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From Profootball Weekly:
The Way We Hear It - NFL pro football rumors and insider news from Pro Football Weekly
Granted we heard the same rumors about Belichick prior to last year. We know how much Belichick's supposive desire to leave and start from scratch again because coaching the Patriots was no longer a challege was actually true. It seems that since it is obviously clear that Belichick has no intention to leave the Pats any time soon, the media may have decided to turn their attention to Pioli and him leaving.
I do love that this article says that Pioli wants to leave because he doesn't get the credit he deserves, yet the media have been fawning all over him ever since these rumors started to pop up. So apparently the media treating him like a genius who would be a steal for any organization who would get him isn't giving him credit.
Pioli may very well have decided it is time to explore new opportunities. His previous actions say otherwise. But I think the logic behind some of the rumors is comical. Pioli gets tons of credit for what he does. How exactly does a two time Executive of the Year and one of the few Player Personnel Guys/GMs in the league with universal national recognition not get the respect he deserves?
Prospect of running another club growing on Pioli
Word we’re hearing out of Foxborough is that V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli could be nearing the end of his distinguished tenure atop the Patriots’ personnel department. In his nine seasons with the club, New England has enjoyed staggering success in an era ruled by parity, winning the AFC East six times and bagging a trio of Super Bowl titles. So why would the 43-year-old Pioli, revered as one of the top personnel chiefs in the NFL in a seemingly ideal position, want to leave? For one thing, Pioli has failed to earn the respect he deserves for helping to build the Patriots into the NFL’s most consistent winner, and those close to the team say he’s finally ripe for departure.
Factoring into his thinking is the fact that Pioli's understudy Thomas Dimitroff has had such tremendous success in his first season in Atlanta that it has made the prospects of calling his own shots more attractive than ever. Should Pioli decide to leave, there should be a host of clubs willing to obtain his services in a general managerial or presidential capacity. The Chiefs have an opening for the top position following the resignation of Carl Peterson, and Kansas City could offer the type of all-encompassing powers that he likely would require to leave Foxborough. On the other hand, Detroit may be a tougher sell given the possibility that the Lions will be reluctant to give so much power to one man.
If Pioli does scratch his itch, he won’t have to look far to find two of the men with which he’ll build his franchise around. In Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and QB Matt Cassel — set to be a free agent after the season — two of the league’s most promising young figures in their respective posts are already under Pioli’s watch. Both are said to have a strong relationship with him. What would amount to a de facto package deal for the three men easily could come to fruition if a franchise is open to staffing the trio.
Should Pioli leave, he’d leave the Pats without an obvious successor, perhaps prompting them to look outside the organization for a replacement. We hear that it’s unlikely Bill Belichick would assume a joint coach-GM role, even though he has experience in a similar role from his frequent collaborations with Pioli.
The Way We Hear It - NFL pro football rumors and insider news from Pro Football Weekly
Granted we heard the same rumors about Belichick prior to last year. We know how much Belichick's supposive desire to leave and start from scratch again because coaching the Patriots was no longer a challege was actually true. It seems that since it is obviously clear that Belichick has no intention to leave the Pats any time soon, the media may have decided to turn their attention to Pioli and him leaving.
I do love that this article says that Pioli wants to leave because he doesn't get the credit he deserves, yet the media have been fawning all over him ever since these rumors started to pop up. So apparently the media treating him like a genius who would be a steal for any organization who would get him isn't giving him credit.
Pioli may very well have decided it is time to explore new opportunities. His previous actions say otherwise. But I think the logic behind some of the rumors is comical. Pioli gets tons of credit for what he does. How exactly does a two time Executive of the Year and one of the few Player Personnel Guys/GMs in the league with universal national recognition not get the respect he deserves?
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