Originally Posted by CleatMarks View Post
What's that got to do with Revis?
If the league felt they were first round talent, they would have taken them...yes they both dropped because they were a risk.
Who said I said it had anything to do with Revis? Don't rope me into the rest of the crowd. I can view the Patriots objectively, even if I think they're the NFL equivalent of the Duke Blue Devils -- obnoxious yet illustrious coach surrounded by a bunch of punk white boys who all do their best to go to outrageous lengths to best (legally) manipulate the rules to their advantage.
And I don't think you understand how the draft works then based off your second comment.
- Why was Janoris Jenkins a second round draft pick this year?
- Why did Dez Bryant fall to 24 in 2010? Carlos Dunlap to the second round that year too?
- Heath Miller in 2005 like I previously mentioned?
- Warren Sapp falling to #12 back in 1995?
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Originally Posted by CleatMarks View Post
They weren't drafted specifically as the answer to anyone though. If they knew they would be the answer to anything, you would pick them higher and not risk losing them. BB has drafted more TEs than probably any other team. They were a risk and it worked out.
If BB felt he *had* to answer Revis, he would have picked a sure thing and a lot higher than the 4th round...
You guys are looking back and saying "these are the guys" when the only reason you even know their names is because they panned out. Ben Watson was supposed to be the greatest thing ever too...
You guys think everything is about the Jets...It isn't. This is a case where BB likes TEs.
I've always known about Belichick drafting TEs.
He tried to do the same thing as Gronkowski/Hernandez when he drafted Daniel Graham and Ben Watson both in the first round in two years apart from each other. The only problem was that Graham was too one-dimensional as a blocker and Watson, despite his athleticism, was an inconsistent pass-catcher.
What I don't know is how you are so certain that Belichick was always adamant about running the style of offense he is now.
They certainly weren't running that offense early in 2010 before they shipped off Randy Moss. Part of it was because Gronkowski and Hernandez were a bit green at the time, but it was also because they thought they could still be dominant vertically. The reason why they changed their offense midseason in 2010 is threefold:
1) Moss's talent was declining and Belichick realized it before the rest of the league did.
2) Tom Brady, while still outstanding in nearly every aspect, was slowly declining as a deep ball passer. I'll argue this one to the grave...for as amazing as Brady is and has been, his deep ball isn't what it once was.
3) Belichick always tries to be ahead of the curve when it comes to offensive schemes. By the time the league started to catch up to the Pats offense of 2007-2009 (and the very beginning of 2010), Belichick morphed the offense and it took 10+ games before Rex was able to crack the riddle in the playoffs. If you don't think the play of Revis and the acquisition of Cromartie had any inkling of influence on Belichick's transformation, then you're a bigger homer than I thought.
Was it a big influence? Probably not. He probably realized that certain teams have players that can cover outside the numbers, but nearly nobody had players (LBs/Ss mainly) that could cover shifty slot receivers or TEs. That's Belichick being ahead of the curve, but you're completely fooling yourself if you don't believe certain teams draft players while keeping the division rivals in the back of their minds...even your mighty Patriots.
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Originally Posted by CleatMarks View Post
If the draft were held today, would Hernandez still be a 4th rounder?
Of course not if you taking the Aaron Hernandez based of the last 2.5 years of his professional career. I don't know what kind of hindsight is 20/20 question you're asking. If he went to a team like Cincinnati or Oakland back in 2010, who the hell knows how his career would have ended up...he could've easily ended up like Chris Henry or JaMarcus.
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