Patriots Sign WR Brandon LaFell to 3-year contract

[Sticky Caulk]

That kind of money could have brought us a solid vet TE, or Woodyard, or a Move TE, etc. So it seems way over valued for someone of LaFells modest numbers.

Which move TE is available for a similar contract?

 

[Joker]

That is one very attractive young bride in your avatar, Supa..who's the mook with the shyt eating grin on his face next to her?

 

[supafly]

Bingo. The last thing we need is another rookie who's several years away from contributing. Adding vets was necessary.

Is LaFell that guy? I don't know. He strikes me as a slot receiver moreso than an outside target. Don't see any reason to expect him to be getting snaps over Edelman and Amendola, and Dobson's different skillset should save him at least. Who knows though.

Agreed, but we need to have adequate depth just as well for when the eventual injury bug hits.

Another thing I would be concerned about is the expected progression from guys such as Dobson, etc. There's obviously no guarantee that it will be any different than this year, even though the odds are higher for contribution in year two.

It's possible that Belichick has been burned one too many times from the higher draft picks like Jackson, Tate, Price, etc. They don't seem to work out too often. We heard the exact same thing about all 3 of those guys, who were supposed to be the next best thing. They can't be relied upon.

I actually have a feeling that while Belichick appreciates guys like Thompkins and Boyce, he also saw some things last year that made him want to upgrade the position. In my opinion all 3 of the rookies are a long shot to all make it anyway. I see 2/3 myself. We'll have to see.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Draft has to be DT and TE focused.

 

[ausbacker]

I'd agree with you about the pact, but until we find out the specifics, I'm not going to be concerned.

It's possible that Belichick wanted a stop gap for 2014 and 2015 which gives us 2 more seasons to address the position. One would have to assume a nice out for the 2016 season, and if he does pay off nicely, it will be cheap in a year where the cap is projected to be about 30 million higher.

One large theme that continues to arise is the numbers. We're going to need to recondition ourselves to a salary cap heading north of 130 million each year quickly. Suddenly, 2-3 million per is bargain basement rate in the new NFL.

 

[supafly]

That is one very attractive young bride in your avatar, Supa..who's the mook with the shyt eating grin on his face next to her?

Smartass... I figured that Scarlett Johannson was getting too old (I traded her in for Kate Upton on my "fantasy" team--and I do mean fantasy), so my avatar needed changing as well.

Boring back story: we are high school sweethearts though. I've known her for 25+ years already, which is pretty cool.

She supports my Patriots, and I support (wink, wink) her Cowboys--or at least to the best of my ability anyway. And believe me, it's difficult to watch those games. Very difficult.

 

[supafly]

One large theme that continues to arise is the numbers. We're going to need to recondition ourselves to a salary cap heading north of 130 million each year quickly. Suddenly, 2-3 million per is bargain basement rate in the new NFL.

Yes, that's an excellent point that I had not fully considered, aus.

Deus has spoken of the economic factor of the cap spike, and I think we're seeing some of that happen.

These 3+ million kinds of guys were probably about 2 million last year, so your point is extremely valid.

 

[Joker]

It's March 16th....last year we signed a bunch of FA's and the board was littered with internecine warfare about where this one is going to start and that one is worse than this other one...and then NONE of them even made the freakin' roster.

March 16th....all kinds of FA time left...an entire draft...the June 1st cuts...on and on and on the season will morph into something no one ever saw coming...I just enjoy watching it all unfold. Your point about the salary cap seems to have been a bit overlooked here, Aus. That is a very astute yet obvious observation. We are entering territory as fans that we've never experienced before. Now more than ever, I am relying on our staff to pull us through and keep our team out ahead of the wave.

 

[supafly]

It's March 16th....last year we signed a bunch of FA's and the board was littered with internecine warfare about where this one is going to start and that one is worse than this other one...and then NONE of them even made the freakin' roster.

March 16th....all kinds of FA time left...an entire draft...the June 1st cuts...on and on and on the season will morph into something no one ever saw coming...I just enjoy watching it all unfold. Your point about the salary cap seems to have been a bit overlooked here, Aus. That is a very astute yet obvious observation. We are entering territory as fans that we've never experienced before. Now more than ever, I am relying on our staff to pull us through and keep our team out ahead of the wave.

