NFL Free Agents: anything worth a second look for our Patriots?

by MaPatsFan on Feb 9, 2010 7:58 PM EST in News/General Comment 19 comments

As we ease out of 2009 and slide into 2010, the same process starts anew for every team in the NFL: that of evaluating their current coaching staff and roster, deciding who to cut and keep, tracking college prospects, and examining the free agent market for talent. We all know Belichick absolutely LOVES free agents. He loves trying to get a "washed up" veteran who turns out to be a star. This year, he had a few misses (Joey Galloway anyone?), but he's allowed a few mistakes I guess. Before taking a look at who's out there, let's focus on our free agents, shall we?

Pos	Player Name	FA Status	Previous Team	Current Team
RB	Kevin Faulk	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
TE	Billy Miller	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
TE	Benjamin Watson	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
PK	Stephen Gostkowski	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
P	Chris Hanson	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
OG	Logan Mankins	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
OG	Stephen Neal	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
DL	Derrick Burgess	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
DL	Jarvis Green	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
DL	Le Kevin Smith	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
DL	Vince Wilfork	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
LB	Eric Alexander	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
LB	Tully Banta-Cain	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
LB	Pierre Woods	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent
CB	Leigh Bodden	UFA	New England Patriots	Free Agent

I've italicized the FA's I think we should keep - YMMV. It's pure emotion at this point with very little analysis; I leave that to smart people like The Hill and Comedic.Sans. Moving on...

Given the absolute silence from Gillette Stadium, I wouldn't surprise me in the least if Vince Wilfork were franchised. I don't see anyone else on the list worthy of that "distinction". He's arguably the best 3-4 NT in football and proved this year that he can be moved around the line and be productive. If Kraft, Inc. decides not to give him a contract, he'll get the tag.

Now, onto the available FA's in the NFL as of today. Who we give a second look will be directly related to what spot we need to fill on our current roster AND who we plan on dumping from the previous list. In some cases, it could be who we plan on trading away or cutting (at least Adalius Thomas has another career pedaling BBQ sauce).

Without looking at college prospects or the FA list, there are a few burning needs on this team: WR, rushing OLB/DE, OL not necessarily in that order. I'm partial to rushing OLB/DE, so I'll start there: Julius Peppers. Unless the Carolina Panthers decide to slap with a second franchise tag, Peppers is on the market. The question is will he be expensive? Probably. But Carolina will definitely franchise him, trying to get some value (ie: draft picks, etc...). Is he worth it? Considering our anemic pass rush, maybe so.

Looking at WR's, the Ravens' Kelley Washington is looking to get more playing time. Could he be a valid 3rd receiver? How about the Broncos' Brandon Marshall? Word is he's looking to draw interest. Pickings are a bit slim, I know. Hopefully our Brandon Tate is healed up and ready to rock.

OL? I'll leave that to our resident PhD of the pigpile, JohnHannahRules; I'm less knowledgeable on the 300 pounders.

Where you at? What's our needs? Any guys on the FA list you'd be interested in? Let's hear it.

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Comments

why is le kevin smith on this list?

i want everybody back except Neal (sorry..i love ya but ur old and undersized), miller, hanson, burguess and maybe alexander

Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
i love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.....159mph is my top speed on the interstate
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
Peyton Manning ran off with seconds to go @ Super Bowl 44...that is priceless
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Marvez-Manning-has-unhappy-ending-020710

by NinjaZX6R on Feb 9, 2010 8:59 PM EST reply actions

He hasn't decided yet if he'll come back or not

Guy’s hurting.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Feb 9, 2010 11:55 PM EST up reply actions

Billy Miller?

He a Who Dat, ain’t he? Isn’t he on the Saints, or was there a transaction since Sunday? I say, bring them all back, and those that get outdone or shown up at training camp by rookies or new comers get cut.

by Ozstryker on Feb 9, 2010 9:48 PM EST reply actions

i was wondering who the hell was billy miller

by NinjaZX6R on Feb 9, 2010 11:16 PM EST up reply actions

How about Okefor from the cardinals to play outside linebacker?

by Andrew S32132014 on Feb 9, 2010 11:16 PM EST reply actions

Also Josh Reed from the bills would be a good 3rd receiver

by Andrew S32132014 on Feb 9, 2010 11:17 PM EST reply actions

I would get rid of Chris Hanson (take a seat over there)...

…and Steven Neal. I would keep Burgess for a lower price.

Burgess was great at run stopping. He and TBC complemented each other well.

by Richard Hill on Feb 9, 2010 11:34 PM EST reply actions

Le Kevin Smith is gone - traded to Denver with a 2010 seventh rounder for Denver's 5th rounder

So he’s out of it – he’s in the ~~other Patriots~~ Broncos.

