Thomas: Spat with Belichick started after Week 1

[vyrago]

Dude - again. You don't know wtf you are talking about. People get treated how they act. If they act stupid, they get treated like they are stupid. I'm brutally honest.

I'm not going to get involved in this since I don't know what you're talking about. But a rule of thumb of mine is never believe anyone who says he/she is brutally honest. That judgment is up to others. Of course you're going to say you're honest. No one expects you to say and btw, I lie all the time.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

He's bitter because they didn't give him shut down corner money. Despite the fact that he isn't... He has unrealistic expectations and he cared more about money than winning. Same deal with Branch. Samuel will end up much the same too, and one day he will be saying the same thing about Philly that Deion will be saying about Seattle. Wasn't my fault...they misused or abused or somehow derailed my career...when the sad fact will be they simply didn't live up to the potential those team convinced themselves they had... Branch had durability issues. If we kept him there is no guarantee he plays when we need him to. Asante had his own issues and ballhawking ability they gave him the time and oppirtunity to develop aside, one of those bit us in the ass twice in his last game here...

so he is bitter because you say so?

I guess you are right.......the front office made a genius move in letting him go and not spending $$ on their best players.......the pats are exactly where they need to be :rocker:

 

[SanAngeloState]

I don't blame the pats for getting rid of all those players. They wanted too much money or were good values (seymour for a first). I DO BLAME them for not DEVELOPING young players. Not drafting any ILBs or even trying to develop any.

Our best pass rusher is a reject from a mediocre SF team. Need I say more?

AD is a lousy bum. No, I don't think anyone gives up anything for him, especially as they know he's going to be cut and isn't worth 5M for a one year rental. MAYBE the jets would give up a 6th for him, but I doubt it.

He isn't that good in our system. He doesn't have the intelligence, discipline, whatever. THEN WHY WAS HE SIGNED? BB really dropped the ball on this one. You build through the draft and you keep some of your top guys if they will play for reasonable money.

So it's not that BB dumped 1/2 his defense in 2 years. They got OLD and some were too expensive...happens.

Let's develop Wilhit, whom I have not given up on. And let Mayo's knee heal so his career isn't ruined. And play more 4-3 if we can't get a good NT. BB is supposed to be a defensive genius, but I didn't see much of that last year.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

I don't blame the pats for getting rid of all those players. They wanted too much money or were good values (seymour for a first). I DO BLAME them for not DEVELOPING young players. Not drafting any ILBs or even trying to develop any.

Our best pass rusher is a reject from a mediocre SF team. Need I say more?

AD is a lousy bum. No, I don't think anyone gives up anything for him, especially as they know he's going to be cut and isn't worth 5M for a one year rental. MAYBE the jets would give up a 6th for him, but I doubt it.

He isn't that good in our system. He doesn't have the intelligence, discipline, whatever. THEN WHY WAS HE SIGNED? BB really dropped the ball on this one. You build through the draft and you keep some of your top guys if they will play for reasonable money.

So it's not that BB dumped 1/2 his defense in 2 years. They got OLD and some were too expensive...happens.

Let's develop Wilhit, whom I have not given up on. And let Mayo's knee heal so his career isn't ruined. And play more 4-3 if we can't get a good NT. BB is supposed to be a defensive genius, but I didn't see much of that last year.

which LB got too old and too expensive? well....they all got too old, except that the braintrust didn't think it would be smart to develop some guys rather wring every ounce out of guys like junior seau, chad brown.....next thing you know, you're starting UDFA rookies

 

[BritPat]

Sometimes stats can be misleading. You can't possibley think that the Pats defense was the fifth best in the NFL this year right?

In terms of keeping points off the board, which is the most important thing, then yes. They could stop the run better, they could stop the pass better, but they're doing something right at least.

 

[emoney_33]

so he is bitter because you say so?

I guess you are right.......the front office made a genius move in letting him go and not spending $$ on their best players.......the pats are exactly where they need to be :rocker:

Letting Samuel go was a no-brainer, he doesn't come close to earning what he makes. And to use Samuel and Thomas as your basis for the argument is beyond laughable. You have 0 concept of fielding a full team and live in a fantasy world where cap and value are meaningless. I really hope you pay someone else to handle your own personal finances.

