Belichick on McCourty

[PatsChamp88]

He's had an outstanding career there. He's fast and very tough. He's a good four-down football player. ... I think he's shown consistent production in that program. ... I have a lot of respect for what he's done there. We felt like by backing off a little bit that we would still be able to still make that pick, and that was the case."

Belichick pleased with first round - Extra Points - Boston.com

I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm impressed with his versatility it's no wonder Belichick was high on him. I'm just as excited if not more for the second round today.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm impressed with his versatility it's no wonder Belichick was high on him. I'm just as excited if not more for the second round today.

Patriots wanted McCourty all along - Projo Pats Blog

I think this article really sums up his feelings on him. i am starting to warm up to the idea of him being a pat but the thought of dez bryant in dallas, demarius thomas in denver and jerry hughes in indy makes me sick.

 

[The_Riddler]

Mark it down, Patriot nation will rue the fact that BB passed on Thomas and Bryant, both of those studs are going to be game breakers, either one would have stepped right in and made instant impacts and in true BB fashion, he passed.

BB drafted Terrence Wheatley in Round 2, he already has 3 decent to good CB's in (Bodden, Butler and Wilhite) who are young (Butler/Wilhite) with higher upside to get even better. I envisioned Bodden and Butler locking down the starting outside slots with Wilhite moving inside to the slot. So we basically drafted a guy with the 27th pick to challenge for time at nickel or dime and gun on ST. Why ? With so many needs, MORE glaring needs at other spots, Why ?

BB invested a 2nd rounder in Wheatley, I know he's been hurt, but he is still young and if he's healthy, there's your dime CB. Can someone explain why this pick was made given the other higher priority needs.

First round talent is drafted with the expectations to start unless you are drafted by a Final 4 roster, then you are drafted for depth. We aren't near that Final 4 roster.

Dez Bryant was our answer to Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes, and BB looked the other way. Watch what Bryant does in this league and from this point on, we can hammer BB for his idiocy.

 

[borg]

Mark it down, Patriot nation will rue the fact that BB passed on Thomas and Bryant, both of those studs are going to be game breakers, either one would have stepped right in and made instant impacts and in true BB fashion, he passed.

BB drafted Terrence Wheatley in Round 2, he already has 3 decent to good CB's in (Bodden, Butler and Wilhite) who are young (Butler/Wilhite) with higher upside to get even better. I envisioned Bodden and Butler locking down the starting outside slots with Wilhite moving inside to the slot. So we basically drafted a guy with the 27th pick to challenge for time at nickel or dime and gun on ST. Why ? With so many needs, MORE glaring needs at other spots, Why ?

BB invested a 2nd rounder in Wheatley, I know he's been hurt, but he is still young and if he's healthy, there's your dime CB. Can someone explain why this pick was made given the other higher priority needs.

First round talent is drafted with the expectations to start unless you are drafted by a Final 4 roster, then you are drafted for depth. We aren't near that Final 4 roster.

Dez Bryant was our answer to Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes, and BB looked the other way. Watch what Bryant does in this league and from this point on, we can hammer BB for his idiocy.

It sucks having only 1 pick in the entire draft.

 

[PatsChamp88]

Mark it down, Patriot nation will rue the fact that BB passed on Thomas and Bryant, both of those studs are going to be game breakers, either one would have stepped right in and made instant impacts and in true BB fashion, he passed.

I was very high on Thomas and I think the Broncos got a hell of a receiver but I'm not so sure about Bryant and clearly other agree. Obviously you can't question his talent but I wouldn't be surprised if he has some off field issues after all he is Cowboy

 

[JMarr]

I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm impressed with his versatility it's no wonder Belichick was high on him. I'm just as excited if not more for the second round today.

:rocker: I must be wearing some homer shades lately, but the more I hear the more I think this was a great pick. Nice job BB, now lets keep it rolling.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I was surprised with the pick and am willing to wait out the entire draft. Thanks to guys like Kontra and others who have supplied excellent, detailed information, I am really starting to like this pick in a vacuum. My approval also gains steam by the fact that the turds on WEEI hate it.

 

[satz]

Great return man and Nickel back emmmmm is it HOBB`s
we trade Hobbs for 2 5`s and get Hobbs junior with the first .lol

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Mark it down, Patriot nation will rue the fact that BB passed on Thomas and Bryant, both of those studs are going to be game breakers, either one would have stepped right in and made instant impacts and in true BB fashion, he passed.

BB drafted Terrence Wheatley in Round 2, he already has 3 decent to good CB's in (Bodden, Butler and Wilhite) who are young (Butler/Wilhite) with higher upside to get even better. I envisioned Bodden and Butler locking down the starting outside slots with Wilhite moving inside to the slot. So we basically drafted a guy with the 27th pick to challenge for time at nickel or dime and gun on ST. Why ? With so many needs, MORE glaring needs at other spots, Why ?

