Criticizing Belichick the GM

[LJRomanoff]

When you have the greatest QB of all time, your margin of error is extremely large.

Belichick coached (and de facto GMd) the Cleveland Browns to their last playoff win, and Brady wasn't on that team.

 

[203Pat]

Belichick coached (and de facto GMd) the Cleveland Browns to their last playoff win, and Brady wasn't on that team.

And he went 36-44 with the Browns. So what?

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Bb the gm has one advantage over a lot of other gm’s in the league in that he knows exactly what type player bb the coach is looking for!

 

[LJRomanoff]

And he went 36-44 with the Browns. So what?

He took a 6-10 team and made it a 11-5 playoff winner. So what.

 

[203Pat]

He took a 6-10 team and made it a 11-5 playoff winner. So what.

Then went 5-11, he got canned, and the team moved away. What does any of this have to do with Bill being the Patriots GM?

 

[shmessy]

Then went 5-11, he got canned, and the team moved away. What does any of this have to do with Bill being the Patriots GM?

Nice try.

That last season there was a lot going on with Modell pulling the plug 4 games in. The Browns were 3-1 at the time after the 11-5 season. So, he built that team up to a 14-6 streak before Modell knee capped the team so he could feed at the trough of Maryland taxpayers. Facts matter.

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[TruthSeeker]

Thanks for responding. I'd note that your response is an umbrella claim which is really much more about BB the coach than about BB the GM. I'm talking GM specifics. What, specifically, is BB's greatest strength as a GM? Drafting/Contract negotiations/Player retention/etc...

Some of BB GM strengths (I expect others could add more):

• good value in trades
• signs players relatively cheaply
• lets players go a year too early rather than a year too late including trading players who are about to have a sizeable cap impact
• structures contracts, signs players and lets players walk in such a way as to get (often really good) compensation picks
• really good at finding undrafted free agents who become starters or stars
• manages the back end of the roster really well including the practice squad
• includes a focus on special teams play that allows the Pats to excel in that area year in and year out
• knows the players in the NFL really well
• good open communication with staff
• has a great system of player evaluation that is practiced at all levels of scouting and coaching
• willing to release/trade players who aren't working out regardless of sunk cost
• chooses players who fit into the team structure rather than just evaluating talent
• chooses a lot of high character players as well as players with significant leadership abilities

I think all of these things are done at a very good to elite level compared to most GMs. I also believe he drafts much better than average but that position is a lot more contentious.

 

[203Pat]

Cmon. That last season there was a lot going on with Modell pulling the plug 4 games in. The Browns were 3-1 at the time after the 11-5 season. So, he built that team up to a 14-6 streak before Modell knee capped the team so he could feed at the trough of Maryland taxpayers. Facts matter.

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I didn’t state one untrue fact. I still don’t know what this has to do with him running the Patriots 24 years later.

 

[venecol]

If I were someone making this claim I'd claim ignorance when it comes to college football.

I mean how embarrassing to NOT know what type of system the NEP run. I mean that would be a rough scene. Ya know, being a fan of the team & all?
Carry on. 99.9% of the board had no idea either.

Just because Lamar Jackson liked to eat at Perkins during college doesn't make him a shoo in for the Patriots system. Come on man!

 

[TruthSeeker]

BB's free agency is obviously a very mixed bag. That's true at both the high and low ends. Anyone who wants to argue against that need only look at the list of free agent signings during BB's tenure. And a difficulty in being uber-consistent in FA is not some singular failure, as every GM is going to be inconsistent in FA, just as they'll be inconsistent in the draft. What happens here is that the homers ignore or minimize the Jordan Matthews/Donald Jones/Albert Haynesworth signings, while the eeyores will do the same with a Trent Brown or a Gilmore signing.

Low risk, high reward signings can hardly be faulted. BB does a lot of those and sometimes hits. This is a vastly better strategy than the high price signings that many teams do.

 

[LJRomanoff]

Then went 5-11, he got canned, and the team moved away. What does any of this have to do with Bill being the Patriots GM?

It's about Belichick being a GM (and in this case one without Brady, which is relevant as I was replying to a comment about Brady.)

As for the final season, you're either ignorant or being dishonest. The team tanked because Modell announced they were leaving town.

 

[shmessy]

I didn’t state one untrue fact. I still don’t know what this has to do with him running the Patriots 24 years later.

YOU brought up the 36-44 record in Cleveland and then followed it up with a comment of the Browns going 5-11 in his last year there.