Now since you are some kind of genius, come up with your roster along with salary cap numbers and exact contracts that would have been consistent with "taking care of your players". Your roster would probably look like:

$7M Branch
$12M Samuel
$20M Brady
$18M Seymour
$15M Wilfork

And our game log would probably look like this:
LLLLLWLLWLLLLLLW

 

[emoney_33]

which LB got too old and too expensive? well....they all got too old, except that the braintrust didn't think it would be smart to develop some guys rather wring every ounce out of guys like junior seau, chad brown.....next thing you know, you're starting UDFA rookies

which UDFA ROOKIE is starting? Guyton was not a rookie and he wasn't "starting" in his rookie season. Get out of your pipe-dream fantasy world where it's possible to always have the perfect young replacement ready in time for an aged veteran.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

AD was talking to Michael Felger and Mr. Massarotti. I am sure their questions and conclusions will be so much in favor of the Pats.

 

[DaBruinz]

I'm not going to get involved in this since I don't know what you're talking about. But a rule of thumb of mine is never believe anyone who says he/she is brutally honest. That judgment is up to others. Of course you're going to say you're honest. No one expects you to say and btw, I lie all the time.

It's what I've been told. And it is how I am. I don't need to lie or misquote people to prove a point. It's not worth the time or effort.

 

[WelshPat]

Kaczur? Moss? Warren? Sanders?

2. Samuel? You were happy for us to give $7M a year to a gambler? Plus a $20M signing bonus? To Asante Samuel? You are nuts.

And since when was Adalius Thomas a star player anyway?

Keeping Kazur and Sanders isn't what he means. Kazur is a jag, Sanders is better than a jag but not much. They were both cheap. He means when are they going to spend money to keep their best players, so don't give us Kazur and Sanders.

I would say they extended Warren, the worst out of those 3 D-lineman group. Also, he was the cheapest to extend. Moss didn't get GREAT money.

And okay, so if Samuel isn't worth it, the money you could have spent keeping him went on Thomas. Who would you rather have, Thomas or Samuel? I guess the patriots were NUTS like you said by giving that money to Thomas, because Samuel was a much better player here than Thomas ever was.

 

[emoney_33]

Keeping Kazur and Sanders isn't what he means. Kazur is a jag, Sanders is better than a jag but not much. They were both cheap. He means when are they going to spend money to keep their best players, so don't give us Kazur and Sanders.

RARELY is it ever worth it to overpay for your best players. You do that more than on the rare occasion and you end up with no money to spend on the rest of your roster including depth.

I would say they extended Warren, the worst out of those 3 D-lineman group. Also, he was the cheapest to extend. Moss didn't get GREAT money.

WOW. This is a terrible terrible spin. While he may be the "worst of the 3", he's still a great DL. Also Wilfork's situation is TBD so quit assuming. Let's not exaggerate things and phrase things to make them seem like something they are not. Warren is a perfect example of value and how you maintain a consistently competitive football team.

And okay, so if Samuel isn't worth it, the money you could have spent keeping him went on Thomas. Who would you rather have, Thomas or Samuel? I guess the patriots were NUTS like you said by giving that money to Thomas, because Samuel was a much better player here than Thomas ever was.

Your 20-20 hindsight is in full effect. At the time when the decisions were made, you take Adalius Thomas 100 times out of 100 over Samuel, there is really no debate. Now if you could give the Patriots a time machine I'm sure they could use your 20-20 hindsight to their advantage, but until that time learn how to judge decisions based on the information that existed at the time of the decision.

It's like if I risked my entire life savings and personal belongings on a 1 in 10 chance of tripling my money, the outcome is meaningless to the discussion of whether it is the right decision or not. It will NEVER be the right decision, even though 1 in 10 times the outcome will be better.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

In terms of keeping points off the board, which is the most important thing, then yes. They could stop the run better, they could stop the pass better, but they're doing something right at least.

