I'm going to rank them assuming we resign Talib, Spikes, and Vollmer....

1. S (someone to play next to McCourty)

2. DL (pass rush...I do think Chandler will bulk up and come back better next year, which is why this is not #1...although still a very big need)

3. WR (deep threat...Lloyd is a good outside WR but not a great deep threat)

bump due to lightning fast forum

Our D needs an overhaul of pass rushers... We need big strong physical recievers on the outside, mainly we should be the physical team, instead of getting dismantled by the other physical teams

Re-signing Talib should be the first priority. 

1)  Three halfway decent WRs.

2)  A TE who can play football after December.

3)  An entire new secondary.

4)  A QB who can throw accurately farther than 5 yards downfield.

5)  A kicker who doesn't choke.

6)  A GM who uses the draft to fill glaring holes in our roster.

 

Sorry, I'm just bummed out that this game looks like the official end of the empire.  It was a great run, but the game has passed this current team by. 

 

There are some talent gaps on both sides of the ball between us and the top teams.  And it won't get fixed until it is acknowledged.

1a. Sign the best SS on the market (William Moore?).  Just fork up the cash.

1b. Re-sign Talib

2. Re-Sign Welker

3. Re-Sign Vollmer

4. Get a decent backup CB 

5. Get some more pass rush help

1.  I agree sign Talib.  The defensive talent we have now is pretty darned good. 

2.  Which brings me to #2:  We need a new coach.  It's time.  BB has lost the ability to compete with the top coaches.  he beats up 75% of the league.  Not good enough.  We need a new cooach and a new defensive coordinator and a new offensive coordinator.   It's just time for fresh ideas. 

3.  Let Welker walk and turn that money around for a deep threat WR.  they could probably land a deep threat & get Amendola for the amount of cash they pay Welker.

 

In response to Schumpeters-Ghost's comment:

if they are able to get amendola and another good receiver, id be all for it. but welker is really brady's security blanket, espescially on third down.

Amendola is a younger welker anyhow.

I highly doubt they let Amendola go.

1. Resign Talib

2. Resign Welker

3. Draft a pass rusher

4. I would really prefer a veteran safety, but I don't know what the market is. If not, draft one

5. Defensive Tackle. Wilfork is getting old, and it also wouldn't hurt to have a guy compete with Deaderick and love

6. Nickel cornerback

7. Sign a deep threat. I'm thinking Donnie Avery.

 

Vollmer isn't high on my list of needs. He's going to get paid a lot of money, and with Scar, I'm not sure if it's worth it. Cannon was supposedly a second round talent and he now has two years of coaching from Scar. If Vollmer wants the big contract, then I would just stick Cannon out there.

They need to improve in many areas: WR,DB and KR. WW has had a nice run and is an amazing regular season player but the regular season doesn't win the Super Bowl and he's not an elite downfield receiver and the only way the Patriots re-sign him is if he gives a huge discount!!! They need to re-sign Talib, Bolden made big catches after he pulled up lame. As for McCourty he's not a very good KR but Demps might be electrifying!! Dennard is a heck of a good DB and has shutdown Corner written all over him. Ask Tory Smith!

I'd be willing to bet a buck that Bellicheck will draft offensive linemen with his first two picks.

I am starting to agree with some of you about BB leaving and tom well he just isn't the same anymore. I love the guy but he isn't getting the big games done but not all his fault others on team to blame as well.

I feel as well we need some new coaches, some bigger and nastier players, and once and for all can we please talk back to teams who trash us. This "they're a good team junk is getting old"

That ravens guy takes to twitter calls us all this stuff and tom and co just say "there a good team" what the heck. get mad for once.

It will  do NE good to get mad. Maybe something will change and we can start wining again.

I miss rodney, seymour, some of those who really came to play.

oh and get rid of wes way way to many drops. sick of him and his drops. and now the league has this oregon offense figured out so that won't help much next year. Tom looks bored like he isn't challeneged or doesn't care. don't know which.

In response to WelkerRules's comment:

you may have to change ur name

I am still a little scared of Talib. Not only is he still a danger to turn back into his old self (especially if he gets a big contract), but in the 10 weeks he was here he managed to get injured twice. They were 6-3 before he joined the team and 7-2 (counting the playoffs after).  After he was hurt, the Pats still forced the Ravens to punt on 3 of their next four possessions. 

I know the Patriots have about $18M in cap space but that is without a long list of guys who were contributors this year (beyond Talib and Welker). Brady, Wilfork and Mankins will total about 40% of the total salary cap (their top ten contracts take up about 2/3 of the total expected cap). If they figure something out with Welker and Talib, that will put them close to $80M for next season for 12-13 players (that is  letting Vollmer, Edelman, Woodhead, Chung, Arrington and Donald Thomas walk). They no players with big cap numbers they can cut to make more room either (although, they will probably renegotiate Brady and end up paying him prorated money until he is 40+).

Not sure how you go out and upgrade safety, WR and DT via free agency in that situation. They will need contributions from guys like Dowling and Wilson, plus they will need Chandler Jones and Hightower to take the next step. I think the WR and DT will have to come from the draft. The down the field receivers are there in the second round through 4th rounds (Torrey Smith 2nd, Mike Wallace 3rd, TY Hilton 3rd, Cecil Shortz 4th, Chris Givens 4th, Mike Williams 4th). Why spend FA money on a guy like Avery who averaged about the same yards per catch as Lloyd.

Solid defensive tackles can be found as well (Love and Deaderick with undrafted and 7th round respectively).

Safety is the one position I think they will need to go after in FA (they are not going to get a guy who can step in a play where they are picking). To me Jarius Byrd, Goldson (who we passed on for Steve Gregory), Kenny Phillips and William Moore are all improvements over what they have. I saw Ty Law saying that the best case for the Patriots defensive backfield is getting two new safeties and figuring out how to get McCourty back at CB with his head on straight (he said while McCourty is better than the other options they had this year, he is still not a natural safety).

Getting back to Talib, I could see a team like the Bengals who are way under cap, throwing money at him (playoff team, but it would become their #1 CB instantly). 

In response to AyyyBoston's comment:

Agree with a hard hitting safety and a legitamate deep threat and either a DL or Linebacker pass rush.

Talib has never played a complete season, he gets injured a lot.  the CB position needs some good depth.  Need to get rid of half the DBs the Pats have and get some quality DB's with size.

Time to let Branch retire and go after some good depth at WR. Need a long baller.  I say find a way to keep Wes for another year or two.  All the let Wes walk comments are crazy.  Takes a pounding and stays in the game.  Edelman gets hurt too much.  Amendola gets hurt too much, so gotta say no to picking him up.

Let's face it, the RB position isn't solid.  Need a feature back.  The RB merry-go-round isn't working anymore.

Tom Brady is a luxury, can't carry the team on his own anymore.  Need a run game that they can depend on and use it.  Cant have Tom passing all game and rely on him to carry the team at this stage of his career.

1. OLine - C or RT. Our interior was pushed in all day long. Re-sign Vollmer. 

2. WR. BB thinks we don't need a X route WR. He thinks we can score points without it. The big contracts for Hern and Gronk indicate that he perceives them as cheap WRs rather than elite TEs. The problem with this is that what works against most teams does get shut down against elite defenses. 

3. CB/SS - It's obvious.

 

Parcells was once asked about one of his better players always being hurt but how good he was. Parcells looked into the camera and said " I don't care how good you are, you ain't any good if you can't stay on the field"

Talib is an unknown at this point. Gonna take a lot to sign him and we are not sure if he's the real deal yet nor if he can actually stay on the field for 16 games.