NOT splurging at the trade deadline was a MASTERSTROKE!

[rkarp1]

To me it's pretty clear that they realized the team has some big holes and they knew they were at least another offseason away. Could we win a Super Bowl this year? Sure, it's possible. It's not very likely and it doesn't make sense to hobble the rebuild by going after a couple of rentals. Slow and steady is what gets us to being a perennial contender.

big holes?
really?
I think it is more "depth" that is currently needed, assuming injuries will happen.
where do you see "big holes" with this roster?

 

[rkarp1]

The jury is still out on Wolf. Out of the 2024 draft class the only player still with the team from that draft is Drake Maye. Every single player after pick #3 was a whiff.

All the Patriots had to do was not miss out on the obvious pick in Maye. In retrospect it would have been a disaster to trade down for McCarthy, a move BB advocated for by the way.

I am not sure a player drafted late that is still on the roster is a whiff, is he?
Wallace may be a starting OG here given some time, assuming Wilson shifts to OC at some point.
Dial would have been on the roster if not injured
Milton is on another teams 53 man roster.
Polk is an unknown due to injury
Robinson was a whiff. Baker was a whiff, but both 4th round whiffs

 

[Steve102]

Fake news

Not really. Here's Bill praising the JJM pick.

Here's Bill talking about Drake. He clearly doesn't love the pick, has some good things to say and some bad things.

More of Bill not gushing about Maye.


So, splitting hairs, did Bill actually SAY on the air that he advocated JJM over Maye specifically? No. After 20 some odd years of watching the man and listening to what what he says, can it be inferred that Bill would have taken JJM over Maye? I believe yes.

 

[Ring 6]

I don't think you're wrong, and I think @patfanken has a point that they need edge and S help, but culture is what he's building now. The short term fix by giving away assets to get help is short sighted. As others have said, there's a long term vision at play here. Now I think if they are 2 yrs into it, coming off an AFCCG loss, then maybe the play is different. Now, slow and steady wins the race.

There is no reason you can’t strengthen the team to win this year without weakening the future.

 

[KCSVEN]

This graph does not include rookies but shows you what Vrabel was dealing with and how good the off season was. You can see why they are putting a premium on draft picks to try to build from within going forward.

 

[Clonamery]

Not really. Here's Bill praising the JJM pick.

Here's Bill talking about Drake. He clearly doesn't love the pick, has some good things to say and some bad things.

More of Bill not gushing about Maye.


So, splitting hairs, did Bill actually SAY on the air that he advocated JJM over Maye specifically? No. After 20 some odd years of watching the man and listening to what what he says, can it be inferred that Bill would have taken JJM over Maye? I believe yes.

So all those years he was gushing about opponent players before the games he was truly in besotted with them?

Hmm. Outside of Ed Reed, I don't know about that.

 

[Steve102]

So all those years he was gushing about opponent players before the games he was truly in besotted with them?

Hmm. Outside of Ed Reed, I don't know about that.

HC of the NEPs vs media member and draft commentator. Apples and Oranges.

Did love him some Ed Reed tho, didn't he.

 

[Steve102]

There is no reason you can’t strengthen the team to win this year without weakening the future.

If the ask is to high you can.

 

[Clonamery]

HC of the NEPs vs media member and draft commentator. Apples and Oranges.

Did love him some Ed Reed tho, didn't he.

It's fruit.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Keep improving as a team and we’ll see what happens .

Early on big struggles:

Lb and safety was a concern. Seen improvement with both to where the play is actually passable right now

Pop Douglas, VERY rough start through the first month or so. Big improvement since and establishing himself as a diwnfield threat. Big catches downfield in 3 of the last 4, coming off a 100 yard game. In regards to wr overall im suprised how little i even was hoping for a trade there. REALLY would like to see something out of Williams this year but im fearing that wont come until at least next year.