I’m iffy on Steve Neal – he’s injury prone, old, and I think there are some pretty good Guards in the draft that are worth a long, hard look. Connolly is also pretty good, so he might actually beat out Neal for a spot anyway.

I’m not so keen on keeping Chris Hanson – he’s got okay hangtime (which Hoodie likes) but he’s not exactly a boomer. At the moment the Pats have got two of the best and quickest gunners around – Slater and Arrington – and I’d love to see them have more of a chance of nailing punt returners on long, raking kicks. At the moment, they’re outrunning the punt blockers and waiting around for a pretty languid punt to arrive, which is a waste of their talents. If the Pats got a punter who could put it deep as well as high, I’d wager you’d see more Ravens-playoff-game-like special teams turnovers.

I’m also a little iffy on Faulk. I love the guy to bits, but he’s going to be that little bit older, slower and more prone to injuries, and there are guys like Darren Sproules and Leon Washington going into free agency and guys like Josh Cribbs who are trade bait (Cribbs has already cleaned out his locker and told the Browns he will sit out his contract!) If the Pats have to replace Faulk, it’s no dishonour to be replaced by guys as explosive as Sproules or Washington or Cribbs.

Finally – Jarvis Green. I’m not sure he really has a spot any more. I don’t know if 2009 proved he’s a true full-time starting RE – he doesn’t command double-teams like Seymour did, so he stunts the blitz a little because that leaves a tackle or guard free to nail any linebackers. He also doesn’t have his better-than-useful backup role – Mike Wright is under contract and has that sewn up. If the Pats think they can get a good RE in the draft or free agency, I’d think Green is gone.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Feb 10, 2010 12:42 AM EST reply actions

faulk is one guy we have to keep

he is a team leader and i would love him to retire as a patriot

by NinjaZX6R on Feb 10, 2010 2:53 AM EST up reply actions

You wondered why I had 5 RBs in my mock roster breakdown

Short answer – Faulk. I couldn’t cut him. But I couldn’t really guarantee he could get 60% of the snaps, either (he did last year – that’s how often the Pats are on 3rd down and/or the Shotgun set).

If you keep one open for Faulk, I think you need another open for another guy, just in case.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Feb 11, 2010 2:15 AM EST up reply actions

Green says he wants to explore the FA market...

…and I hope we don’t try and bring him back.

by Richard Hill on Feb 10, 2010 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

Likewise

He’s a guy without a role – no double-team, and Mike Wright seems a better pass-rusher.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Feb 11, 2010 2:16 AM EST up reply actions

no mention of Bodden!?!

I can’t believe that no one has called out Leigh Bodden as a must keep! He was one of the few impact players on the defense this year. Also it would be a huge mistake to let kev faulk go, he is one of the best third down backs in the game….im not sure sproules or washington are as big an upgrade as people think.

by DreGunz on Feb 10, 2010 12:33 PM EST reply actions

Bodden was the Pats most consistent and effective corner

I think he should be kept too, if possible.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Feb 10, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions

MaPatsFan has him italicized

as in a ‘keeper’.

And I’ll throw my vote for that too. I’d try to keep Bodden around for at least a couple years. He’s the real deal.

I can’t disagree with MPF’s selections too much. Most are straightforward.

I share others’ concern about Faulk’s age – but man, he still looked good last year. He didn’t have a boat-load of carries. Maybe one more year left in that body?

Green is probably going to look for a bigger paycheck for his family. This is his first chance to hit FA after a year as a ‘starter’ so he’s looking to cash in. Good luck, Jarvis!

I wouldn’t be surprised if Burgess ends up coming back. He played better towards the end and I get this odd feeling BB likes something about him. Not sure what. Not sure I want him back – but I wouldn’t be surprised.

I wouldn’t mind if we took a look at Stallworth for that 3rd WR slot …

by mmmmm on Feb 10, 2010 2:30 PM EST up reply actions

I like Stallworth too

and Josh Reed from Buffalo

by Jedelman11 on Feb 10, 2010 6:33 PM EST up reply actions

I was for keeping Faulk

but that leads me to believe they need another back, just in case. If Freddy doesn’t retire, Maroney stays around for his last contract year, Morris might be around, and Faulk is another year older… eh, I don’t like the odds of them all being healthy, all the time. Rotate the carries around early and don’t ride any of them into the ground – 5 RBs? I’d also wonder whether Faulk should be getting special team reps, given how important he is as a 3rd down back. I would quite like a HB who can run back punts and kicks – a Cribbs or Washington or Sproules, please?

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Feb 11, 2010 2:22 AM EST up reply actions