The Quest for 7: Patriots Roster & Cap Situations, Mock Drafts, Links 1.15.20

Morning! Welcome to The Quest for 7, where volunteer writer, Steven Viner, scours the net for seven Patriots related articles from other sites offering different points of view on the six-time champs. Paid subscribers not only get to read all seven, but they also get to check out his always fiery "Steve's Soapbox" at the end.

1. As New Englanders enjoy a rare warm week in January, Greg Bedard summons the clouds and unleashes his alter ego, Storm, and rains terror on Pats fans with the Patriots' 2020 depth chart, drenching them with fear. Geesh, Greg, why don't you add salt to the wound and schedule a foot of snow for the weekend? Storm Bedard then flew to the set of Felger & Mazz. where he used his thunderous Rodgers-versus-Stidham-situation take to blast the polarizing talk show to a crisp with lightning. Nice work on that one, Greg. Looking pretty buff there in that spandex jumpsuit!

2. Jason Fitzgerald of Sporting News takes out the big soup pot to Explains the Patriots' salary cap crunch and how it will impact Tom Brady. Jason empties the cupboard, fridge, and spice rack, factoring in all of the ingredients that could shape the Patriots roster next year. Will it be a savory bowl of lobster bisque, or a nose crinkling helping of stinky stew?

3. If you're not learning, you're not growing. Chad Finn of Boston.com refuses to settle for mediocrity and hits the books to discover what can the Patriots learn from the divisional round? Failure is a great motivator, and no one fixes their flaws and comes back with a vengeance like the Patriots.

4. In my Salty Tears Take of the day, someone call DSS on this poor kid's parents. Last year, Damond Talbot of Draft Diamonds reported 10-year-old Ace Davis won his science fair for coming to the conclusion that Tom Brady and the Patriots are cheaters. Leave it to a majority of parents to let their petty resentment toward New England's success encourage them to brainwash their kids into thinking, "if ya can't beat 'em, accuse 'em of cheating!" Yeah, real smart. Don't use the Patriots' relentless hard work to achieve greatness as a tutorial to teach your children. Forget about showing your kid that even if they are a scrawny twerp like Tom Brady was at the scouting combine, they can become the greatest of all time like him if they bust harder than anyone else. Loser Moms and Dads, grow up.

5. Much has been written about the gaggle of Patriots players who are about to hit free agency, but see where Pro Football Focus's Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo ranks them amongst The 50 best available NFL free agents in 2020. Hint: there's a lot of our boys in this column, and they can be found toward the top of the list. If Patriots fans start a GoFundMe, could we apply that to our salary cap?

6. I'll leave it to the experts to comment on the college football stars about to enter the NFL draft. But in these two mock drafts from Ryan Wilson of CBSSports, and Henry McKenna of For the Win, there is a trend brewing with what position the Patriots should be shooting for. Dun, Dun, Dun!

7. Crime is generally not funny, but in this case where minor property damage was caused, I assume the wealthy and lovable Julian Edelman was more than willing to pay for the damages, (both with money and a night in the clink.) TB12, Julian's past — and hopefully future — quarterback, sent JE11 an amusing little message after his arrest. Thanks for sharing this Andrew McCarty of The Spun. The thought of these two not leading my Patriots ... it ... I ... it just ... I need to call my mom. Balling emoji.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

The place where Steve gets to give his take of the day from the perspective of a Patriots fan.

(Part 1 of 4)

2004, 2007, 2014, 2016. Time to decide who’s the greatest, of the greatest.

Instead of me releasing my wrath of anger on Patriots haters and my unapproved decisions made by the Pats, (Still can’t believe Belichick blocked me on Insta-face) I've decided to do something constructive. I have a formula in place, I just need your quick vote. Out of the four teams above, in what order would you rank these juggernauts? I’ll seed them according to your rankings, and run a mini-tournament over the next two Quest for 7’s.

In the comments, simply write: 2014, 2004, 2007, 2016 … or … 2007, 2014, 2004, 2016 … etc.

My rules so yes, even if a player didn't finish the year due to injury, (i.e. Gronkowski in 2016, Ty Law 2004) he’s still in the game. Here’s a quick summary and a Link for each team.

2004 (14-2)

A team so good, they looked bored at times. The big names of the best defense in Patriots history (most in their prime) were snapping necks and cashing checks. Dillon was a force, but Brady had yet to reach his peak.

2007 (16-0)

Age was catching up with the defense, but this was arguably the most dynamic offense of all-time. A Cobra Kai sweep to the leg would have ended this argument before it started.

2014 (12-4)

Slow start with new faces on defense, but once the offense picked up speed, they became the irresistible force that went up against the immovable-object Seahawks, and blasted through.

2016 (14-2)

Same team as 2014? Nope! Offensive and Defensive lines? Completely different. Key player changes: Vince Wilfork out, Alan Branch in. Shane Vereen out, James White in. Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins out, Trey Flowers, Kyle Van Noy in, Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner out, Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan in. Brandon LaFell, out Malcolm Mitchell in. Hoomanawanui out, Martellus Bennett in. Too bad Gronk didn't stay healthy, because he and Bennett could have been a treat. Maybe the ballsy-est Patriots team of all-time, overcoming the instrumental odds now known as 28-3.

Be on the lookout for more The Quest for 7 features. Want more Salty Tears and Soapbox? Click on my name above and scroll down for previous Quests!