Belichick the GM

[Mack Herron]

Key pieces off the top of my head:

Revis
Browner
Chung
LaFell
Wright
Ayers
Casillas
D. Jones
Branch
Blount
Easley
Garoppolo
Stork
Fleming

 

[Rob0729]

Belichick the GM gets too much crap from people on this board and in the local media. He is a far better GM than they give him credit for. This year's veteran pick ups were arguably the best of his tenure here and he didn't have to go "all in" like the Broncos. And the Broncos look to be significantly behind the Pats in production on the field.

People like to cherry pick bad draft picks/free agent pick ups or the occasional bad offseason to condemn Belichick the GM. This year though, almost everything he touched is gold.

 

[Oswlek]

Belichick the GM is unquestionably top 3 over his NE tenure (hard not to be when so few have even held their position that entire time) and is certainly a top 5 GM in the past 5 years.

It really is time for the whole, "Bill the coach is great! Bill the GM, well....." to come to an end. Doesn't mean he won't make mistakes or that we can't discuss them, but proper context is important.

 

[JMC00]

This year though, almost everything he touched is gold.

TOMMY KELLY

(Comment about Belichick being in the wrong about Tommy Kelly quota filled)

So no need to beat that dead horse anymore. If Kelly wanted to be with the Pats he would still be here. He cut his nose to spite his face and is making a lot less this season.

 

[Ivan]

Belichick the GM is unquestionably top 3 over his NE tenure (hard not to be when so few have even held their position that entire time) and is certainly a top 5 GM in the past 5 years.

It really is time for the whole, "Bill the coach is great! Bill the GM, well....." to come to an end. Doesn't mean he won't make mistakes or that we can't discuss them, but proper context is important.

Ain't happening. The douchebag haters are as silent as outer space right now but they will run in shrieking like little girls watching Beiber if they drop a game. Right now they are just in a holding pattern as they change their position from " this team is crap, blow them up" to "if this team doesn't win the Super Bowl they are total failures."

It was hilarious to watch them scurry off like the ****roaches they are when the Patriots started winning after the slow start.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Over the past several years his drafting has improved a lot.

 

[Big-T]

Over the past several years his drafting has improved a lot.

Pretty much since Pioli left the drafts have trended upwards for the most part.

 

[Oswlek]

Pretty much since Pioli left the drafts have trended upwards for the most part.

Yup. Bill's drafting was excellent... then it dipped for whatever reason (if I had to guess, it would be because they tried to take advantage of the locker room stability to swing for the fences)... and then became terrific again starting in 2010. Even 2009, in retrospect, is better than it looked a few years ago when you consider how well Chung is playing and that a few guys are producing on other rosters.

The problem is that too many can't get 2006-2008 out of their heads. The good thing is that team quality is generally 3-4 years behind the draft. This was a problem for 2009-2012, but it looks promising moving forward.

 

[chasa]

as good as BB the GM has been can you imagine tom brady with a young kid like Odell Beckham? the kid has a bright future, shame hes wasting it with eli manning.

 

[BelichickFan]

as good as BB the GM has been can you imagine tom brady with a young kid like Odell Beckham? the kid has a bright future, shame hes wasting it with eli manning.

That adds to the point. Belichick the GM doesn't have many chances at players like that who go 12th overall. The only Top 20 picks he's had are Seymour, Warren, Mayo, Solder.

 

[Brady6]

Key pieces off the top of my head:

Revis
Browner
Chung
LaFell
Wright
Ayers
Casillas
D. Jones
Branch
Blount
Easley
Garoppolo
Stork
Fleming

Since 2009 the Patriots the following players have been drafted or signed by the Patriots as UDFA:

Pat Chung
Sebastian Vollmer
Julian Edelman
Devin McCourty
Rob Gronkowski
Nate Solder
Shane Vereen
Stevan Ridley (prior to injury)
Marcus Cannon
Chandler Jones
Donta Hightower
Tavon Wilson
Nate Ebner
Alfonzo Dennard
Brandon Bolden
Jamie Collins
Aaron Dobson
Logan Ryan
Duron Harmon
Michael Buchanan
Ryan Allen
Dominique Easley
Jimmy Garopollo
Bryan Stork
James White
Cameron Fleming
Zach Moore
Malcolm Butler

The ones in bold are either starters or serve in key roles on the team.

