Let me tell you about Jordan Richards

Darryl Roberts

http://m.bleacherreport.com/article...ew-england-patriots-full-draft-pick-breakdown

After reading this, really optimistic on his chances to make the team!

robertweathers said:

Greg Bedard and I don't buy it for a second. BB does not go rogue or have tunnel vision and ignore the draft board and have complete disregard for the process.

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Well i can't find another explanation for draft picks such wilson, richards, r brace or the others that have come in the second or third round. So I do believe it

All the criticism of the Richards pick assumes that optimizing at each position results in optimization of the defense as a whole. That exposes the critics lack of understanding and experience in dealing with large complex systems. You need to look at the system constraints and where bottlenecks are preventing the system as a whole from being optimal. I am convinced that is the actual approach of BB and the staff.

Perhaps with the perfect player at each position, you could have BOTH local optima and global optimum satisfied. However, with the salary cap, injuries, and other factors that is a unicorn. Given that there will always be inefficiencies at a local level, what can you do to ensure that you get the best global result from the pieces of the puzzle available to you?

As we've seen so many times, mistakes cost games. Don't make mistakes (turnovers, being out of position, etc.). On the flip side, forcing other teams to make mistakes or beating them to the position wins games. My argument is that adding a player like Richards is all about getting a player who is good enough to play every down, but because of his aptitude to consume and process data quickly he can have a greater impact by putting his teammates where they need to be to do their job and maybe where they need to be to make a big play. He may be 20% worse than the guy they may have selected at #64, but if he makes the other 10 guys around him 10% better, that's a bonus for the defense as a whole.

If you want to read more about the concept of theory of constraints, there is a non-technical (kinda hokey) book that I can't recommend highly enough called The Goal.

reflexblue said:

Well i can't find another explanation for draft picks such wilson, richards, r brace or the others that have come in the second or third round. So I do believe it

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Caserio is on record as saying BB makes the final call on draft day but going rogue and always picking players with low round grades in the second round all the time? I just don't buy it.

JJC said:

All the criticism of the Richards pick assumes that optimizing at each position results in optimization of the defense as a whole. That exposes the critics lack of understanding and experience in dealing with large complex systems. You need to look at the system constraints and where bottlenecks are preventing the system as a whole from being optimal. I am convinced that is the actual approach of BB and the staff.

Perhaps with the perfect player at each position, you could have BOTH local optima and global optimum satisfied. However, with the salary cap, injuries, and other factors that is a unicorn. Given that there will always be inefficiencies at a local level, what can you do to ensure that you get the best global result from the pieces of the puzzle available to you?

As we've seen so many times, mistakes cost games. Don't make mistakes (turnovers, being out of position, etc.). On the flip side, forcing other teams to make mistakes or beating them to the position wins games. My argument is that adding a player like Richards is all about getting a player who is good enough to play every down, but because of his aptitude to consume and process data quickly he can have a greater impact by putting his teammates where they need to be to do their job and maybe where they need to be to make a big play. He may be 20% worse than the guy they may have selected at #64, but if he makes the other 10 guys around him 10% better, that's a bonus for the defense as a whole.

If you want to read more about the concept of theory of constraints, there is a non-technical (kinda hokey) book that I can't recommend highly enough called The Goal.

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And, BB is known to value consistency and dependability more highly than other coaches, in support of what you suggest here.

edkk323 said:

Same goes with the long snapper we got. ...The logic of drafting him in the 5th round is clear. Assuming some team would DEFINITELY draft him in the 7th led to some team would draft him in the 6th. To ensure his service, you had to draft him in the 5th. We also got an extra pick later.

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And as has been cited, drafting him in the 5th vs. the 7th provides him with a better shot of convincing the Navy to let him play immediately...a 5th round choice being a more serious commitment and comes with better money.

Interception said:

Or as his teammates would call him, Coach Richards.

Richards is known for knowing the playbook inside and out. If a teammate is out of position, Richards is there to correct him. He is intelligent and more aware of what's going on the field than most rookies picked ahead of him.

