Gilmore signing: Did the Patriots violate their own procedures?

[Huckleberry1]

Did Belichick violate Belichick?


I don't think that's possible.

 

[Jlaff]

"Special videos" required, lol. If that's true I give up all hope.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I'm not fully on board the "Gillmore was a huge mistake/bust" train yet, however I always felt a bit uncertain about him as a player. The addition of him definitely didn't feel like they were bringing in 2014 Revis, or hypothetically, a guy like Sherman or Talib (again). I'm also surprised the Pats weren't turned off after witnessing this live last year:

I have to say this time and time again on these pictures...he was suppose to have help over the top..the safety ran back...stopped..then tried to follow Hogan...If the CB thinks he has help over the top he's not always 100% on him after 15 yards incase he splits off somewhere else.

Gilmore on that play was yelling at the S and how he wasn't there...I was sitting right at that 5 yrd line and the S looked like he was running in mud as Gilmore was at full sprint trying to catch up

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Buffalo beat Denver and Atlanta by defense, alone. Of course they've been better through 4 games.

Luckily, it's very early still, so things should even out. And even if BUF's defense ends up better, which happens sometimes, the end game is what matters. Their offense isn't too good, so I won't be concerned about them for at least another solid month or so. Let's see if they can keep it up.

I just wanna see this defense look legit against Tampa. Flying to the football. Getting 3 and outs. I am sick of the funchesses of the world having career days. Also cam newton looked like 2015 cam newton against us. I keep hearing how the saints have a terrible defense yet they have looked more respectable than our defense.

 

[Tony2046]

Gimore struggled at times last season for the bills but he actually got better the second half of the year. It's tough to say what type of player he is. Many would agree that the bills d line's better than ours right now.

Gilmore is playing for his second team, 4th Head Coach and 6th Defensive Coordinator in his 6th season.

He was rated as a top ten CB in 2015 and was considered a shutdown corner.

He had a slow start under his 5th defensive coordinator in 2016 but returned to his shutdown status by mid season.

It's week 4. He's going to get better. He's playing hard and he's talented.

 

[kennyb]

So much for signing "smart football players". This is the kind of signing that can ruin teams.

 

[Tony2046]

So much for signing "smart football players". This is the kind of signing that can ruin teams.

Hey CHB. Get off of our website.

 

[Ring 6]

Jeff Howe claims that Gilmore's signing went against the Patriots' own stated procedures for signing free agents.

In this podcast, Howe: Fair To Question Patriots For Gilmore Signing - Toucher & Rich - Omny.fm , Howe says that the Patriots didn't sign high-priced free agents without first bringing them into the facility and seeing if they would fit with the Patriots system. In fact, Howe says that the Patriots mocked other teams who signed free agents without doing so, just a few days before signing Gilmore sight unseen.

The main question: Are Howe's allegations accurate? And if they are accurate, then:

1. Why did the Patriots break their own free agent hiring protocol to sign Gilmore?
2. Did the Patriots do appropriate due diligence on Gilmore?
3. Was Patricia informed of the deal and did he agree to it?
4. Did the Patriots know that in Buffalo, the coordinator had to make special videotapes for Gilmore because he had trouble learning their system and "had issues changing coverages" (according to Rob Ryan, at about 3:00)

Dude how can you watch a video then type what it says and be wrong? He said nothing about "special" tapes and nothing about trouble learning the system. He also called him one of the best corners in the NFL.

 

[JMC00]

Dude how can you watch a video then type what it says and be wrong? He said nothing about "special" tapes and nothing about trouble learning the system. He also called him one of the best corners in the NFL.

Wait. What? I tried to watch it but it wasn't playing on my tablet so I just moved on. But I guess doesn't surprise me. the trolls and doom and gloomers are really digging in on this so they are throwing so much **** out there you can barely keep track.

 

[Ring 6]

Wait. What? I tried to watch it but it wasn't playing on my tablet so I just moved on. But I guess doesn't surprise me. the trolls and doom and gloomers are really digging in on this so they are throwing so much **** out there you can barely keep track.

What never said was Gilmore struggled with changing the calls and they made a tape to help him. Not a "special" tape or what that implies. Says absolutely nothing like HR couldn't learn the defense. Then he said he is one of the best corners in the NFL.

 

[NE-VT]

The extent to which Gilmore is responsible for our defensive woes is not clear. We are also uncertain as to how much Gilmore and the defense more generally will improve. Considering the long track history of BB, I feel we should be optimistic.

However, lets suppose that @K. Dog and co. are correct and that Gilmore is going to be a bust. Even in this case, why would we assume that the Patriots "violated procedures". It seems much more likely they did due diligence and it just did not work out. Just because BB is the goat does not mean that he has a crystal ball.

 

[TBR]

I have to say this time and time again on these pictures...he was suppose to have help over the top..the safety ran back...stopped..then tried to follow Hogan...If the CB thinks he has help over the top he's not always 100% on him after 15 yards incase he splits off somewhere else.

Gilmore on that play was yelling at the S and how he wasn't there...I was sitting right at that 5 yrd line and the S looked like he was running in mud as Gilmore was at full sprint trying to catch up

I don't deny that, however if your teammate blows his assignment, you don't give up on the play altogether. You cover for him and take it up afterwards/on the sideline.

 

[randomk1]

Can Bill make some special video tapes for this guy? We're only paying like 50 mill and football is oh so complicated.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Problem with Jeff Howe's little "protocol" take is they also did it with Brandin Cooks.

Cooks was a trade. If we had worked him out while he was on another roster, that would have indeed been big news. Goodell would have taken away about 10 draft picks for it.

 

[Tony2046]

Can Bill make some special video tapes for this guy? We're only paying like 50 mill and football is oh so complicated.

Football is extremely complicated. It's literally gladiators playing a chess match on a gridiron.

Unless you're a fan at home sitting on the couch yelling "Derr throw it to the open guy.......tackle the guy with the ball"

 

[Angelpats]

So much for signing "smart football players". This is the kind of signing that can ruin teams.

This looks like an adalius Thomas signing. I know everyone makes mistakes but that second hands to the face penalty was just stupid and against everything BB preaches about repeating mistakes and not improving.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I think people are so quick to label this guy a bust. I am gonna go out on a limb and say he will have a great game for us later on tonight.

 

[Tony2046]

I think people are so quick to label this guy a bust. I am gonna go out on a limb and say he will have a great game for us later on tonight.

This reminds me so much of the 2014 hawt take season. "We're on to Tampa Bay".

It wouldn't surprise me if they went out and laid a 40 burger er ah a 50 burger or is that a 50 whopper now?

@PatsFanInVa - I need clarification here.

 

[Joker]

did somebody kick this dog in the head?

 

[K. Dog]

why would we assume that the Patriots "violated procedures". It seems much more likely they did due diligence and it just did not work out.

It's not an assumption - Jeff Howe stated we violated our procedures in signing him. Now, whether Jeff Howe is accurate, I don't know. That's why I worded the original post subjunctively, that is, conditional on the Howe's report accuracy.

Again, if Howe is accurate, then the Patriots' stated position is that due diligence requires a high-priced free agent be vetted in house. Howe says the Patriots mocked other teams that did not vet their own free agents in house. Therefore, if Howe is accurate, this suggests that the Patriots did not perform due diligence, at least by their own definition, prior to signing him. Thus, it is natural to ask whether due diligence in other respects was also not performed.