 

[Ring 6]

TOMMY KELLY

(Comment about Belichick being in the wrong about Tommy Kelly quota filled)

So no need to beat that dead horse anymore. If Kelly wanted to be with the Pats he would still be here. He cut his nose to spite his face and is making a lot less this season.

But he wasnt wrong about Kelly.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Yup. Bill's drafting was excellent... then it dipped for whatever reason (if I had to guess, it would be because they tried to take advantage of the locker room stability to swing for the fences)... and then became terrific again starting in 2010. Even 2009, in retrospect, is better than it looked a few years ago when you consider how well Chung is playing and that a few guys are producing on other rosters.

The problem is that too many can't get 2006-2008 out of their heads. The good thing is that team quality is generally 3-4 years behind the draft. This was a problem for 2009-2012, but it looks promising moving forward.

2007 was sui generis, and really shouldn't be used as a vehicle for complaints (to paraphrase @patchick, the Pats were holding their noses as they made a ton of late picks).

Yeah, the middle of the 2008 draft sucked, but I'm sorry, you can't call a draft where you get a DROY and a multi-year Pro Bowler terrible. [BTW, only two other teams—Atlanta and KC—got two Pro Bowlers out of that draft.]

 

[Oswlek]

2007 was sui generis, and really shouldn't be used as a vehicle for complaints (to paraphrase @patchick, the Pats were holding their noses as they made a ton of late picks).

Yeah, the middle of the 2008 draft sucked, but I'm sorry, you can't call a draft where you get a DROY and a multi-year Pro Bowler terrible. [BTW, only two other teams—Atlanta and KC—got two Pro Bowlers out of that draft.]

Agreed. There are reasons to even qualify those failures, but it still involved a lot of picks, most of which being non-factors. If I ask others to give ground, I have to be willing to offer some myself.

 

[meatface]

as good as BB the GM has been can you imagine tom brady with a young kid like Odell Beckham? the kid has a bright future, shame hes wasting it with eli manning.

At that point why don't we just wish for Mike Evans or Sammy Watkins?

 

[chasa]

At that point why don't we just wish for Mike Evans or Sammy Watkins?

I think Beckham is going to be better then both of those guys.

I wasn't knocking BB. I think hes the best, I just get frustrated that these crappy teams keep getting these great opportunities to take these great players, and then continue to suck. Like Kahlil mack. The patriots had no shot at getting him in the draft, and hes going to be a force, but hes stuck on a team that will never get out of the basement in the raiders

 

[fnordcircle]

You don't post winning seasons 14 years in a row without being good at your job. For every Chad Jackson, Tavon Wilson or Jake Bequette there's a Julian Edelman, an Alfonzo Dennard or a Bryan Stork. Actually there's more on the other side of that equation.

I read someone post that Belichick got 'lucky' with the free agents and trades he made this year. At some point sustained success becomes proof that luck has very little to do with it.

I'm not being a homer here, I'm being a fan who endured the 80s and 90s and who is grateful for what we've had the past decade and a half. Especially because I straight up loathed Belichick in 2000 and early 2001.

 

[patfanken]

After you face the fact that you are going to have some draft and FA misses, the major complaints about BB the GM usually come from those blessed with the proverbial "little bit of knowlege". People whose sum total of "football acumen" amounts to fantasy football and the undying belief that ALL football team development starts and ends with acquiring WR's That's right. Those people and of course 95% of the mediots.

 

[meatface]

I think Beckham is going to be better then both of those guys.

I wasn't knocking BB. I think hes the best, I just get frustrated that these crappy teams keep getting these great opportunities to take these great players, and then continue to suck. Like Kahlil mack. The patriots had no shot at getting him in the draft, and hes going to be a force, but hes stuck on a team that will never get out of the basement in the raiders

That is the point of the draft, to give crappy teams a chance to improve, but your right most of these teams get stuck being crappy for a long time.

 

[Oswlek]

After you face the fact that you are going to have some draft and FA misses, the major complaints about BB the GM usually come from those blessed with the proverbial "little bit of knowlege". People whose sum total of "football acumen" amounts to fantasy football and the undying belief that ALL football team development starts and ends with acquiring WR's That's right. Those people and of course 95% of the mediots.

True, but nearly everyone hated the Tavon Wilson selection even at the time. You don't need hindsight to have seen all of Bill's mistakes.

Where I take umbrage is when fans run a tally of errors without comparing them to the rest of the league. You don't need to be perfect to be great, you just need to be better.