ESPN Says the Patriots Have Had the Best Offseason by a Champion in the Salary Cap Era
ESPN Stats & Information just did a power ranking of every Super Bowl winner’s offseason during the salary cap era. From No. 24 the 2012 Baltimore Ravens (lost an unprecedented eight starters to retirement and free agency) through to the No. 4 2001 Patriots (drafted Deion Branch and David Givens, flipped Drew Bledsoe for Buffalo’s first rounder in the next draft), the No. 3 1997 Broncos (lost only one starter) to the No. 2 2003 Patriots (added Corey Dillon and Vince Wilfork).
And unless you’ve spend the last five months being kept in a bunker under 10 Cloverfield Lane by John Goodman, you should know what their choice is for the best:
1. 2016 New England Patriots
Super Bowl title: LI
Riding the momentum of their 25-point comeback in the Super Bowl, the Patriots came out swinging this offseason. They signed free-agent Stephon Gilmore away from Buffalo. They traded for Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen and Kony Ealy. They snagged running backs Mike Gillislee from Buffalo and Rex Burkhead from Cincinnati. They rejected all attempts by other teams to trade for backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, held onto disgruntled cornerback Malcolm Butler (we’ll see how that plays out), and kept offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in spite of his receiving interest elsewhere as a head coach. Losses included Martellus Bennett, Chris Long, Logan Ryan and LeGarrette Blount, but they have plans for replacing those guys and seem locked in on trying to get a sixth title in Tom Brady’s age-40 season.
And there you have it. It’s science. Direct from the Data Analysis arm of the NFL’s Ministry of Truth. Granted, it’s a little unnerving to read this coming from a entity that we’ve been at war with for so long. In a way this must be what it was like for Reagan to hear the Soviets say nice things about him after the Iron Curtain fell or when Captain Kirk has to make peace with the Klingons.
But then again, what else can they say about a year the best team in the league had the best offseason? The list mentions McDaniels but leaves out the part about Matt Patricia coming back as well. An unheard of scenario for a pair of coordinators that have won two championships. They lost one significant starter in Ryan, and upgraded his position with Gilmore. They brought back their entire receiver corps and added one of the best deep threats in the game in Cooks. They got Gronk on an incentive-laden deal. Added two versatile running backs with some of the best advanced stats in football. And had a consensus Grade: A draft even with only four picks.
I said it’s science, but it’s not just analytics. It’s also zoology. Social Darwinism. Survival of the Fittest. The rich getting richer. The Apex Predator at the top of the food chain getting stronger by feeding on the weak and achieving total domination of the ecosystem. While those at the bottom of the chain live off the piles of dung he leaves behind.
It’s the only way to live. But it’s not enough. I for one won’t be satisfied until the 2017 Patriots make the top of this same list next year.