Borges has BB's back...

[Tunescribe]

I disagree.

Belichick definitely did Vrabel a favor. Vrabel was going to get cut by tomorrow morning.

How is it doing him a favor to trade him vs. cutting him and letting him seek a deal where he really wants to go? It wouldn't surprise me if BB wanted to prevent Vrabel from joining Tubby Ratfink in Cleveland, considering Ohio is were Vrabel's from.

 

[PatsDeb]

I disagree.

Belichick definitely did Vrabel a favor. Vrabel was going to get cut by tomorrow morning.

I've got it! Vrabes was the key to this whole thing. We could have had Tampa Bay's 1st round pick for Cassel, but BB insisted the "winner" of the Cassel lottery take on Vrabel, and McDaniels balked, saying, "I'm not getting stuck with that old curmudgeon. His sarcastic attitude was bad enough when he was making plays left and right, but now, forget it." Pioli grudgingly agreed, "Oh, all right, I'll take him if I have to." so he got Cassel. (YES, this is a joke).

 

[Patsman]

As someone posted, you do wonder if there is any chance there is some type of verbal/conditional here with KC that comes out during draft day. Someone mentioned the possibility that if that Curry is still around at the 3, that maybe we ship them our 1 our and their two back for his rights. I'm not sure if the dynamic is doable, but when you think about the logic on it, it might make some sense. Maybe Bill has his sights set on someone in this draft and worked out something conditional that he doesn't want anyone to know about until draft day - what better partner to do it with. We ship out an aging LB and would only want that 3 if our player is there. Otherwise, we're content with what we have with regards to the cap. Pioli is in a restructuring and as has happened in the past, he builds with volume/friendlier cap picks.

You can argue this is a good trade all you want, but something wreaks just a little bit funny about it. You would just think, for the sake of public expectations, they would have worked out even something a little bit more in balance of the Pats, even if something somewhat insignificant like a 3/4th rounder this/next year. Something just smells here - if there was one trading partner out there that you would think you would expect nothing but a fair deal, it's Pioli. BB and him have the relationship and they could have been discussing this for weeks already, who knows. I say there is more to this one. I'm fine with it as we're seeing it, I still see a lot of plus' in this one, but I'm getting that tingle we'll be seeing more.

 

[Jimke]

Let's wait a year before we make a judgement on this deal.

Has Pioli traded for the player who struggled thru the exhibition

and early games or the player who had two 400 yard games?

 

[JSn]

Let's wait a year before we make a judgement on this deal.

Has Pioli traded for the player who struggled thru the exhibition

and early games or the player who had two 400 yard games?

Seriously close to most ridiculous rhetorical of the year.

That's like saying did he trade for a 26 year-old Cassel or the one who use to be 25?

Cassel got very good over the season. It's undeniable. He won't be a bust, though he may struggle in a completely different environment at first.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The only thing i really disagree with is Borges' assessment that Belichick wouldn't do a player a "favor." I completely agree that BB's first priority, by a very long shot, is what he decides is best for his team, as was evidenced in releasing Lawyer Milloy. He would indeed throw anyone overboard in support of that principle.

However, I think that once he decides what's best for his team, he will look out for those who have played well/loyally for him and, this is important, whom he likes. I think that both Vrabel and Cassel each fit one or both of those descriptions. In this sense, Bill Beliichick is an apple that has not fallen far from the Bill Parcells' tree.

 

[maverick4]

How is it doing him a favor to trade him vs. cutting him and letting him seek a deal where he really wants to go? It wouldn't surprise me if BB wanted to prevent Vrabel from joining Tubby Ratfink in Cleveland, considering Ohio is were Vrabel's from.

You're saying Belichick hurt his own team to be vindictive?

I don't buy it

 

[PatsDeb]

You're saying Belichick hurt his own team to be vindictive?

I don't buy it

Agreed. How would it hurt the Pats if Vrabel signed in Cleveland? It would, however, potentially hurt the Pats if he signed with the Jets, Bills or Phins, so trading him (while keeping his pretty high salary intact) was a win/win for team and player if (as it seems) BB had decided to part ways no matter what.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

How is it doing him a favor to trade him vs. cutting him and letting him seek a deal where he really wants to go? It wouldn't surprise me if BB wanted to prevent Vrabel from joining Tubby Ratfink in Cleveland, considering Ohio is were Vrabel's from.

I really disagree. If there was anything at all personal in the Vrabel move (and I'm not saying there was), I think it was a desire to let Vrabes pull one more big paycheck and end his career in a good situation, which the Pioli Chiefs definitely will be for him.

As for the Ratgenius suggestion, I think it's way off base. First of all, the Mangini Browns are a lot less of a threat to the Pats than the Chiefs with Pioli at the helm, so, theoretically, Vrabel would be less of a threat there. Second, Belichick doesn't strike me as someone who would let anger drive a major Player decision; i think that he's more of a "don't get mad, get even" kind of guy.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Don't get fooled by this guy. He's just going against the grain as usual. If we got a 2nd this year and next and NE fans were overrall pleased with the trade,Borges would then go left and try to discredit Belichick.

 

[Tunescribe]

You're saying Belichick hurt his own team to be vindictive?

I don't buy it

What gave you that impression from my post? That's not what I said. He traded Vrabel in the package with Cassel to get the #34 pick vs. simply releasing Vrabel. Chances are Vrabel could've wound up back home in Ohio with the Browns without New England getting any compensation in return, and I doubt that would've made BB happy.

I really disagree. If there was anything at all personal in the Vrabel move (and I'm not saying there was), I think it was a desire to let Vrabes pull one more big paycheck and end his career in a good situation, which the Pioli Chiefs definitely will be for him.

As for the Ratgenius suggestion, I think it's way off base. First of all, the Mangini Browns are a lot less of a threat to the Pats than the Chiefs with Pioli at the helm, so, theoretically, Vrabel would be less of a threat there. Second, Belichick doesn't strike me as someone who would let anger drive a major Player decision; i think that he's more of a "don't get mad, get even" kind of guy.

Why is it so far-fetched to suggest BB wouldn't want Vrabel helping Tubby Ratfink? The player still has some value left. I'm not saying BB went out of his way to keep that from happening, or that "being vindictive" was his primary motivation. I'm just saying that BB killed two birds by one stone by getting value for Vrabel while at the same time controlling where he went. Who knows where he could have ended up if released outright -- maybe even with the Green Beans.

 

[VJCPatriot]

BTW--there's an article on Bleacher Report talking about this.

Nice article. It explains in simple terms some of the reasons why BB chose to pull the trigger quickly rather than wait for a complex deal to develop for a bigger return.