Yessir. Just building more competition for an area of weakness. Many here are complaining a bit about the price, but my guess is that wily 'ole Bill Belichick knows what he's doing pretty well.

LaFell may not end up being a super stud receiver for us, but I would imagine that he'll get his chances and produce at times. If not, I'd imagine that there's a reasonable out in the contract.

 

[ATippett56]

2014 NFL Free Agent Grades: WalterFootball.com

Patriots sign WR Brandon LaFell (3 years, $11 million): C- Grade

If this is Bill Belichick's solution for the receiver position, then he must not like Tom Brady very much. Brandon LaFell isn't a very good player. He doesn't have much talent, as he struggles to separate and also maintains a high drop rate. Giving him nearly $4 million per year is a bit preposterous. Having said that, LaFell has never worked with a great passing quarterback (bring on the Panther-fan hate mail), so perhaps there's a chance this will work out. I wouldn't bet on it though.

 

[kennyb]

Supposedly had a hard time learning Carolinas offense. Not a fan of this one at all. Dead money for next year.

 

[PATS16N0]

Supposedly had a hard time learning Carolinas offense. Not a fan of this one at all. Dead money for next year.

Ochostinko v2?

Should we nick name him LaFail already?
Heard it here first.

 

[varjao]

Sixteen - 0

 

[hwc]

Yeah. I'm going with Walter's talent evaluation over Bill Belichick's. After all, Walter has been putting mock drafts on the internet for TEN YEARS!

 

[JMC00]

I'm sure Ridley will help him some with the offense. They were teammates for 2 years at LSU.

 

[Patsgofor4]

He's the WR3 to counter Sanders. Both are "Meh" and both will probably be overpaid.


The Patriots don't have a WR1, so they're going to try to win with a running game, a bunch of WR2s and WR3s, and Gronk.

I hope this doesn't stop Britt from coming in for his look.

How many teams have a true number one WR? Gronk is a number one receiver, as dominant as any WR in terms of production and value. The offense was humming to the tune of 30+ ppg when he was healthy last hear. If Gronk can stay on the damn field, TB12 will have enough weapons. I doubt that LaFell's cap number this year will prevent them from doing what they want for the remainder of FA and the draft. I have no problem with the signing. I'd love them to sign the September 2011 Kenny Britt but I'm not sure that he will ever exist again.

 

[Ivan]

I like the signing. This is a depth move not one for a number 1 receiver and it brings the size and end zone presence they need. Belichick is building his depth at the position because there is no number one to go and get and like the other deals this one is not going to hurt them much. This also provides some protection if Dobson is setback in recovering from the foot injury or has a recurrence of it. I'm not really sure why people are being so negative about it other than that he isn't going to be confused with Randy Moss any time soon.

Right now Edelman, Dobson, and Amendola are their starting receivers, and while that's not a terrifying prospect for opposing defenses Brady has always been able to move the offense and get it done with this type of structure to his offense. they have a good running game, a good OL, good receivers, an all world TE when healthy and the overall unit to put up 25 points a game, and if they continue to use their money to build this defense into a top 3 scoring defense that's more than enough to give them a real shot at winning the Super bowl. this has been an outstanding beginning to their offseason and other than simply being miserable people I can't see how anyone could be unhappy about it.

 

[Patsgofor4]

Supposedly had a hard time learning Carolinas offense. Not a fan of this one at all. Dead money for next year.

According to whom? Source for this opinion? Unless it is a Carolina coach, please move along, nothing to see here.

 

[Deus Irae]

How many teams have a true number one WR? Gronk is a number one receiver, as dominant as any WR in terms of production and value. The offense was humming to the tune of 30+ ppg when he was healthy last hear. If Gronk can stay on the damn field, TB12 will have enough weapons. I doubt that LaFell's cap number this year will prevent them from doing what they want for the remainder of FA and the draft. I have no problem with the signing. I'd love them to sign the September 2011 Kenny Britt but I'm not sure that he will ever exist again.

Most teams in the NFL have a legit WR1. Several teams have more than one WR who would fit that bill.

 

[PATS16N0]

Most teams in the NFL have a legit WR1. Several teams have more than one WR who would fit that bill.