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It was bound to happen eventually, I guess. I was just hoping I could delay the inevitable for a little while longer.
New England's reign atop the AFC East is officially over. Time to make room for the Miami Dolphins.
The 2016 Free Agency period has come and gone, and the Patriots haven't made a single move. Players were released, sure, but nobody was signed. And now that teams can't sign free agents anymore, it looks like this sorry roster that New England has right now is what we're going to have to rely on in September.
Why couldn't the Patriots have been more like Miami? Why couldn't they have been more like Oakland? Or Jacksonville? Or Houston? Those are all franchises whose regular season and postseason records this century speak to how smart it is to spend a lot of money right away in the offseason and not take a step back to watch the market settle before making any moves. With an absolutely star-studded and elite crop of free agents this year, New England really dropped the ball this time around. They had all the time in the world - HOURS! - to sign all kinds of Hall of Fame Talent for millions and millions of dollars, but instead have chosen to do nothing. Once again, evil, arrogant Bill Belichick is allowing his stubbornness and smug sense of superiority to cloud his judgment and prevent the Patriots from making the playoffs yet again.
It's gonna be a long year, everyone. I don't know about you, but those three or four Mondays we have coming up that are going to follow a Patriots loss are really going to stick in my craw.