Putting the Band Back Together

Cooler heads don’t always prevail. Thankfully, this time they did. Big Vince will be back in 2014.

 

To everyone who thought this was how it would work out all along, good call. I’d like to count myself among you but I really thought we’d see Vince in a Jets’ uniform next year.

As break ups go, we’ve seen worse, of course. Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft made it clear he wanted to see Vince Wilfork in a Patriots’ uniform. Bill Belichick said nothing until he said pigskin pundits and bobbleheads should ask Vince if he really wanted out. Rumors of a rapprochement were quickly followed by the news that Wilfork and New England had agreed to a new deal, a deal that freed up enough cap space for the team to re-sign center Ryan Wendell, though not enough to keep LeGarrette Blount from leaving for western Pennsylvania.

The resolution of Wilfork’s contract feels like a happy ending but there are more than a few questions still unanswered for the Patriots in 2014, including Wilfork’s recovery from a torn Achilles and his potential return to form. Jerod Mayo, Tommy Kelly and Armond Armstead are all returning from injury/illness. The Pats developed some depth at DT with Sealver Siliga, Chris Jones and Joe Vellano last year but with the loss of Brandon Spikes, there will be questions asked about whether New England will be able to stop the run in 2014 from now till opening day. At which point, we’ll know.

That’s not all.

Can Michael Buchanan improve enough in his second season to provide some relief for Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich at DE? We can’t possibly be counting on Andre Carter again in 2014, can we?

Will they bolster the pass rush through the draft?

They’ve improved in the defensive backfield with the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Bolden but what about linebacker? Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins and Mayo (assuming a full recovery) could become one of the best trios in the league but with Spikes and top backup Dane Fletcher leaving, they really could use some help there. Maybe they saw something in Steve Beauharnais in practice that will translate to the playing field in a special teams/sub LB role similar to what Fletcher provided. Perhaps they will wait until a veteran gets cut by another team in training camp. Or maybe Dee Ford falls to them in the draft.

The Ryan Wendell signing is something of a surprise but as Richard Hill points out on Pats Pulpit, it’s for short money and it provides continuity and flexibility, two factors that should not be underestimated when it comes to the offensive line.

If you believe the byteheads and advanced stats, Wendy and Dan Connolly were two of the worst starters at their respective positions in 2013, so bad the Patriots were only able to finish 3^rd in scoring, 9^th in rushing and 10^th in passing during the regular season. Connolly is probably overpaid (and perhaps we’ll hear about a restructure in the weeks to come) but he can play guard or center. If Connolly does take over at center, Marcus Cannon, who subbed admirably for Sebastian Vollmer at right tackle last year, can take over at right guard. Yet another example of position flexibility on the offensive line: We saw Logan Mankins swing out to left tackle when Nate Solder was forced to miss a few games with a concussion. They seem to like Josh Kline as their “swing guard” but I wouldn’t be surprised if they replaced “swing tackle” Will Svitek is replaced.

Don’t get me wrong. The image of Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton sacking Tom Brady on 4^th down in the championship game is still etched upon my pigskin mind.

A little perspective might be in order here. I look back and see a Patriots team devastated by injuries; the consensus amongst the pigskin cognoscenti was that New England didn’t even belong in that game. Without Wilfork, Mayo, Kelly, Vollmer, Gronkowski, Dobson and Talib (for most of the game) they held Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ record-setting offense to just 26 points and if not for a failed two-point conversion attempt, would’ve made it a one score game in the 4^th quarter. Losing hurts but my fellow Pats’ fans should compare for a moment the Patriots loss in the AFC Championship to the Broncos loss in the Super Bowl. There. You feel better now, don’t you?

The Wilfork and Wendell signings provide the Patriots flexibility when it comes to the draft, too. Maybe they take Ra’Shede Hageman or Louis Nix III if they’re available at #29 but they don’t have to. Maybe they take Xavier Su’a-Filo to bolster the offensive line if he falls to them but they don’t have to.

Belichick, instead, can trade down for more 2^nd and 3^rd round picks.

You know it’s going to happen!

Shiny Pennies

So, the Eagles finally surprised no one and cut DeSean Jackson. Jackson’s release came with a gang-banging back story that Jackson denied in making his thank yous to Eagles’ fans, the Eagles organization and Andy Reid (nicely played back hand to Chip Kelly). That Jackson’s name was immediately and unsurprisingly linked to the Patriots in that “Tom Brady Needs Weapons” meme. While I agree with whatever pigskin pundit or bobblehead noted that New England would be the perfect place for Jackson to rehab his reputation, I’m not so sure Jackson thinks he needs to go to rehab (no, no, no). D-Jax is supremely talented and the impact a player of his abilities would have on the Patriots’ offense is intriguing but everything seems to argue against him coming to New England.

First of all, Jackson can get more money elsewhere. I can’t explain why he hasn’t already signed with Cleveland. The Jets have plenty of cap room and former Philadelphia teammate Michael Vick. Wouldn’t he make Andy Dalton a better QB? I’m not saying the gang ties are real but how much trouble could he get into in Green Bay?

Second, New England’s last gang-banger is now in prison, indicted for murder, leaving $7m in dead money on the Patriots’ cap. Again, I’ve no idea whether there’s any truth to the allegations against Jackson but in the context of Aaron Hernandez – and recent statements about troubled but talented wide receiver Kenny Britt from owner Robert Kraft – the allegations alone look like a deal breaker.

Finally, there’s the Bill Belichick-Chip Kelly relationship. I believe Jackson’s release has more to do with his $10m cap hit than anything else but the stories that Jackson was late to or missed meetings hardly makes him sound like a Belichick guy (see Spikes, Brandon). I would assume Belichick has already spoken to Kelly and I doubt Kelly faxed over a letter of recommendation.

The Short Goodbye

Predicting that LeGarrette Blount would sign with the Steelers doesn’t make the reality any easier to take. Perhaps it’s a vote of confidence for Stevan Ridley. Or recognition that Shane Vereen will be on the field for more snaps in sub packages in 2014. It was hard to square Blount’s reputation with the player and person we saw last year. He was one of my favorite players in 2013. It’s hard not to wish him well so I will.

Except when the Steelers play the Patriots, of course.

Christopher Price on WEEI.com is one of my “must reads” and he has a nice breakdown of what the Patriots might do at RB in the wake of Blount’s departure. As is true of most NFL franchises, the Patriots see running backs as fungible resources. It’s plug and play. The Broncos let Knowshon Moreno walk after 1,000 rushing yards and 10 TD last season; Montee Ball will tote the rock in 2014. Yes, there are special players at the position like Adrian Peterson but honestly, would Peterson get as many carries in New England with Tom Brady at QB, as he does in Minnesota with Christian Ponder under center?

NFL GM’s can find production in the late rounds of the draft, just as New England did in the 3^rd and 4^th rounds with Vereen and Ridley. More than 50 Division I-A players rushed for 1,000+ yards in 2013. A classic Belichick move would be to draft Jordan Lynch in the 7^th round not as a QB, but as a RB. Two Words: Paul Hornung. And by the way, Lynch posted a 6.55 in the three cone drill at the combine. The Patriots could use a depth/special teams option but they’re actually in pretty good shape at RB with Ridley, Vereen and Brandon Bolden.

The citizens of Patriots Nation can hope – not unreasonably – that Stevan Ridley returns to his 2012 form in 2014. It is a contract year, after all, for Ridley and Vereen.