As bad as Polk has been…

[TheRainMaker]

Isn’t it funny a drought for us used to be measured in superbowls and now it’s more then 1 win in a row is the new measuring stick.

We as Pats fans were in an unusual circumstance where the Pats were favored pretty much every year after 2001 until 2019.

It's impossible to keep that going unless you're playing franchise mode in Madden. However, the Krafts didn't take this off-season seriously and they need to do better if they expect better results.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Agreed with your building strategy, it needs to come primarily through the draft and it requires alot of patience on our end. Next year will be an interesting situation though because the team will basically be forced to spend. They rolled over around $40m this year and have $130m in cap space with barely any fa to resign. Theres only so much of that they can roll over into 26 with the rules on cap floor so once they complete their resignings , pay whatever past incentives they owe, and whatever they need to reserve for rookies they might looking at something like $70m that they have to spend on new veteran players. I feel like that might be a pretty conservative # too.

Agree completely. OL has to be the priority in free agency and the draft, fortunately they have both the $$$ and the draft capital to address it fully. I would also pick up another RB in free agency, as they are bargain basement priced. And they can easily go WR/OL with their first two picks in the next draft.

 

[maust]

They let Seymour go and gave Ty Warren a massive building block sized contract... he immediately suffered a career ending hip injury and they were on the hook for all that money. We had to watch UDFA Kyle Love play next to Wilfork for the next four years... that was unfortunate.

Memories are funny things. The sequence laid out there didn't quite matchup with mine so I checked. The Pats didn't "let Seymour go" and give Warren a massive contract, Big Sey was traded (not let go) in 2009, well after Warren's deal. Warren had 2 years remaining on his deal when he signed his extension before the 2007 season, it was for 5 years, his total guarantees were $18M. The contract which ran through 2013 was front loaded in both cash and cap hit and about 90% of the guaranteed cash was paid by the end of 2008 well before Seymour was traded. The hip injury happened in 2010 and for a one timecap hit of @ $2M he was released in 2011. As his unguaranteed salary of $3.1M came off the books with his release it actually was a net cap savings. Warren subsequently signed a 2 year $10M deal with Denver, the injury was not a career ender and the Pats weren't on the hook for much at all.

And the Seymour trade ended up returning LT Nate Solder, he of the 4 SB appearances and 2 rings.

Again, memories are funny things

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Where do you get that "we" stuff? It was Bob Kraft who made the draft picks this year, at least in the first few rounds. He saw the top WRs drop off the board and panicked. Instead of drafting some other position, he reached for 'slow Polk who should have gone in 5th round or thereabouts.

 

[mgteich]

Where do you get that "we" stuff? It was Bob Kraft who made the draft picks this year, at least in the first few rounds. He saw the top WRs drop off the board and panicked. Instead of drafting some other position, he reached for 'slow Polk who should have gone in 5th round or thereabouts.

PATSFANS PROTOCOL FOR EVALUATING THE DRAFT
We don't like some picks.
We chose our villain and say that he made the picks.
============
1) Do you blame Kraft for picking Maye?
2) Kraft didn't make the picks. I doubt very much if he knew anything about players not picked in the top 10.

 

[gobesmug]

Are you surprised? Patriots front office employees the worst WR scouts in nfl history.

2006: Chad Jackson over Greg Jennings

2009: Brandon Tate over Mike Wallace

2010: Passed on Golden Tate, drafted Taylor Price in round 3.

2012: Jake Bequette over Ty Hilton in round 3

2013: Aaron Dobson over Keenan Allen

2014: Passed on Jarvis Landry in round 2

2017: Derek Rivers over Chris Godwin in round 3

2018: Isaiah Wynn over Calvin Ridley & DJ Moore

2019: N’Keal Harry over AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, and DK Metcalf

2020: Pass on Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman, and Tee Higgins in rounds 1-2

2022: Tyquan Thornton over George Pickens

2023: Keoin White over Rashee Rice and Jayden Reed

2024: Ja’lynn Polk over Ladd McConkey

You missed out on taking Bethel Johnson over Anquan Boldin.

Taking Dropson over Allen was by far the worst. Dropson played for a terrible Marshall team and was the third best WR on his team. He put up like 500 yards his final year in college. Nothing about him looked like he could be a pro Wr outside of 1 catch.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

You missed out on taking Bethel Johnson over Anquan Boldin.

Taking Dropson over Allen was by far the worst. Dropson played for a terrible Marshall team and was the third best WR on his team. He put up like 500 yards his final year in college. Nothing about him looked like he could be a pro Wr outside of 1 catch.

they thought he might be the next mini Moss since he went to that school too? lol

 

[Real fan 02]

@TheRainMaker was talking about the 10-year drought in between 2004 and 2014 where they didn't win a Super Bowl and probably would have had they hit on one of those guys in between.

Does making it to a superbowl count for anything? As we know they made to the big game in dare I say it, 2008 , 2011& of course 2014 when they won.

