Possible Pairing of the Patriots and Pacman?
Both The Boston Globe's Christopher Gasper and Patriots 24/7 speculated 2 weeks ago that the Patriots might have interest in acquiring the contentious cornerback known league-wide simply as Pacman. With the draft seemingly right around the corner and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones having already demonstrated particular interest, Adam Jones' agent, Manubar Arora, is now claiming that both the Patriots and Lions have also expressed interest. Tennessee is reportedly seeking no more than a mid-round draft pick as compensation; considering that Jones is still suspended and might not see one game during the upcoming season (he's expected to appeal his suspension and there's a decent change it'll get overturned, but the Titans may not even include him on their 2008 roster regardless), I'm sure the Titans would be happy to get anything for him at this point.
Let's break this down: Pacman was the 6th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He's 24 years old and is under contract for the next 2 seasons (I believe he's guaranteed about $1.5 million each year, a relative bargain compared to the deals recently signed by some free agent corners). He plays bigger than his 5-10, 185 pounds would suggest and he can match just about any receiver in the league in terms of speed. The positives are abundant, but his one glaring negative (off-the-field indiscretions / character issues) has thus far outweighed his positive attributes throughout his short career. All that said, the Patriots desperately need another starting corner and the free agent crop is pretty weak; in fact, the top 3 FA CBs are Eric Green, Dominique Foxworth and Andre Dyson. You know it's a sad state of affairs when you're getting excited about a 34-year-old Ty Law possibly returning to NE (and don't get me wrong, I think he's a good fit in the right situation, say as a nickel back). Nothing against those guys, but Pacman is a much more attractive option as a starter, if he can keep his attitude in line (I know, I know... it's a big if).
Sure the character issues are a big concern for me, but the Pats have embarked on several successful reclamation projects before (Corey Dillon and Randy Moss, to name a couple). Plus, do you really think veteran defensive leaders like Rodney Harrison (himself once a man of questionable character), Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour would let him get away with all that night club crap? In my mind, the potential reward outweighs the risk, especially if you're talking about only giving up a mid-to-late-round pick. The Pats aren't likely to get into a bidding war with the Cowboys, but why not at least touch base with the Titans to see if something could get worked out? If Pacman were to keep himself out of trouble all season (hell, I think I'd even be able to put up with him getting in trouble a couple of times for "making it rain" at Centerfolds), I'd consider him a welcome addition to the secondary of the New England Patriots. What do you think?
Let's break this down: Pacman was the 6th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He's 24 years old and is under contract for the next 2 seasons (I believe he's guaranteed about $1.5 million each year, a relative bargain compared to the deals recently signed by some free agent corners). He plays bigger than his 5-10, 185 pounds would suggest and he can match just about any receiver in the league in terms of speed. The positives are abundant, but his one glaring negative (off-the-field indiscretions / character issues) has thus far outweighed his positive attributes throughout his short career. All that said, the Patriots desperately need another starting corner and the free agent crop is pretty weak; in fact, the top 3 FA CBs are Eric Green, Dominique Foxworth and Andre Dyson. You know it's a sad state of affairs when you're getting excited about a 34-year-old Ty Law possibly returning to NE (and don't get me wrong, I think he's a good fit in the right situation, say as a nickel back). Nothing against those guys, but Pacman is a much more attractive option as a starter, if he can keep his attitude in line (I know, I know... it's a big if).
Sure the character issues are a big concern for me, but the Pats have embarked on several successful reclamation projects before (Corey Dillon and Randy Moss, to name a couple). Plus, do you really think veteran defensive leaders like Rodney Harrison (himself once a man of questionable character), Tedy Bruschi and Richard Seymour would let him get away with all that night club crap? In my mind, the potential reward outweighs the risk, especially if you're talking about only giving up a mid-to-late-round pick. The Pats aren't likely to get into a bidding war with the Cowboys, but why not at least touch base with the Titans to see if something could get worked out? If Pacman were to keep himself out of trouble all season (hell, I think I'd even be able to put up with him getting in trouble a couple of times for "making it rain" at Centerfolds), I'd consider him a welcome addition to the secondary of the New England Patriots. What do you think?
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