Tom Curran

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ivanvamp said:

If BB extended Brady and Brady played with this team like he did with them in 2019, everyone is talking about the huge mistake BB made locking up all that money for a 43-year old clearly in major decline.

He made the call that made the most sense at the time. Hard to fault him (without 20/20 hindsight) for not investing many years and dollars on a 43+ year old QB.

That Brady has done what he’s done is a huge testament to Brady, not in any way a slight oh Belichick.

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I have thought this BUT it wasnt many years. Brady was looking for a 2 year contract 2 years ago. Also, a big problem with 2019 was 4 OL were hurt. I'm not saying they go to the Super Bowl but playoffs? I'd bet on it.

jmt57 said:

I have had the feeling for a while that Curran's inside unnamed sources were Yee/TB12. Once they were gone he no longer had an inside scoop which is too bad, because back in the day I really enjoyed his commentary. Once he became dependent on them his opinion had a sudden and noticeable shift. When Tom left Curran's well was dry.

Same thing happened in previous years with certain other writers who drifted from independent thinking, to relying on info fed to them - first from Parcells, then soon after from Bledsoe.

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Curran is the guy who wrote the article with all the negative insider stuff about Brady.

ivanvamp said:

If BB extended Brady and Brady played with this team like he did with them in 2019, everyone is talking about the huge mistake BB made locking up all that money for a 43-year old clearly in major decline.

He made the call that made the most sense at the time. Hard to fault him (without 20/20 hindsight) for not investing many years and dollars on a 43+ year old QB.

That Brady has done what he’s done is a huge testament to Brady, not in any way a slight oh Belichick.

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Everyone says this, but why were the 2019 and 2020 teams built in a way that even Tom Brady couldn't make them contenders? I don't see how you can argue that and not fault Belichick even a little bit. I mean, it's obvious by now that Brady's subpar season in 2019 was due to the lack of talent around him. Maybe that wasn't obvious 12 months ago, but if that's the case, then it's a misevaluation also. I don't fault Belichick here because I think Brady didn't want to stay either, so it was a mutual parting, but if Brady wanted to come back for the same deal he got in Tampa and Bill said "no", then yeah, he screwed up. 2/50 for a top tier QB is peanuts, especially when you already carried a 13 million cap hit without him in the first place.

RodThePat said:

Everyone says this, but why were the 2019 and 2020 teams built in a way that even Tom Brady couldn't make them contenders? I don't see how you can argue that and not fault Belichick even a little bit. I mean, it's obvious by now that Brady's subpar season in 2019 was due to the lack of talent around him. Maybe that wasn't obvious 12 months ago, but if that's the case, then it's a misevaluation also. I don't fault Belichick here because I think Brady didn't want to stay either, so it was a mutual parting, but if Brady wanted to come back for the same deal he got in Tampa and Bill said "no", then yeah, he screwed up. 2/50 for a top tier QB is peanuts, especially when you already carried a 13 million cap hit without him in the first place.

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Well, BB TRIED to get Brady some weapons. He did spend a 1st round pick on a receiver. It hasn't worked out, but he made the investment. He then acquired uber-talented Antonio Brown who Brady LOVES. That would have been a huge help except Brown just couldn't stop being a gigantic ass, and so they had to let him go. And then BB tried to shore up the receiver position by trading for Sanu, who - all joking aside - had been a very productive NFL receiver for two teams (Cin and Atl) and there was no reason to think he wouldn't work out in NE. He started off strong but then got hurt and was never the same after that. So they ended up investing a 1st round pick, a 2nd round pick, and a bunch of money to acquire a top-flight college WR, a proven veteran WR, and a HOF-caliber WR. None of the three worked out. But it wasn't for lack of trying. (and note that AB has managed to keep himself clean during his time in Tampa, so that was very much a reasonable risk for BB to take)

And Gronk screwed them over by not announcing his retirement until after free agency was basically over. He could still have drafted TEs but we know that it takes a while for rookie TEs in New England (even Gronk) to get up to speed, so it was unlikely they would have contributed much in 2019 anyway.

upstater1 said:

jujhjhjjh

I have thought this BUT it wasnt many years. Brady was looking for a 2 year contract 2 years ago. Also, a big problem with 2019 was 4 OL were hurt. I'm not saying they go to the Super Bowl but playoffs? I'd bet on it.

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I agree.

upstater1 said:

Will McD was worse than Tom in my book.