 

[Real fan 02]

You missed out on taking Bethel Johnson over Anquan Boldin.

Taking Dropson over Allen was by far the worst. Dropson played for a terrible Marshall team and was the third best WR on his team. He put up like 500 yards his final year in college. Nothing about him looked like he could be a pro Wr outside of 1 catch.

Dobson actually had a pretty solid rookie season here. He developed a good chemistry with brady as rookie. Injuries are what did him in.. he became injured alot and ultimately out the league.

 

[Real fan 02]

Totally disagree Wozzy I have ran that Scenario in my mind many times "Brady stays".

Don't forget about AB in 2019.. If AB stayed be definitely get to another SB. Jules said this himself on games with names most recent episode.

 

[Ian]

Does making it to a superbowl count for anything? As we know they made to the big game in dare I say it, 2008 , 2011& of course 2014 when they won.

I'm sure it does. But at the end of the day, getting over the hump was what they needed. And none of this is a knock on Brady. It's just a knock on both the bad selections and the bad luck they had over that span.

 

[Real fan 02]

I'm sure it does. But at the end of the day, getting over the hump was what they needed. And none of this is a knock on Brady. It's just a knock on both the bad selections and the bad luck they had over that span.

I see. Like the first few superbowls were won on FGs where luck was on our side. I've argued that in 2011.. the defense was the issue.. that 50 yard bomb along the left sideline to Manningham from the 5 yard line I knew the game was then lost. Yeah we had some forgettable draft bust those years for sure

 

[gobesmug]

Dobson actually had a pretty solid rookie season here. He developed a good chemistry with brady as rookie. Injuries are what did him in.. he became injured alot and ultimately out the league.

Not really, he was heavily featured in the offense with 72 targets but only 37 receptions. As the season went on Kembrell Thompkins started to eat away at his snaps.

Dobson first game of the season he had 50% of the snaps with 10 targets but only 3 receptions. The last game of the season he had already lost Brady’s confidence and only got 23% of the snaps with 3 targets and 1 reception.

Dobson had the GOAT in his prime throwing him the ball. The dude was trash from the get go.

 

[Ian]

I see. Like the first few superbowls were won on FGs where luck was on our side. I've argued that in 2011.. the defense was the issue.. that 50 yard bomb along the left sideline to Manningham from the 5 yard line I knew the game was then lost. Yeah we had some forgettable draft bust those years for sure

Defense won (but almost lost) the Seattle game, too, after the Seahawks hit that long one ahead of that goal-line stand. I think most of us were bracing for the worst (and waiting on the inevitable) before Butler's miracle. That one had all the makings of those two Giants losses. Really glad it didn't end that way.

 

[Real fan 02]

Not really, he was heavily featured in the offense with 72 targets but only 37 receptions. As the season went on Kembrell Thompkins started to eat away at his snaps.

Dobson first game of the season he had 50% of the snaps with 10 targets but only 3 receptions. The last game of the season he had already lost Brady’s confidence and only got 23% of the snaps with 3 targets and 1 reception.

Dobson had the GOAT in his prime throwing him the ball. The dude was trash from the get go.

Right. You have to talk into account the WR bust rate heck even veterans like Joey Galloway had issues in the system. It was widely reported that that patriots brady offense is so complicated that it's hard for rookies to catch on. So by those measures dobson had a pretty "decent " year for a rookie in that system. His coming out game was against the Steelers that season. Injuries and not being to be on the Field to grow your game and reach potential is a recipe for bust. N'Keal Harry wears that label too.

 

[Real fan 02]

Defense won (but almost lost) the Seattle game, too, after the Seahawks hit that long one ahead of that goal-line stand. I think most of us were bracing for the worst (and waiting on the inevitable) before Butler's miracle. That one had all the makings of those two Giants losses. Really glad it didn't end that way.

I remember that throw deep on the right sideline that we thought was a pass break up but ended up a catch. I'll say at that 1 yard line I was so frantic just thinking about another superbowl loss that season. I agree so glad the football gods shined on us for butler to make the heady play.

 

[Ian]

I remember that throw deep on the right sideline that we thought was a pass break up but ended up a catch. I'll say at that 1 yard line I was so frantic just thinking about another superbowl loss that season. I agree so glad the football gods shined on us for butler to make the heady play.

Exactly, that reception was as fluky as the previous two...it was crazy. As you said, definitely just glad that game had a different ending.

 

[Real fan 02]

Exactly, that reception was as fluky as the previous two...it was crazy. As you said, definitely just glad that game had a different ending.

Yes! The superbowl hero. Who was working at Popeyes before getting a try out in Foxboro that season imagine that.. Brady gave him the car he won for the superbowl.

 

[Ian]

Yes! The superbowl hero. Who was working at Popeyes before getting a try out in Foxboro that season imagine that.. Brady gave him the car he won for the superbowl.

LOL, come on now...it was a truck.