No matter what, this was a successful season.

[Tunescribe]

It is entirely possible the team takes a step back next season. It’s what happens to literally every team that comes off a sugar high of a season after spending the most money on free agents.

Yup, if you wish with all your might that just could happen. But how would that help the Buccaneers?

 

[‘Mondre]

It is entirely possible the team takes a step back next season. It’s what happens to literally every team that comes off a sugar high of a season after spending the most money on free agents.

They’ll take a step back, half the ppl here will scream fire bb, hell mull retirement or another job, and we’ll go from there.

 

[1960Pats]

We also lost one of the goat wrs.

troy brown was arguably one of the goat multi-pos players.

Yup. Troy Brown was much better than his credit. He had so many great plays in key moments that it's hard to remember them all. He played WR regularly and did well in a pinch as a DB. And his punt returns were incredible. So shifty and hard to get a clean hit on. He's my favorite Patriot ever.

 

[VectorPrime]

Yup, if you wish with all your might that just could happen. But how would that help the Buccaneers?

You are absolutely out of your mind if you honestly think that there aren’t systematic flaws on the foundational level of the roster as currently constructed, not to even mention the coaching staff.

 

[1960Pats]

Your point is moot! Regardless of the circumstances, or people involved, Brady is gone.

get over it, grow up and move on!

For me personally I usually root for ex-Pats when they leave. I don't like it when players take shots at the team after they leave though. That's why Gronk and Amendola dropped a little on my favorites list.

Now, if you want to go back I can tell you about the time that Nick Buonoconti left the Pats to go play for the Dolphins. THE DOLPHINS! I hated him for years because of that.

I also remember the uproar when Big Sey was sent away. I remember being upset that he helped improve the Raiders enough that we got a worse pick for him. It did take the Pats a while to win after he was traded btw.

The only ex-Patriot that I really don't like (beside Buonoconti) is Revis.

 

[Tunescribe]

You are absolutely out of your mind if you honestly think that there aren’t systematic flaws on the foundational level of the roster as currently constructed,

That's an interesting word salad. What do you mean by this specifically?

 

[PatsFanInVa]

We have a rookie QB because we decided to let the greatest quarterback of all-time leave.

Since then, said QB has won a Super Bowl and put up 2 MVP caliber seasons while our team has 0 playoff wins and a 17-17 record.

It annoys me how people keep acting like our rebuild was because our QB retired or something and not because Belichick's ego thought he could win without him.

Look, for all stuck in counter-factual land:
The Brady of Tampa Bay might not be the Brady we could have had.

In fact, the TB Tom Brady, in my eyes, is not the Tom Brady we could have had in New England. I would love for him to have retired a Patriot. He didn't. He chose to leave.

In the situation we were in, we could mortgage the future to squeeze out a little more Brady, and have zilch left to give him any weapons. You think our roster during the Cam year - with less cap money to give him the supporting cast he wanted - was going to do the trick? I don't. And make no mistake about it, we were taking a hit all at once, using Cam at QB for minimal pay, because we did not have it to spend in 2020. Not because we'd spent it all on Brady - he was cheap for what he brought here. We'd spent it on "having it all" for 20 years, by comparison to others.

The risk-benefit decision at that point was that the price point they offered wasn't what he wanted. We don't know, really, what the agent/team/Brady/Brady Sr. conversations were like. We just know he walked.

Loved the guy, he's gone. Crying about it now is ridiculous. Anybody ever crying about being "cheap" with an NFL QB at 43 is silly, especially the first time it ever happened (now you can say "what about Tom Brady?") He was an outlier.

But you also have to know he was on a hair trigger to be gone--look at how football became "fun again" once he was gone. Why do you think he was so pissed we wouldn't let AB play? He felt like he had a new toy and they bwoke it. How'd that work out?

Anyway, complain all you want, he's not here. Cheer up, we still have the Patriots south and the other Patriots (West) QB to cheer for this season. We can also think about the Patriots proper, who none of those guys play for, in 2022.

What's the point in trying to re-litigate letting Brady go 2 years later?

 

[FCB02062]

Look, for all stuck in counter-factual land:
The Brady of Tampa Bay might not be the Brady we could have had.

In fact, the TB Tom Brady, in my eyes, is not the Tom Brady we could have had in New England. I would love for him to have retired a Patriot. He didn't. He chose to leave.

In the situation we were in, we could mortgage the future to squeeze out a little more Brady, and have zilch left to give him any weapons. You think our roster during the Cam year - with less cap money to give him the supporting cast he wanted - was going to do the trick? I don't. And make no mistake about it, we were taking a hit all at once, using Cam at QB for minimal pay, because we did not have it to spend in 2020. Not because we'd spent it all on Brady - he was cheap for what he brought here. We'd spent it on "having it all" for 20 years, by comparison to others.

