Patriots Needs Assessment

William Glasser, creator of Control Theory, defines the four human needs as Survival, Love, Power, and Freedom. The Patriots have similar needs a month before the NFL Draft and a month after the onset of Free Agency.

Survival

As we saw in Superbowl XLII, the offensive line is key to Tom Brady and ultimately the Patriots' survival. While there were some holes exposed in that game, the o-line had a great year. An upgrade would be possible at RT where Nick Kazcur had a tough time with some of the quicker DE's in the league. Expect an OT prospect to be taken with one of our two third-round picks.

Love

The Patriots fans love the skill players for the Patriots. We are obviously set with starters at QB, RB, WR, and TE, however, each position could use an infusion of quality depth. Chris Johnson, a tailback from East Carolina, could be in the Patriot's plans late in the first day.

Power

The front seven of the New England, especially the defensive line, are the power behind the Patriot's defense. The difference between the line and the linebackers is that the former sports five guys on the upside of their career, while the latter sports no starters on the good side of 30. That is taking nothing away from Bruschi, Thomas, Vrabel, and Seau, who played their guts out last year. Look for multiple LB's to show up on the draft board in Foxborough.

Freedom

Asante Samuel and Randall Gay gained theirs this off-season, signing nice contracts in the NFC. Cornerback is still a concern, despite bringing in free agent help in Fernando Bryant. Expect Pioli and Co. to target some versatile CB/S hybrids in this years draft, perhaps even with the #7 pick.

With approximately $10 million dollars in cap room, the Patriots still control their destiny for the 2008 season. The NFL draft should help flesh out what that destiny will look like.

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WR Situation - Are we set?

There has been a lot of talk about the Patriots receiving corps over the last 12 months. The addition of Welker, Moss, and Stallworth took Brady & Co. to new heights.

Now with Stallworth gone, and Jabar Gaffney, Kelley Washington, and Chad Jackson fighting for the #2 receiver position, I'm a might bit nervous. Jabar has had two good seasons for the Patriots now, but I'm just not sure he can open up space for thee Wes Welker like the speedy Stallworth once did.

I think it would be wise to spend one of our two 3rd Round picks (#69 and #94) on a wideout like VTech WR Eddie Royal or Ex-Patriot Reche Caldwell's brother Andre Caldwell from Florida.

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Uncapped Season Good for Pats?

The possibility of an uncapped season in 2010 has been steadily growing over the last few weeks. According to ESPN's Lester Munson the owners feel like they gave up too much in the 2006 bargain and wish to get back some of the revenue they are spending. If the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is allowed to expire, the last year of the deal will be uncapped -- the first uncapped season since 1993.

The Patriots--as well as the Giants, Redskins, and Cowboys--seem to be in a great position to take advantage of the situation. Our pockets are much deeper than the Jaguars, Bills, Titans, and Vikings. High dollar 1-year deals would be the norm in a time when only the present matters, and similar to baseball, the best teams would only get better. The owners and players wouldn't know what the next CBA would bring, so nobody would want to get locked into a bad deal.

Here's to labor peace preserving the competitive balance in the NFL.

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Possible Pats Pickups?

A few Free Agents that someone NEEDS to pick up.

Roosevelt Colvin - OLB
After his devestating hip injury a few years back, Colvin never regained his dynamic form for the Patriots. He is still a good OLB, just not the force he once was for the Bears and Pats. Rosie would be a fine stop-gap until next year if he will re-sign for less.

DJ Hackett - WR
How is Berrian sitting with $ and my man DJ sitting unsigned. I had Randy Moss as the only WR ranked higher than Mr. Hackett. When healthy, he is a great WR. Would be a good fit outside with Welker inside.

Bryant Johnson - WR
Having played behind Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, Johnson hasn't had time to shine. If he doesn't mind playing 3rd fiddle again, the Pats would take him

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