Like I've said numerous times before, Bill Belichick is much smarter than I am when it comes to football. In fact, a lot of people are much smarter than me about football (co-writers on this site), but that's beside the point. Hoodie is Yoda and I'm, well, a slug at the bottom of his shoe. As masterful as he is, I still don't subscribe to the "In Bill We Trust" mantra. There are some things that give me pause. Like some of the recent player moves.
Logan Mankins: Tendered with a first and third rounder, Hoodie decided to protect a productive guard with the most expensive tender option available.
Stephen Gostkowski: This one I get. Assigning a second round tender makes our kicker that much less appealing on the open market. "G Man" has been good for us. Maybe he's not in the top 5 (ranked 19th in FG percentage and 10th in touchbacks), but Stephen has been solid for us. Good move.
Pierre Woods: Woods was tendered at a very low level and could be easily scooped up by another team. Tied for special teams tackles, what kind of message does this send to a versatile backup and ST resource? I'm really not sure what Hoodie was thinking here.
Leigh Bodden: Sign.Leigh.Bodden. Right now, the Patriots' most productive CB is playing the field and looking to see what he's worth. Why, on earth, is Belichick letting him roam around? Corner is a position we've struggled with for the past 2 seasons and letting our (arguably) best corner hit the bricks is mystifying to me. Hoodie needs to lock this guy up.
Tully Banta-Cain: This is a feel good story if there ever was one. TBC leaves the Patriots for a few years, comes back and turns out to be one of our most productive pass rushers. With a $6 million signing bonus and $19 million over 3 years if he hits all of his incentives, I can only be happy for him. He signed a 1 year "put up or shut up" deal, proved his worth, and is now being rewarded. Congrats, Tully!
Julius Peppers: Rumor is we're going after the 4-3 DE and have made an offer. If that's the case, I'm feeling better about our pass rush. With TBC and Peppers, we could be getting closer to a dominant defense. Oh, and Adalius Thomas might as well continue making barbeque sauce. Or maybe he'll reunite with his former Ravens defensive coordinator, Jabba the Rex.
Gary Guyton: Solid move to tender him. Guyton is a hard working kid who is ready when called on. He was productive when Jerod Mayo was sidelined in the MNF opener against the Bills and has all the qualities and traits of a Belichick coached player.
Who did I miss? Do you agree or am I talking smack?