What's Going On in New England?

Take a deep breath, Patriots fans.

Despite a relatively minimal presence throughout the first day of free agency, New England rocked the football landscape on day two, naturally creating an uproar throughout the region.

There's a lot to process. 48 hours ago, Wes Welker was strongly leaning towards staying in New England. In fact, barring "something unforseen," Welker would remain a Patriot and it was more of a "dotting the I's and crossing the T's" scenario. Alas, as things often do in the NFL, things changed. In hours, news on Welker picked up like a tidal wave, gaining strength throughout the day until it crashed in a crescendo late Wednesday afternoon amid reports that Welker would sign in Denver.

And just as we thought things were settling down and sports talk radio could fill hours upon hours of endless Welker talk, New England dropped another bombshell. Not only did they let Welker walk for what seems like a minuscule 2 years/$12 million, but they signed his doppelganger Danny Amendola to a monster 5 year/$31 million deal.

What?

Granted, there's a lot to comprehend, so let's dive right into it.

Wes Welker

I, along with many others including prominent Patriots beat writers, presumed Welker would end up with New England. Due to numerous factors including Tom Brady's "pay cut," Welker's success with the team, and reports indicating a deal was close, the news of his departure blindsided many.

Many fans were angered, others confused. Few defended the Patriots, and for good reason.

The ultimate narrative is that Welker felt spurned by the Patriots low-ball contract offer, and ultimately took his talents to a team which could immediately impact New England's chances at another elusive Super Bowl title. While that makes sense and very well could be the case, I don't believe the Patriots ultimately envisioned ever re-signing Welker.

Bill Belichick and co. had their opportunities to sign Welker and never took them. After a productive career in New England reports indicated that Welker intended to pursue a contract offer which reflected his value as the league's best slot receiver. The Patriots reportedly offered $10.5 million over 2 years.

As Mike Wallace received a 5 year, $60 million dollar deal and the free agency market boomed, would you be insulted? Heck, I was insulted, and no one plans on paying me to play receiver in the NFL anytime soon.

But to think the Patriots truly believed Welker would accept that offer is naive. At age 32, New England believed Welker would be phased out of their offensive focus and would not provide value comparable to what they would need to pay. Instead, armed with an unacceptable contract offer, Bill Belichick let Welker go, ushering him out the door like a matador baiting a bull.

And perhaps that speaks to the arrogance of the New England Patriots. For years, it's been the "Bill Belichick" way. He set a number for prospective free agents and they better like it, or they could go elsewhere. Stars could chase the glory of a large contract elsewhere for all Belichick cares because in his mind, every player is replaceable. But Belichick has never cut ties with a player of such importance to the success of an offense, nor has he jettisoned someone so popular with the fans.

Do I agree with it? Not at all. For $10 million guaranteed and 2 years, I'd much rather the dependability of Wes Welker over the potential of Danny Amendola, who we will get to in a minute. But do you blame Welker for leaving? He didn't get the length or value contract he hoped, so he got the next best thing.

In the end, the negotiations turned from business to personal, and history proves those rarely work out in successful matrimony. The Patriots, for whatever reason, decided it'd be best to insult Welker with an embarrassingly low contract offer. In return, undoubtedly upset, Welker turned to Denver to line up in the slot for Tom Brady's most notable rival Peyton Manning, in what is primed to be the most potent offense in the AFC.

But hey, In Bill We Trust, right?

Danny Amendola

Just when you found your football thirst quenched by the results of another crazy day in NFL free agency, the Patriots trudged on.

Armed with cap space and a gaping hole at slot-receiver, the Patriots fulfilled what was previously considered plan B by many in signing Danny Amendola. To compound the confusion and frustration, the previously stingy front office extended a rather gracious offer to Amendola at 5 years/$31 million.

Roughly two hours after the Welker news went final, the swift reversal of course by the Patriots was staggering. After being led to believe the Patriots wouldn't pay Welker, the team over-extended to Amendola, locking up the injury-prone receiver to a 5 year deal?

First, let's pump the brakes on the contract. While it seems large, and technically it can be, Amendola will never see all $31 million. In fact, both Welker and Amendola received $10 million in guaranteed money, essentially setting the market for slot receivers. Ironically, the contract bares many similarities to the deal New England offered to Welker five seasons ago, when he was 27 years old.

There's no denying the talent of Amendola or the natural comparisons to Welker. Both are caucasian, both are perfecting their craft in the slot, both graduated Texas Tech. Unfortunately for Amendola, he must now face the impossible tasks of filling Welker's shoes in both the offense and the hearts of Patriot nation.

In theory, Amendola can provide much of what Welker was able to do in New England. But it will take time to develop the rapport Welker and Tom Brady shared. The other problem is Amendola's inability to stay on the field.

It would be ignorant to say Amendola is not tough. Amendola is very tough, and we'll see him absorb many of the same hits Welker took. Durability is the issue. Amendola has missed 20 games over the past four seasons with various injuries including a dislocated elbow and broken collarbone. An optimist would say he's suffered numerous freak injuries, but it isn't a chronic situation. A realist would doubt his ability to stay on the field for 16 games, plus a probable playoff run.

The most concerning aspect is Bill Belichick's trust in Josh McDaniels, who is quietly turning the Patriots into a collaboration of his favorite players from his previous two stops in Denver and St. Louis.  Brandon Lloyd, Daniel Fells, Michael Hoomanawanui, and now Danny Amendola. The Patriots currently do not have a receiver on the roster who caught a pass for them last season, and are putting their trust in a coach who's ability to identify talent is highly questionable.

In 2011, the Rams offense, to put it nicely, was horrendous. They averaged 12.1 points-per-game, good for 11th worst all time. McDaniels also drafted twice as a head coach, picking notable standouts such as Tim Tebow, Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, and Alphonso Smith

Nervous yet?

Essentially, the Patriots offense has become Josh McDaniels brainchild. While schematically talented, his faults as a talent evaluator don't exactly help me sleep at night. Is Tom Brady the difference between success and failure for McDaniels? That seems to be asking a lot from a 35 year old QB who's struggled with pressure the past 8 seasons, and just recently had his binky snatched away from him.

Obviously, the season isn't won in March. Free Agency is still alive and well, and if the Patriots make reasonable additions to the team, I'm sure they'll look fine heading into 2013.

But it's become a theme in New England. Gone are the reliable mainstays such as a hard nose defense and playoff tenacity. Now, the Patriots continue to roll the dice, more often than not ending up painfully short of another Super Bowl.