5th best in the NFL? Please. All the teams they did well against were mediocre at best. Stats are misleading. They are not a top 5 defense.

 

[Rob0729]

For those interested. Felger and Mazz are going replay the interview in a minute or two.

 

[larryo]

For anyone who hasn't heard the Thomas interview it will be replayed on 98.5 coming up next.

 

[oldskool138]

^^^ What are the odds of that? Cool!

 

[upstater1]

I've criticized Belichick before, I've knocked Pioli, and heck, I admit it, I defended Bobby Grier (he did draft Kevin Faulk after all!), but the idea that any poster on this board is savvy enough to criticize the organizational philosophy is just silly.

I think we can point to a player here and there and say, "Boy, did we make a mistake letting him go," but to see it as a pattern of failure--given all the success--is just crazy. A lot of people have left, Milloy, Givens, Branch, McGinest, Samuel, Vrabel, Woody, etc., but we haven't seen any of them other than Samuel achieve star status. And oddly enough, Samuel is one of the guys I do not mind leaving because I think he's overrated. He's a game changer, but he has more Terrell Buckley in him than Ty Law. Is he worth $7 million, yes, but I think he's wildly overpaid at almost $10 million.

Now, it's fair to knock Belichick for certain decisions, but it's presumptuous to attack the overall philosophy of maintaining depth by paying players like Bruschi a good salary. On any other team, Bruschi gets cut after 8 years because he gets paid too much, and he goes on to labor for someone else at the veteran minimum. We've seen this with so many other players at his level, guys like Jeremiah Trotter who get paid peanuts because they are old guys with mid-level skills. There's no place for them in the NFL where you have highly paid superstars, highly paid 1st round draft choices, and a bunch of other guys in their decent second contracts and others making the minimum. You cannot attack the organizational philosophy of the best franchise in the NFL! Shouldn't that go without saying?

I see the personnel mistakes. They should have held onto Deion Branch even if it meant no Randy Moss. I would have kept Willie McGinest around as well even though Rosey Colvin gave us a good few years. As for the rest of the guys who left, I can't see why we're bemoaning their departure.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I've criticized Belichick before, I've knocked Pioli, and heck, I admit it, I defended Bobby Grier (he did draft Kevin Faulk after all!), but the idea that any poster on this board is savvy enough to criticize the organizational philosophy is just silly.

I think we can point to a player here and there and say, "Boy, did we make a mistake letting him go," but to see it as a pattern of failure--given all the success--is just crazy. A lot of people have left, Milloy, Givens, Branch, McGinest, Samuel, Vrabel, Woody, etc., but we haven't seen any of them other than Samuel achieve star status. And oddly enough, Samuel is one of the guys I do not mind leaving because I think he's overrated. He's a game changer, but he has more Terrell Buckley in him than Ty Law. Is he worth $7 million, yes, but I think he's wildly overpaid at almost $10 million.

Now, it's fair to knock Belichick for certain decisions, but it's presumptuous to attack the overall philosophy of maintaining depth by paying players like Bruschi a good salary. On any other team, Bruschi gets cut after 8 years because he gets paid too much, and he goes on to labor for someone else at the veteran minimum. We've seen this with so many other players at his level, guys like Jeremiah Trotter who get paid peanuts because they are old guys with mid-level skills. There's no place for them in the NFL where you have highly paid superstars, highly paid 1st round draft choices, and a bunch of other guys in their decent second contracts and others making the minimum. You cannot attack the organizational philosophy of the best franchise in the NFL! Shouldn't that go without saying?

I see the personnel mistakes. They should have held onto Deion Branch even if it meant no Randy Moss. I would have kept Willie McGinest around as well even though Rosey Colvin gave us a good few years. As for the rest of the guys who left, I can't see why we're bemoaning their departure.

Agreed. I guess that makes us homers.

