Window Shopping

Free agency starts in about three weeks, but teams have been waiting more than a month for the shopping season to commence. I don’t know the complete list of free agents available, though already there are a few high profile names out there. But which of these players fit New England?

Despite the dire need for an OLB that can get to the passer, I’m not interested in Julius Peppers. I’m relatively sure he can make the transition from DE to OLB in a 3-4, but the price will be exorbitant. Nor do I have any interest in soon to be released Joey Porter. He’s too much of a personality to fit into the Patriots Way and is very likely to clash with the no-nonsense Bill Belichick. Belichick still has his head-butting with Adalius Thomas fresh in his mind and Bill wouldn’t want to put himself through that again.

There are two names that caught my eye and they could work very well if they accept the roles assigned to them:

WR Torry Holt – After just one year with Jacksonville, the Jaguars released the eleven-year veteran despite finishing second on the team in receiving yards. Holt isn’t the explosive weapon he used to be, but he can be the third receiver the Pats sorely missed last year.

If the Patriots have trepidation over signing a veteran receiver after last year’s Joey Galloway failure, they should feel a lot better about Holt.

Two things about Holt that makes me feel like he would easily adjust to the Patriots offense. For one, he was a seven-time Pro Bowler as a part of the Greatest Show on Turf offense in St. Louis. That high-flying wide open offense ran by the Rams was complicated. But even as a rookie, Holt played in every game as the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV. After learning the offense, he exploded for 1,635 yards and six touchdowns. For the next five years, Holt finished with at least 1,300 yards and had three double-digit touchdown seasons. If Torry can excel in that offense, I have no doubt he will pick up New England’s system.

The other reason Holt sounds like a fit as a Patriot slot receiver is he understands how to work over the middle. The GST offense ran a lot of crossing routes with the receivers. It isn’t much different in the Patriots offense as Wes Welker, Troy Brown, and Deion Branch did it for the Pats over the years. Holt knows how to get open underneath and will run the routes as needed after reading the defense. And Tom Brady can be confident that Holt will make the catch because he still has two of the best hands in the league and Holt won’t flinch to make the catch, even with a defender barring down to deliver a hit.

The days of Holt as a primary target are over. But if he can produce like he did in the past two years (50-60 receptions for 700 yards) from the slot for the Patriots in 2010, that would be plenty for the Pats. And while Welker is recovering from surgery, Holt can start opposite to WR Randy Moss. The offense shouldn’t lose much, if anything, with Holt in the starting lineup.

Besides the on-field appeal, Holt won’t cost the team much. With back-to-back 700-yard seasons (and no TDs last year), he might get a little extra out of respect for his career body of work, but Holt’s leverage for a rich contract is gone.

The only hiccup is Holt already voiced his interest in reuniting with his former offensive coordinator/head coach Mike Martz in Chicago. It might be a tough sell to convince Holt to choose the Patriots over his emotional ties to Martz. But maybe the opportunity to play for a winning team instead of a Bears organization trying to get back to respectability might be reason enough for the 33-year old Holt to come to New England.

Antonio Pierce – The Patriots shouldn’t let a grudge keep them from making a valuable addition to the roster. He’s been a quality player for years, averaging more than 100 tackles a year for the past five years. Forget about the fact that Pierce was on the New York Giants team that ruined what should had been a historic 19-0 season. His leadership as the Giants’ middle linebacker was a big reason why the G-Men pulled off the upset.

It’s Pierce’s leadership I’m interested in. He can still play when healthy, of course. But I want him around Jerod Mayo, Gary Guyton, and Tyrone McKenzie to teach them how to be professionals and leaders.

Pierce would play in a reserve role, maybe even be a consistent part of the rotation, spelling either Mayo or Guyton or being part of certain defensive packages. But his locker room presence and approach to the game would be invaluable to the young inside trio as they learn how to become better pros. There are a lot of tips Pierce can teach them through film study, he would set an example for the work ethic needed to improve year after year, help them fine tune their technique, and so on.

Signing Pierce is easier said than done. Maybe Pierce isn’t interested in playing in a 3-4 defense. He might not like having to take on blockers on every play and prefers playing behind a D-line that ties up the blockers and allow Pierce to just go after the ball.

And Pierce, 31, probably believes he can still start somewhere in the league. I’m sure there are teams that agree with him and would make Pierce a starter before signing a contract.

I do wonder if Antonio, a middle linebacker that never played in a 3-4 defense, can make the transition. At 6-1 238 pounds, is he big enough to engage the blocker, hold up at the point of attack, and shed the blocker to make the tackle?

The Giants still had high praise for Pierce even as they released him. The intangibles Pierce has will go with him wherever his signs. It’s those intangibles that would go a long way towards helping Mayo, Guyton, and McKenzie grow as players.