Willie, David Move On

Show me the MONEY! That seems to be the theme of the 2006 off-season of the New England Patriots. This week alone, the Pats lost 2 mainstays of their Dynasty, losing Willie McGinest to old friend Romeo Crennel and the Cleveland Browns, and a day earlier David Givens to the Tennessee Titans. 5 Super Bowl rings just walked out the door... and the predominant question on Bostonist's mind is: "Why"?

Well, before we go crying in our Lombardi Trophies, lets remember a few things:
1. The Patriots had the HIGHEST payroll in the NFL last season. This includes bonus money that doesn't necessarily count against the salary cap. But at the end of the day, when all the checks are written, the Patriots were the highest, and clearly "went for it", yet again, last year.

2. David Givens was a 7th round draft choice out of Notre Dame. His contracts have looked a bit like this: $500K, $600K, $750K. He was offered $25 million dollars to go to Tennessee. These NFL players have short careers, and when they have the opportunity to cash in, they really can't be blamed. David Givens never fathomed this much money from football, and its hard to blame him for taking it. Thanks for the years of service to the Patriots, David.

Willie McGinest is a 34 year-old outside LB/DE who played 12 seasons for the Pats. His days in the NFL are numbered. While Givens situation is a little more palatable for Bostonists and Pats Fans alike (New Englandists, if you will), McGinest's situation is a bit harder to swallow. Willie signed a 3 year deal worth $12 million, which includes $6 million of that guaranteed. Now, Bostonist's question here is, wasn't that an affordable and reasonable number to match in order to keep a potential Hall of Famer who clearly still has a lot left in the tank (4 sacks in a playoff game last year) in New England for the end of his career? The Pats are $20 million under the salary cap and have a 50,000-person waiting list for season tickets, so they clearly have the funds.

So, Bostonist is ok with David leaving, and Bostonist wishes him the best. But, was Willie not worth it? Who is going to fill those shows as the outside rush presence, not to mention his leadership qualities? More importantly, does anyone else get the feeling that the Pats are being beaten to the punch in this off-season? Is there a plan in place somewhere? And tell Bostonist, please, that Adam Vinatieri will not be wearing anything but Patriots jersey's for the remainder of his career. Vinatieri is in Green Bay, speaking with the Packers today.

Here's hoping now that Romeo is stealing his ex-players from the Patriots, that Charlie Weis and Notre Dame will be feeding the New England organization in this draft and for years to come.