Pats Posits: The Calm Before the Explosion

Have you enjoyed your 23 days of Super Bowl championship bliss? Are you ready to put it down and feel terrible about the decisions the Patriots are going to make over the next month, wasting the rest of Tom Brady’s window, not addressing the pass rush or the deep threats or whatever else the pundits tell you is the Patriots biggest weakness? Well, here it comes.

I kid of course. If you’re reading this blog you probably know that by now. Unlike many Boston outlets, I don’t try to tell you how wrong the Patriots are about everything, I just sit back and enjoy the craziness. And make no mistake, there is craziness coming. It wouldn’t be a Patriots offseason without craziness, and this spring will be no different.

I’ve dipped a toe into free agency (here and here), and barely even cracked the books on the draft yet. The real reason? Well, it’s a major one, possibly the biggest development in the history of the blog.

So strap up for more on that and everything else as the start of the 2017 league year is rapidly approaching.

— Many don’t know this but after growing up outside of Boston and going to college at Holy Cross in Worcester, I’ve actually been in Los Angeles working in television since before the birth of this blog. Well, that’s about to change because this June, because my family and I are moving back to Boston! Obviously I’m incredibly excited to be coming home and now it should provide an opportunity to take this site to another level. There is so much to do, I apologize in advance if the content gets light this spring, especially as we get closer to June. But know that once I land back there the content and access for the site will only increase. It’s hard to wrap my head around it all right now, but we’ll power through the offseason like we always do, and I’m already fantasizing about what will be in store for the 2017 season. So stay tuned.

— The elephant in the room is Dont’a Hightower as it’s looking less and less likely the Patriots tag him, though the Pats always do wait until the last possible moment to announce stuff like this. But if they don’t tag him the chances that he walks to another team increase dramatically. In fact, I’d put it as more likely than not that he leaves New England.

Patriots will not use the franchise tag on Dont’a Hightower by tomorrow’s deadline. Could still re-sign him by March 9. World isn’t ending.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) February 28, 2017

— The blowback on this will be monstrous. The Pats have a shit ton of cap space and can do whatever they want. Rationalizing why they’d allow a player like Hightower to get away will be near-impossible. Personally I’d be frustrated because it would mean another significant defensive re-build in some key spots. Hightower has some issues, but players who make the kind of plays he does are near-impossible to find. We’ll know more in the next 24 hours. But get ready for it…

— Jamaal Charles was released today and I’d be more than fine to bring him in. I’m already on record saying the Pats should move on from Blount and someone like Charles would alter the Patriots’ offense in a perfect way to keep things fresh. If he could stay on the field of course, which is a major question.

— I do hate this time of year generally. Every time any random player who ever made a significant football play gets released it sparks a firestorm of “do we want him”, “would he fit”, etc. I don’t waste my time speculating about every free agent to hit the market.

— HOWEVER, if the Pats don’t spend on Hightower, they’ll be especially active. Or maybe they’ll just give extensions to Brady, Butler, Solder and Edelman and fill in the holes like they usually do, with unexciting castoffs. I refuse to believe there won’t be a splash move of some sort this offseason. Probably should be two or more at least. But it won’t be the way any of us thought it would be, per usual.