He has a reputation for absorbing corrections and instructions from coaches, as well as showing other teammates techniques he has been taught.

Stanford had a little "skills" series, you can watch Richards talking about a way coaches taught him to take angles while tackling. Although many other Stanford players made these videos, Richards was the only one referred to as "coach" by his teammates for showing these qualities.



Talent wise he might be lacking a bit. He wasn't used as a linebacker type safety, but he does have issues playing deep safety. Thankfully, we have McCourty deep. This allows Richards to develop and learn the playbook, in a role player with Chung. Sooner or later, he'll be like Mayo and Hightower, the players with enough understanding of formations to quarterback the defense. When you have three players with that ability on the field, even if Richards is only average talent wise, you put yourself in a position to make a play.

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Thanks for posting. With all the draft info saying he was a 6th or 7th rounder, to pick him in round 2, is pathetic. Does anybody think he would not have been there in round 3 or 4, and if he wasn't, so what? I liked their first pick, and the rest of their draft, but his was beyond foolish. If he becomes a Hall of Famer, they still could have traded down, added picks, and still had him.

Hmm this navy guy sounds exciting. A real long snapper, how about that? Hope they let him play but I'd understand if they don't.

What I like about the pick is that it shows how much attention they are paying to drafting the person and not just the athlete. I have felt for a long time that the biggest piece missing in draft analysis is who you are drafting. The measurables simply don't tell you who you are getting and how they will approach their job once they are in the pros, and IMO that's as important or more important than any other factor. Athletic ability and performance are required to be a pro prospects, and measurables do matter, but there will be a huge difference going forward from the draft in how different players respond once they get paid, some will do what they have to and enjoy it as much as possible while others take it as a sign that their work has really just begun and will work their asses of every day to become better and better and better, and the more you have of the latter the better off your team will be. The same can be said of "winners," and I really believe there is such a thing and it generally is ignored in draft analysis. Anyone who has played sports knows that are teams and players who have the mentality and matching drive where they refuse to lose, and they will scrap for every inch to come out on top, whereas others don't know what it takes or how to win, and they fold when the going gets tough and quit when things aren't going well, and that too goes for both teams and players. One of the quality's about last season's Patriots team that have me so much confidence in them was that they clearly had that characteristic as a team, one way or another they were going to find a way to beat you, and that never demonstrated itself better than the Ravens game and then the Super Bowl, and I don't think it was by happenstance, I think it was by construct. I think Belichick looks for players who have winner qualities and that mental make up and weeds out those who don't, and I think it plays a significant role in their draft analysis and personnel decisions Guys like Brady, Edelman, Ninkovich, and Amendola may not be more impressive in terms of measurables but they have more heart, guts, and fire to win than others and that passion and will to win gets them over the final hurdles and leads to championships. Is Jordan Richards one of those guys, I don't know yet, but the characterer qualities they use to describe him certainly suggests it, and that may well be more important in the end than a faster forty ever will be.

Bostonian1962 said:

Thanks for posting. With all the draft info saying he was a 6th or 7th rounder, to pick him in round 2, is pathetic. Does anybody think he would not have been there in round 3 or 4, and if he wasn't, so what? I liked their first pick, and the rest of their draft, but his was beyond foolish. If he becomes a Hall of Famer, they still could have traded down, added picks, and still had him.

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As was the case with Tavon Wilson, other teams were high on him, climbing up their draft boards and considering taking him.

I think for folks to think BB has lost his mind is ridiculous.

Bostonian1962 said:

Thanks for posting. With all the draft info saying he was a 6th or 7th rounder, to pick him in round 2, is pathetic. Does anybody think he would not have been there in round 3 or 4, and if he wasn't, so what? I liked their first pick, and the rest of their draft, but his was beyond foolish. If he becomes a Hall of Famer, they still could have traded down, added picks, and still had him.

