I think that Mac is the last chance for Belichick.

[duc359]

Belichick doesn't have enough time left to "try for the next guy." It's gonna work with Mac or Zappe or "the next guy" will be trying to make it work for a new head coach of the Patriots. Belichick's window is why I would have accepted a run at Rodgers or been elated with a run at Jackson. Either of those two quarterbacks, on this team, could be successful within the next 2-3 seasons (which is the approximate time BB has left).

No thanks to Rogers, the amount of roster stripping would be very tough to fit his salary. I don't think he'll be any factor by '26. if not earlier. Jackson is so expensive the temptation is to have him run less which is the best part of his game. He's another one that I think will be well reduced by the end of '26 at the latest, and again another massive cut of the roster.

2-3 years and then a brick wall with those guys, stripped roster, no QB. That's not good for the brand. Obviously the last 3 years were no good either. If money not considered and Mac can't get into the top 12, I wouldn't sign him. We don't need a Carr/Cousins for mid big money, palookaville ala Ravens after they opened the vaults for Flacco.

 

[upstater1]

The Buffalo radio team polled Bills fans, would you rather start with a tough game on the schedule, against the Chiefs, Bengals or Jets? Or would you prefer a weak team to start the season with a win. The fans think the team needs work so they're better off not facing tough teams like the Jets. So the radio host says, sack up. Beating a tomato can like the Patriots doesn't help them at all in developing the kind of team that can win on the road in the AFCCG.

 

[Rob0729]

2021 Brady finished as the 7th overall ranked player and 3rd ranked QB (behind only Allen and Herbert).


Well, you mean, now they do. The alternative isn't as good as it used to be.

Why don’t you do that for Brady over his entire career and not cherry pick a season where he has a career year in passing yards ( even more than they year he broke the league passing record) and second most TDs of his career (both led the league in 2021)? Where did he end up in fantasy football in say 2018 or 2014 (years he actually won the Super Bowl)?

Belichick has always wanted a run first type of team. Yes, when he has the greatest QB of all time, he eventually moved away from that. It wasn’t until 2007 did he change that philosophy. And yes, the Patriots no longer have the greatest of all time under center.

 

[captain stone]

Belichick must do all he can to support BOB and Mac over the next 3-4 years. That's plenty of time if it is clear that Mac is the plan. I suppose that he could still switch this year to Zappe or trade for someone next year, I just don't see it happening.
============
HOWEVER, I do see the possibility of succeeding with Mac, given the cap money, and given the youngsters that we have been bringing in last year and this. Belichick should plan to have Jones through his 5th year and perhaps a franchise year. Then he can retire. Of course, if this isn't working, he can retire earlier.
============
As an aside, Belichick should become "friends" with Deon Sanders. There are probably plenty underrated players at black colleges that should be making the NFL, presumably in the 6th and later rounds, We drafted the only player. Sanders is pretty pi$$ed off. Bolden spoke out, agreeing with Sanders. He then said that he wouldn't mention this again, and just how grateful he was to the patriots.

You should've left off your "aside" because it's a garbage take. I agree with the rest.

 

[mgteich]

You should've left off your "aside" because it's a garbage take. I agree with the rest.

You are certainly free to believe the that the NFL and the patriots do a good job at scouting, evaluating, and drafting players from the HBCU schools. I would have the patriots hire another scout that specializes in scouting those schools. My aside merely pointed out how the team can secure information at relatively low case, using Coach Sanders and the college program and play information that he has.

Belichick has used coaches as sources for years. PHI went overboard in their scouting of GA.

The HBCU players aren't likely draftable in the first 4th rounds (at least it would be rare). However, the patriots have 90 man squad to compete for 70-75 jobs in September (53 roster, 16 Practice Squad, plus those on various reserve lists).

I'm suggesting that there are probably HBCU players that would make at least as good competition in camp as the bottom of our current 90 man roster. Many of us think that the player we chose 245th in the draft has a good chance to make the roster or the Practice Squad. NO ONE ELSE was drafted by any team. Consider how much we pay for players. IMO, it would be worth having an extra scout, or at least developing regular contacts with a couple of coaches from HBCU schools. The cost of a scout is small compared to the potential gain.

 

[1960Pats]

Oh, wow, "QB production expectation." You're right; I will scoff at that.

That's pretty much all you've done with him in the two threads I've looked at so far. Maybe you should try arguing his points instead of mocking him in every post. You know, if you can.

 

[JackBauer]

That's pretty much all you've done with him in the two threads I've looked at so far. Maybe you should try arguing his points instead of mocking him in every post. You know, if you can.