You made the comments. Now you’re confused it’s being discussed?

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[BaconGrundleCandy]

Uh ohhhhhhhhh. Someone did NOT do his homework. I mean how embarrassing to just ignore history like that. Ya know, being a college football fan and all?

Petrino specifically said he moved away from his traditional offense to fit Jackson’s talents because Jackson could not learn the EP. They tried the whole virtual reality thing over and over, but it did not click. So Petrino incorporated more spread elements along with basic run-and-shoot vertical concepts that Jackson became very good at. However, all the EP sets where anticipation and accuracy was important, Jackson was did not pick up. His reads were often wrong and even when he picked the correct receiver, his passes did not hit the spots.

The genius of Petrino was that he was willing to change for Jackson. The marriage was fantastic. My point stands. This offense was not changing for Jackson. Hence we passed on his twice.

A college offense that incorporates other variations/schemes?? You don't say?

There's multiple threads, articles, clips pulling tons of plays straight put the Pats playbook.

Again straight from NEP playbook








Anyone that actually knows our system will recognize these plays. The idea that he didnt run EP/variations is a flat out lie.

 

[203Pat]

It's about Belichick being a GM (and in this case one without Brady, which is relevant as I was replying to a comment about Brady.)

As for the final season, you're either ignorant or being dishonest. The team tanked because Modell announced they were leaving town.

Bill didn’t have as much success because he didn’t have the greatest quarterback of all time in Cleveland. He was still good enough to get that team turned around and into the playoffs before Modell pulled the rug out from under him.

So facts are dishonest or ignorant? I just stated his record because I thought we were just mindlessly posting things that don’t really matter to the New England Patriots.

YOU brought up the 36-44 record in Cleveland and then followed it up with a comment of the Browns going 5-11 in his last year there.

You made the comments. Now you’re confused it’s being discussed?

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I didn’t bring up the Cleveland Browns. I just stated his record with the Browns. I’m really starting to wonder about your ability to follow along.

 

[venecol]

Isabella >>> Harry

Belichick GM sucks!

 

[shmessy]

...
I didn’t bring up the Cleveland Browns. I just stated his record with the Browns. I’m really starting to wonder about your ability to follow along.

You’re not fooling anyone. Everyone can see what you wrote. You can try to spin it however you want. The fact is BB had that team turned around from where he started. Went 11-5 in 1994 and defeated Parcells’ Pats in the playoffs then went 3-1 in 1995 befor eModell exploded the whole shebang. BB’s stint was a success in Cleveland. Had Modell behaved, that team was on its way to sustained success.

 

[203Pat]

You’re not fooling anyone. Everyone can see what you wrote. You can try to spin it however you want. The fact is BB had that team turned around from where he started. Went 11-5 in 1994 and defeated Parcells’ Pats in the playoffs then went 3-1 in 1995 befor eModell exploded the whole shebang. BB’s stint was a success in Cleveland. Had Modell behaved, that team was on its way to sustained success.

Yes you’ve discovered my true intent! I wanted to inject the early to mid 90’s Cleveland Browns into this thread. I almost had the wool pulled over everyone’s eyes but the board is lucky to have you shmessy!



Except for the fact LJRomanoff was the first one to bring up anything about Bill in Cleveland in post 141.

 

[shmessy]

Yes you’ve discovered my true intent! I wanted to inject the early to mid 90’s Cleveland Browns into this thread. I almost had the wool pulled over everyone’s eyes but the board is lucky to have you shmessy!



Except for the fact LJRomanoff was the first one to bring up anything about Bill in Cleveland in post 141.

It is what it is. You brought up without context that BB was 36-44 in Cleveland . Now that could fool some folks who didn’t know the context of his final two years there. Just glad LJ and I could help enlighten you so you could google exactly what occurred in 1994 and 1995. Glad to have been of service.

My favorite quote of yours was “Then went 5-11, he got canned and the team moved away”. Yeah, like it happened just that way without context.

Have a great night!

 

[203Pat]

It is what it is. You brought up without context that BB was 36-44 in Cleveland . Now that could fool some folks who didn’t know the context of his final two years there. Just glad LJ and I enlightened you so you could google exactly what occurred in 1994 and 1995. Glad to have been of service. Have a good night!

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Lol out of all the people I argue with on here you may be my favorite.

 

[shmessy]

Lol out of all the people I argue with on here you may be my favorite.

I appreciate you too, 203!

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