The risk-benefit decision at that point was that the price point they offered wasn't what he wanted. We don't know, really, what the agent/team/Brady/Brady Sr. conversations were like. We just know he walked.

Loved the guy, he's gone. Crying about it now is ridiculous. Anybody ever crying about being "cheap" with an NFL QB at 43 is silly, especially the first time it ever happened (now you can say "what about Tom Brady?") He was an outlier.

But you also have to know he was on a hair trigger to be gone--look at how football became "fun again" once he was gone. Why do you think he was so pissed we wouldn't let AB play? He felt like he had a new toy and they bwoke it. How'd that work out?

Anyway, complain all you want, he's not here. Cheer up, we still have the Patriots south and the other Patriots (West) QB to cheer for this season. We can also think about the Patriots proper, who none of those guys play for, in 2022.

What's the point in trying to re-litigate letting Brady go 2 years later?

Brady did not want to be here anymore. His wife did not want to be here. He was sulking non-stop even after wins over good teams. His demeanor had a negative impact on the team. this is crystal clear to Anyone who watched Man in the Arena.

 

[sb1]

It is entirely possible the team takes a step back next season. It’s what happens to literally every team that comes off a sugar high of a season after spending the most money on free agents.

Definitely possible. The schedule is not that easy. I'm not going to make predictions on anything yet let's see how the roster shakes out.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

Brady did not want to be here anymore. His wife did not want to be here. He was sulking non-stop even after wins over good teams. His demeanor had a negative impact on the team. this is crystal clear to Anyone who watched Man in the Arena.

Yeah, I have moved on from Brady. Love the guy but times moves on.

 

[Tunescribe]

Look, for all stuck in counter-factual land:
The Brady of Tampa Bay might not be the Brady we could have had.

In fact, the TB Tom Brady, in my eyes, is not the Tom Brady we could have had in New England. I would love for him to have retired a Patriot. He didn't. He chose to leave.

In the situation we were in, we could mortgage the future to squeeze out a little more Brady, and have zilch left to give him any weapons. You think our roster during the Cam year - with less cap money to give him the supporting cast he wanted - was going to do the trick? I don't. And make no mistake about it, we were taking a hit all at once, using Cam at QB for minimal pay, because we did not have it to spend in 2020. Not because we'd spent it all on Brady - he was cheap for what he brought here. We'd spent it on "having it all" for 20 years, by comparison to others.

The risk-benefit decision at that point was that the price point they offered wasn't what he wanted. We don't know, really, what the agent/team/Brady/Brady Sr. conversations were like. We just know he walked.

Loved the guy, he's gone. Crying about it now is ridiculous. Anybody ever crying about being "cheap" with an NFL QB at 43 is silly, especially the first time it ever happened (now you can say "what about Tom Brady?") He was an outlier.

But you also have to know he was on a hair trigger to be gone--look at how football became "fun again" once he was gone. Why do you think he was so pissed we wouldn't let AB play? He felt like he had a new toy and they bwoke it. How'd that work out
Anyway, complain all you want, he's not here. Cheer up, we still have the Patriots south and the other Patriots (West) QB to cheer for this season. We can also think about the Patriots proper, who none of those guys play for, in 2022.

What's the point in trying to re-litigante letting Brady go 2 years later?

Brady did not want to be here anymore. His wife did not want to be here. He was sulking non-stop even after wins over good teams. His demeanor had a negative impact on the team. this is crystal clear to Anyone who watched Man in the Arena.

The undeniable fact that Brady was complicit in his departure from New England is conveniently ignored by those who want to scapegoat BB and Kraft. And I don't believe meeting his contract demands, wishes -- however you want to frame it -- alone would've made him a happy camper. The roster HAD to bottom out in 2020 before resources could be consolidated for the rebuild's first phase in '21; can anyone here imagine Brady being content with the "weapons" Cam Newton was saddled with? As suggested, what "might have been" with Tom remaining a Patriot at age 43-44 really might not have been pretty. Other factors re. Gisele and Tampa's readymade all-star cast helped tip the balance for his moving on.

 

[Kontradiction]

The undeniable fact that Brady was complicit in his departure from New England is conveniently ignored by those who want to scapegoat BB and Kraft. And I don't believe meeting his contract demands, wishes -- however you want to frame it -- alone would've made him a happy camper. The roster HAD to bottom out in 2020 before resources could be consolidated for the rebuild's first phase in '21; can anyone here imagine Brady being content with the "weapons" Cam Newton was saddled with? As suggested, what "might have been" with Tom remaining a Patriot at age 43-44 really might not have been pretty. Other factors re. Gisele and Tampa's readymade all-star cast helped tip the balance for his moving on.

