Waters on Belichick and GRONK

[ctpatsfan77]

From Bill Burt:

Waters admits he gets calls from some of his "buds" in the NFL inquiring about the "Patriots mystique" and, of course, the head coach.

What does he tell them?

"I tell them the truth, that this is a place every player should experience," said Waters. "I tell people a lot is expected of you here. You had better have the right attitude and put in the work or you won't last."

Waters on GRONK (from Reiss):

Waters: Hard not to feel good for Gronkowski. Curious how some teammates view tight end Rob Gronkowski? Here is what veteran offensive lineman Brian Waters responded when asked about Gronkowski setting the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end: "You really don't try to focus on individual things, but you're definitely excited for a guy like that. All he does is come and play football. There have only been a few people in my life that you never see a sad face on them at all [and] every time I see the guy he's smiling. You wonder why he's smiling, you wonder what's going on in his head, but the guy is always in a good mood, he's always happy. He loves football and that's something you can be excited about."

[BTW: GRONK's 49-yarder against the Redskins was NFL Live's #10(!) play of the year. Someone watching it said "He should have charged for that ride." But such is GRONK's generous nature: he'll drag DBs around for free. ]

 

[signbabybrady]

Hard not to really like Waters.

I think he is making the 54 on his jersey proud.

 

[Seanzayyy]

Hard not to really like Waters.

I think he is making the 54 on his jersey proud.

Something about that number.

I hope Waters stays here for as long as he can and finishes his career as a Patriot.

 

[BTTA]

My goodness if this OL stays healthy next year, it is going to be good. The best in a long, long time.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

One thing about Waters that I don't see in Mankins is his field awareness.

I'm glad he is a Patriot and hopefully mentors Cannon.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Something about that number.

I hope Waters stays here for as long as he can and finishes his career as a Patriot.

But we all know that's as long as he can fend off the young guys. Hopefully they coincide. You really have to wonder why this guy was left for dead the way he has performed.

 

[ausbacker]

What I find amazing is RG was a clear weakness going in to season 2011 with the retirement of Neal. Now, RG is a position of strength for the Patriots thanks to Brian Waters.

 

[Deus Irae]

Waters has been an excellent pickup. Let's hope he can maintain this level for another year (Hell, if I'm hoping, let's make that hope for a couple of years). If he can, and if Koppen can come back at full strength, this line will be in good hands for the immediate future and would allow for a smooth transition to the next OL core:

Light/Solder
Mankins
Koppen
Waters/Cannon
Vollmer/Solder

Connolly as the roving interior backup
Rookie draft pick as a developmental center

 

[BradyFTW!]

But we all know that's as long as he can fend off the young guys. Hopefully they coincide. You really have to wonder why this guy was left for dead the way he has performed.

Todd Haley is why.

 

[DarrylS]

Compare him to players like Adalius Thomas who were lockerroom cancers.. he had the same reputation in KC, and was one of the most approachable players there.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Todd Haley is why.

I thought RAC was the coach of the Chiefs. Who's this Todd Haley?

and I guess that's (in part) the answer

 

[naF staP]

Waters is a plug in and play guy. Best pick up this season, imo. I could sit here all night and write good things about the guy and still not do him justice. Class act, old school vet. They don't make OL like him anymore. Glad he is a Patriot!

 

[midwestpatsfan]

Todd Haley is why.

LOL!
I live in KC and it was amazing listening to this guy throughout the year. I think he was trying to pull off the BB type of coaching, but you could see that he came off as whining. He also played "his" players rather than playing the best players. That will get you fired every time.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

LOL!
I live in KC and it was amazing listening to this guy throughout the year. I think he was trying to pull off the BB type of coaching, but you could see that he came off as whining. He also played "his" players rather than playing the best players. That will get you fired every time.

I actually thought he was trying to be more like Parcells than Bill B. He spent more time under Parcells.

 

[patchick]

What I find amazing is RG was a clear weakness going in to season 2011 with the retirement of Neal. Now, RG is a position of strength for the Patriots thanks to Brian Waters.

And what's even more amazing is that Waters had never played RG before.

To come in at the end of camp, after years and years on the left side of the line, and flip your whole take on the game to the right side in a brand new offense...and end up in the Pro Bowl? Extraordinary.

 

[BradyFTW!]

LOL!
I live in KC and it was amazing listening to this guy throughout the year. I think he was trying to pull off the BB type of coaching, but you could see that he came off as whining. He also played "his" players rather than playing the best players. That will get you fired every time.

I remember that, when he first came in, the Chiefs had just gone 2-14. Waters, being an All Pro talent and locker room/community leader and all, supposedly tried to have a sit-down with Haley shortly after his hiring. Supposedly, Haley did not take well to this, and essentially told him to **** off and that he could go 2-14 with a bunch of guys off the street.

Doesn't strike me as a very productive way to build a rapport, but its probably a good sign when you can't understand Haley's particular brand of insanity.

 

[AnwmdN27]

Waters' performance might have declined a bit due to losing for so many years. Nice to see a change of scenery did the trick, a winning culture can do wonders for a player. Also nice to see that Gronk is pretty much a household name now... we have such a great locker room full of guys like Antwaun Molden, who contribute and are genuinely great people on and off the field. Hard to say that about some other teams (cough Jets cough)

 

[T_Brady12]

As Patriots fans, we have a pretty good sense about the "Patriot Mystique", but when you see a guy like Brian Waters say what he says about what it's like to play here, that's saying something.

We are talking about a guy who is one of the best right guards in recent memory, if not all-time, who previous to coming to New England played 11 years in KC, making five Pro Bowls.

That's saying something.

 

[JerseyDevil26]

Don't get me wrong, I (like a lot of people) was upset he was given the number 54, but the guy has been AMAZING for us this year. I know he's getting up there in age, but I surely hope he continues to play this well for us for the next one or two years.

 

[Buchanty]

Waters has been an excellent pickup. Let's hope he can maintain this level for another year (Hell, if I'm hoping, let's make that hope for a couple of years). If he can, and if Koppen can come back at full strength, this line will be in good hands for the immediate future and would allow for a smooth transition to the next OL core:

Light/Solder
Mankins
Koppen
Waters/Cannon
Vollmer/Solder

Connolly as the roving interior backup
Rookie draft pick as a developmental center

Couldn't agree more - especially your last point. I was pleasantly surprised when we drafted Ted Larsen last year only to be disappointed when we let him go and he got picked up by Tampa. Koppen's play has had a gradual but negative slide over the years, he is still better than his 3 backups but needs stronger competition and a developmental rookie will benefit them both.