Did you know today (Tuesday) is the International Day of Happiness?
Cheese, willow trees, pool basketball in the pool, a newly-mowed-lawn and briefly turning off my headlights while driving down a dark, narrow street to scare my passengers. Those are things that make me happy.
- MORE PATRIOTS - DJ BEAN: AFC East prepares for life after Brady
It’s good timing.
The first few days of NFL free agency (and the legalized flirting that preceded it) created a level of unhappiness in New England because of all the exports.
All made stupid money that the Patriots really couldn’t ante up, but the contributions of Nate Solder, Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Butler were such that a shrug and “What are ya gonna do...?” would have been an insufficient response.
So there was flipping out.
But in honor of IDOH, let’s look at imports and rank them in order of projected usefulness. It’s a happy exercise because there’s upside to each of the six signings.
New England Patriots
ADRIAN CLAYBORN
JASON McCOURTY
DANNY SHELTON
Belichick gushed about how Branch was far-and-away their most impactful defensive lineman in 2016.CORDARRELLE PATTERSON
Here's Phil Perry on what the Patriots are getting in Patterson.MATT TOBIN
Greg Bedard at the Boston Sports Journal (subscription required) went deep on Tobin.JEREMY HILL
Poor Jeremy Hill. led to impossibly anguished wailing from Hill deciding to have ankle surgery which Marvin Lewis strongly disagreed with Hill havingTHE QUICK SLANTS PODCAST: CURRAN AND PERRY DISCUSS THE PATS' MOVES