The Quest for 7: Patriots future roster? Veteran releases starting, Superhero Kraft, Links 2.24.20

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. If you want a realistic take on what New England's starting line-up may look like this fall, search no further. Boston Sports Journal's own Greg Bedard projects the Patriots' opening day lineup and asks, could the league year be pushed back? Feels like the Patriots defense would take a small step back, but these additions on offense should be enough to keep Tom Brady and get him back to consuming the souls of defenses and doubters everywhere.

2. I don't agree with his different outcomes, but the matchups are interesting to look at. Adam Stites of SBNation fills us in on how the last 3 NFL postseasons would have played out with a 14-team format. Seeing some of the unworthy teams that would have qualified for the playoffs does make you do the ugly-face.

3. Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report makes a convincing case that Teddy Bridgewater might not be the biggest name on the free-agent market, but he could be the best. My first choice is Brady, a distant second — as in beyond Pluto and the Death Star — is Jarrett Stidham or a rookie, (use the usual 20 mill+ it takes for a QB elsewhere) and third is a veteran for reasonable money. Bridgwater would be my guy.

4. Not only have the Patriots been the greatest team in all of sports for the past twenty years, they have also been the best at restoring fading careers. Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit shares this group of recently released veterans that could garner interest from the Patriots. I'd add Taylor Gabriel to this list, as a fifth receiver and possible upgrade over Phillip Dorsett.

5. With a year left before a potential strike or lockout could actually happen, this might be a bit dramatic. But as far as making it easier for the Patriots to re-sign Brady, that is where the intrigue here lies. Christopher Price of Boston.com asks will Patriots owner Robert Kraft have to save football again? From the player's early reactions, Kraft might want to consider flying to the rescue with a few more sweeteners to get the same results as he did 10 years ago.

6. There are some head-scratchers on this list, but at least the compensatory picks are here! Neal Driscoll of Pro Football Network predicts every Patriots' pick for all 7 rounds. Also, check out  Paul Perillo and Mike Dussault of Patriots.com going all Fury and Wilder on each other in their debate on which position the Patriots should target in the upcoming draft. Who do you think came out as Fury in this battle?

7. Nice to see addition instead of subtraction to the Patriots coaching staff for a change. Charlie Potter of 247 Sports gives us the details on this Alabama analyst leaving the Tide for a job with the Patriots. From the Crimson Tide to the Patriots. Talk about going from greatness to greatness. Welcome aboard, Charlie.

STEVE'S SOAPBOX

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

Who's the all-time greatest athlete of the four major sports? Most would say it comes down to Tom Brady (6 Championships, 3 MVP's,) Michael Jordan, (6 Championships, 5 MVPs) and Wayne Gretzky (4 Championships, 9 MVPs.)

To me, MVPs aren't worth the steel the trophy is made out of. But when it comes to settling this argument, there's something I discovered that could help decide the winner. Going back to when each league became a real league. (See my Soapbox from 1.9.20.) NBA MVPs who make it to the Finals are 15-5 since 1976. NHL MVPs who make it to the Stanley Cup Finals are 6-1 since 1980. NFL MVPs who make it to the Super Bowl are 4-13 since 1970, (I refuse to count the kicker who won it in 1982 or those first few years where they gave out an MVP for each conference.) In a bizarre twist, an MVP hasn't won the Super Bowl since Kurt Warner in 1999, (0-9.)

Hockey is the toughest sport to win it all. Sorry, that's just true. More proof of this is only 7 MVP's have made it to the Cup finals. I'd give the GOAT-in-all-of-sports title to Gretzky, (4-2 in the Cup Finals) who won two fewer championships than Brady and Jordan, but I rule him out due to how stacked his team was. The entire roster was basically an all-star team. To prove this, the Oilers even won a cup after the Great One was traded to the L.A. Kings. If Gretzky had even won one Cup with L.A.'s less talented team, I'd reconsider. So it comes down to Brady and Jordan.

When you look at the MVP records in both leagues, there's obviously a huge difference. What the NBA tells you is if you have the best player in the league that year, you have a great chance of making the finals and winning it all. The NFL shows that being the best player in the league isn't enough. So the title should go to Jordan, correct?

Well, not exactly.

In the NBA, being the best player in the league at center is basically the same as being the best player in the league at point guard. The difference is minor. With the way football has changed, the NFL should either eliminate QB's from the MVP race, or make a second MVP award for non-QBs. The value of a truly elite quarterback is immense today. Usually an elite QB can only be beaten by another quarterback having an elite-level game, or a team that has 3 or more first-team all-pros at non-QB positions. Is this the case all the time? Of course not. But is it the norm? Yup. With Brady getting all six of his championships since Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf basically made the running game and all other non-QB positions substantially less valuable, the title has to go to the true GOAT, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.

Sorry, M.J.!

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