Will was so far into the liar's corner, Bill P., that he threw a fit when Kraft didn't cut him in on the news of the trouble he was having with Bill P. Will McD acted like he was more important than the future of the franchise.

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I agree that at the end of his career, he was not as sharp as he used to be.

jmt57 said:

I have had the feeling for a while that Curran's inside unnamed sources were Yee/TB12. Once they were gone he no longer had an inside scoop which is too bad, because back in the day I really enjoyed his commentary. Once he became dependent on them his opinion had a sudden and noticeable shift. When Tom left Curran's well was dry.

Same thing happened in previous years with certain other writers who drifted from independent thinking, to relying on info fed to them - first from Parcells, then soon after from Bledsoe.

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Curran’s well isn’t dry. He wrote a book with Julian Edelman. He’s tight with Jerod Mayo. He has lots of sources for info.

SVN said:

But what decision did they make 10 months ago ? Brady told in his interview with stern that he knew it was his last season last august. There was no decision to be made. it was all Brady. Yes , they couldve offered him the brees contract last august. Tom curran thinks that would kept brady because he seems to be plugged in with don yee. But had brady stayed, he would been miserable here.
Brady was like lebron,went to a team which can win now and won. Were there egos and disagreement involved between BB and brady ? sure. But he kept at it as long he felt he had chances to win. Last yr he kinda knew he didnt have that chance here

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He knew that when Bill wouldn't offer him a real contract. Bill wanted Brady to play for another goofy incentive laden contact that didn't go beyond 2019. Brady wanted to stay and Bill made it clear Brady would only be back on Bill's terms and that was that. Bill bungled the situation and deserves the criticism he is receiving for it.

Belichick has been wanting to dump Brady since Garoppolo. It was just that Brady was doing too well to make it feasible until last year.

RodThePat said:

Everyone says this, but why were the 2019 and 2020 teams built in a way that even Tom Brady couldn't make them contenders? I don't see how you can argue that and not fault Belichick even a little bit. I mean, it's obvious by now that Brady's subpar season in 2019 was due to the lack of talent around him. Maybe that wasn't obvious 12 months ago, but if that's the case, then it's a misevaluation also. I don't fault Belichick here because I think Brady didn't want to stay either, so it was a mutual parting, but if Brady wanted to come back for the same deal he got in Tampa and Bill said "no", then yeah, he screwed up. 2/50 for a top tier QB is peanuts, especially when you already carried a 13 million cap hit without him in the first place.

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BB messed up the team around Brady ? sure. but the idea that bringing him back in wouldve made the pats good has been proven last yr as useless. They would need a rebuild around brady in the next 3-4 yrs and i dont think brady has the time for that. knowingly or unknowingly, he did brady a favor. brady would be pissed and wanting out if he got that contract and had to wait another 2 yrs to become a contender if at all. He went to a loaded team a la lebron and won. Good for him.

I have re-read the article and think it is one of Curran's best articles. Sure there is some emotion but I noticed Shank stole his Babe Ruth comparison. He did a good job brining everything together to capture what many Pats fans are feeling.

It was a very emotional article. Whatever. It could have been worse......Tanguay could have written it.

Curran chose to avoid the topic of cap space and how that was a major factor in the decision to de-prioritize Tom from the long term plans because it didn't fit the narrative of his article.

Curran has been biting his lip the last twenty years while Bill gave half answers, gruff dismissals and cold stares. Now he’s seizing the moment because Brady to Tampa was as sure a thing as pro sports had to offer and it will take at least a season more to rebuild a team that needed rebuilding. That gives him time to slam Bill and pivot when it turns around.

Sometimes it feels like a 'History repeats itself' thing with Borges+Bledsoe and Curran+Brady.

The media called BB a genius and Brady a system QB and now turn it around to change their own assertions pointing at them like someone else said it .

luuked said:

For once I wish people would actually explain how to build around a 25m (31m with the dead hit on average) cap hit for Brady.

I just dont get what exactly they could have done last offseason to make staying in NE more attractive than moving to Florida and throwing to Evans, Godwin, Gronk and AB.

At this point most of Currans work has become Felger level noise.

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Okay, it’s really not much of a challenge actually.
You see that $60 million of cap space they have this off-season. With restructures and bonuses, they could have easily borrowed $30 million of it for the 2020 cap. You’d have another $13 m of space, it you had not let Brady’s contract expire so the amortization of Brady’s bonus money didn’t accelerate into the 20 cap as it did.

