SI.com article on the agents who try to negotiate with Patriots.

[SVN]

The Patriot Way: Want to Win a Super Bowl or Not? | The MMQB with Peter King

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

The agents spoke on the condition of anonymity because they have to continue working with Belichick and his lieutenant, Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ unheralded director of player personnel. These frustrated agents recall a go-to refrain from the 64-year-old coach/executive who delivered four Super Bowl titles to a once-moribund franchise.

“It’s simple,” Belichick says in his curt monotone, according to men who have been on the other end of the phone. “Does your guy want to win a Super Bowl, or doesn’t he?”

Bill Belichick is the Godfather....

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Great article. I liked this quote :

Belichick, exercising his abundance of leverage, will often go on vacation in the heat of free agency and make his take-it-or-leave-it offers from faraway beaches while other coaches are flying around the country on private jets to court players.

 

[Guts]

Thanks for sharing.

How easy does TB12 make Belichick's job though? When the greatest player in the league buys into your program and how you want to run things, makes it way easier for BB to have a take it or leave it stance in free agency.

 

[luuked]

Great article. I liked this quote :

Belichick, exercising his abundance of leverage, will often go on vacation in the heat of free agency and make his take-it-or-leave-it offers from faraway beaches while other coaches are flying around the country on private jets to court players.

 

[Wax Frog]

I can imagine him looking over to the photographer and saying something like, "Look, can I just drink my ****ing Tang?" in that "I'm So Excited" video voice

 

[1960Pats]

Thanks for sharing.

How easy does TB12 make Belichick's job though? When the greatest player in the league buys into your program and how you want to run things, makes it way easier for BB to have a take it or leave it stance in free agency.

Thanks from here also. The article had just the right amount of whine to make it enjoyable.

The question of TB12 vs BB is one that may never be answered. Personally, I'm firmly in the TB12 camp. He brought the unselfish attitude and the big brain with him. He also brought a lot of confidence for a 6th round pick. His comment to Kraft that he was the best decision the Pats ever made showed that early on.

BB and Kraft also lucked out with Brady's respect for authority. In the Brady6 video there was an interview with a counselor from Michigan who mentioned that aspect of TB12's personality. With all that he accomplished he could be looking to really make a killing.

The luckiest people of all are the Pats fans.

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

I love the whole mantra that the Patriots are "cheap"

Nope.

They just don't value certain positions like some other teams do, and don't need to resort to over-paying like some other POS franchises have to.

They're just better, and they use that in their strategy.

 

[RobertWeathers]

When you get right down to it, the Pats financial model and philosophy is pretty straight-forward.

Its almost like they pay players as you would a utility like electricity, water, etc.

They will only pay for anticipated consumption and expected value.

They projected Chris Hogan to play a ton so they paid him the biggest contract of his career.

The projected Chris Long to play 50% of the snaps so they paid him as such.

They only planned on paying Akiem Hicks 50-60% of the snaps so they weren't going to pay more than what they were comfortable with.

They projected DMC, Gronk, TB12 (in his youth and in 2010),Sey, VW, Mankins even Adalius Thomas top dollar because they were going to play 100% of the time and play at an elite level.

With that said they run their business like a financially-disciplined household. If you need to pay for your kid's college, you aren't going to spend $80k on a BMW to drive 4 miles to work. Instead, you'll ride your bike or buy a 2013 low-mileage certified pre-owned Toyota Camry.

With all that said, negotiating is part of the process and asking the qualifying question, "Does your client want to win a Super Bowl or not" cuts to the chase in understanding what makes a player tick.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I tell you a win next Sunday and the Pats are going to see a bunch more of the Chris Longs and Martellus Bennetts of the NFL world come to Foxboro. Both are 9 year vets, never even sniffed a playoff game, and know (in their first season with the Pats) are playing in the Super Bowl.

Don't fool yourself, BB is a genius, but none of this happens without Brady. His attitude and willingness to take less money, (I'm sure it helps that his wife makes 80 million a year) sets the stage for everything the Patriots do.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

When you get right down to it, the Pats financial model and philosophy is pretty straight-forward.

Its almost like the pay players as you would a utility like electricity, water, etc.

They will only pay for anticipated consumption and expected value.

They projected Chris Hogan to play a ton so they paid him the biggest contract of his career.

The projected Chris Long to play 50% of the snaps so they paid him as such.

They only planned on paying Akiem Hicks 50-60% of the snaps so they weren't going to pay more than what they were comfortable with.

They projected DMC, Gronk, TB12 (in his youth and in 2010), VW, Sey, VW, Mankins even Adalius Thomas top dollar because they were going to play 100% of the time and play at an elite level.

With that said they run their business like a financially-disciplined household. If you need to pay for your kid's college, you aren't going to spend $80k on a BMW to drive 4 miles to work. Instead, you'll ride your bike or buy a 2013 low-mileage certified pre-owned Toyota Camry.

With all that said, negotiating is part of the process and asking the qualifying question, "Does your client want to win a Super Bowl or not" cuts to the chase in understanding what makes a player tick.

I totally agree with what you're saying. But I think the point the article makes is that the Patriots have the kinda leverage that no other franchise has, thanks in large part to Brady agreeing to be paid below market-value and Belichick having the kind of authority and decision-making no other Head Coach has.

 

[jah]

Article suggests Butler has an inexperienced agent and could be fleeced. Interesting (not that I don't want Butler to make what he deserves).

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

I think what the author fails to really dig into are comments that BB has made many times. There are very few players that have a talent level that exceeds or transcends others.

Thus, there is a litany of highly talented/athletic players who are often overlooked because they aren't performing quite as well in 1 system for either mismatched in player-scheme or because they are lacking in some fundamental technique. The third category is the unmotivated player who BB will consider but they'll be on a short leash and can be ejected.

