First of all, HRB -- Sorry again about the response in the Wilfork thread -- thanks for bringing the discussion here. Good on you.
Second:
I certainly think Browner was important to the secondary, but I still think Revis was the glue that held everything together. Browner worked well when put in the right situation: help from a safety, or a matchup against a similarly big WR. But -- for example -- he was so mismatched with the Colts that he got benched in the AFCCG in favor of a faster, smaller CB.
To me, Browner is a matchup-type CB, the kind of guy who can be an incredible piece of an ensemble but not a solo artist.
I'm not so sure about that. As I read it, the Krafts (and the front office staff) are going to put on a full court press to sign him to an extension before it gets to that point. He's looking to be the best paid CB in the NFL -- if the Patriots offer that and he feels like it's roughly the best deal he could get, I could see him signing.
In addition, they have until at least March 10 (when the new NFL league year begins) -- and
according to NFL.com perhaps even as long as April 1 (when his $12 million roster bonus is due) -- to work something out, so I think they have some time.