Hope Takes the Early Lead

It's never easy being a Patriots fan. The latest update on Darrelle Revis? There is no update. If Bill Belichick had been Secretary of State, nobody would even know what his email address was (nobody alive, anyway).

"We're on to Iran."

What does that even mean?

 

Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC East is making news of the pigskin variety.

First it was the Bills trading for RB LeSean McCoy and QB Matt Cassel. Then the Dolphins made some noise – literally – claiming they were the favorites to sign Ndamukong Suh. That was followed by the Jets acquiring WR Brandon Marshall.

The Patriots news? They franchised their kicker, signed a long-snapper, released one of their all-time best players and left the good citizens of Patriots Nation to wander in the wilderness of silence for days, agonizing over the possible loss of Revis and Devin McCourty.

Obviously, still a lot of shoes left to drop over the next few days and call me crazy but sitting here in my comfy chair with the sun shining and hot cup of coffee in hand, I'm pretty happy with what the rest of the AFC East has done so far…

Buffalo Bills

I suppose I shouldn't forget that Richie Incognito signing. Any time you can pick up a below average talent who's proven to be a problem in the locker room and a holding penalty waiting to happen on the field, you've got to make that move, don't you? Perhaps more importantly, this is how bad the Bills offensive line is; Buffalo's management team thinks Richie Incognito makes them better.

Can LeSean McCoy provide production commensurate with his $10m cap hit behind that offensive line? It seems unlikely. McCoy initially made it known he'd rather not be in Buffalo but it looks like the Bills are willing to pay a premium for his affections. Still, things could get very ugly very fast on the frigid shores of Lake Erie. If the Bills get off to a slow start with McCoy spending his afternoons averaging -2.2 yards per carry while wearing defensive tackles like a human fat suit, I'd imagine some unpleasantries will soon follow.

Matt Cassel is an upgrade over E.J. Manuel but aren't opposing defenses still going to put 8 in the box regardless?

The last time the Patriots saw Matt Cassel they intercepted him four times as New England beat Minnesota 30-7.

Miami Dolphins

They say they're going to sign Ndamukong Suh.

I think Suh is more likely to sign with Oakland but let's say he does take his talents to South Beach.

Suh's contract will be huge, of course, and within the zero sum game that is the NFL salary cap, will impact talent and depth across the roster. That's bad enough but I find it noteworthy there hasn't been any comments from anyone in Detroit along the "he's a great teammate" lines when a franchise and teammates are making an emotional appeal to a free agent in hopes of the mythical hometown discount. I haven't come across anything from Suh along the lines of "I'd like to come back" or "Those guys in that locker room are my brothers" or even more interesting, "I want to go somewhere I can win a Super Bowl." Not that Suh should be criticized for being a professional football player but he seems uninterested in anything other than the cash money. That's not to say Suh won't play hard once he gets his big block of cheddar but given his cap hit, who's going to line up next to him?

I'm starting to hope Suh does sign with Miami.

The last time the Patriots saw Ndamukong Suh, he was on the other side of a 34-9 beatdown. He had 4 tackles, 3 for a loss and 1 QB hit.

I'm starting to hope Suh doesn't sign with Miami.

New York Jets

The trade for Brandon Marshall is being universally hailed as a very big deal for the J-E-T-S. This conveniently ignores the NYJ's unsettled quarterback situation. It also disregards how willingly the Bears parted with their modestly priced #1 wide receiver.

Patriots' fans have heard Belichick and his lieutenants say (repeatedly), it's not about acquiring talent, it's about building a team.

Is Marshall talented? Yes, of course. He's rarely mentioned in the same breath with Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas or Julio Jones but how many receivers are? Okay, he's coming off his worst year as a pro since his rookie campaign but that could be chalked up to playing for a bipolar quarterback and injuries.

What was it Bill Parcells said about injuries? Wasn't it, once they get hurt, they keep getting hurt?

Marshall hasn't been known as a great locker room guy over the course of his career. Despite the talent level, he's already been traded by three teams. How is he going to react to the lack of targets on the one hand and being hung out to dry on crossing patterns on the other, with either the underwhelming Geno Smith or rookie Marcus Mariota throwing him the ball a split-second late?

Let's set the over/under on Marshall's first sideline tirade at Week 6.

I'll take the under.

The last time the Patriots saw Brandon Marshall, his team was on the short end of a 51-23 score that wasn't that close. Marshall had 3 catches on 10 targets for 35 yards.

I find it somewhat delusional that Jets' fans and mock drafters alike have Marcus Mariota going to the NYJ at #6 in the upcoming draft. If that does happen, Mariota still needs to make the leap from a college spread offense to an NFL passing game with fundamentally different requirements. Mariota has the measurables and athleticism to become a successful and perhaps even an elite NFL quarterback but that won't happen overnight.

Which leads me to Darrelle Revis.

Rumors mongered by NFL insider Adam Schefter have the Jets and Patriots as the only two destinations being considered by Revis. The Jets have more cap space; the Patriots have the better odds of winning more than four games in 2015.

When it comes to Revis, Woody Johnson sounds like a guy who dumped Jennifer Lawrence and now all he can think about is getting back together with her. While I don't blame him, there's some baggage there; he did dump her – I mean, him in the first place.

Put another way, with all the issues the Jets have, why tie up $16m a year in one player, even if that player is Jennifer Lawrence good?

Okay, this Jennifer Lawrence comparison isn't actually making this easier to figure out.

Anyway, I'd like to believe this would come down to the team that traded him to Tampa Bay for a bag of magic beans and the team that put a ring on it but I'm not convinced. Along with the Dolphins, the Raiders, Jaguars and possibly the Chargers are potential destinations for Ndamukong Suh. Whoever doesn't get him is going to have a boatload of cash they might want to spend on a big name that would make their fans forget they missed out on Suh. If Revis is willing to return to the Jets, why wouldn't he be willing to suit up for the Raiders, Chargers or the Jaguars?

We'll find out soon enough, I suppose.