Pats Problems, Brady Bummin'

Touchdown Tommy is not happy. And how can Boston blame him? He took less money to stay in New England with the belief that the regime would continue to spend, and put a competitive product on the field. Instead, the Pats are almost 17 million under the cap.

Conspiracy Theory: Was it a coincidence Brady forced the ball downfield 12+ times against the Denver secondary (which is quite good), and completed zero passes? Was he trying to send a message to someone?

While it’s understandable that the Patriots hold their ground as a business entity (except for certain exceptions, see: Tom Brady and Richard Seymour) when it comes to negotiating with players, this money left on the table is going to make it difficult for the Patriots to compete deep into January and February. They just don't have the talent at Wide Receiver. They have some solid players (Troy Brown looks ok, Chad Jackson has been interesting, when healthy, Reche Caldwell is 4th receiver at best, and Doug Gabriel clearly doesn’t know the offense yet), but there is a severe lack of a playmaking receiver on this Patriots squad. Let's call a spade a spade.

The troubling aspect of this situation is that it seems like the owners might be cashing in here in 2006. Peep this: The Patriots have the highest priced tickets in the NFL for the second consecutive season. The Patriots have sold out 126 straight games, and are selling 16 oz Coors Lights (in that "space age bottle") for $7.50, parking is $40. Bostonist understands that attending a Pats game at a new stadium of a perennial playoff contender will be an expensive excursion. Bostonians have accepted this as fact, because ownership has consistently put the Pats in a position to succeed in a league designed for parity. But this time around, people from all over New England are footing the bill for a franchise that is not using its (immense) resources to their maximum potential in an attempt to build a Super Bowl contender. This behavior is deplorable, and should be insulting to all Patriots fans. Pats fans have provided their best for the New England Patriots organization for 126 straight games. The least Patriots ownership could do is reciprocate.