Areas id like to still see improvement:

Run game- it has gotten a little better the past 3 weeks but still a way to go. Id love to see a game where our rbs just take over and give maye a breather. Dont get me wrong i love watching him play and hope hes just as phenomenal the rest of the way, but chances are at some point he’ll need something to lean on. At least there are some signs recently that its getting better and this wouldve been really hard to fix alot at the deadline

Edge pressure- its been fine overall but id at least like to see a third contributor here or landry/chiasson may wear down. And in case of injuries. Dunno if murphy or ponder will step up here they seem to be the only options. This is the area i like most others really wanted help at but we’ll hope for the best.

Pass protection- was excellent until the last 2 games. They were tough matchups though and another one coming this Sunday. But like the run game this isn’t really something we couldve easily upgraded with one guy and most likely will need the offseason to really complete.

 

[signbabybrady]

So, splitting hairs, did Bill actually SAY on the air that he advocated JJM over Maye specifically? No. After 20 some odd years of watching the man and listening to what what he says, can it be inferred that Bill would have taken JJM over Maye? I believe yes.

Your beliefs have proven out to be bias and useless so like I said fake news.

 

[Ring 6]

If the ask is to high you can.

Well if the return matches the ask you aren’t.

 

[Pape]

Your beliefs have proven out to be bias and useless so like I said fake news.

nah, Steve is one of the most even keeled posters here... not right to try to hang that label on him

 

[signbabybrady]

nah, Steve is one of the most even keeled posters here... not right to try to hang that label on him

It absolutely is a bias take.

They were still using Bill's grading system and just about everyone involved in the decision except AVP or lower position coaches were holdovers from the Bill regime most notably in the personnel department. All of that lead to Drake. Not to mention it's pretty roundly accepted that Drake was the best player on the board at the time.

But some Internet poster with a grudge found a quote so that makes it fact. Please.

 

[Pape]

It absolutely is a bias take.

They were still using Bill's grading system and just about everyone involved in the decision except AVP or lower position coaches were holdovers from the Bill regime most notably in the personnel department. All of that lead to Drake. Not to mention it's pretty roundly accepted that Drake was the best player on the board at the time.

But some Internet poster with a grudge found a quote so that makes it fact. Please.

i getcha, but its kinda hard to argue the point when the words come out of bills mouth... just my 2¢ ... ymmv

 

[signbabybrady]

i getcha, but its kinda hard to argue the point when the words come out of bills mouth... just my 2¢ ... ymmv

Words that were also biased by his firing.

 

[Toofy]

This graph does not include rookies but shows you what Vrabel was dealing with and how good the off season was. You can see why they are putting a premium on draft picks to try to build from within going forward.

When you whiff on 2 years In totality what do we expect 2022 and 2024 ..

Next year we should be somewhere in 10-12 range I think .

 

[Family]

I’m sure they tried, just as I’m sure we tried to make a trade.

I don’t see the Bills window closing at all. They have Allen, that keeps their window open, period. Now I do agree that their yearly road to an AFCE title has gotten substantially tougher with our Pats improving so dramatically, but let’s not fool ourselves into believing Buff won’t be a contender for the foreseeable future.

Allen plays the game like a RB.

How long do they last?

The point is that they really have used up a lot of years of Allen, and there's no guarantee how long before he's not at this level.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

Meh, I'm fine they didn't do anything but people acting like they are so happy they didn't or acting like it's so smart they didn't I think are being a little disingenuous or silly at best.

 

[mgteich]

The NFL trade deadline = fool's gold, IMO. .

The NFL trade deadline = fool's gold, IMO. For anything making a tangible difference you have to pay a king's ransom. And in that case it must be an ideal fit re. scheme, culture/attitude/buy-in, contract, etc., etc. Young players with upside are basically unobtainable.

At this point in the season, roster holes are best addressed via the 32 practice squads and street FAs. Regarding the Patriots specifically at this stage of the rebuild, building a homegrown foundation via the draft is most important vs. squandering picks on short-term veteran help.

UTTER NONSENSE.

SEA, PHI and BAL got players who will help for reasonable prices.

There were also the trading of 6th and 7th round picks to fill holes at the bottom of rosters. For example, LAC picked up a backup OT.
============
I am NOT criticizing Vrabel. Perhaps no one was available to us at a reasonable price that would be upgrades to any at the bottom of the patriots' roster.