I would if I thought he was arguing in good faith and that it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time. Appreciate your concern, though.

 

[Triumph]

Pretty lousy ranking, but hey it fits your narrative.

Where would you rank him?

Your boy is 4th best in the AFCE.

 

[Thelonious]

I think BO'B is fine. While I am convinced at this point that Mac is likely not a QB worthy of a long-term contract - his arm strength is genuinely problematic, and his judgment is only intermittently sound - I hate to pass judgment on a person who has been so ill-treated as Mac has. If I HAD to decide at this point, I'd probably move on, but we DON'T have to decide now, so I would not. The #1 problem at this point, both with respect to its importance and to the difficulty of solving it, is Bill's obvious faliure as GM. We need to lay the groundwork for moving on to a new GM immediately with an eye to making the necessary changes this coming off-season. It would be reasonable to forego a final decision on Mac at least until the end of the regular season when we have more data as to what Mac can be like with an actual OC, though still without the talent with which a competent GM long since would have surrounded him.

 

[Thelonious]

"#1. I like Bill's drafting; I think he's at the very top of the league." - upstater1

Holy Mackerel, as my old aunts used to say when they were as beside themselves as they ever got (not very). I'd love to hear the rationale behind this little shocker. Such stats on this as I have seen are like 180-degrees out from this take. Tom E Curran laid out a number of - well - numbers the other day which were shockingly adverse to any embrace of Bill's GM skills. Maybe I can find them.

 

[captain stone]

Where would you rank him?

Your boy is 4th best in the AFCE.

At best.

Imagine how much more of a laughingstock Corky would be if Rodgers hadn't been injured.

 

[amfootball]

Why don’t you do that for Brady over his entire career and not cherry pick a season where he has a career year in passing yards ( even more than they year he broke the league passing record) and second most TDs of his career (both led the league in 2021)? Where did he end up in fantasy football in say 2018 or 2014 (years he actually won the Super Bowl)?

Belichick has always wanted a run first type of team. Yes, when he has the greatest QB of all time, he eventually moved away from that. It wasn’t until 2007 did he change that philosophy. And yes, the Patriots no longer have the greatest of all time under center.

What has surprised me the most is Bill's failure to see the changing NFL landscape with the focus on explosive/dynamic offenses because of the rules and also the college concepts migrating to the NFL. He used to be one step ahead of these changes but now it seems he is stuck in his philosophy and won't budge.

 

[Triumph]

If Corky is the end of the line for BB he might as well start packing his bags.

A good QB fixes the whole mess. BOB cant make chicken salad from chicken 5hit.

 

[PATS16N0]

 

[Thelonious]

There are too many undetermined variables to make final judgment on what to do with Mac. Add to this that Bill has irresponsibly undermined Mac's chances of showing what he might be able to do, and it is no wonder uncertainty rules and discussion thus flourishes. I think Mac deserves the remainder of this season. - barring outright catastrophically bad play - either to show that we should keep him or that he has good trade value. There is no one else on the roster yet demonstrably better or imho likely soon to be so, and if taking this approach marginally lessens our chances of winning games (I do not believe it does) what difference really does that make? All wins do at this point is to give us a worse draft position, after all. Neither do we yet know what either our draft nor the draft positions of other teams in the market for the same sort of talent we are. These factors too must inform our decision-making. Given the depth of need at so MANY positions, I would not reject that we might choose players at positions other than qb with our earliest picks and that we might in line with this decide to keep Mac for one more year, hoping he might improve, or enhance his trade value, or show himself to be suitable only as a backup for us or someone else. I fully understand the possibility, maybe the likelihood, that Mac might just be too limited a player to keep around ultimately, even less likely a "franchise qb,"; but I think it is both due diligence and way of giving Mac a fair shake to allow for the possibly we might enter (n.b. enter) next year with Mac as our qb.

 

[mgteich]

There are too many undetermined variables to make final judgment on what to do with Mac. Add to this that Bill has irresponsibly undermined Mac's chances of showing what he might be able to do, and it is no wonder uncertainty rules and discussion thus flourishes. I think Mac deserves the remainder of this season. - barring outright catastrophically bad play - either to show that we should keep him or that he has good trade value. There is no one else on the roster yet demonstrably better or imho likely soon to be so, and if taking this approach marginally lessens our chances of winning games (I do not believe it does) what difference really does that make? All wins do at this point is to give us a worse draft position, after all. Neither do we yet know what either our draft nor the draft positions of other teams in the market for the same sort of talent we are. These factors too must inform our decision-making. Given the depth of need at so MANY positions, I would not reject that we might choose players at positions other than qb with our earliest picks and that we might in line with this decide to keep Mac for one more year, hoping he might improve, or enhance his trade value, or show himself to be suitable only as a backup for us or someone else. I fully understand the possibility, maybe the likelihood, that Mac might just be too limited a player to keep around ultimately, even less likely a "franchise qb,"; but I think it is both due diligence and way of giving Mac a fair shake to allow for the possibly we might enter (n.b. enter) next year with Mac as our qb.

