The NFL calendar has some important dates, none more exciting than the start of the new league year. This season that will take place on March 10, and the excitement stems from the moves that will be made all across the league.
Right here in New England the Patriots are facing a number of difficult decisions. They already made one when they decided not to pick up the option on Vince Wilfork's contract, which means the 33-year-old defensive tackle will become a free agent on Tuesday.
But that by no means ends the drama for the Super Bowl champs. Bill Belichick has a number of high-profile free agents to deal with, and he'll be weighing his options as the new league year kicks off.
With that in mind our Samsonite Make Your Case question this week deals with two of the main components of those pending free agent decisions. Of the following scenarios, which is most likely to happen: The Patriots re-sign Darrelle Revis, they re-sign Devin McCourty, they re-sign both or neither re-signs?
PFW's Andy Hart says ...
Revis re-signs
Darrelle Revis is a guy who transformed the Patriots pass defense from a big weakness to a complementary strength of the team in a single year. He's one of the best cornerbacks in the game. He's truly an elite player, who makes everyone around him on defense look better. He's worth the market rate for corners and then some.
There is absolutely no reason or excuse for him to be allowed to walk away from Gillette Stadium. New England has been looking for an elite corner since Ty Law (or maybe Asante Samuel) and failed to fill the void. Well, that void has been filled. Don't let it open up again.
The Patriots went to and won the Super Bowl, in large part, because stars Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Revis were healthy and lived up to their potential. Re-sign Revis and the team could defend its title. Let him walk in free agency and it's going to be a lot harder to get to and win Super Bowl 50. Revis wants to return. The Patriots want him to return. It's financially feasible for him to return. So, he should return. Right?!
--AH
PFW's Paul Perillo says ...
Both re-sign
The biggest difference between this season and those of the recent past was the improved play of the secondary. Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty were major parts of that improvement. The Patriots know this and for that reason will make sure both return.
After finishing at or near the bottom of most major defensive categories for five years, the secondary's improvement allowed the entire group to improve. Revis' ability to lock down on the outside allowed McCourty to play deep center field effectively. That combination seemed to benefit the entire group.
It took the Patriots a long time to get the secondary back to respectability after Bill Belichick spent countless picks over the years trying to address it. He knows how tough that was and he knows how well Revis and McCourty fit together.
He's not about to break that group up over money. They'll both be back.
--PP
Now it's your turn to cast a vote in this week's Samsonite Make Your Case poll.
http://polldaddy.com/poll/8705844/