BB invested a 2nd rounder in Wheatley, I know he's been hurt, but he is still young and if he's healthy, there's your dime CB. Can someone explain why this pick was made given the other higher priority needs.

First round talent is drafted with the expectations to start unless you are drafted by a Final 4 roster, then you are drafted for depth. We aren't near that Final 4 roster.

Dez Bryant was our answer to Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes, and BB looked the other way. Watch what Bryant does in this league and from this point on, we can hammer BB for his idiocy.

Needs, needs. First time following a Pats draft? Need is not what they draft based on. This should not be a surprise.

As to the final bolded point, from this point on? There seems to be a tendency on your part to have been hammering away at him for his "idiocy" for some time now. Demaryius Thomas will not come back to bite them, especially with Tebow throwing him the ball.

McCourty may well start from day one, we do not know. He will at least compete for playing time, and I think Shawn Springs may want to start packing his bags.

Can't say I was any less surprised than you were at the choice, Riddler, but I am able to warm to it. There seems to be a tendency on your part to make up your mind, never ever change it, and bring up the fact that you haven't changed your mind over and over and over. No mention of James Sanders somewhere in your post? I think I recall that being part of the idiocy you love to hammer away at.

Relax, man, we'll have to wait and see. I don't recall everyone dancing in the streets after Mankins was drafted. I for one, had a puzzled look on my face. Hopefully McCourty can shut down those two talented receivers taken in front of him, and we can wait to rue Belichick's decisions.

 

[satz]

Needs, needs. First time following a Pats draft? Need is not what they draft based on. This should not be a surprise.

then i would argue that clauson or colt are 2 best players in the board.
how can you pick this guy a spl team guy over clauson or colt who both are better.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Needs, needs. First time following a Pats draft? Need is not what they draft based on. This should not be a surprise.

then i would argue that clauson or colt are 2 best players in the board.
how can you pick this guy a spl team guy over clauson or colt who both are better.

Well the entire NFL seems to disagree with that assertion, as they are both available, and the Vikings were among teams trying to trade up for McCourty according to Minnesota coverage out here.

McCourty isn't a special teamer, he's a starting corner who played special teams. He'll return kicks, block kicks, be a gunner, and I wouldn't be surprised if he takes that nickel job right away. You can keep your quarterbacks (I'm assuming that was sarcasm) and the 4-3 ends masquerading as OLBs (Hughes). They will clean up in this 2nd round too, I imagine. Let's wait and see

 

[Tyler.Durden]

I think everyone else thinks there were other much more pressing need before another early round db, one scout said he expect there to be 31 cb taken in the draft with plenty of quality.

 

[Lockdown06]

Needs, needs. First time following a Pats draft? Need is not what they draft based on. This should not be a surprise.

then i would argue that clauson or colt are 2 best players in the board.
how can you pick this guy a spl team guy over clauson or colt who both are better.

The pats don't draft so much based on area of need, or best player available, but they pick who has the most VALUE (not the same as talent/need/etc., it's kind of a combination of the two) in that particular draft slot.

OLB is a higher need, Clausen probably grades out higher in terms of best available, although I doubt he's a great cornerback.

The reason McCourty was the pick, in my mind, is because there was a consensus that there were 5 quality corners in this draft: Haden, Jackson, McCourty, Wilson, and Robinson. After that, the level of talent dropped down a significant amount.

CB may not have been our biggest need, but it is a need - wilhite and particularly wheatley have not developed quite as BB hoped, and Sean Springs was running on fumes last year. Given the fact that Wilson and Robinson were picked pretty quickly after we grabbed McCourty, it is obvious that if we wanted a top-level talent at CB, we needed to get him when we did. As to why McCourty over Wilson, my guess is Wilson might have slightly more potential at one aspect of the game (coverage) while McCourty is more versatile - we all know which of those traits BB values more.

In my mind, the reason OLB and DE and WR weren't addressed is simply because the depth of available talent at those positions right now. Odrick and Jerry Hughes are great players, and no one's saying that they wouldn't fit an area of need. But is Odrick THAT much better than Linval Joseph or Lamar Houston? Is Jerry Hughes an overwhelmingly better fit for the pats than Ricky Sapp, Corey Wootton, or Sergio Kindle?

Is it a clear-cut fact that Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas would be a better fit for the pats than Golden Tate, Damian Williams or Arrellious Benn? I really don't think so.

All those guys are still out there, and we have 3 picks coming up, not to mention a 3rd and a 4th if we really want to trade back into the 2nd a 4th time.

If by the end of the fourth round we still haven't addressed OLB, DE, WR, or TE at all, then I will definitely agree with people who say this hasn't been a great draft - but in looking at the choices out there, and knowing that we'll probably have multiple chances to get a lot of the guys named above, I think this has the potential to be a pretty awesome draft

 

[upstater1]

It sucks having only 1 pick in the entire draft.

