Project 2027

[Ring 6]

I can't believe the energy being expended to dismiss any chance of a competitive team this year and planning drafts 3 or 4 years in the future. Give the coaches, players, front office a chance to fail. Don't fail them in mid-august of year 1.

Doesn’t it bother you at all that our 4 win team actually got worse and Kraft is sitting in the $50,000,000 he was supposed to spend to improve it?

 

[Ring 6]

Yeah that 3rd round pick is a real franchise maker.

 

[203Pat]

This year was about one thing and one thing only. Saving Robert Kraft cash.
There were dozens of players who would have improved this roster. They created a facade of going after 2 WRs that I think they did only because they knew they wouldn’t get them. The fact that no one ever mentioned guarantees means they were not competitive on that.
We have a 4 win roster that actually is now worse than last year. We could have spent $50,000,000 on players. The fact that we “tried” to spend 10,000,000 of it confirms we just weren’t spending.
This is Kraft recovering what he had spent since the just SB win.
The problem is why would he spend next year?
What will be different? We will be a terrible team (really on purpose because we didn’t even try to get better) so the same philosophy will hold.

I think Mayo makes it 2 years at the most, he may not make it through 2025.
But in 2026 Kraft will need to commit to at least spending to the cap ti be able to hire a real coach.
I loved Mayo as a player, can’t possibly understand his Kraft thought he was qualified ( other than he probably didn’t and just wanted someone who couldn’t argue about spending) but sadly the franchise won’t turn around until he’s gone and we hire someone who can force krafts hand.

You do realize they're now 9th in cash spending and were attempting to pay a wide receiver $32 million a year?

 

[p8ryts]

Doesn’t it bother you at all that our 4 win team actually got worse and Kraft is sitting in the $50,000,000 he was supposed to spend to improve it?

No, I'm not convinced there is anyone available that will make a significant difference.

 

[neuronet]

dear god let these threads stop

 

[Huckleberry1]

I don't know if you had left yet, but I had stated in the off-season that Bill got a raw deal by Bob. As much as Bill wasn't doing well post Brady and approached the 2022 off-season extremely poorly, he didn't deserve getting fired for the last 20+ years. What posters don't remember was that Bob supported Bill's hiring of Bill O'Brien publically when I was the only poster that said it was a terrible hire. Point is, I had also said Bob can't complain as this was what he wanted. Bob also wanted more collaboration in the War Room. He got it. Things went south, so Bob had to throw Bill under the bus to take the heat off him. The Dynasty on Apple TV+ was a disgrace.

The Mayo hire was terrible and he is Jim Tomsula 2.0. He had in his contract he was the successor and things conveniently got leaked during the 2023 season. In terms of the way Wolf or whoever approached FA was amateur hour and I'm sure Bill is laughing at it. They spent a lot of money just to get back to baseline. This is what bad franchises do.

This reminds me of the photo of Alex Rodriquez kissing himself in a mirror.

 

[Clonamery]

This reminds me of the photo of Alex Rodriquez kissing himself in a mirror.

That's Projection 2027.

 

[Huckleberry1]

dear god let these threads stop

They won’t. There are some fans here who really loooove themselves, and they will never stop telling us about it. We are 2 games into the pre season and they can’t stop telling everyone about how right they were about everything, when in truth the only thing we really know is that the offensive line sucks.

 

[203Pat]

They won’t. There are some fans here who really loooove themselves, and they will never stop telling us about it. We are 2 games into the pre season and they can’t stop telling everyone about how right they were about everything, when in truth the only thing we really know is that the offensive line sucks.

You mean the whole spouting the same opinion in every thread whether it pertains to the actual subject of the thread or not is here to stay?

 

[TheRainMaker]

This reminds me of the photo of Alex Rodriquez kissing himself in a mirror.

You just gave me inspiration for my next avatar.

 

[Ring 6]

They won’t. There are some fans here who really loooove themselves, and they will never stop telling us about it. We are 2 games into the pre season and they can’t stop telling everyone about how right they were about everything, when in truth the only thing we really know is that the offensive line sucks.

Who is saying they are right about everything? I see people giving their assessment. Just because they disagree with you doesn’t mean they are saying they are right.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

Who is saying they are right about everything? I see people giving their assessment. Just because they disagree with you doesn’t mean they are saying they are right.

