The Quest for 7: Patriots' road ahead, Potential gems, Brady one-ups Manning, Links 2.12.20

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. Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal gives us the mountain of decisions awaiting Bill Belichick in his Patriots 2020 Offseason Primer: Breaking down the roster and where the needs are. Remember Bill, "No days off!" You certainly can't afford to take any.

2. If Bedard's assessment of what the Patriots need to do this offseason is the Varsity, Anthony Threash of Pro Football Focus gives us the J.V. version in his NFL free agency preview: players to targets, potential cuts and more for all 32 teams. The details aren't quite there from tackling the entire league, but Anthony has some good ideas to kick around.

3. With their cap restrictions, the Patriots will have to do some dumpster diving at some positions. Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit tells us why Sylvester Williams would be a cheap option to help shore up the Patriots run defense. Love the idea and I know Lawrence Guy and Danny Shelton could have used him against Derrick Henry.

4. Staying with the theme of digging for treasure in the scrap heap, Doug Kyed of NESN fills us in on how the Patriots stashed away a potential starting tackle. The buzz for this player has been slowly growing as of late, and a lot of eyes will be on him come training camp.

5.  I used to hate this man with the passion of a toddler refusing Brussell sprouts. Hayden Bird of Boston.com takes us through this great exchange where Tom Brady busts his old friend Peyton Manning's jimmies. Maybe I've gotten soft in my old age, (or it's most likely the Brady/Manning debate was settled long ago) but I don't mind the guy anymore. He's like carrots now.

6. R.J. White of CBSSports forecasts the Patriots' first four picks in his three-round mock for the upcoming draft.  R.J has New England targeting some positions of need with fast, but a bit undersized players to fill the holes. Now can someone sneak into Belichick's office and destroy all the redshirts?

7. Unlike many, I still have hope for this class. Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire takes the cap off his red marker and grades the Patriots rookies from their 2019 season. Byron Cowart and Damien Harris impressed in the preseason, while N'Keal Harry and Chase Winovich showed promise in spurts, but they all have a ways to go before they're part of the foundation.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

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

I have bad news for my fellow Patriots fans. We all know our team has minimal cap space and an army of free agents. Most fans figure half will be back. Oh no! Try like, two.

Now unwrinkle that brow, and check out these numbers before considering my two points: Brandon LaFell 2 years at 10 million, Akiem Hicks 4 at 48, Jabaal Sheard 3 at 25.5, Logan Ryan 3 at 30, Nate Solder 4 at 62, Malcolm Butler 5 at 61, Danny Amendola 2 at 12, Malcom Brown 3 at 15, Trey Flowers 5 at 90, Trent Brown 4 at 66.

Point #1. Everyone overpays for a piece of that Patriots magic. The experience, the success, the publicity. Is there a player on this list that wasn't slightly to drastically overpaid? And as you can see, even role players cha-chinged. Think Devin McCourty takes a pay cut because he's a longtime Patriot and older? Ha! Wait until some dumb-ass team gives him 3 years 33 mill. Think Joe Thuney bleeds blue and won't forget the team who helped mold him into pro-bowl caliber? Pfft. 5 years 58 mill is coming. The Patriots revived Kyle Van Noy's dead career, so he will absolutely show loyalty. LMAO!

Point #2. I'm not the first to think of this, but sometimes we Patriots fans forget. All of their free agents have a ring, (in most cases, multiple.) They'll tell you winning is their top priority, (if this was the case, Trey Flowers wouldn't be in Detriot) but it's just not true. They're human, and I don't care how the saying goes, money does buy happiness. Say goodbye to 90% of these players.

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