PFW, 3/5/2001: Team least likely to make the SB in the next 5 years?

[oldrover]

The Patriots.

Here's a link to the piece...

http://archive.profootballweekly.com//content/archives/features_2000/nflist_030501.asp

The Pats were a UNANIMOUS choice due to salary cap, immobile QB, and other factors, including BB's inability to handle the media.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Actually, the article made a lot of good points -

Obvioulsy they did not factor in an unheralded 6th round draft choice, as well as the breadth and depth of veteran cuts that allowed BB to bring in many of "his" guys to start changing the locker room mentality

As far as BB's ability to deal with the media, they may have had a point in the past, but there's nothing like a few SB rings to get the media on your side

 

[Willie55]

On defense, the only upper-echelon player the Pats can count on is SS Lawyer Milloy, and the defensive backfield is a disaster area aside from him.

If Ty Law was insulted by 4yrs./26mil, what the hell does this do to him?

 

[Mike the Brit]

I posted that link on Dec 19, 2003. I gave the thread the title "Lest We Forget". I remember it very well because it was my first ever post on the board. I am glad that people keep re-discovering this article (I have it bookmarked on my browser, I love it that much).

What was interesting to me in the discussion was that many people pointed out how much respect BB had for the late Joel Buchsbaum. Indeed, I think someone said that Belichick had offered him a job. A real football obsessive whose stuff whenever I run across it on the Web is well worth reading. This wasn't some vindictive Ron Borges type.

 

[bort]

I posted that link on Dec 19, 2003. I gave the thread the title "Lest We Forget". I remember it very well because it was my first ever post on the board. I am glad that people keep re-discovering this article (I have it bookmarked on my browser, I love it that much).

What was interesting to me in the discussion was that many people pointed out how much respect BB had for the late Joel Buchsbaum. Indeed, I think someone said that Belichick had offered him a job. A real football obsessive whose stuff whenever I run across it on the Web is well worth reading. This wasn't some vindictive Ron Borges type.

That's awesome. But it doesn't seem to be an opinion piece by Buchsbaum himself. Looks more like a collection of scouts' "educated" projections. Who knew?

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

Actually, the article made a lot of good points -

Obvioulsy they did not factor in an unheralded 6th round draft choice, as well as the breadth and depth of veteran cuts that allowed BB to bring in many of "his" guys to start changing the locker room mentality

As far as BB's ability to deal with the media, they may have had a point in the past, but there's nothing like a few SB rings to get the media on your side

Actually, the article was poorly researched and was full of crappy analysis. This is really old and we have gone over the inaccuracies before, so I will just highlight a few things.

He made some reasonable points, but many of them had already been addressed. Salary cap hell - for example. That is BS.... BB had already begun to turn things around on the cap - things were going in the right direction, not the wrong one. Blesoe was immobile, but it still a decent QB... could he ever win a SB.... not likely, but on the right team, yes. We had underrated talent that Joel overlooked because there were not big name super stars... something sports writers like too much.

Milloy our only decent deffensive player? the defensive backfield in shambles? Terresa Glenn our only starting caliber offensive player?

Not to mention that we go on to win 3 of the next 5 SBs and establish the only true salary cap era dynasty... his article was about the team LEAST likely to win 1 SB in the next decade.

For whatever else Joel was, he was so far off the mark on this piece that it is both sad and funny.

 

[sdaniels7114]

... his article was about the team LEAST likely to win 1 SB in the next decade.

I hate to point this out, but the PFW guy was kinda right. Unless the Pats figure out a way to unwin 2 bowls, they're hopelessly over the 1 Super bowl limit. Every other team in the NFL could still end this decade as a one-time winner

 

[pats60]

i agree also
it was all true it took bb 2 years to get out of salary cap hell.
i miss joe baushbaum a great talent we will never see again
mel kiper couldn`t shine his shoes

 

[Terry Glenn is a cowgirl]

I hate to point this out, but the PFW guy was kinda right. Unless the Pats figure out a way to unwin 2 bowls, they're hopelessly over the 1 Super bowl limit. Every other team in the NFL could still end this decade as a one-time winner

The only team that he hit on was the Cardinals. How obvious is that pick?

If Kraft didn't hire Belichick and instead hired Butch Davis as coach and Tom Donahoe as gm...we would have been screwed for many seasons.

 

[PatsSteve1]

It sounds dumb now, but on 3/5/2001 it probably didn't sound so dumb. I thought BB was a good hire when it was made but I didn't expect 3 SB's in 4 years any more than anyone else did.

 

[oldrover]

Brady just quoted this article during his interview with Berman on ABC.

 

[B-LO Baby]

You can't gloat over this too much. Who knew that the Pats' no-name backup QB who was previously known as "the guy who split snaps with Henson at UM" was a future Hall of Famer?

 

[oldrover]

Wide right.