We're on to the OFF-Season

[Brotherblues]

Belichick, when with Brady, was among the best head coaches in league history. Not surprisingly, he's not been nearly as good without Brady. That doesn't mean he's sucked, as it's something that happens with pretty much every head coach who's had a with/without situation, but when you're talking about BB versus other top coaches, it's an important part of the picture. Tomlin's never had Brady. The Walrus has never had Brady, but he's been to the SB with more than one QB and with more than one team.


Etc...

To truly judge a HC you need to see them with a capable QB (or at least a QB who's not completely overmatched). A bad HC can't win with anyone at QB (see Bowles with Brady, Garrett with Prescott, just about every HC Rivers had, etc).

Walrus wins when he has one (prime McNabb, A. Smith, Mahomes) and loses when he doesn't. Tomlin did plenty of winning with Ben (though many think not as much as they should have) and flopped horrendously whenever he got hurt (which was often). Sean Payton, same thing as Tomlin, probably worse. He won some with Brees (though a LOT less than he should have), and was hopeless whenever Brees got hurt.

Can't get a full measure a boxer's ability when he's forced to fight one handed. BB has more than proven his mettle when he fights with 2 hands. The problem is that this past year (and perhaps for a bit longer), he's put himself in a position to fight one handed, and has no one else to blame.

Fixing the Patricia and Achord fiascos will go a long way to letting Bill fight with two hands again.

 

[Lagaffe_07]

I think if we target a wr, it has to be that "difference maker" or true number 1, someone like Hopkins. I considers Cooks more of a 2 or 3. I would pass on him personally.

I would target Cooks to replace Agholor for example.

I think

#1
Cooks
Parker
Bourne
Thornton

Or

#1
Cooks
Meyers
Bourne
Thornton

Would be fine as a receiving core

 

[Love The Drake]

Parker has another year on his desk so I believe he will be back.
I don’t think Meyers is returning.

 

[Steve102]

Tomlin handled AB well. That makes him a great coach

Dude, you are so far off base here it's not funny. AB was snapping or tweeting or 'gramming live from the locker room, which any HS level coach would tell you isn't a good thing. He did this on Tomlin's watch.

Now, in the past, I have dogged Tomlin as a product of 1) the football media and 2) a result of being in a super stable organization who doesn't fire coaches every three years. I don't like his style of being a "players coach". I think you get a limited amount of success as a "players coach" because guys get bored or complacent, they need to be challenged. But... Tomlin does have his team in the mix every year, even if they underachieve slightly. I think he's at that second level of really really good coaches. I will back off my "Tomlin sucks" rants going forward, the guy has my respect.

But let's not pretend he handled AB well. He created AB, with a little CTE help.

 

[Brotherblues]

Parker has another year on his desk so I believe he will be back.
I don’t think Meyers is returning.

Yep. And bringing back Meyers could take close to half of our estimated 33M or so in cap, which might not be the best use of that money. I get the contract could also be heavily backloaded but that's also not great. Very tough call, as I'd love to have the player back. He's just one of those guys you want to see play their career wire to wire with the Pats, ala Jules, Faulk, and Troy. WR market might make that terribly tough.

 

[Ian]

@Ian

Can you please explain to me and other people asking why our top poster @BaconGrundleCandy is NOT ALLOWED to answer my question here??

Why we cant have a conversation on the topic with people we want to??

Do we have to open several threads on the same topic in order to have that??

thanks

I just went in and the reply ban for @BaconGrundleCandy has been lifted.

 

[DaBruinz]

It is clear they worked on some new blocking schemes and play designs or why do you think they o line suddenly played worse than last year ? Individually brown Wynn etc performed worse than last year

Because of the s**tty coaching they got. Wynn was sulking over the move from LT to RT which probably cost him 5-7M AAV in free agency and the Pats a chance at a decent comp pick.

 

[DaBruinz]

Agreed. But if their attitude and conditioning were off, the PFF numbers would drop too.

Let Wynn go. Brown, McDermott and Cajuste can battle for a backup spot. Draft two OTs. Maybe we get really lucky and Steuber can play right tackle. Steuber has an advantage over two new draft picks because he can participate in the whole off-season program.

McDermott is 31. Yes. He played decently enough. But they have to re-sign him.
Cajuste was injured too much for my taste and played poorly when on the field. I'm find letting him walk and bringing in someone else. Be it a draft pick or a vet like Cam Fleming for a year.

 

[DaBruinz]

What do people think of Brandon Cooks as a wr target in the offseason. He recently said he hopes to be traded in the offseason.

