team's 2020 performance will play a huge role in its future.

 

[YankeeRebel]

If you think the Patriots were hit hard by losses in 2020, next year will rip your BVDs off. 36 Patriots will be free agents in 2021. There's a better than average chance that at least 8 to 10 will be free agents by the time the 2020 season starts.

To name a few:

Joe Thuney, Jason McCourty, James White, MoHamed Sanu, Donta Hightower, Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler, Rex Burkhead, James Andrews, John Simon, James Devlin, Derek Rivers, JC Jackson.

Bill will need all of the expected $121M in cap money next year if these guys all walk away.

The 2021 Draft will be interesting because there certainly will be spaces to fill and if Stidham isn't the answer at QB, the draft will be the most critical in years. The will be a lot of compensatory picks and probably at least three in the third round.

The team's 2020 performance will play a huge role in its future.

I see a few that will retire and a few that should

I would like to keep Thuney, White, Hightower and maybe Rivers.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

If you think the Patriots were hit hard by losses in 2020, next year will rip your BVDs off. 36 Patriots will be free agents in 2021. There's a better than average chance that at least 8 to 10 will be free agents by the time the 2020 season starts.

To name a few:

Joe Thuney, Jason McCourty, James White, MoHamed Sanu, Donta Hightower, Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler, Rex Burkhead, James Andrews, John Simon, James Devlin, Derek Rivers, JC Jackson.

Bill will need all of the expected $121M in cap money next year if these guys all walk away.

The 2021 Draft will be interesting because there certainly will be spaces to fill and if Stidham isn't the answer at QB, the draft will be the most critical in years. The will be a lot of compensatory picks and probably at least three in the third round.

The team's 2020 performance will play a huge role in its future.

Thuney and HT would be the biggest losses but not unreplaceable. The others if they resign won't command big pay days.
Will Sanu be healthy?
Will White return to pre 2019 season? Not sure what happened with him last year?

BB can also use some of that cap $ to go sign a vet QB.

 

[Southieinnc]

I love Thuney but even then he is overrated. Somebody will pay him if we don't - or he'll get traded this year.
Hightower is getting long in the tooth.
McCourty will decide between retiring or playing here.
Whit will be the next overpaid running back stolen from the Pats to the Giants.
Sanu has a great year this year or becomes a comp pick.
David Andrews is a Patriot and will stay if no medical setback
Guy, Butler, Simon, Rivers are not huge losses and replaceable
We better have a replacement for Burkhead soon.
Develin may never play again.
JC Jackson has another good year I hope we can resign him. We have a very poor record of resigning DB's so probably gone/

 

[NWPATSFAN]

I love Thuney but even then he is overrated. Somebody will pay him if we don't - or he'll get traded this year.
Hightower is getting long in the tooth.
McCourty will decide between retiring or playing here.
Whit will be the next overpaid running back stolen from the Pats to the Giants.
Sanu has a great year this year or becomes a comp pick.
David Andrews is a Patriot and will stay if no medical setback
Guy, Butler, Simon, Rivers are not huge losses and replaceable
We better have a replacement for Burkhead soon.
Develin may never play again.
JC Jackson has another good year I hope we can resign him. We have a very poor record of resigning DB's so probably gone/

They signed Danny Vitale to replace Develin.
I like Burkhead but he is easily replaced.

 

[Southieinnc]

They signed Danny Vitale to replace Develin.
I like Burkhead but he is easily replaced.

We still have Jakob Johnson at fullback. We are in good shape at fullback.
I loved Develin and will miss him.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Not even remotely thinking about 21 right now. They’ll be out of cap jail and will be able to keep anyone they want to keep.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Vitale’s not really a Develin replacement. Same position, different size and skill set

 

[NWPATSFAN]

Vitale’s not really a Develin replacement. Same position, different size and skill set

I disagree. Develin is a beast.
Vitale is 3" shorter and plays at about 10# less.

Though touted as a receiving back coming out of college that never materialized. Last year his receptions increased to a career high of 7.

Vitale benched 225 pounds 30 times while Dev knocked out 33. Niether are worried about sticking their nose in there.

If his receiving skills could come close to those from his college days I'd take him over Develin just for that potential versatility.

OBTW I'm a huge Develin fan.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

I love Thuney but even then he is overrated. Somebody will pay him if we don't - or he'll get traded this year.
Hightower is getting long in the tooth.
McCourty will decide between retiring or playing here.
Whit will be the next overpaid running back stolen from the Pats to the Giants.
Sanu has a great year this year or becomes a comp pick.
David Andrews is a Patriot and will stay if no medical setback
Guy, Butler, Simon, Rivers are not huge losses and replaceable
We better have a replacement for Burkhead soon.
Develin may never play again.
JC Jackson has another good year I hope we can resign him. We have a very poor record of resigning DB's so probably gone/

This.
Top to bottom.
Harris for Burkhead?

