Patriots were wrong not to contact willie

[qmjhlpei]

I'm gonna miss Willie.

 

[marty]

FWIW -I believe that the Pats let Willie or his agent know what they were willing to pay him before they let him go. (the pats rep for planning and organization is well known)
I believe that the Pats probably knew that he could get more in FA and were willing to let that happen (see J Kraft's comments on "respect" for WMac).
I believe that despite Willie's comments of wanting to retire in NE, that he was looking for that last big payday. Good for him, and isn't it nice that his years with the Pats have made that possible.
I wish at this point the Willie would just go quietly into this good night because all the, "he said - he said", bulltookies, just takes some of the shine off our memories!
I firmly believe that the Pat's FO is a well run, well planned organization. Don't you think that they have in place a well thought out process that includes all negotiations? Do people really think that this was a, "woops, should have called Willie the other day", scenario? Time to give it a rest!

 

[BelichickFan]

I'm gonna miss Willie.

We all will but he'll be 35 in December and Belichick's ability to move on and not let the team grow old together should keep this thing going for a while.

 

[sarge]

i get that theyre not sentimental like me
i get that willie is old and past his prime
i get that he would cost a decent amount of money

but if they had contacted him right away, there is no doubt in my mind he wouldve signed for less than 12 mill over 3 yrs
prob wouldve signed for like 9 mill over 3 yrs

i guess the pats really dont value him that highly, but they shouldve, even if its not entirely for his play, but partially for his leadership ability

i question bb and pioli very rarely
and i dont think ive ever said that they were dead wrong

but im saying it now
DEAD WRONG

I pretty much agree.

We certianly do not know if he would have stayed for 3 million a year. But according to Willie, he wasn't called at all to discuss a new contract after he was cut.

Atleast if an offer was made and turned down it would be one thing. But there has been nothing to indicate an offer was made and Willie's word to indicate no offer was made!

To me, Willie's value was more then just the product on the field. He led by example. An attempt should have been made to keep him, and I have seen zero evidence of that, and have seen evidence (Willie and Seymours comments) that no attempt was made!

If this move by the Patriots has proven anything, it has proven that people like Teddy Bruschi need to think twice before they give the organization a hometown discount and play for half there fair market value!

It will be very interesting to see what happens in the twilight of Bruschi's career!

 

[AzPatsFan]

S.o.p.

Belichick did Willie a favor in my view. he could have reworked his contract to get another year out of him...changed his money to a bonus or whatever it is that they do....I hate the numbers stuff(with all due respect Miguel) I just care who is here.

I bet he could have used him for 1 more year but he let him go because he knew he could get a 3-year from somebody...and he did...Belichick is the good guy here in my opinion.

Pat's older player standard Modus Operandi:

Say nothing to start a pissing contest or lower player's value. Let another team off the older player a "retirement check" and going away present; congratulate player on his contributions. Welcome him back for retirement...

 

[BelichickFan]

It will be very interesting to see what happens in the twilight of Bruschi's career!

He's signed for 2 more years, then we'll see. They won't give him the money Cleveland just gave McGinest, though, IMO.

 

[PATSNUTme]

Willie said that he wasn't called about a CONTRACT AFTER HE WAS CUT.

Willie didn't say that he wasn't contacted about a contract,BEFORE HE WAS CUT.

It has been reported tha BOTH BB and BOB KRAFT called Willie AFTER he was cut. It just wasn't about a new contract.

So, the whole premise of this thread is BASELESS. Meaning that it has no merit, it is not based on any fact,and that it is total and complete nonsense.

But, it's true.

 

[BelichickFan]

Willie said that he wasn't called about a CONTRACT AFTER HE WAS CUT.

Willie didn't say that he wasn't contacted about a contract,BEFORE HE WAS CUT.

It has been reported tha BOTH BB and BOB KRAFT called Willie AFTER he was cut. It just wasn't about a new contract.

No-one knows . . . and it would be his agent who was called about a new contract, not him.

Great players getting old sucks for the fans but Belichick likely just determined it was time to move on. That sentimental old fool

 

[patsfan55]

first of all i know what baseless means, im not a moron

second, the only thing im saying is the pats shouldve just tried to see if they could get something done, like a last ditch effort
since the contract would be a lil different, because if they had not cut him they wouldve still had to work with the remaining signing bonus AND roster bonus
all im saying is they shouldve given one more shot at it, thats all

 

[BelichickFan]

second, the only thing im saying is the pats shouldve just tried to see if they could get something done

They may not have wanted to get something done. It may just have been time, in their mind.

 

[patsfan55]

They may not have wanted to get something done. It may just have been time, in their mind.

right

and i personally think that was a mistake
its ok, im learning to live with it
but, lets not sit here and all say that bb and pioli never make mistakes
and i think we should be allowed to voice our opinion when we think they have made one of their mistakes
i love the guys, but: donald hayes, duane starks, monty beisel, adrian klemm....they are going to make mistakes, theyre not perfect

 

[Pats67]

right

and i personally think that was a mistake
its ok, im learning to live with it
but, lets not sit here and all say that bb and pioli never make mistakes
and i think we should be allowed to voice our opinion when we think they have made one of their mistakes
i love the guys, but: donald hayes, duane starks, monty beisel, adrian klemm....they are going to make mistakes, theyre not perfect

Yes, we know that, because people keep posting the mistakes over and over and over and over and over as if they were the only roster moves the two have EVER made.

