Some were applying foresight. For three years straight. It was easy to see where this OL and particularly OT incompetence is going.
You reap what you sow is said. Lets see:
For 2 over the last 3 seasons they bet on Brown and Wynn as starting tackles. Both had extensive injury history by then missing a ton of games.
Ok, when healthy and focused - they'd be formidable starting tackle duo esp. with what the league has to offer - BUT - given significant issues with BOTH one would expect they would build serious depth behind them.
Over the last 12 years they drafted 8 OTs and failed to grow a single starter or dependable swing T outside Wynn - all 8 left wo second contract.
Which is hardly surprising since (outside Wynn) in 12 years they didnt invest a single top 100 pick at the position. Ok, im cheating, they did invest #85 on Garcia who was marked with health issues. We are talking about the most critical position in NFL due to its importance and constant draught both in draft and FA. As you and everyone else know it is very hard to find solid long term starting tackle even outside first round.
To add insult to injury Pats used Day 2 picks in universally considered weak/thin tackle classes and punted or used low picks in rare deeper classes that offered legitimate potential starters on Day 2.
The only 2 players that proved they can play starting quality OT from the 12 year OL crop - Thuney and Onwenu - were/are kept at guard - which is much easier and cheaper position to fill. There was rarely a need for Thuney's outing but Onwenu at RT in this situation ?
You could say there was no OT need having Solder and Cannon for most of the period . but wouldn't you like to add some serious competition if nothing else for economic reasons (Solder's price tag was getting ridiculous for his performance and they finally let go).
And how many competent OTs they acquired in FA? How much they invested there?
On the other hand Bill was always ready to invest not insignificant capital at the end of preseason on other teams rejects to try and save foreseeable depth issues - which is of course better than doing nothing - but it rarely panned out (with Eluemunor arguably best hit that they could have had back for peanuts many times over)..
Many of the OL and esp tackle talent/depth issues were for a long time covered by Dante and Tom. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know better talent would be needed for competent performance after they were gone.
Not to mention OL coaching experiments after Dante...
etc
etc
Boy, LD, you really ARE pissed off about this topic. Given the apparent state of the OL (which I think will be pretty good by October......barring injuries of course), and you have a RIGHT to be; NO one is happy about the OL on this date, but you simply CANNOT predict injuries and sickness. You cannot judge Bill's team building and his choices of OT's until he gets a healthy group together. The 2 trades yesterday proves he is at least TRYING. (at least to me). Can you at least admit that the injuries and sickness has been a CRITICAL factor in the OL's performance?
Anyhow let's look, with perfect 20-20 hindsight, at what Bill was looking at to build his OL prior to the draft (warning - some of this I have stated in other posts) He was very solid in 4 starting positions with Brown, Strange, Andrews. and Owenu. So the obvious goal this off season was to come out of camp with a starting RT, a decent swing back up, improve the depth of the interior OL which should include finding a guy who can replace DAndrews in 2 or 3 years. Can we agree on that?
FA- on my car ride today this factoid came out of my radio and I found it interesting. I THINK it was WEEI. Walter Football rated the top OT tackles in FA. The top one was Orlando Brown Jr. He got a 4 yr $65MM deal, Next was Mclinchey who got a 5 year $84MM deal. Then they mentioned a guy who I forgot, but he got a similar deal just a bit lower, and #4 and #5 on this list (and this is what made it interesting were Elumanor and Wynn.
So basically there were 3 guys out there that, if healthy would improve your team and probably got overpaid because of the lack of OT numbers this FA season , and after that you get Elumanor and Wynn types. In other words unless you were willing to break the bank on an OT, FA additions were a shot in the dark. And the Pats TOOK a shot with Anderson.
Draft - The consensus prior to the draft was there were 2 MAYBE 3 OT's that were worth a first round pick. In the draft 4 were taken ALL before the Pats #15 pick. The Pats chose a consensus top 10 pick who fell. In the second they got a guy many thought would be a first rounder. In the 3rd they got a mystery man, who has, so far, shown he was WELL worth the pick. In the 4th they got a kicker and the potential depth guy at C/G and neither has proven their worth SO FAR.
Yeah, I wanted an OT in the draft just like everyone else. I knew about the Pitt guy and the Maryland guy, the Syracuse guy, etc. But at that point EVERYONE is a shot in the dark and Bill or his draft team thought they could get a bargain making Sow an OT, knowing it would take a few years.
PLUS at the time of the draft Bill had a ROOMFUL of OT prospects who at one point or another flashed competence. Murry, Stuber, Anderson, McDermott, and a couple more that I cannot recall at the moment. Why wouldn't you expect at least ONE of them would fill one of the roles we needed. But during camp ALL of them lost at least some time to injury limiting their development and find out out who would stand out and win the 2 jobs we need at OT. During FA and the draft you COULDN'T predict what has happened to the Pats. You make those decision based on the knowledge you have AT THE TIME!
Don't you think Bill would have selected differently IF he knew in advance about the OL injury situation? But that is the beauty of 20-20 hindsight; isn't it.
BTW in 2011 Bill made Nate Solder his 4th highest draft pick he's gotten in 20+ years at 17 (Seymour at 6, Mac at 15 and Mayo at 10). And Volmer in the 2nd just 2 years before. (which btw drove pats fans NUTS since he was some tall German guy no one ever heard of who wasn't even invited to the combine) And then of course there is Wynn and Strange. So Bill DOES invest draft capital on the OL
I agree that Bill doesn't often go after OT's early. I THINK he believes that colleges are turning quality OT's at the same rate as WR and you can find gems all over the draft. I also believe, ( and this is just between you and me) that Bill believes this was never going to be a team that would contend for a superbowl. Contend for a playoff spot....maybe, but not a trophy. It will be next year when he has a potful of money (top 5 IIRC) and there will be a better class of OT's to choose from.
He has slowly build a very good defense, and it could be even better this year with the additions of Gonzales, White and Mapu. And if healthy a serviceable offense, which does need a high end OT and depth, and a decent WR who need more explosiveness (assuming Thornton isn't the answer) That might be had in NEXT year's draft and FA class. Let's see.
