Criticizing Belichick the GM

[p8ryts]

I'm always frustrated by the fans that whine about Belichick the GM when he is undoubtedly one of the best TEAM BUILDERS in all sports. This article captures his greatness.

The notion that Belichick the GM hurts Belichick the head coach is utterly preposterous

Is he perfect? No! But he's a lot closer than the rest of us.

 

[farn]

Love BB the GM. Love BB the coach. Love BB the tv personality.

 

[maust]

It's been obvious for some time now the Pats GM is setting up their HC to get fired

 

[jah]

We already knew that based on which posters like to say that exact phrase.

 

[203Pat]

BB is a good drafter. He just isn't infallible as some seem to think.

 

[Wordsmyth]

I don't recall anybody thinking BB "infallible."

 

[imahobgoblin]

Six rings. Who really cares what the idiots claim. What other coach/GM has six rings?

 

[DropKickFlutie]

The best

And found so many undrafted elite gems.

.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It is easy to cherry-pick poor draft choices and ignore all of the shrewd acquisitions, like the Van Noy trade, Jason McCourty trade, Jamie Collins returning, Chung returning, Gilmore signing, Welker trade, Moss trade, all of the productive UDFAs, and simply maintaining a locker room that every hard-working player in the NFL seems to want to join.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Six rings. Who really cares what the idiots claim. What other coach/GM has six rings?

This.

Certainly there is always room for minor criticisms (misses on FAs, 2nd rd DB busts) but from a body of work perspective he has no peers

 

[Oswlek]

I think it's helpful to think of player acquisition as a slot machine. Each is unavoidably probabilistic in nature, so criticizing a missed pick solely because it was missed is like criticizing a lever pull solely because it didn't pay off.

As a for instance, if a team uncovers an arbitrage opportunity with injured players, then any attempt to profit off of that opportunity necessarily will have misfires. That risk is inherent to the strategy; it's what created the arbitrage in the first place.

So when fans complain afterward - of course he got injured in the NFL, he was injured in college! - they are missing the point. A true critique needs to show either the underlying strategy is flawed or that this injured player had issues that made him more risky than a typical prospect. Rarely, though, do criticisms reach this level of depth.

Was this whiff just another pull of the lever? Or does it expose something more fundamental? Address questions like these and your critique will have some substance. Otherwise, you're just spitting into the wind.

 

[imahobgoblin]

This.

Certainly there is always room for minor criticisms (misses on FAs, 2nd rd DB busts) but from a body of work perspective he has no peers

Of course he makes mistakes. He is human. But every coach and GM make just as many. Truth be told, the majority of criticism comes from Monday morning QBs sitting in their recliners wanting to feel important. So they become legends in their own mind and try to bless others with their presence instead of just loving football and giving great input and different perspective. It is about ego and attention, not football. Hence the endless AB posts and hijacking of most threads away from the original topic.

 

[203Pat]

I don't recall anybody thinking BB "infallible."

The people that claim Cyrus Jones and Duke Dawson were not busts says otherwise.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Watching BB in action is one of the greatest pleasures of being a Pats fan. He is such a gifted, complicated, unusual person -- and, of course, he never explains the thinking behind any decision. He's totally fascinating

So, of course, people want to second-guess him. And try to find his weaknesses. There aren't many, but he does have them. Still, his willingness to change direction if he feels he's made a bad decision and his ability to get the most out of what he has is absolutely incredible.

We are SO, SO lucky!

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

BB is a good drafter. He just isn't infallible as some seem to think.

I don't recall anybody thinking BB "infallible."

Patriots have been the best drafting team in the NFL over the last 20 years, according to a variety of studies. They never pick in the first half of the first round, and they got two first round picks stolen from them. There's no sane argument that he isn't the best. As for "infallible," this is the NFL draft, and there is so much unpredictability. It's like he's batting .400; he still gets out more often than he gets a hit.

 

[oldrover]

Watching BB in action is one of the greatest pleasures of being a Pats fan. He is such a gifted, complicated, unusual person -- and, of course, he never explains the thinking behind any decision. He's totally fascinating

So, of course, people want to second-guess him. And try to find his weaknesses. There aren't many, but he does have them. Still, his willingness to change direction if he feels he's made a bad decision and his ability to get the most out of what he has is absolutely incredible.

We are SO, SO lucky!

Absolutely true. Mrs. Rover used to be a Jets fan... but she converted. And now she says, "I used to watch football and just scream at the television. Now I watch a game and realize, oh, THIS is how football should be coached."

 

[RobertWeathers]

Of course he makes mistakes. He is human. But every coach and GM make just as many. Truth be told, the majority of criticism comes from Monday morning QBs sitting in their recliners wanting to feel important. So they become legends in their own mind and try to bless others with their presence instead of just loving football and giving great input and different perspective. It is about ego and attention, not football. Hence the endless AB posts and hijacking of most threads away from the original topic.

Posters have complaining about AB? Hadn't noticed...

 

[The Brandon Five]

Yeah, what kind of GM builds one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL?

 

[203Pat]

Patriots have been the best drafting team in the NFL over the last 20 years, according to a variety of studies. They never pick in the first half of the first round, and they got two first round picks stolen from them. There's no sane argument that he isn't the best. As for "infallible," this is the NFL draft, and there is so much unpredictability. It's like he's batting .400; he still gets out more often than he gets a hit.

Like I said Bill is a good drafter. As with anyone, especially someone who has made as many picks as Bill, there will be some busts.

 

[Kargetina]

Belichick is really good but he's still a notch bellow The Master of the Seven Defenses: ''One Eyed'' William Nobeard