The consensus among fans and media is the Patriots have a lot to do before being considered among the best in the AFC once again.
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show Wednesday, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum doesn't believe the gap is as big as some think.
“I think it is closer than people think," he said. "You go back to the Buffalo game, they are driving, the game is either going to be tied or they are going to take the lead late in the game. And that game is in Buffalo and obviously Cam [Newton] fumbled and the rest is history. But, I don’t think there is any team in the NFL that is going to do better with opt-outs coming back — presumably Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon. Those are three really, really good football players at important positions, so just starting with that they are off to a good start in the offseason.
"Obviously, the quarterback position has to be sorted out, but beyond that I am very bullish on their future. Their cap space, I think they have a number of young players, especially on defense, so I don’t think the gap is maybe as big as others think.”
As for Newton returning, he isn't ruling it out.
“I really haven’t heard that," Tannenbaum said. "Look, I think I was wrong last year. I thought that signing Cam Newton was going to be terrific. I just didn’t think he played as well as I thought he would. I thought he struggled with accuracy. His arm strength to me was inconsistent. There were things at times he flashed, that looked really good.
“If they brought him back I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought him back and also drafted a quarterback as well.”
