Rumor Mongering

Patriots Nation’s second favorite rumor – Larry Fitzgerald is still #1 – surfaced again on Saturday; several pigskin pundits and bobbleheads reported or confirmed retweeted Houston’s interest in a trade for Ryan Mallett. By the end of the day this rumor had been summarily dismissed by pigskin cognoscenti. Unfortunately, rumors Aqib Talib will play for Washington in 2014 only seemed to be gaining something like momentum. By Monday, it seemed a fait accompli.

I’d already said goodbye to Talib, of course.

The Patriots, as usual, have maintained a low profile during the tampering period, their names linked only to their own free agents and then not in a good way. Bloggers, commenters and sports radio callers bemoaned the lack of rumors worth mongering and the inevitability that Bill Belichick will not be slapping his checkbook on the table and asking [your favorite free agent’s name here] “What’s it going to take to get you into a Patriots’ uniform today?”

It’s simple, really. Every player that signs on or before Day 1 of free agency is getting overpaid (unless they're giving the hometown discount to their current Super Bowl-winning team). It’s supply and demand at its most nakedly obvious. Three teams need a wide receiver, wide receiver gets rich. Five teams need a wide receiver, wide receiver gets obscenely rich.

I get the “Brady’s window is closing” argument because yeah, it is. Tom Terrific will be 37 in August. Give him some weapons! Shore up the defense! Ignore the fact that Hakeem Nicks punked out on Bill’s good friend Tom Coughlin! He just needs a change of scenery! Pay the man! Ignore the fact that Eric Decker disappeared in the Super Bowl! Cut Wilfork if you have to and put that cheddar on Decker’s table! Fill a duck boat with Benjamins and drive it onto Jairus Byrd’s front lawn! Screw Aqib Talib; make that trade for Darrelle Revis happen! [Edit: No! Wait until the Bucs release him then sign him!]

We’re conveniently forgetting that Tom didn’t win a Super Bowl with Randy Moss; he won with Troy Brown and David Patten and David Givens and well, you get the point.