One Shoe Drops

I guess the pigskin gridiron cognoscenti were right about Dont'a Hightower re-signing with the Patriots.

Thank the Pigskin Jesus. I don't know how much longer I could've held my breath.

As good as this movie has been for Patriots fans, it's good to remind ourselves this is just Act I. And Act I isn't over. Free agency isn't done. There's still the draft, training camp and preseason yet to come before we even get to Act II. With the Hightower signing, it's going to be even harder to wait for the regular season kickoff.

Maybe the moneyball guys are right and clutch is just a small data sample but it's hard to deny that Dont'a Hightower has the knack; a sense of the moment and a command of the biggest of stages. He was built for championship games. I have no doubt that four years from now he'll pushing somebody off the list of Top 10 Patriots of All Time.

The Other Shoe, er, Shoes…

Malcolm Butler to the Saints just seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. Can Belichick get back pick #32? He'd probably be just as happy with a couple of 2nd rounders (this year and next) or a 2nd and a 3rd. It all just feels like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Jimmy Garoppolo to the Browns on the other hand seems more like a coin flip.

Jimmy G moving to Cleveland depends on so many variables. The Browns would need to take Myles Garrett at #1 (seems likely) hoping to get a QB at #12 only to see their favorites all get taken in between (seems unlikely). Aside from the Jets at #6, who should be looking into that Johnny Foxborough kid Bill Belichick is always talking about but will probably sign Jay Cutler next week, there isn't a team that looks like it would go QB with picks 2-11. The Browns can roll with Mitchell Trubisky or Deshaun Watson at #12 and still be assured of a Top 10 pick in next year's draft.

Worst case, Cleveland can start Brock Osweiler in 2017.

And yes, that is the very definition of "worst case."

For Your Consideration…

So, I happened to notice this when visiting the Patriots ESPN.com page earlier today to check in on the Hightower signing. In the playoffs and Super Bowl, New England scored 34, 36 and 34 points. They did that without Rob Gronkowski.

In the 2016 regular season, the Patriots averaged 27.5 points per game; in their final 12 games with Tom Brady at quarterback, they averaged 30 points per game.

In their record-setting 2007 season, New England averaged 36.8 points per game.

With a healthy Gronk and the fuel-injected Brandin Cooks, Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels just might put that in the rear view.

I can hardly wait for Act II.