PATRIOTS FREE AGENT FOCUS: DANNYWOODHEAD

Leading up to free agency which begins March 12^th we will be taking a look at some of the Patriots own free agents and briefly discuss whether they may be back with the team or not.  Today we will be taking a look at impending Pats free agent Danny Woodhead.

Danny Woodhead-

Ever since Kevin Faulk’s departure Danny Woodhead has stepped up to the plate and been the Patriots safety valve at the running back position.  You may remember when the Patriots traded Lawrence Maroney they were able to scoop up Danny Woodhead as a free agent who was released by the Jets.  Kevin Faulk was injured and Danny stepped up to the plate and showed to be a stingy playmaker in the backfield and added a different dimension to the Patriots ground attack.  Well two years later and Woodhead went from being the guy to being a reliable third down back option for the Pats.  It seems like whenever the Patriots are in a crucial situation the Patriots have shown trust in Wooshead by putting him out there over other Patriots backs.  The Patriots backfield has made itself a much larger role over the past few seasons as the Patriots offense has traditionally been a passing unit.  The offense has had great success in the running game and the offense has been able to diversify and do a multitude of different things due to the versatility the offense brings.  Danny Woodhead may have shed some light to the Patriots brass to maybe show what it would be like with more speed in the backfield.  In 2011 the Patriots spent a second and third round pick on Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley and the rest is history.  The Patriots in 2012 has much success on the ground and Danny Woodhead became the veteran presence in the backfield despite only being in the league for four seasons.

Woodhead clearly isn’t the every down starter in the Patriots offense to this point.  The Patriots seem to like his consistency and dependability as he is a quality role player for the team.  Stevan Ridley is the starter for now and Shane Vereen showed towards the end of the season maybe he can do some of the things that Woodhead can do and potentially be even more dynamic than Woodhead.  The Patriots invested a second round pick in Shane Vereen in 2011. One has to wonder how similar the skill sets between Vereen and Woodhead really are.  Is it worth holding out a young and explosive -potential break out candidate in Vereen for Danny Woodhead?  I feel the Patriots offensive playmakers need to find a way to get more speed and youth involved.  There is no reason the Patriots can’t have both Vereen and Woodhead as both are quality players-however both skill-sets are very similar and it may hold back from adding to another position of need on the roster. 

The NFL has evolved into this pass heavy league and it will be very interesting to see how many teams will be interested in a player like Woody.  I feel a good amount of teams would be interested in having Woodhead on their roster as he is as versatile as they come. Woodhead returned kicks for the Patriots most of the season and proved to be an effective passing down back.  I would think the Patriots would be open to bringing him back on board as a veteran presence and a situational role player but it would have to be at the right price.  If other teams show interest in Danny that could drive the price tag higher than Patriots may be willing to go.  With that said I can’t imagine Danny Woodhead will be breaking the bank anywhere as there will be a plethora of running backs available in this 2013 free agent crop.

Do you feel Danny will be backwith New England?  Will the Patriots be a better football team with Danny Woodhead on the roster? Let me know in the comments section what you think! Are you for or against re-signing Danny Woodhead? Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more updates @MikeOnofrio !

TANTALIZING TARGETS: ED REED

The New England Patriots made it to the AFC Championship but are in no means a perfect team.  Every team has areas that could certainly use some improvement. With free agency looming just under a month away, Premium Pats will be taking a brief look at some of the free agents out there who may or may not be good fits for the Patriots as well as some interesting thoughts to go along. Today we are going to look at impending free agent Ed Reed.

Ed Reed-

There is no doubt Ed Reed is a game changer.  Ed has done it at every level of his playing career going from a high school stand out to a National Champion with the Miami Hurricanes to being a 9x Pro Bowl record setting Super Bowl Champion.  Ed Reed’s resume is heavily decorated.  Even at his age of 34 Ed Reed still makes such an impact in the Raven’s secondary.  I find it very hard to believe the Baltimore Ravens will simply let Ed Reed walk after he just helped them win a Super Bowl.   Also you would have to factor in the fact the Baltimore Ravens are going to be without Ray Lewis next year.  The Baltimore Ravens need Ed Reed to come back and do what he does as a player and a leader.  Without Ed Reed the Raven’s will look like a completely different team next year and it certainly won’t be for the better.  With that said the Patriots secondary is abysmal. It has been abysmal for years now.  The situation is just too perfect.  Bill Belichick has coached for over 37 years now and in all of his years he has said he “hasn’t coached against anyone better in the secondary than Ed Reed.”  That right there is super telling in the respect that coach Belichick has for the player.   Also, Ed during Super Bowl weekend said he “definitely” could see himself as a Patriot and then gushed about how much he loved the way that the Patriots do things. The Patriots need an elite force in their secondary and it just so happens that Ed Reed is available as an impending free agent and would love to suit up in red white and blue?  Why isn’t this a slam dunk no brainer?  Adding Ed Reed to the Patriots would instantly sure up our secondary and come September when Ed Reed turns 35 you can bank if healthy that he will be ball hawking with the best in the league because that is the type of player Ed is.  He is elite even still at his age.  Ed’s range has declined a bit that is where he relies on his brain and instincts to come out and make the plays needed.  Reed is coming of a 6 year 44.4 million dollar contract and has been haunted with nagging injuries but there is no question when he is out on the field he is going to make plays that will impact the game.  That is more than you can say about any safety the Patriots have on their roster currently.  The problem will lie if Ed can even make it to free agency.

Coach Jim Harbaugh had preliminary discussions with Ed immediately following the Ravens Super Bowl win on the bus ride away from the stadium.  “He and I both agreed that we want him back. I want him back, and Ed wants to be back.”  The question remains will the Baltimore Ravens be able to afford paying Joe Flacco top 5 QB money as well as retaining some of their key players such as Dannell Elerby, Dennis Pitta and Paul Krueger? The Ravens are currently about 9 million under the cap.  It is a complex situation and unfortunately as quality a player as Ed is to the Ravens he isn’t going to be number one on their priority list. 

If The Ravens choose not to re-sign Ed before the start of free agency on March 12^th, then they would one be foolish but secondly the Patriots would have the chance to scoop up a once in a lifetime player for more than likely a relatively conservative – team friendly deal that will sure up their secondary with one of – if not THE greatest free safety to ever play the game. A lot can happen between now and free agency but my guess is the Ravens recognize Ed’s importance to the team and lock him up for another year or so but time will tell.  If it is too good to be true, then it probably is, but one can only hope!

Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below in the comments section. Be sure to follow me on twitter for more updates @MikeOnofrio and stay posted for more free agent targets!