Just listened to AD's rambling dissertation. LOL Translation of what he remains confused about...They were disappointed in his play after the first two seasons. They were disappointed at his performance in camp and the preseason. He was called out after the Buffalo game and he adopted the rationale that coaches don't always see what I see or know what I faced or...whatever. He disagreed with their assessment and didn't make the corrections. He was told his playing time and role would be changed. He found that confusing...:blahblah:

BTW he believes that your contract is earned when you get it based on who you are or what you did...

Felger claimed BB commented (to someone although Felger was told it was AD himself) that we backed the Brinks truck up for this during his first season. AD denies it was said to him. Although he now admits Bill personally told him to get the F out when he showed up late. He still doesn't get why you get sent home for being late if you followed procedure and called (or he actually texted) ahead. Said it was because of losing, no **** - that is why your HC stressed being early and staying late the Monday before... Says he and Bill still talk in correction meetings or when passing in the hall...No deep discussions about what the problem or his confusion result from. It would probably go over his head if someone suggested that was because Bill has given up and decided there is no one home worth talking to...

Total lack of accountability. Which was the cornerstone for all our championship teams.

 

[emoney_33]

I was with you all the way until I just got to this line...

They should have held onto Deion Branch even if it meant no Randy Moss.

If it meant no Moss, then it would have been an ever better decision than it was . But seriously, we missed Branch in 06 and then we got BM out of it. We didn't miss Branch in 07 or 08. He fought his way out of here, and Seattle offered higher value than he was worth.

 

[emoney_33]

Agreed. I guess that makes us homers.

Just listened to AD's rambling dissertation. LOL Translation of what he remains confused about...They were disappointed in his play after the first two seasons. They were disappointed at his performance in camp and the preseason. He was called out after the Buffalo game and he adopted the rationale that coaches don't always see what I see or know what I faced or...whatever. He disagreed with their assessment and didn't make the corrections. He was told his playing time and role would be changed. He found that confusing...:blahblah:

BTW he believes that your contract is earned when you get it based on who you are or what you did...

Felger claimed BB commented (to someone although Felger was told it was AD himself) that we backed the Brinks truck up for this during his first season. AD denies it was said to him. Although he now admits Bill personally told him to get the F out when he showed up late. He still doesn't get why you get sent home for being late if you followed procedure and called (or he actually texted) ahead. Said it was because of losing, no **** - that is why your HC stressed being early and staying late the Monday before... Says he and Bill still talk in correction meetings or when passing in the hall...No deep discussions about what the problem or his confusion result from. It would probably go over his head if someone suggested that was because Bill has given up and decided there is no one home worth talking to...

Total lack of accountability. Which was the cornerstone for all our championship teams.

It's a shame to see such great talent with such an oddly developed mind

 

[RobertWeathers]

Agreed. I guess that makes us homers.

Just listened to AD's rambling dissertation. LOL Translation of what he remains confused about...They were disappointed in his play after the first two seasons. They were disappointed at his performance in camp and the preseason. He was called out after the Buffalo game and he adopted the rationale that coaches don't always see what I see or know what I faced or...whatever. He disagreed with their assessment and didn't make the corrections. He was told his playing time and role would be changed. He found that confusing...:blahblah:

BTW he believes that your contract is earned when you get it based on who you are or what you did...

Felger claimed BB commented (to someone although Felger was told it was AD himself) that we backed the Brinks truck up for this during his first season. AD denies it was said to him. Although he now admits Bill personally told him to get the F out when he showed up late. He still doesn't get why you get sent home for being late if you followed procedure and called (or he actually texted) ahead. Said it was because of losing, no **** - that is why your HC stressed being early and staying late the Monday before... Says he and Bill still talk in correction meetings or when passing in the hall...No deep discussions about what the problem or his confusion result from. It would probably go over his head if someone suggested that was because Bill has given up and decided there is no one home worth talking to...

Total lack of accountability. Which was the cornerstone for all our championship teams.

Agreed X2. His rant made no sense on a number of levels. BB has been accused of many things, but I don't recall ANY player EVER accusing him as it relates to roles, assignments within a particular defenses being obtuse.

Simply put- AD is speaking out of his butt.