The New England Patriots have five starters that will hit the free agent market this offseason. While they are only a few pieces away from at least returning to the Super Bowl, they must first address the players who have already played in Foxboro. What should they do with each? Who is worth bringing back and who is replaceable?
Aqib Talib, Cornerback, Age: 28 It goes without saying that Talib needs to be back if the Patriots want to have a shot at the Super Bowl. The defense is very good when he is on the field, and it is only mediocre when he is off it. It is clear, now more than ever, that defense wins championships. Talib is the most important piece on that defense and can turn it into a championship defense, if he stays healthy. Franchise Talib for this year and if he stays healthy, then offer him multiple years. Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver, Age: 28 The Patriots can’t take Brady’s number one receiver away from him for a second year in a row, can they? I don’t believe they will. However, I only believe that because he will be in their price range. The market for Edelman is not going to be what people expected. There was barely a market for Welker last year, after he had produced year after year. Edelman has done it once. He will be back on a three or four year deal for fairly cheap money. Possibly an Amendola-esque contract. LeGarrette Blount, Running Back, Age: 27 Blount should be on the Patriots’ radar. HOWEVER, they should not overpay for him. He played well in the last few weeks of the year. I would not overpay for him at all. If he is willing to come back to New England on a one year, $1.5 million deal, bring him back. If he wants anything more than that, let him walk. Brandon Spikes, Inside Linebacker, Age: 26 There is no way Spikes is back in Foxboro next season. He will be looking for more money than the Patriots will offer. He was placed on IR because he missed a practice. Jamie Collins emerged as a very good outside linebacker. With Collins on the outside, Hightower can be moved inside and stop the run, where he is much better than when he drops into coverage. Spikes will be elsewhere next year. Ryan Wendell, Center, Age: 28 Wendell was horrible this season. He is, in large part, why Brady was on his backside 81 times in 2013, including 40 sacks. Wendell could be back, but it would be as a backup making very little money, a job he may not be willing to accept, if he is even offered it. He will not be starting in 2014. The Patriots will most likely look in free agency or the draft to upgrade the center position. An under-the-radar free agent that I would like to see the Patriots bring back is linebacker Dane Fletcher. He is a solid coverage linebacker and was able to step in and perform admirably when other linebackers went down with injuries. Fletcher probably will not be in high demand and could be back on a cheap contract.
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Overall, I was very disappointed with the Super Bowl commercials. They seem to go downhill every year. On top of that, the game itself was not very interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the big game. As a Patriots fan, the only thing that could have made the game better was if Peyton Manning and his “greatest offense in NFL history” were held scoreless. However, there were some commercials that are at least noteworthy.
Budweiser did it again. They were the center of attention the second the commercials began with people anticipating their Clydesdale ad. Everybody knew there was going to be a Budweiser commercial featuring everybody’s favorites horses and a cute puppy. I was waiting all game to see this "Best Buds" commercial and while it was one of the better commercials, it did not live up to my unrealistic expectations after last year’s commercial. That being said, it was still a very good commercial. What Budweiser really has going for them, is that we were waiting for that commercial. Every time the game went to break, I was awaiting the new Budweiser commercial. The Clydesdales commercials are a marketing campaign that we know and love. While some companies attempt to make the audience laugh, their ads a lot of the time come across as crude and humorless; Budweiser sticks to classic and touching commercials that we all love. While the puppy commercial was the one most people were talking about, it was the hero’s welcome commercial that Budweiser nailed this year. There was another commercial that I am still not sure what I think of it. The Turbo Tax commercial early in the game got my attention by saying that Super Bowl Sunday is not a holiday (unless you are from Denver or Seattle) because it is a day of watching a team that is not yours play for the championship. Boom. Just like that they had my attention. It was so simple, but they were able to capture my interest, mostly because I was curious as to what was being advertised. I did not see that commercial becoming an advertisement for Turbo Tax, but I now have the company name in my head because of an attention-grabbing commercial. While I was disappointed with most of the commercials, there is no question in my mind that T-Mobile stole the show. T-Mobile’s selling point is that contracts hold you back and if you switch to T-Mobile, they will buy you out of your contract. Who better to promote how great life is without a contract than Tim Tebow? Tebow has been the center of discussion since…well since he was a student at Florida; but since being cut by the Patriots in training camp, he has not been offered another contract. He apparently has been enjoying life without a contract, though, taking selfies with Bigfoot and saving puppies from fires. Tebow being able to poke fun at the fact that he does not have a contract is funny. I loved the fact that he is able to joke about his situation and a lot of people should think that way as well. However, T-Mobile isn’t stopping at Tim Tebow; they seem to be partnering with another NFL star. |
SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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