Thus, the genius of BB is knowing the players strengths as well or better than the player or former team and being able to "coach" (read teach) the player up.

The noton that BB doesn't pay market value comes as being cheap. BB knows that the season is long, injuries happen, and there are only so many blue-chip players. A roster should be filled with hungry, self-motivated, coachable players who give it their all. He leverages the talent they have and mitigates the weakness better than anyone ever has. The salary cap, while considered a weakness or concept that is there to enforce parity, is his weapon to keep his team more competitive than others.

High priced free agents fill the stands. Having a great starting team usually gets you to the playoffs. Having a versatile, well coached, 53 man roster wins you championships. All that requires having an owner who is patient and willing to let things happen over years. Other owners make the mistake in thinking that they can duplicate the success BB/Kraft has in 2-3 short years.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I totally agree with what you're saying. But I think the point the article makes is that the Patriots have the kinda leverage that no other franchise has, thanks in large part to Brady agreeing to be paid below market-value

I think the Super Bowls and being used properly in the system is not leverage per se. Those are selling points. Its the same thing a company that you are interviewing with says to you if they want you to work there.

The Brady contract situation is also an interesting dynamic here but the Pats use it as a narrative to keep player costs down. With that said, a good agent would say, "You made Tom Brady the highest paid player in the NFL in 2006 and 2010 so you do pay him. Now hes older than dirt and you are hedging your bets on his longevity and paying him less."

Its another dynamic to weed out the mercenaries and players who put winning secondary in their careers.

In the end I firmly believe the only leverage worth a damn is determined by having another offer in hand and how negatively that player's absence impacts wins/losses and overall roster risk.

and Belichick having the kind of authority and decision-making no other Head Coach has.

Thats where running the FO and knowing football helps the agent and very few take advantage of that.

I'm kicking myself for being unable to find the article in which Drew Rosenhaus talked about pitching and negotiating with BB. It was great. Basically the gist of the article was that despite his snake oil persona, BB respects Drew because he takes the time to learn what BB is trying to accomplish with a player or a role on the team. Drew then presents players as s fit to Bill's exact criteria. Drew knows what Bill wants to spend, however Drew has enough cred with Bill to tell him he is not reading the market well enough. Thats why so many clients of Drew's sign with NE. Don't get me wrong, Drew does a lot of selling but he supports it with market data and comparable player performance and what the player did in a system similar to his. There are no games.

 

[IllegalContact]

a very unique situation.......you can say it's because of brady and theres a decent amount to that, but the biggest factor is a combination of competence and authority

the guy simply knows what he's doing and is in a position of power to exercise that authority

 

[borg]

Surface scratching article....never delving into the consequences achieved by frugal spending....aka ....quality depth ...that keeps NE in the win column later in seasons while injured marquis players on star-dependent teams teams speed up their death spiral.
No mention of NE's ranking in total cap spending.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Article suggests Butler has an inexperienced agent and could be fleeced. Interesting (not that I don't want Butler to make what he deserves).

I don't necessarily think it means he could be fleeced - although that is one outcome. Another outcome of an inexperienced agent is that he could overplay his hand and cause the Pats to immediately move on from Butler, which may not be the player's desired outcome.

 

[bresna]

I love this quote:
“With players, there’s a tremendous amount of intimidation because of how the media portrays the team as the evil empire,” says one agent. “But once they meet them, they freaking love [Belichick]. They’re blown away by his personality and how much he knows about the player and his skillset.”

 

[ivanvamp]

Great article. I see three huge keys to their success.

First, they have an owner who lets Belichick do his thing without interfering.

Second, Belichick has the ultimate in job security. He never has to worry about getting fired. It's possible that that may change down the road, but that would be many years off. He can act in confidence knowing that his job is not in any way on the line. He can make long term decisions.

Third, Brady. It really is remarkable. He's not only the greatest QB ever, his whole approach to ownership, management, coaching, and finances make all this possible. He could easily command the highest salary in the NFL but he doesn't. I think it's helpful that Brady's wife makes more than he does, so money simply isn't a concern for him.

This really is the perfect storm of quality ownership, the best HC/GM of all time, and the best QB of all time who has the ideal temperament and perspective. This combination....you will never, ever see it again for the rest of your life.

 

[Bill Lee]

Very interesting article. My favorite paragraph was:

The final and most exclusive group is made up of players whom the Patriots end up paying market value. They are the standout players—Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Devin McCourty—who are believed to buy into the so-called Patriot Way and are integral to the team’s success at the time of their re-signing. By committing to only a handful of these players over the years, the Patriots avoid contracts that overpay players past their prime, allowing the team to instead focus on developing the sort of cheap talent that Belichick and his staff are expert at identifying. “You might get a good deal from them,” says one agent, “but it wont be because you’re a good agent. It will be because they like the guy.”

To me, it'll be interesting to see if Hightower ends up getting market value, or close to it. It seems to me he's as integral to the team's success as any of the others mentioned, but he does have some injury concerns. To me it'll be the most fascinating off season story line.

Surface scratching article....never delving into the consequences achieved by frugal spending....aka ....quality depth ...that keeps NE in the win column later in seasons while injured marquis players on star-dependent teams teams speed up their death spiral.
No mention of NE's ranking in total cap spending.

Excellent point. I try to tell fans of other teams this, but they just can't grasp it. They're so blinded by fantasy football that they think you need to spend the big bucks to get "name players", but then you ask them "what are you going to do if X gets injured or suspended" and they have no answer.

People laugh at how BB says that he expects JG or Brisette to come in and be able to function at a NFL level, but heck, that's their jobs, and it's the coaches jobs to have each and every player in a position to perform.