Mike Vrabel kept it simple when asked at his introductory press conference earlier this week what type of players he wanted on the New England Patriots.
“Eliot (Wolf) is going to laugh. I’m going to say good ones,” Vrabel said.
Well, one Patriots veteran leader is in lockstep with Vrabel’s thinking.
Cornerback Jonathan Jones, who is an impending free agent but in all likelihood wants to be back with New England for a 10th season, certainly wants the Patriots to be aggressive in adding an influx of talent to the roster this offseason.
And Jones know where the team should start, too.
“Starting up front, man,” Jones told the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan on the “Pats Interference” podcast Friday. “I think at this point our answers are in the public. We were terrible last year.
There weren’t a lot of bright spots if we’re just being honest. So, it’s going to be a lot of filling in and getting good players in the building.
That’s the first thing, honestly, is getting a lot of good players in the building because there just weren’t (last season).
At times, a lot of guys out there you just say, ‘This guy’s going to dominate the guy in front of him.’ And so, when that happens, you’re depending a lot on outcoaching people and out-scheming people. This is the National Football League, you’re not going to do that. At some point, you just have to go through another individual.
“It’s got to start with getting good football players up front. Offensive line, defensive line, that’s where the game’s won and lost. The media wants to hype on receivers and skill players — which are important, I get it. You can have the greatest receivers out there, the quarterback’s on his back, he’s never completing a pass. So, you have to protect him. And vice versa. As a DB, I don’t care how great you are at covering, if the the defensive line aren’t getting any pass rush, your guy’s going to get open. That’s just what football is and we have to start there. I think that’s what the program needs to be built off of.”
The Patriots have $130 million in salary cap space this offseason and Jones certainly hopes New England spends big in free agency instead of relying solely on the NFL draft to retool.
“From the looks of it, if we’re looking to win now and not be patient, it’s hard to say we’ll build through the draft,” Jones said. “I don’t care who you draft, you’re not going to draft enough guys and good enough guys to come out and say, ‘We’re going to turn the whole season around next year.’”
It’s not a robust offensive line free agent market this year. Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Staley arguably is the best of the bunch.
Callahan brought up Staley to Jones and while Jones didn’t mention Staley specifically, it seems he would be on board with the Patriots trying to land the veteran lineman.
“Football starts up front, so we got to get some guys up front,” Jones said…