There's No Place Like Home

Who are you and what have you done with the real Bill Belichick?

 

First he actually pays what it took to keep Julian Edelman. Then there were the [talented but troubled] Kenny Britt rumors. Had Belichick fallen down and gone crazy? Did he have an evil twin that escaped from his “apartment” in the basement and taken Belichick’s place? That’s what I was thinking. I thought Brandon Browner was something of a surprise in the wake of Aaron Hernandez’s sudden career change. Then I realized, it is Belichick. Belichick has never confused football players with choir boys, and his love of the bad boys goes all the way back to Bryan Cox. If I understand Browner’s narrative correctly, he could be a guy who made a mistake when he was younger who’s now looking for a shot at redemption. It practically writes itself. Browner is a risk with upside.

Kenny Britt looks like a gallon of gasoline looking for a match.

Then came the news it was Brandon LaFell the Patriots had signed. I must admit, I wasn’t terribly excited when LaFell first visited but this signing looks tremendous next to the prospect of Kenny Britt in Foxborough. LaFell has the size New England has long been looking for though not the top end speed and some local pigskin pundit or bobblehead noted that LaFell had “wobbly hands.”

Did I mention Brandon LaFell is 6’ 2” tall?

He had a 79-yard catch in 2013 so just how slow is he, anyway?

You know it could’ve been Kenny Britt, don’t you?

LaFell may be little more than insurance for Aaron Dobson’s wobbly foot; if so, it strikes me as a good investment. If on the other hand LaFell can benefit from Brady Effect and deliver 70+ catches, 800+ yards and 6+ TD it’s all good.

More importantly, Jules is back and while I should be no more certain of a 16-game season for Edelman than for Amendola or Gronkowski, I admit I am greatly relieved that he’ll be back in 2014. I think we could see another 100+ catches/1,000+ yards from Edelman, even with Dobson, Josh Boyce and Kenbrell Thompkins making the second year leap and even if Amendola is healthy and even with LaFell’s best case scenario.

If it wasn’t for Dobson’s broken foot I would be wildly optimistic about the Patriots passing offense in 2014.

I guess I’ll settle for merely optimistic.

Welcome back, Jules.