Congrats Mayo: Defensive Rookie of the Month!

[patchick]

If I offered you 10-to-1 odds last year that not one but two rookies would each take >20% of the snaps at ILB, would anyone have taken me up on that?

Certainly not the many people who posted along the lines of "Haven't you people been paying ANY attention??? BB simply does not draft linebackers high!!!"

After the 1st-round OG, I learned never to say never.

 

[woolster22]

Certainly not the many people who posted along the lines of "Haven't you people been paying ANY attention??? BB simply does not draft linebackers high!!!"

After the 1st-round OG, I learned never to say never.

seems the two times he's picked out of character, they've been huge finds, mankins is a beast, and Mayo is doing alot better than most people would reasonably predict

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

seems the two times he's picked out of character, they've been huge finds, mankins is a beast, and Mayo is doing alot better than most people would reasonably predict

What the heck are you talking about? Picking out of character? BB picks the best available player. He doesn't have any weird rules like never pick lineman in odd number rounds or pick your running backs before picking a tight end. He picks the best available player. Period. End of story. For several years in a row that wasn't a linebacker. He doesn't have some weird ass pattern like might have for your fantasy football league.

 

[woolster22]

What the heck are you talking about? Picking out of character? BB picks the best available player. He doesn't have any weird rules like never pick lineman in odd number rounds or pick your running backs before picking a tight end. He picks the best available player. Period. End of story. For several years in a row that wasn't a linebacker. He doesn't have some weird ass pattern like might have for your fantasy football league.

most people seemed to agree that it was a tad unusual for BB to use a 1st on a lb before the last draft...that is what I was getting at. Also, how often do you see og's snagged in the 1st. I certainly wasn't saying he is predictable, its just that a lot of times he'd spend that 1st on a defensive lineman, where physical ability trumps intelligence, at least in comparison to lb/ol/qb...etc

Edit: picking out of character was a poor choice of words, how about "surprised a lot of people in the 1st round"?

 

[RoughingthePasser]

Awesome post.
Mayo is going to be awesome

 

[patchick]

What the heck are you talking about? Picking out of character? BB picks the best available player.

IMO, If there's one thing BB doesn't do it's "pick the best available player." This is probably the most often repeated myth about Patriots drafts.

What do Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo have in common? They were both drafted to fill gaping holes in the starting lineup. Need is a huge factor in the overall Patriots value proposition -- as it should be when you have a generally talented lineup.

 

[woolster22]

IMO, If there's one thing BB doesn't do it's "pick the best available player." This is probably the most often repeated myth about Patriots drafts.

What do Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo have in common? They were both drafted to fill gaping holes in the starting lineup. Need is a huge factor in the overall Patriots value proposition -- as it should be when you have a generally talented lineup.

In the defense of hoodie...i think he meant best player for the team available. ie, taking into consideration what the team needs are.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

In the defense of hoodie...i think he meant best player for the team available. ie, taking into consideration what the team needs are.

Of course. BAP is not in a vacuume. BB takes the player that is going to give the Patriots the best chance to win. What he doesn't do is have some formula that says certain positions are picked in certain rounds.

 

[patchick]

Of course. BAP is not in a vacuume. BB takes the player that is going to give the Patriots the best chance to win. What he doesn't do is have some formula that says certain positions are picked in certain rounds.

Fair enough -- but BAP is such a well-established phrase that when you said BAP I figured you meant...BAP.

 

[Phlash]

Belichick took a FULLBACK in the first round one year with the Browns (link).

The guy went on to block for Barry Sanders and helped him rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

Belichick knows football players.

 

[Seneschal2]

Fair enough -- but BAP is such a well-established phrase that when you said BAP I figured you meant...BAP.

Under Belichick, need is factored into the Pats draft board.

For me at least, it's easier to find players who may fit the Pats system than it is to determine what the actual team needs are. Aside from any obvious gaping holes, contract considerations, performance evaluations, and potential retirements certainly determine overall needs. And prioritizing these needs remains a guessing game for the average fan.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

What the heck are you talking about? Picking out of character? BB picks the best available player. He doesn't have any weird rules like never pick lineman in odd number rounds or pick your running backs before picking a tight end. He picks the best available player. Period. End of story. For several years in a row that wasn't a linebacker. He doesn't have some weird ass pattern like might have for your fantasy football league.

The easiest way to explain it is--to refer back to Belichick's major in economics--in terms of marginal utility. In other words, he takes the player that, given the costs involved (in terms of money paid, draft pick used, and the player that would have to retire/leave/be cut to make room for him), provides the greatest benefit to the Patriots. For example, if BB thinks that a 6'2" WR who can also play DB offers more value than a stud DL or ILB, he'll take the wideout.

 

[Mr.Muhozi]

congrats to mayo, now for DROY

 

[patchick]

The easiest way to explain it is--to refer back to Belichick's major in economics--in terms of marginal utility. In other words, he takes the player that, given the costs involved (in terms of money paid, draft pick used, and the player that would have to retire/leave/be cut to make room for him), provides the greatest benefit to the Patriots.

Toss in a positional weighting for rarity & free agent salary level and that sounds spot-on to me. (I'd also note that it's not necessarily immediate benefit -- ideally you're looking a year down the line, like drafting Meriweather in '07 toward the need for a safety in '08.)

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Toss in a positional weighting for rarity & free agent salary level and that sounds spot-on to me. (I'd also note that it's not necessarily immediate benefit -- ideally you're looking a year down the line, like drafting Meriweather in '07 toward the need for a safety in '08.)

Yes, but it is the who would you cut and how much better is the new player vs. the old player that gives positions of need a boost. Nobody needed to be cut to make room Mayo. On the other hand KO's worth is measured by how much better at QB he is over MG.

 

[TruthSeeker]

IMO, If there's one thing BB doesn't do it's "pick the best available player." This is probably the most often repeated myth about Patriots drafts.

What do Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo have in common? They were both drafted to fill gaping holes in the starting lineup. Need is a huge factor in the overall Patriots value proposition -- as it should be when you have a generally talented lineup.

I think the best way to describe it, is the Pats pick "the best player available for THEIR system"......Picks that shocked people who don't understand the way the Pats draft system works (especially me, but I'm learning very slowly) include guys like Deion Branch, rated by most as a 5-7 rounder, picked by the Pats in the 2nd round, to my shock and dismay (at that time). All Branch did was tie SB records for receiving, and win a SB MVP award. Mankins was another, rated as a 3rd rounder, look at how dominant he has become. The rumors by some insiders about Mayo emerged a day or two before the draft, and it seems like he is a perfect fit for the Pats system. And possibly the defensive rookie of the year !

Not to say their drafting system is perfect, (Bethel f*cking Johnson over Anquan Boldin and Chad Jackson over Greg Jennings have proven this), But I'm starting to understand how their system works.