4. Reducing pre-draft player interviews – Inhibit the number of players the Patriots are permitted to interview before the 2015 NFL draft and make the process that much harder for the Patriots to evaluate talent in 2015. One of the keys to any team improving their chance of finding a diamond in the rough is using those interview slots to meet with players and see if they fit in with the system in place.
3. Reduce cap space in 2015 offseason – The Patriots are going to be facing some salary cap problems in 2015 as they hope to bring back CB Darrelle Revis at a huge contract. The NFL can make that task nigh impossible by putting a cap penalty on them and shrinking the amount of room they have to sign the players they want – both under contract and in free agency. The NFL can prove with this method that they mean business by greatly effective their ability to be competitive both in the free agent market and throughout the NFL in their contract renegotiation abilities.
2. Forfeiting draft picks – Nothing gets a team’s attention quite like taking away the currency of the future: Draft picks. In 2008 the Patriots were deprived of their 1st round draft pick for their role in Spygate. For a second cheating violation they should lose at least two high draft picks – perhaps a 1st- and 3rd-round or 1st-and 4th round pick. If the NFL wants to really teach them a lesson, they could even choose to confiscate any draft picks the Patriots have in the top 100 picks (three rounds) of the 2015 NFL draft. That would inhibit not only the Patriots in the immediate future, but possibly set them back two or three years from a player-development standpoint. Few things scream: “change must come,” quite like keeping them from reaching the NFL draft podium for the first two days.
COMMENTS