NFL Free Agents: They All Look Good to New England Patriot Fans
By J.P. Scott
Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson (21) celebrates a play during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
I feel like a kid in a toy store with an open checkbook! If only this was the Madden video game and it was just me vs. the computer moving guys around to sign every free agent I wanted.
Look at this year’s crop of free agents! It’s like every guy who hits the market fits in perfectly with what New England does.
Charles Woodson? Yes please! Steve Gregory is fine at safety, but c’mon — he’s no Woodson!
Now ol’ Charles is gonna need a breather now and then. Might as well come in the form of Ed Reed, right. Sign him up!
Danny Amendola! Nevermind getting rid of Welker and grabbing him as a replacement, keep’em both! Bring in Mike Wallace while we’re at it!
Dwight Freeney? Sure, he’s a shell of his old self but we need a pass rush! Sign him!
I want Delanie Walker too. They call the guy “The Swiss Army Knife” for Kraft’s sake! Can you imagine the packages ol’ Bill would draw up with him, Hernandez and Gronk! Let’s get this done already!
We can always use some running backs. We got Ridley and Vereen, but bring back Woodhead and please, PLEASE sign Steven Jackson. The guy was born to wear a Pats uni!
Yes, there is alot out there that looks oh-so-enticing from a fanboy’s perspective, but we gotta keep level heads. The cold hard fact is that New England hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 2005. We’ve had all kinds of guys come and go. We’ve seen the most talented teams New England has had on paper fall short.
The teams that won those Super Bowls were not made up of superstars. They were a lunchpail bunch. There’s no guarantee that anyone on those teams other than Brady gets into the Hall of Fame. They got it done with nobodies.
So even though we all feel like kids walking into Toys R Us with $1000 gift certificates, it is important to keep our wits about us. It is important to remember that Belichick knows what he’s doing. He has the Pats in the hunt every year, all the while avoiding the temptation of the high-dollar free agent market. To change the formula would go against everything that made the Patriots what they are today.
I can’t be alone in thinking I’d rather lose the Super Bowl or AFC Championship every season with Brady and a cast of nobodies as opposed to being the darlings of free agency and finish 9-7 in the process.
Remember that the next time a big name free agent hits the market in the coming weeks. Avoid temptation. Stay the course. We don’t need to be the Eagles.