But there are only 3 guys in the entire draft with bodies/skills/athleticism like Bryant and Thomas.

One is left: Arrelious Benn, and he has BUSTO potential.

So, it doesn't matter how many picks you have if the players aren't there.

Only one Brandon Marshall/Vincent Jackson type is left.

I'll feel good if the Patriots pick him because it will probably mean they believe he can play (though of course they thought the same about Bethel Johnson and Chad Jackson) but after watching him at the combine, he seems much more on the bust side of things (dropping balls, sloppy cuts).

 

[Leave No Doubt]

BB did his homework with this pick and as Breer alluded to in his meltdown, Bill's developed a communicative relationship with Schiano and considers Rutgers' program to be among the best.

And for those who seem to have forgotten about tonight, BB sends his regards:

"We're looking forward to tomorrow to have several opportunities to improve our football team in one way or another. ...

"It's kind of interesting the way it happened today with the one round, one day, prime time kind of thing. It gives us a chance to restack the board like all of the other teams are doing and approach the second round a little bit differently than we have in the past, so hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of our opportunities."

Belichick pleased with first round - Extra Points - Boston.com

 

[JackBauer]

Patriots wanted McCourty all along - Projo Pats Blog

I think this article really sums up his feelings on him. i am starting to warm up to the idea of him being a pat but the thought of dez bryant in dallas, demarius thomas in denver and jerry hughes in indy makes me sick.

Key graf from that article:

Belichick indicated that the Patriots didn't believe that they needed to go with a pass-rusher, receiver or a tight end in the first round because there will be an opportunity to select those players who they consider high-value in the second round.

I feel like this should be bolded, italicized, underscored, and written in 72 point red font for some on this board.

 

[upstater1]

BB did his homework with this pick and as Breer alluded to in his meltdown, Bill's developed a communicative relationship with Schiano and considers Rutgers' program to be among the best.

And for those who seem to have forgotten about tonight, BB sends his regards: Belichick pleased with first round - Extra Points - Boston.com

If Belichick thinks Rutgers' program is among the best, then we are sunk, sunk, sunk.

How can the top recruiter in the BE produce such mediocrity year after year.

Look at their schedule and results from the last few years.

I watch them a lot and Schiano is an ace recruiter, does an excellent job bringing talent to the program, but he does not do the kind of solid job of development that you would associate with Belichick.

That says nothing about McCourty since good players flourish regardless, but Schiano is a good guy who players love. He brings a lot of talent in.

Look at Anthony Davis. As talented as they come. Scouts everywhere question his football skills at this point.

 

[DefenseRules]

You know, the more I read about this kid, the more intriguing he becomes. I wanted a pass rusher in the first round. I had no interest in any offensive player in the first. I wanted defense. Well we got defense, just not at the position that most of us thought was a great need, including me. It sounds like this kid can play. We will see.
Today will be very intersting.

 

[spacecrime]

Mark it down, Patriot nation will rue the fact that BB passed on Thomas and Bryant, both of those studs are going to be game breakers, either one would have stepped right in and made instant impacts and in true BB fashion, he passed.

BB drafted Terrence Wheatley in Round 2, he already has 3 decent to good CB's in (Bodden, Butler and Wilhite) who are young (Butler/Wilhite) with higher upside to get even better. I envisioned Bodden and Butler locking down the starting outside slots with Wilhite moving inside to the slot. So we basically drafted a guy with the 27th pick to challenge for time at nickel or dime and gun on ST. Why ? With so many needs, MORE glaring needs at other spots, Why ?

BB invested a 2nd rounder in Wheatley, I know he's been hurt, but he is still young and if he's healthy, there's your dime CB. Can someone explain why this pick was made given the other higher priority needs.

First round talent is drafted with the expectations to start unless you are drafted by a Final 4 roster, then you are drafted for depth. We aren't near that Final 4 roster.

Dez Bryant was our answer to Brandon Marshall and Santonio Holmes, and BB looked the other way. Watch what Bryant does in this league and from this point on, we can hammer BB for his idiocy.

Funny stuff. The Patriots need to learn from how Dallas and Denver on how to win superbowls.

 

[JackBauer]

If Belichick thinks Rutgers' program is among the best, then we are sunk, sunk, sunk.

How can the top recruiter in the BE produce such mediocrity year after year.

Look at their schedule and results from the last few years.

I watch them a lot and Schiano is an ace recruiter, does an excellent job bringing talent to the program, but he does not do the kind of solid job of development that you would associate with Belichick.

That says nothing about McCourty since good players flourish regardless, but Schiano is a good guy who players love. He brings a lot of talent in.

Look at Anthony Davis. As talented as they come. Scouts everywhere question his football skills at this point.

Ray Rice worked out pretty well.