Where do Patriots stand after the release of Antonio Brown?

After 11 days of highs and lows, New England decides to release one of the best and most problematic NFL players. That's okay.

When it was reported that the New England Patriots signed receiver Antonio Brown just 11 days ago, those watching in anticipation weren't quite sure what the outcome would be from that marriage. 

After numerous reports surfaced from Sports Illustrated's Robert Klemko regarding accusations against Brown for sexual misconduct, theft, domestic incidents, and unpaid debts, the amount of time that the 31 year old receiver was going to spend in New England began to shorten rather drastically. The nail in the coffin for Brown was when Klemko then revealed on Friday that Brown had sent menacing text messages to one of his accusers in a group text, which forced the accusers lawyer to contact the NFL. 

Now, New England will no longer have Brown's services available, and they will continue on into their Week 3 against the New York Jets with Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett as their starting wideout, which as a unit helped put together a 33-point blowout against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Patriots having some offensive line worries, as the unit is banged up to the point where their two starting tackles are currently players they signed following cut down day and ahead of the regular season opener. However, it is still a consistent group of players that can keep it together enough for the offense to succeed. 

Any team would miss what Brown brings to the table offensively in turns of his all-world talent. New England went into this mess knowing they didn't need Brown, but he was an incredible value, which is why the opted to sign him and take the chance. 

There's a chance that New England could keep most of the money they were supposed to give him, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, so the reward was higher than the risk when they gave Brown a 1-year, $15 million deal and a $9 million signing bonus. 

Either way, the Patriots move on, and they still have a strong base in tact. They have an elite defense that is smothering opponents, they have a strong run game and can be explosive in the passing game with Gordon and Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman. New England is still in a pretty darn good position to succeed for the remainder of the season. The Antonio Brown saga was just a large hiccup as the season unfolds; nothing more than that.