This is what I see after reading most of @TheRainMaker posts. And I’m here for it. Makes these threads enjoyable to read.

 

[stephens44]

Huge problems on the offensive line, huge cap space... Meanwhile Shaq Mason is still young and playing great, as is Joe Thuney. Isiah Wynn still misses half the season but plays for 2.3 million. Trent Brown is playing for 6.5 mil a year.
Are the Pats actually better off without the guys that brought us a SB or two?

 

[Brotherblues]

When has a team's draft picks played amazing as rookies, a bunch of FA signings integrated perfectly, and a 2nd year QB led a team to a Super Bowl? With this coaching staff?

Do you mean Project 2025 to make the playoffs?

I can name one team.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I can name one team.

Yes it was written that way. But it is not going to happen with a rookie head coach.

 

[Brotherblues]

Yes it was written that way. But it is not going to happen with a rookie head coach.

Everything that's ever happened is always unique if you add enough layers to the description.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Everything that's ever happened is always unique if you add enough layers to the description.

Yup. Agreed.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

This is what I see after reading most of @TheRainMaker posts. And I’m here for it. Makes these threads enjoyable to read.

He should be on the Felger and Mazz show, since no matter what they look to find anything negative real or imagined.

 

[Ring 6]

No, I'm not convinced there is anyone available that will make a significant difference.

There were dozens of free agents better than what we will field. And if Judon would make us better.

 

[50-yard-line]

Well, I ain't gonna read that whole thread (after reading the other one), but the misery index is downright inspirational (if you're Michael Felger).

I'm a Patriots fan. Nothing I've seen this off-season changes that.

Let me clarify my homerism up front: I WAS a Red Sox fan since 1967 and shared many great memories with my Tony Conigliaro-Rico Petrocelli- loving Italian Dad. I had season tickets for a few years - third deck, second row, halfway between home and third, Pavillion CLub. I watched them win the World Series at Fenway...was there for Papi's righteous rant on the Saturday after the Marathon Bombing. I have a bat he signed for me, unexpectedly, after I had met him at a birthday party for one of his teammates (with whom I was working).

John Henry has made me not like the Red Sox. I don't watch them. I don't care. They have a lot of young talent, BUT if they won't spend on prime pitching, they're going nowhere. They're playing for hype and mediocrity. They're aspirations are to become the Tampa Rays. Whoodeefreakingdoo.

I don't see that with the Patriots, and disagree with the analysis presented here. They went after Ridley and Aiyuk hard - and I wasn't sorry they came up short at this time because both were overpaid. Ridley is an unreliable head case and Aiyuk has been blessed with one of the best Offensive coaches in the league and surrounded by Deebo, Kittle, McCaffery...he's not a number 1, but he's being paid like one.

Free Agency SUCKED this year because of the huge cap increase. So I liked that the Pats locked up their own like Dugger, Rham, Onwenu, Godchaux. I'd add Bourne, but...

I like a lot of the kids on this team - including Douglas, Polk, Baker, Boutte, and Reagor.
I like Sow and hope Strange can come back to form.
I like Gonzo and Austin. Keion White will be a wrecking ball out there. We need Barmore back.

I don't consider this year 5 of a rebuild. Mac Jones fell apart - not all of it his fault, but he ain't it, period. Even Ring 6 (IIRC) argued that the Pats were a .500 team last year and chasing a playoff spot with merely mediocre QB play, which they didn't get.

Nothing works without that piece. Is Maye it? Don't know. We'll see.

The biggest difference now is that Mayo is going to let the kids play (maybe other than Maye) and see what he's got. They should hit Free Agency next year knowing which of the 5 WRs need replacing, for example. They need a Center (soon). They need a force at Left Tackle yesterday - this is the biggest frustrsation right now. THese guys are really hard to find.

But if they get those two pieces in the off-season, FA or Draft, and Strange comes back, are you going to tell me that LT Stud-Strange-Center Stud-Sow-Onwenu is a bad line? I have faith that they'll get there, but winning in the NFL is still dependent on health, schedule, and many other factors. Kraft won't cheap out once the core is set.

If he does, I'll put them in my Red Sox category. Until then, I've got the Celtics, and I'l watch to see how this team moves forward.