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Says who?

edkk323 said:

Same goes with the long snapper we got. Cardona snaps his whole life and can easily be the best in NFL. His high speed will give punter or kicker more time to prepare. A ideal travel time from the ground to punter is .8 sec. "My claim to fame is that I snapped the ball at 41 MPH. That really made people take notice," said Cardona, who routinely delivers the ball to the holder between .65 and .68 seconds. That 15% inprovement with lace up all the time will definitely translate into better field position. It is not often I get excieted about long snapper. The logic of drafting him in the 5th round is clear. Assuming some team would DEFINITELY draft him in the 7th led to some team would draft him in the 6th. To ensure his service, you had to draft him in the 5th. We also got an extra pick later.

In BB we trust. It is unbelievable to see some of your guys to be so neg about BB.

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That's awesome, edkk323, can't wait to see this guy play for the Patriots this year..........or in 2016........or in 2017........or someday...........

Dude, you have to be on the field in order to play. All the stats you quoted mean ZERO if he spends the next three years in the Persian Gulf on a cruiser.

People don't seen to realize that all it takes is one team to grab him first. I can't wait for all these same people to claim that everyone knew Richards was going to be good.

shmessy said:

That's awesome, edkk323, can't wait to see this guy play for the Patriots this year..........or in 2016........or in 2017........or someday...........

Dude, you have to be on the field in order to play. All the stats you quoted mean ZERO if he spends the next three years in the Persian Gulf on a cruiser.

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you must have 200-200 hindsight. Who could BB pick in the 5th was guaranteed to see the field at all?! Who says there is always going to be a war? Why would not the Navy think having a player in NFL could better represent them than having one more warm body in the Persian Gulf. BB rolled the dice.

Think it about, Debby D.

patsbrasilpatriotas said:

Maybe... Just maybe... For the real football coaches , not Mel Kiper type experts , this statement is not true .

When Mel Kiper win four trophies for the NE Patriots I'll put his opinion in front of the best coach of all time .

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I don't even listen to Mel Kiper or read his ranks. I say what I said about Richards based on his physical skill level.

Belichick has won 4 SBs we all know that. He also has missed on players like Tavon Wilson in the past, so everything he touches is not gold. Richards and Grissom were not good selections at that juncture in the draft.

Froob said:

People don't seen to realize that all it takes is one team to grab him first. I can't wait for all these same people to claim that everyone knew Richards was going to be good.

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I don't think he will be bad but last season we drafted the heir apparent to the GOAT QB (according to most) in the same part of the draft. I was expecting the next Revis this year.

Seriously though I remember similar statements about Wilson and he never had anyone making those claims.

Brady6 said:

I don't think he will be bad but last season we drafted the heir apparent to the GOAT QB (according to most) in the same part of the draft. I was expecting the next Revis this year.

Seriously though I remember similar statements about Wilson and he never had anyone making those claims.

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Hopefully he does. Reading some of the stuff about Richards gets me excited but eh the film doesn't seem to be that great on him. Hopefully BB knew what he was doing. I actually think Harmon was a solid pick, I wouldn't mind seeing a lot more Harmon now with Revis gone. As for Wilson....maybe there's a slim chance it will be like my Madden where he sucked for 3 seasons and in his fourth season he become a stud for me buuuut probably not.

I wish I knew enough as some of you guys to be critical of BB motives and selections on the draft. OH wait, I don't have to cause I leave that to BB who delivers to me a winning team every year. I'll be dammed.

Thanks @Uncle Rico for retweeting Doug Kyed. When questioning this draft selection, perhaps it's more helpful to take the big picture and look at the draft board as a whole. As much as it might've been a "reach" to chose Richards in the second round, our overall draft board was stocked with great talent. If you re-arrange the slots, that becomes more clear:

Doug Kyed‏@DougKyedNESN
If you rearrange the Patriots' draft, it looks a lot more normal:

There are a lot of players with much greater physical ability than Richards who failed to make it in the NFL.

It takes more than just physical ability.

That is not to say that I wasn't stunned at the Richards selection and had some of the same questions as have been posed here since the pick.

I DO know though that I would not exercise veto power over any BB selection if I somehow had that power.