None of this post makes any sense to me. Brady won 2 SBs since the Jimmy G thing. Even if Kraft stepped in, it was obviously 100% the right move.
The run game was improved quite a bit down the stretch but the run blocking was awful last night. All their big runs were to the outside, and most gimmicky sweeps (White / Harry / Edelman were 4 for 33). The Roberts stuff and the tragic goal line sequence weren't aberrations; they couldn't run the ball up the middle to save their lives last night. Michel and Burkhead combined for 17 carries last night and three of them gained first downs (none in the second half).
I don't mean "big" as in "unlikely". I mean "big" as "hugely important". I don't think it's unreasonable to think the Pats could re-sign Thuney, for example. Do you?
Belichick is the greatest football mind of all time. He's not going to feel good about taking contradictory football orders from a boozy billionaire with his legacy on the line.
For the record, Kraft didn't jam Brady down Belichick's throat. The situation has been badly misreported over and over again.
Fine - Brady won 2 SBs since the Jimmy G thing.....but I'm sure the results in SF provide a stronger resolve for BB to say; "see? I told you a few years ago that JG was the person and the route to a transition that would have much success in the future. Trust my instincts here. It's time to move on."
At BB’s presser earlier this morning in his opening statement he said he appreciates the questions about the future but it’s less than 12 hours after the end of the season. Volin then proceeds to ask about Brady’s future, when he’d like to see a resolution, etc. Bill says ask it 50 different ways you’ll get the same answer. Then proceeds to ask him about his future.
The Pats went 12-4 and were *one* point producing drive away from winning a playoff game. They have a two decade track record of attendIng to offseason needs. If Brady comes back there may be 3-4 teams that have better SB odds than the Pats. Come on.
It all depends on the evaluation of Brady and the other options. Only thing that really changes the calculus is if they think Stidham is ready to be the guy. Otherwise, you are choosing between Brady and a bunch of even crappier options.
Agree 100%.
Brady playing like a bottom half of the league QB at 20M is not hard to replace. You can change the whole look of the offense around the QB with more cap flexibility.
Not sure I fully agree. If Antonio Brown had stopped tweeting, this was a SB calibre team. They won 12 games with a lot of stuff going wrong. The days of them being a presumptive favorite are gone but the days of them winning the AFCE and hosting at least 1 game may not be with some good drafting and FA signings.
If the owner meddling in personnel is going to force Belichick out of NE, going to an organization where the owner's brother is the Senior Vice President of Player Personnel is a really, really curious move.
I don't accept this at all. If Stidham isn't the guy.....we try the next option.
If they could get BB, the owners brother would be an errand boy real quick.
Not my comment, and I agree with you on 2020 but ...
Daniel Jones has done nothing to demonstrate that he’s a nice piece on offense. He fumbled the ball a million times last year and is the type of QB Belichick absolutely hates.
Got it. Response made it seem like it was based on something I said. I obviously agree we’re not getting Lawrence unless it’s the nuclear situation where both Belichick and Brady leave.
I'd also point out that Kraft has a replacement team in-house in Cesario/McDaniels, so it would behoove both Belichick and Kraft to resolve this quickly before plan B moves on to other jobs.
Agree completely. They did a nice job towards the end of last year and into the playoffs of developing into a “power” offense that complimented an aging quarter back that can still make throws when needed and a mediocre receiving core.
I watch A LOT of NFL football. And to my eye, Brady is still better than the vast majority of QBs in the league. Bolster the OL, get him a real WR and pass catching TE, and LFG.
The replacement plan is the guy who has organized mediocre drafts and an offensive coordinator who didn't have his best season?
This all sounds great on paper, but how are you making the cap numbers work to achieve this? Brady is not coming back for free and the days where every FA wants to play for a discount in NE for a chance to win are over. These upgrades cost money and I am not sure how this is done given the numbers.
I think this is the point that is being ignored thus far into the discussion. It goes hand in hand with the earlier comment about how slow the Patriots seem next to other teams.
Simple answer is they need some draft success/luck. I’m not burying Harry yet but things are probably looking a lot different if they draft Deebo or AJ Brown. You are right that FA dollars will be tight. Many improvements have to come from draft. The Sanu trade really hurts in this regard.
I cannot even fathom what Jimmy G has to do with the Patriots 2020 offseason, so clearly I have the right people on ignore.
I guess for some folks that was a moment where they get like the Pats made a wrong decision that is now about to bite them in the ass. A poster pointed out that NFW because Brady has won two SBs since then. While I agree with the “not a bad move to keep Brady” line of thinking, there was a reasonably substantial factual error in the post that needed correcting.
This is 100% right. Last year’s OL was dominant. This year’s...not so much. In fact downright terrible at times. Better at the end but still...needs significant improvement.
Thanks for the context.