 

[BigKen]

Just read some interesting stuff about the Patriots. The author started out by asking a simple question. When was the last time that the Patriots actually 'rebuilt' the team? According to this guy, it was 1999. Parcells departed after the 1997 Super Bowl and Kraft brought in Pete Carroll. The team was struggling and Pete wasn't handling things very well and Kraft got Belichick to agree to be the head coach and GM in 1999. Drew Bledsoe was the QB and BB actually replaced somewhere around 15 regulars with a few cheap FAs and draft picks. It went nearly unnoticed because so much fire had been created by BB resigning fifteen minutes after he was named HC of the NY Jets.

So this guy pointed out that 11 Patriots have left and gone elsewhere or retired. His point from the way that he wrote is that this is long overdue. He said that they should have put extreme effort into the OL starting in 2015 after the SB win over the Seahawks and he thinks that they might very well have beaten the Broncos and the Eagles and Brady would be wearing eight rings instead of six.

He thinks that BB made the right decision to refurbish the defense this year because they will help the team win half of their games in 2020. He says that the AFCW and NFCW schedule will be brutal and that they will be lucky to go 2-6 against them. He gives them a 3-3 against the AFCE and a loss against the Ravens and a win against the Texans. He thinks that they'll go 6-10 and will probably get either the #8 or #9 in the 2021 draft.

I think he's a writer for the Yardbarker.

 

[nefansince75]

Just read some interesting stuff about the Patriots. The author started out by asking a simple question. When was the last time that the Patriots actually 'rebuilt' the team? According to this guy, it was 1999. Parcells departed after the 1997 Super Bowl and Kraft brought in Pete Carroll. The team was struggling and Pete wasn't handling things very well and Kraft got Belichick to agree to be the head coach and GM in 1999. Drew Bledsoe was the QB and BB actually replaced somewhere around 15 regulars with a few cheap FAs and draft picks. It went nearly unnoticed because so much fire had been created by BB resigning fifteen minutes after he was named HC of the NY Jets.

So this guy pointed out that 11 Patriots have left and gone elsewhere or retired. His point from the way that he wrote is that this is long overdue. He said that they should have put extreme effort into the OL starting in 2015 after the SB win over the Seahawks and he thinks that they might very well have beaten the Broncos and the Eagles and Brady would be wearing eight rings instead of six.

He thinks that BB made the right decision to refurbish the defense this year because they will help the team win half of their games in 2020. He says that the AFCW and NFCW schedule will be brutal and that they will be lucky to go 2-6 against them. He gives them a 3-3 against the AFCE and a loss against the Ravens and a win against the Texans. He thinks that they'll go 6-10 and will probably get either the #8 or #9 in the 2021 draft.

I think he's a writer for the Yardbarker.

It was after the 1999 season which means 2000 and the analysis seems more like a yard barfer...

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Just read some interesting stuff about the Patriots. The author started out by asking a simple question. When was the last time that the Patriots actually 'rebuilt' the team? According to this guy, it was 1999. Parcells departed after the 1997 Super Bowl and Kraft brought in Pete Carroll. The team was struggling and Pete wasn't handling things very well and Kraft got Belichick to agree to be the head coach and GM in 1999. Drew Bledsoe was the QB and BB actually replaced somewhere around 15 regulars with a few cheap FAs and draft picks. It went nearly unnoticed because so much fire had been created by BB resigning fifteen minutes after he was named HC of the NY Jets.

So this guy pointed out that 11 Patriots have left and gone elsewhere or retired. His point from the way that he wrote is that this is long overdue. He said that they should have put extreme effort into the OL starting in 2015 after the SB win over the Seahawks and he thinks that they might very well have beaten the Broncos and the Eagles and Brady would be wearing eight rings instead of six.

He thinks that BB made the right decision to refurbish the defense this year because they will help the team win half of their games in 2020. He says that the AFCW and NFCW schedule will be brutal and that they will be lucky to go 2-6 against them. He gives them a 3-3 against the AFCE and a loss against the Ravens and a win against the Texans. He thinks that they'll go 6-10 and will probably get either the #8 or #9 in the 2021 draft.

I think he's a writer for the Yardbarker.

If they are only $1 million under the cap without a top tier QB...yeah, it's time.

 

[BigKen]

Was wandering around the interweb and saw a 2021 mock draft and had to go change my BVDs. They had the Patriots selecting 27th in the first round. Whatever this guy is taking, I want some. I know he's on something because he had the Chiefs at 32, Ravens 31, 49ers 30, and the Saints at 29. So he's got the Chiefs and Ravens in the Super Bowl. I was laughing so hard I expelled wet air.