1) Yes, Mac should be our starter for the rest of the year, barring really terrible play. We have no one else. Also, the year of experience might increase his draft value.

2) I suppose if Mac performs really, really well, we might allow him to stay on as our veteran backup until our top 5 pick is ready. Personally, I think this is very, very unlikely. If Mac performs really well, then his trade value will be higher.

3) It is time to move on from Mac. We need a top 10 QB. I would also secure a Minchew type QB to start in 2024 and play until the rookie is ready. I would also take flyer (4th, 5th or 6th rounder) on a 3rd QB who might be a future backup, or might provide injury insurance.

My BOTTOM LINE is
that we draft our top 10 QB and secure 2-3 solid OT's. Obviously, one could be Brown.

THEN, we build. So, we get our QB' protect him, and build around him. And yes, this could take 3 years. Let's be real 12 teams have NEVER won a Super Bowl. We are no longer special. We need a franchise QB and we need to build around him. Sure, we need less support if we have one of the very best QB's in the NFL.

 

[Thelonious]

1) Yes, Mac should be our starter for the rest of the year, barring really terrible play. We have no one else. Also, the year of experience might increase his draft value.

2) I suppose if Mac performs really, really well, we might allow him to stay on as our veteran backup until our top 5 pick is ready. Personally, I think this is very, very unlikely. If Mac performs really well, then his trade value will be higher.

3) It is time to move on from Mac. We need a top 10 QB. I would also secure a Minchew type QB to start in 2024 and play until the rookie is ready. I would also take flyer (4th, 5th or 6th rounder) on a 3rd QB who might be a future backup, or might provide injury insurance.

My BOTTOM LINE is
that we draft our top 10 QB and secure 2-3 solid OT's. Obviously, one could be Brown.

THEN, we build. So, we get our QB' protect him, and build around him. And yes, this could take 3 years. Let's be real 12 teams have NEVER won a Super Bowl. We are no longer special. We need a franchise QB and we need to build around him. Sure, we need less support if we have one of the very best QB's in the NFL.

I think all of this makes a great deal of sense. I would only add that if a combination of our eventual draft position, our take on the quality of qb's in the draft, and/or the quality of players available for all the many other positions in which we have need suggests to us that the best move would be to draft either at other positions or to draft a qb who needs time to develop, it would not be the end of the world if we were to let Mac have another year.

 

[PATS16N0]

This is like Belichick was in a SAW movie

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

This is like Belichick was in a SAW movie

Jigsaw Bill: “Mac, for three years you have wrought suffering and disappointment to a fanbase who wanted you to succeed. Today is your chance to take responsibility for your freelancing and happy feet. I would like to play a game…”

 

[RIpats88]

1) Yes, Mac should be our starter for the rest of the year, barring really terrible play. We have no one else. Also, the year of experience might increase his draft value.

2) I suppose if Mac performs really, really well, we might allow him to stay on as our veteran backup until our top 5 pick is ready. Personally, I think this is very, very unlikely. If Mac performs really well, then his trade value will be higher.

3) It is time to move on from Mac. We need a top 10 QB. I would also secure a Minchew type QB to start in 2024 and play until the rookie is ready. I would also take flyer (4th, 5th or 6th rounder) on a 3rd QB who might be a future backup, or might provide injury insurance.

My BOTTOM LINE is
that we draft our top 10 QB and secure 2-3 solid OT's. Obviously, one could be Brown.

THEN, we build. So, we get our QB' protect him, and build around him. And yes, this could take 3 years. Let's be real 12 teams have NEVER won a Super Bowl. We are no longer special. We need a franchise QB and we need to build around him. Sure, we need less support if we have one of the very best QB's in the NFL.

I love when people say "we need a top 10 qb. draft one and win!" the Mac draft was supposedly full of top QB talent. and all look like they either suck or are not as good as suspected (trevor lawrence)

as if its so easy. thats why the majority of teams in the NFL suck. Curran seems to believe Mac will be back next year even if we draft a new QB. and said Mac probably would wipe the floor in camp when hitting is not allowed as he said when he just has time to sit back there with no pass rush hes been good in camp. surprised hes still on the Mac wagon.