Well, yeah. This is all a byproduct of not having a single good draft over a 7 season period. So, at the end of the day, it all still falls on BB. Can’t give him credit for good team building when the team is winning and excuse him for the bad things when the team is losing. The only reason the roster had to “bottom out” in 2020 is because he had to spend more on middling veterans to fill holes that good drafts could have filled at a fraction of the price. Instead, we were anywhere from mediocre to horrific in that area up until the 2021 draft, which looks great based on early returns.

 

[amfootball]

What's the point in trying to re-litigate letting Brady go 2 years later?

Because Brady is now 5-0 in the post-season since Bill let him go while Bill is 1-2 getting his doors blown off by the Bills. I mean the juxtaposition is mind numbing for anyone who actually believed it was a good move for Bill to move on from the GOAT.

 

[yukon cornelius]

Because Brady is now 5-0 in the post-season since Bill let him go while Bill is 1-2 getting his doors blown off by the Bills. I mean the juxtaposition is mind numbing for anyone who actually believed it was a good move for Bill to move on from the GOAT.

and where do you think the pats would sit if he had stayed? they certainly wouldn't be 5-0 post season......they would likely not have seen the post season

 

[amfootball]

and where do you think the pats would sit if he had stayed? they certainly wouldn't be 5-0 post season......they would likely not have seen the post season

What are you basing that on? The guy had multiple years of championship level football left and Bill let him walk. I can tell you this, the team is not 17-17 the last two seasons with 4 losses to the Bills and 3 losses to Tua with the Goat at QB.

 

[jdlboot14]

While a lot of talk over the last month was wondering what could be wrong in the locker room, based on a few comments by Mac and other guys. But, hearing a lot of comments from a lot of guys about the fun they had with this group. From Meyers, Bolden, Henry, Karras specifically. So, I wonder if it really was the D side of the ball that soured for some reason? It would make sense since they're the unit that seriously regressed - lack of urgency, fight, getting dominated up front, etc.. The O's issues are really all about youth and newness in this system.

 

[amfootball]

While a lot of talk over the last month was wondering what could be wrong in the locker room, based on a few comments by Mac and other guys. But, hearing a lot of comments from a lot of guys about the fun they had with this group. From Meyers, Bolden, Henry, Karras specifically. So, I wonder if it really was the D side of the ball that soured for some reason? It would make sense since they're the unit that seriously regressed - lack of urgency, fight, getting dominated up front, etc.. The O's issues are really all about youth and newness in this system.

I agree with this. I do wonder if the way Gilmore was treated had a ripple effect. Also the play of Hightower and Van Noy was just so bad that you have to wonder if their voices were not heard by the younger players. I also think that Bill's son needs to move off of being the play caller. I can't count how many times defensive players were chirping after games when the defense got ripped about bad play calls. I don't think Bill can look at Saturday night and just hand wave it off as a bad game but has to seriously look at the coaching.

 

[‘Mondre]

Yup. Troy Brown was much better than his credit. He had so many great plays in key moments that it's hard to remember them all. He played WR regularly and did well in a pinch as a DB. And his punt returns were incredible. So shifty and hard to get a clean hit on. He's my favorite Patriot ever.

The Mia overtime game (03?) comes to mind. He’s my favorite patriot ever too. Made me want to play wr in hs.

 

[Tunescribe]

The only reason the roster had to “bottom out” in 2020 is because he had to spend more on middling veterans to fill holes that good drafts could have filled at a fraction of the price. Instead, we were anywhere from mediocre to horrific in that area up until the 2021 draft, which looks great based on early returns.

The "bad drafts" issue is whole 'nother can of worms. Some criticism certainly is warranted while other factors get overlooked, a la years on-end picking late and BB's emphasis on a strong roster "middle class" favoring specialized/affordable veteran contributors. It might be more than coincidence that the solid '21 rookie class came after the team's sole losing campaign in 20 years. From a broader view I have a hard time finding much fault with BB's roster management, having mostly avoided the league-structured cyclical pattern affecting most teams.

 

[amfootball]

The "bad drafts" issue is whole 'nother can of worms. Some criticism certainly is warranted while other factors get overlooked, a la years on-end picking late and BB's emphasis on a strong roster "middle class" favoring specialized/affordable veteran contributors. It might be more than coincidence that the solid '21 rookie class came after the team's sole losing campaign in 20 years. From a broader view I have a hard time finding much fault with BB's roster management, having mostly avoided the league-structured cyclical pattern affecting most teams.

IMO, the draft class changed this past year because Kraft brought in other personnel guys making it a collaborative approach with Bill. The team finally made the obvious picks. I hope that happens again this year. They need another solid draft to fill in the holes.