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

Probably just used current SB odds

 

[Shoeshine Boy]

2021 Super Bowl odds to win

Kansas City Chiefs 4-1
Baltimore Ravens 13-2
San Francisco 49ers 7-1
New Orleans Saints 11-1
Dallas Cowboys 12-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-1
Philadelphia Eagles 17-1
Seattle Seahawks 17-1
Green Bay Packers 18-1
New England Patriots 20-1
Buffalo Bills 20-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 25-1
Indianapolis Colts 25-1
Los Angeles Chargers 25-1
Minnesota Vikings 28-1
Los Angeles Rams 28-1
Las Vegas Raiders 30-1
Tennessee Titans 35-1
Cleveland Browns 40-1
Chicago Bears 40-1
Denver Broncos 50-1
Houston Texans 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 60-1
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
New York Giants 60-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
New York Jets 100-1
Miami Dolphins 100-1
Carolina Panthers 125-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 200-1
Washington Redskins 200-1
Cincinnati Bengals 200-1

 

[Southieinnc]

Was wandering around the interweb and saw a 2021 mock draft and had to go change my BVDs. They had the Patriots selecting 27th in the first round. Whatever this guy is taking, I want some. I know he's on something because he had the Chiefs at 32, Ravens 31, 49ers 30, and the Saints at 29. So he's got the Chiefs and Ravens in the Super Bowl. I was laughing so hard I expelled wet air.

I'm pretty certain the entire world knows it's going to be Buffalo and Tampa in the Superbowl....

 

[BigKen]

There's no question that the Patriots had holes to fill and made a decent attempt to deal with them through the draft. They also had a number of guys who were injured last year and as a result things didn't look like a lump of coal. With players opting out, new holes and spaces have been created. With $21M now in cap space, people are talking Jedevon Clowney. Problem there is that he wants a 5 year $100M contract. I don't think BB will even listen if that is presented to him.

Below is a list of players by position that are free agents and were not offered contracts during the free agency period. There are a few guys out there that could make a solid impact and not break the bank.

Guys I'd at least take a serious look at are starred.

Tackles
Demar Dotson
Cordy Glenn **
Jason Peters
Ty Sambrailo

Guards/Centers
James Hurst
Josh Kline
Ronald Leary **
Daryl Williams **

Defensive Linemen
Damon Harrison
Margus Hunt
Brandon Mebane

Edge Defenders
Jadeveon Clowney
Markus Golden
Everson Griffen **
Clay Matthews **

Linebackers
Mark Barron
Anthony Chickillo
Kareem Martin **
Alex Ogletree **
Nick Vigil
Cameron Wake **

Cornerbacks
Prince Amukamara
Bashaud Breeland
Ronald Darby
Trumaine Johnson
Johnathan Joseph
Xavier Rhodes
Darryl Roberts
Logan Ryan **
Jimmy Smith
B.W. Webb

Safeties
Vonn Bell
Antoine Bethea
Morgan Burnett
Blake Countess
A.J. Howard **
Colin Jones
Reshad Jones **
Damarious Randall
Eric Reid **

 

[Southieinnc]

There's no question that the Patriots had holes to fill and made a decent attempt to deal with them through the draft. They also had a number of guys who were injured last year and as a result things didn't look like a lump of coal. With players opting out, new holes and spaces have been created. With $21M now in cap space, people are talking Jedevon Clowney. Problem there is that he wants a 5 year $100M contract. I don't think BB will even listen if that is presented to him.

Below is a list of players by position that are free agents and were not offered contracts during the free agency period. There are a few guys out there that could make a solid impact and not break the bank.

Guys I'd at least take a serious look at are starred.

Tackles
Demar Dotson
Cordy Glenn **
Jason Peters
Ty Sambrailo

Guards/Centers
James Hurst
Josh Kline
Ronald Leary **
Daryl Williams **

Defensive Linemen
Damon Harrison
Margus Hunt
Brandon Mebane

Edge Defenders
Jadeveon Clowney
Markus Golden
Everson Griffen **
Clay Matthews **

Linebackers
Mark Barron
Anthony Chickillo
Kareem Martin **
Alex Ogletree **
Nick Vigil
Cameron Wake **

Cornerbacks
Prince Amukamara
Bashaud Breeland
Ronald Darby
Trumaine Johnson
Johnathan Joseph
Xavier Rhodes
Darryl Roberts
Logan Ryan **
Jimmy Smith
B.W. Webb

Safeties
Vonn Bell
Antoine Bethea
Morgan Burnett
Blake Countess
A.J. Howard **
Colin Jones
Reshad Jones **
Damarious Randall
Eric Reid **

Not excited

 

[BigKen]

Phil Perry on NBC Sports made an excellent point last night.

"Bill Belichick is more concerned with getting his Patriots team together and practicing that asking Clowney if he'll accept half of what he's asking. He needs to get 74 players tested, approved and on the field and will see about replacing people once he see's if the people he has already can fill the empty shoes." (Paraphrased by BigKen)