Marcus Cannon has played very little guard here, and hasn't looked even remotely more than slightly above average no matter where he played. The idea that we now may be able to extend Revis AND, what, lock up Marcus Cannon before we "lose" him next year is eight kinds of crazy. I hope to god you're right, but I don't know where the excitement about Cannon is coming from. Today's trade may well work out great, but I seriously doubt "we've gotta find a way to keep Cannon!" factored into the top billion reasons BB et al jettisoned Mankins.
Speaking of, Belichick's glowing, almost nuclear glowing, statement on Mankins:
“Logan Mankins is everything we would ever want in a football player. It is hard to imagine a better player at his position, a tougher competitor or a person to represent our program. He is one of the all-time great Patriots and the best guard I ever coached. Logan brought a quiet but unmistakable presence and leadership that will be impossible to duplicate. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when difficult decisions have to be made -- and this is one of the most difficult we will ever make -- but like every other decision it was made for what we feel is in the best interests of the team.”
Speaking of, Belichick's glowing, almost nuclear glowing, statement on Mankins:
“Logan Mankins is everything we would ever want in a football player. It is hard to imagine a better player at his position, a tougher competitor or a person to represent our program. He is one of the all-time great Patriots and the best guard I ever coached. Logan brought a quiet but unmistakable presence and leadership that will be impossible to duplicate. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when difficult decisions have to be made -- and this is one of the most difficult we will ever make -- but like every other decision it was made for what we feel is in the best interests of the team.”