He’s not the number one we all hoped for but I think he could help and could really help Tyquan grow because they have a similar skill set.

I wouldn't mind seeing Cooks back with the Pats. However, he brings an 18M cap hit with him. He would be an excellent mentor for Thornton. I have a feeling, though, that Houston would be looking for a 1st round pick for him.
Think I'd rather try for one of he younger WRs that @BaconGrundleCandy has mentioned.

 

[turkeyneck]

Meyers is sort of like Amendola and Hogan before him. He can do his best work when there's a better receiver on the field with him. Slipping thru the D's attention voids was their forte. Success at that makes them look better than they are (not that they aren't good) and so more pricey than their talents can support. 'Dola stuck as long as he did because he gave the Pats some crazy home town discounts. If Meyers wants to stay (I'd like him to) he'll have to take the 'Dola discount.

 

[h0c2000]

What do people think of Brandon Cooks as a wr target in the offseason. He recently said he hopes to be traded in the offseason.

He’s not the number one we all hoped for but I think he could help and could really help Tyquan grow because they have a similar skill set.

I thought we were in a rebuild. Cooks doesn't want to be part of a rebuild.

 

[turkeyneck]

McDermott is 31. Yes. He played decently enough. But they have to re-sign him.
Cajuste was injured too much for my taste and played poorly when on the field. I'm find letting him walk and bringing in someone else. Be it a draft pick or a vet like Cam Fleming for a year.

Gotta keep McDermott at least thru camp to let him compete for a slot. If he makes it, he makes it; if he doesn't, he doesn't.

 

[Brotherblues]

Because of the s**tty coaching they got. Wynn was sulking over the move from LT to RT which probably cost him 5-7M AAV in free agency and the Pats a chance at a decent comp pick.

Have also heard Brown resented the move to LT after signing for RT money. Though that could just be an educated guess by any number of reporters with 2 brain cells.

 

[Username]

I wouldn't mind seeing Cooks back with the Pats. However, he brings an 18M cap hit with him. He would be an excellent mentor for Thornton. I have a feeling, though, that Houston would be looking for a 1st round pick for him.
Think I'd rather try for one of he younger WRs that @BaconGrundleCandy has mentioned.

It's a shame we weren't in on AJ Brown, who is a Pat's fan and, by his own admission, cried when we didn't draft him

 

[h0c2000]

I don’t hate it.
I prefer Tee Higgins or a trade for Jerry Jeudy.

Higgins is going to cost a 1st. Jeudy is going to be at least a 2nd. Then you have to pay them. I don't see either happenning.

 

[Sciz]

Have also heard Brown resented the move to LT after signing for RT money. Thought that could just be an educated guess by any number of reporters with 2 brain cells.

By my calculation, if he hit his weight incentives then he made $10M this season. That’s good money for his level of performance at left tackle this season.

 

[The Brandon Five]

If Sean McVay steps down as Rams HC, former Patriot Kevin Oconnel is their Offensive Coordinator and he might be available. Of course this all is predicated on his relationship with BB and the Pats organization.

The Patriots changed their offense in 2022 to the Rams and 49ers scheme. The Pats got rid of the Fullback. The Rams use a big WR in that role when they choose and the 49ers have a guy who is a Swiss Army knife player Kyle Juszczyk.

The Earnhardt/Perkins offense is phased out and BB is setting this franchise up for the future complete with a new offense.

Mcvay for OC!

 

[DaBruinz]

It's a shame we weren't in on AJ Brown, who is a Pat's fan and, by his own admission, cried when we didn't draft him

Yeah.. I was surprised at the big names that moved last spring. AJ Brown, Hollywood Brown. The Pats just didn't have the capital or weren't willing to spend multiple picks..

 

[venecol]

Everyone has always included the Super Bowls BB has won in NY when discussing his legacy I don't know why (actually I do) now all of a sudden it's a reach to include those.

Who is everyone? The official stats give BB credit for 6 SBs as a HC. By your account Lil Stephen has 3 SBs to his credit which is > Shula, Landry & Parcells. Brian Belichick has 2 SBs. So as Pats fans we can brag that the Belichicks have a combined 13 SBs. Lets F*cking Gooooo!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lagaffe_07]

Yeah.. I was surprised at the big names that moved last spring. AJ Brown, Hollywood Brown. The Pats just didn't have the capital or weren't willing to spend multiple picks..

Well Bill needed his 1st pick to draft a guard.

PS: nothing against Strange, he is fine.