PatsFan2

Also if we can find someone to provide a consistent inside pass rush like say Myron Pryor...we could move Cunningham back to the outside where he would be a great compliment to Chandler Jones...no knock on Nicko. As we have seen with Giants in the SB the almost perfect season. You don't have to have outstanding CB's if your Front 7 can get there. Our Front 7 is close but we just need that other consistent rusher to fear in opposing QB's.

patchick

"Sure picks" at DB? Find me one they've passed on. Those super-rare "sure things" are generally long gone by the time the Pats pick...EVERY team is desperate for stud DBs. (And btw, Rodgers-Cromartie, a freak athlete coming out of the 1AA Ohio Valley Conference, was the very definition of a boom-or-bust prospect.)

Which brings us to...

You think he was right to berate the Pats for choosing Jerod Mayo instead? Would you really trade Mayo for DRC?

kkpat

Hope we go and trade for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie even if it is 3rd round pick. But we all know it won't happen.

If we have to face QB like Manning or even Joe Flacco, we will have a very very tough time in playoffs. I don't get it. Why doesn't BB address this? Every year, we suck and keep sucking in the secondary. No one is worried about our secondary. They know that even 14-21 point lead can be easily blown by us.

DarrylS

Beware of shiny beads....

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"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

patchick

The results haven't been pretty, no question. But of course BB has "addressed this." He keeps drafting and signing DBs at a furious rate. Check it out: the Patriots have drafted at least one defensive back in the top 2 rounds for the past SIX YEARS IN A ROW.

The problem isn't that they're ignoring the position, it's that their efforts aren't working. Which is a problem of talent evaluation. On the other hand, the DBs selected after them haven't looked much better.

There is a huge dearth of young DB talent in the league. If you look at last year's Pro Bowl roster, the average age of the 16 DBs is over 30...and there's not a single player you can really accuse the Pats of "missing on" over the past half-dozen years.

Danger Zone

As my signature says, I'm one that trusts Belichick. There must be soooo many layers to why he drafts one player over another, that it would be pointless to even start making a list.

That said, of course he's made mistakes, but in fact, I believe he's had as much success or more than any other team.

And the reason I quoted you was that you made a point that I've long tried making to my friends.

The Patriots year after year, draft at the very bottom of every round. Our 1st round picks become effectively 2nd round picks, our 2nd round picks become 3rds due to how low in the draft they come.

In effect, its not too much of an exaggeration IMO to state that we virtually lose a 1st round pick every year because we consistently make it to the Superbowl or deep into the playoffs.

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In Belichick I Trust.

Yeah, I said it.

DocHoliday

There's still the sense that going for high floor type guys with your picks might be a better choice than "he's got first round talent he's just injured/special Teamer in college (Bill's favorite)/could use some coaching/didn't even play football until 2 years ago/is more of a safety"

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patchick

Hmm, interesting. If you look back over the Pats' recent draft history, do you think that the "high floor" type picks (maybe not an elite athlete, but experienced, productive and low-risk) have been more successful than the "he's an amazing athlete but unproductive/raw/injured/character question mark" types?

Among picks in the top 2 rounds, I'd break it down like this (note that not every player is one or the other):

HIGH FLOOR
Jermaine Cunningham
Brandon Spikes
Pat Chung
Ron Brace

HIGH CEILING
Chandler Jones
Nate Solder
Ras-I Dowling
Rob Gronkowski
Darius Butler
Sebastian Vollmer

patman52

I believe the pats will make Aquib Talib the next reclamation project. He was flying right under BB's friend Schiano, but his suspension for that ADD (diagnosed) drug I think is the last straw for the bucs ownership. I hope this one is better than Haynesworth and Johnson and more like Anderson, Carter and Waters

robertweathers

Great talent. It's all about the head with this guy.

Low round pick.

__________________
“I'm not really concerned about the other 31 teams,” - Bill Belichick

"If a player has talent and doesn't succeed, that means that they either don't want to be successful or I have failed as a coach." - Bill Belichick