PFW's Paul Perillo says ...
No
When the start of the new league year approach, many Patriots fans were hopeful that Darrelle Revis would be re-signed and remain as the cornerstone of the team's secondary. Little did they know that not only would Revis go but fellow corner Brandon Browner would be leaving as well.
That leaves a huge hole at cornerback on the team's roster, but that isn't the only area of the need for the team. Before the mass exodus at corner, many believed the team would be targeting the offensive and defensive lines in both free agency and the draft.
Also, running back Shane Vereen left for big bucks with the Giants, and the injured Stevan Ridley remains in limbo as a free agent so that position can't be ignored either.
With the furious flurry of free agent activity still very much in progress, our Samsonite Make Your Case question of the week is: With Revis gone is cornerback the Patriots biggest area of need?
PFW's Andy Hart says ...
Yes
Anytime you lose the best player at his position that automatically becomes your biggest need. Add in Brandon Browner's departure and we are venturing very close to crisis mode.
Revis and Browner allowed the defense to play a certain way last year and the entire group fed off that toughness. They lined up man-to-man and took away the will of many opposing receivers. That kind of physical play will be tough to replace, but it will be necessary.
Bill Belichick spent years looking for quality cornerback play, and even though the Patriots managed to win a lot of games without, they didn't manage to win in the playoffs when it counted. Finding some alternatives in the secondary has to be the top priority in a league that has become more and more of an aerial show every year.
-AH
PFW's Paul Perillo says ...
No
Losing Revis and Browner is a huge blow, especially the former. There's no way to replace the best corner in the game, so it's tough to argue against corner being the team's biggest need.
But I've seen Bill Belichick plug in guys in the secondary and find ways to win. He's been able to get by with the likes of Sterling Moore and Randall Gay and Phillip Adams and even Julian Edelman. So I can definitely envision a secondary with Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler being able to be serviceable enough to win with.
What he hasn't been able to win without is a solid offensive line, and with Dan Connolly currently in free agent limbo I have some concerns. We saw early last season how shoddy play up front can affect the whole team, and I'm afraid losing Connolly might lead to more long afternoons for Tom Brady.
I would like to see Belichick address the front in the draft and perhaps even acquire a veteran (Evan Mathis?) to solidify things. In a perfect world the offensive line would feature two new guards next season and Ryan Wendell can serve as an interior backup.
That would turn the line into a strength, but until that happens I believe it's the greatest area of need.
--PP
Now it's your turn to cast a vote in this week's Samsonite Make Your Case poll question.
[wysifield-embeddedpoll|eid="314226"|type="embeddedpoll"|view_mode="full"]
Losing Revis and Browner is a huge blow, especially the former. There's no way to replace the best corner in the game, so it's tough to argue against corner being the team's biggest need.
But I've seen Bill Belichick plug in guys in the secondary and find ways to win. He's been able to get by with the likes of Sterling Moore and Randall Gay and Phillip Adams and even Julian Edelman. So I can definitely envision a secondary with Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler being able to be serviceable enough to win with.
What he hasn't been able to win without is a solid offensive line, and with Dan Connolly currently in free agent limbo I have some concerns. We saw early last season how shoddy play up front can affect the whole team, and I'm afraid losing Connolly might lead to more long afternoons for Tom Brady.
I would like to see Belichick address the front in the draft and perhaps even acquire a veteran (Evan Mathis?) to solidify things. In a perfect world the offensive line would feature two new guards next season and Ryan Wendell can serve as an interior backup.
That would turn the line into a strength, but until that happens I believe it's the greatest area of need.
--PP
Now it's your turn to cast a vote in this week's Samsonite Make Your Case poll question.
[wysifield-embeddedpoll|eid="314226"|type="embeddedpoll"|view_mode="full"]