 

[Pats726]

Pat's older player standard Modus Operandi:

Say nothing to start a pissing contest or lower player's value. Let another team off the older player a "retirement check" and going away present; congratulate player on his contributions. Welcome him back for retirement...

I won't say ALL olfer players...but most..or some..and I really do NOT think it is all... SOME players may not wish for that lrge check somewhere else..may take a bit less. In this case, what I have seen posted is all about what the Patriots did NOT do..and such..but what about the other side in this..what the Browns did?? To understand the dynamics of the deal, I think it fair to look at that as well. The Browsn sort of rebounded from a loss of their own. KEdwards, the Det DE was in Cleveland and they thought they had a deal. He returned to Det and..they offered more and?? He went back to Detroit to sign. They got WIllieMcG in soon after that...and they were NOT going to let WillieMcG go without signing a contract. Now whether the Patriots had any time at all to talk to him AFTER the offer?? I do not know...or was there a Patriot offer as well and the Browns had to sweeten it.
From hearing one of the writers from Cleve, it semed Cleveland sweetened the deal..or first offer. An offer he could not refuse..and given what they paid..might he have actually gotten more?? Is it timing or the way it turned out?? A LOT of time that is it. It is NOT just one party negotiating..but 2 parties with one.

 

[marty]

I won't say ALL olfer players...but most..or some..and I really do NOT think it is all... SOME players may not wish for that lrge check somewhere else..may take a bit less. In this case, what I have seen posted is all about what the Patriots did NOT do..and such..but what about the other side in this..what the Browns did?? To understand the dynamics of the deal, I think it fair to look at that as well. The Browsn sort of rebounded from a loss of their own. KEdwards, the Det DE was in Cleveland and they thought they had a deal. He returned to Det and..they offered more and?? He went back to Detroit to sign. They got WIllieMcG in soon after that...and they were NOT going to let WillieMcG go without signing a contract. Now whether the Patriots had any time at all to talk to him AFTER the offer?? I do not know...or was there a Patriot offer as well and the Browns had to sweeten it.
From hearing one of the writers from Cleve, it semed Cleveland sweetened the deal..or first offer. An offer he could not refuse..and given what they paid..might he have actually gotten more?? Is it timing or the way it turned out?? A LOT of time that is it. It is NOT just one party negotiating..but 2 parties with one.

From what I've read it seems like the Browns were determined not to let Willie get away after the Edwards situation. Willie called Parcels to see if Dallas would still be interested, as that was his next stop, and BP advised him to take the Browns offer (IOW Dallas wouldn't top Browns offer). So Willie benifited from the senario that played out and cashed in big time. Good for him, I'll miss seeing him in a Pats uni!

 

[jimleehunt]

......Cleveland...and they were NOT going to let WillieMcG go without signing a contract. Now whether the Patriots had any time at all to talk to him AFTER the offer?? I do not know...or was there a Patriot offer as well and the Browns had to sweeten it.
From hearing one of the writers from Cleve, it semed Cleveland sweetened the deal..or first offer. An offer he could not refuse..and given what they paid..might he have actually gotten more?? Is it timing or the way it turned out?? A LOT of time that is it. It is NOT just one party negotiating..but 2 parties with one.

this could very well be what happened. one of several false assumptions made by the original poster is that the pats even had the opportunity to make willie an offer. i negotiate for a living. athough none of us knows exactly what happened-its highly possible the browns made willie an offer he couldnt refuse. how any pats fan could possibly be upset with the pats over this is way beyond me-and im a big willie fan. no, the pats have so far made all the right moves(or nomoves) this offseason. retaining willie and givens-both players i love-would probbaly have meant losing seymour and branch.

 

[fgssand]

From what I've read it seems like the Browns were determined not to let Willie get away after the Edwards situation. Willie called Parcels to see if Dallas would still be interested, as that was his next stop, and BP advised him to take the Browns offer (IOW Dallas wouldn't top Browns offer). So Willie benifited from the senario that played out and cashed in big time. Good for him, I'll miss seeing him in a Pats uni!

It's all good - I do not blame Willie at all and the Pats were right to not match it.

However - it is what it is and Willie took the money and ran, nothing more and nothing less.

 

[ClosingTime]

For better or worse, perception is reality. And it certainly appears that the perception amongst some players, from the Willie and Seymour quotes, is that the Pats didn't even contact Willie to see if he'd be willing to come back, and that this was a sign of disrepect. Willie said two days before he was released that he expected to be released but he fully expected he would be brought back to finish his career with the Pats, hinting that he'd sign for cheap. That said, the Pats would have been nuts to match Cleveland's offer.
The truth in this story probably lies somewhere in the middle but as often the case, in sports and politics, perception trumps reality.

 

[DaBruinz]

first of all i know what baseless means, im not a moron

second, the only thing im saying is the pats shouldve just tried to see if they could get something done, like a last ditch effort
since the contract would be a lil different, because if they had not cut him they wouldve still had to work with the remaining signing bonus AND roster bonus
all im saying is they shouldve given one more shot at it, thats all

The Pats reportedly tried for weeks after the end of the season to get a deal done and they couldn't. And, supposedly, Willie and his agent agreed to give the Pats the right of first refusal.

The Pats also were in contact with Willie from the day he was cut to the day he signed. Whether it was BB or Kraft or someone else on the Pats management.

So, while you can sit there and lament the loss of Willie (which we are all doing) you really should make sure that you have your facts straight.

Also, if the comment was baseless, then how can it be true?