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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Great column. A good, healthy dose of reality in the most optimistic sense!
http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9949386
I loved this paragraph:
"Next season, according to reports, the Patriots have roughly $30 million in cap space. They have two first-round picks in the 2007 draft. Giving Pioli $30 million and an extra No. 1 pick is like giving Shawne Merriman an extra syringe. Expect massive results."
Great column. A good, healthy dose of reality in the most optimistic sense!
http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9949386
I loved this paragraph:
"Next season, according to reports, the Patriots have roughly $30 million in cap space. They have two first-round picks in the 2007 draft. Giving Pioli $30 million and an extra No. 1 pick is like giving Shawne Merriman an extra syringe. Expect massive results."
The only point this writer made correctly is that Brady and BB are cold hearted killers on game day. Everything else he wrote indicates he clearly has no knowledge of how this team operates...or actually what transpired in the 2nd half vs. Indy.
He reasoned that Harrison was the missing link against the Colts but failed to disclose that the Pats defense played the better part of the 2nd half without Hawkins and Colvin. Instead they lined up with a less than effective Seymour, first time starter Alexander, and scrap pile Baker.; The Pats were good enough without Harrison in the 1st half, but injuries and fatigue forced BB and company into a band aid approach.
Next point. Trading up for a top 5 pick such as Calvin Johnson? Come on Gregg Doyel...know your subject matter. Trade away two late first round picks who will end up being eventual starters making a combined salary of half of what a top 5 Calvin Johnson would earn yearly? Ask the Jets how such a move turned out in the D Robertson transaction...$50 mill for a work in progress...Not happening with the Pats. The "Toadie" Bob Kraft, as he so elegantly states, emphasized the fiscal approach the Pats prefer, stating that the back half of the first round is the most cost-effective when comparing talent and dollars.
Yes, the Pats have money and draft picks going into the offseason, he is correct. The rest is just fluff from a national writer who doesn't research his subject too deeply.
Good article. Thanks for posting it.
I sincerely hope the problem can be solved with better skilled players. I think it can. What we did with what we had -- well, it WAS amazing when you think about it.
Reche, Gafney (who??) and old man river (Troy) as our wide-outs?!!! Young, still-developing TEs in Graham and Watson. A LB corps on social security and held-together with duct tape. A secondary of revolving doors, with the exception of a still young Hobbs and Samuel.
I'd say we did pretty darn well, all things considered. If Pioli can do his thing well this year, the "boys" could indeed be back in town.
//
If the Patriots could trade both firsts for Larry Fitzgerald, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Because of cap increases since he was picked, his contract is manageable, if weighty. Unlike a draft pick, he's also a proven commodity, a true #1 who could be Rice to Brady's Montana. Heck, I'd even throw in another pick, maybe a 3rd or 4th, to make that one happen.
That said, I'd probably trade both firsts for Calvin Johnson, too. He's absolutely spectacular, though he's not proven like Fitz. The only thing I'd be worried about is that he'd become more Mike Williams than Randy Moss (without the attitude, at least).
If the Patriots could trade both firsts for Larry Fitzgerald, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Because of cap increases since he was picked, his contract is manageable, if weighty. Unlike a draft pick, he's also a proven commodity, a true #1 who could be Rice to Brady's Montana. Heck, I'd even throw in another pick, maybe a 3rd or 4th, to make that one happen.
That said, I'd probably trade both firsts for Calvin Johnson, too. He's absolutely spectacular, though he's not proven like Fitz. The only thing I'd be worried about is that he'd become more Mike Williams than Randy Moss (without the attitude, at least).
Put that crack pipe away son.
Arizona's got a new head coach. How likely is it that they would trade away a key player like Larry Fitzgerald anyway?
I don't like the part about Belichick "by the time he's done, they'll have to pry 4 or 5 super bowl rings from his cold, dead fingers." Flair for the dramatic. I don't think anybody expects Bill to coach until he gets the call to coach the Lord's team against Satan's team (Polian?). Also, is Belichick despised? Was Lombardi despised? I don't think so. Gregg Doyel should be writing for one of those newspapers at the supermarket checkout area.
I don't know. He said sportswriters don't like Belichick, but then nobody does. Nobody likes Belichick? I'd bet those intelligent enough to understand him and can learn from him do. Same with Lombardi. He also made a comparison between Bill and the Anthony Hopkins character in Silence of the Lambs. Bill with a muzzle? The author's too dramatic for me.I think you missed the point... BB and Lombardi were despised by the media because they simply did their job without being flashy or dramatic. It makes the media actually do thier job instead of being handed a tabloid headline to run with.