That’s $43 million. More than enough to fit Brady, Gronk, Stephon Diggs into the cap with enough to resign Shelton rather than the mystery man as well as resign either Van Noy or Collins. AB could have signed when his suspension was up.

It was possible. The Pats could have ridden out the remaining years of Brady’s career with a competitive team. But, Bill thought he could win with just any QB. He was wrong. He’s been wrong a lot lately for those that haven’t noticed.

RodThePat said:

Everyone says this, but why were the 2019 and 2020 teams built in a way that even Tom Brady couldn't make them contenders? I don't see how you can argue that and not fault Belichick even a little bit. I mean, it's obvious by now that Brady's subpar season in 2019 was due to the lack of talent around him. Maybe that wasn't obvious 12 months ago, but if that's the case, then it's a misevaluation also. I don't fault Belichick here because I think Brady didn't want to stay either, so it was a mutual parting, but if Brady wanted to come back for the same deal he got in Tampa and Bill said "no", then yeah, he screwed up. 2/50 for a top tier QB is peanuts, especially when you already carried a 13 million cap hit without him in the first place.

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They were on top of the league for 20 years. 31 other teams are competing for talent. People post stuff like this as if they just didn’t want to dominate the league any more, or making decisions that led to one down year after 20 great ones is somehow inexcusable, incompetent or legacy destroying.
think people. Think

Kenneth Sims said:

Okay, it’s really not much of a challenge actually.
You see that $60 million of cap space they have this off-season. With restructures and bonuses, they could have easily borrowed $30 million of it for the 2020 cap. You’d have another $13 m of space, it you had not let Brady’s contract expire so the amortization of Brady’s bonus money didn’t accelerate into the 20 cap as it did.

That’s $43 million. More than enough to fit Brady, Gronk, Stephon Diggs into the cap with enough to resign Shelton rather than the mystery man as well as resign either Van Noy or Collins. AB could have signed when his suspension was up.

It was possible. The Pats could have ridden out the remaining years of Brady’s career with a competitive team. But, Bill thought he could win with just any QB. He was wrong. He’s been wrong a lot lately for those that haven’t noticed.

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They could not have borrowed 30 million. No way.

Comments:

1.) McDonough, rest in peace, might have been the best NFL-wide writer...certainly better than Peter King....but he wasn't a pro-Pats writer...nor a very good one...more of a gossip monger with great great sources.

2.) Curran is one of the handful reporters that had our back during Deflategate.

3.) I love Curran, but I think he went over the deep end after the Butler benching in Superbowl LII....and since then he has been pro-Brady more than pro-Patriots (shrugs).

4.) Yep, the cap prevented us from contending with Brady on the roster in 2019...and likely would have in 2020, BUT...if BB and the brain trust screwed up anywhere...it was by not offering Brady a long term deal back in 2017, IMO. We could have been competitive in 2019-2020 with some additional cap space resulting from a long term deal for Brady....something like a 4 year, 100M deal would have been a bargain the last 2 years, IMO....relatively speaking in comparison to other QB contracts.

5.) I will still read Curran anyway....good stuff... the Patriots fandom is split into two camps. For me, it's simple: Patriots>Brady>Patriot haters (shrugs).

SVN said:

BB messed up the team around Brady ? sure. but the idea that bringing him back in wouldve made the pats good has been proven last yr as useless. They would need a rebuild around brady in the next 3-4 yrs and i dont think brady has the time for that. knowingly or unknowingly, he did brady a favor. brady would be pissed and wanting out if he got that contract and had to wait another 2 yrs to become a contender if at all. He went to a loaded team a la lebron and won. Good for him.

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They were 12-4 last year and that was with Brady being injured and struggling with throwing the second half of the year.
Brady chose to leave. People keep not seeming to want to understand this. Brady came to Kraft before FA started and said he was leaving and there was nothing he could do.
Brady listened to Lane Johnson and decided instead of staying in the hard coached laser focussed organization he spend 20 years in, he wanted to go have fun and see if he could win that way.
Belichick knew AB would be starting at some point, apparently was blindsided that it started with Brady leaving instead of retiring when he declined and took his lumps.
perhaps he could have done things to keep him, but it would have been kicking the reset down the road in order to move forward with a 43 year old coming off the worst season of his career.
Im sure belichick knows Brady well enough to know he could have a comeback year and if anyone could it’s him, but gambling on a 43 year old coming off his worse year with a bad throwing elbow probably didn’t seem as attractive as the reset.
Brady's last 8 games in 2019 were really bad. You can just ignore that in hindsight after he had a good 2020.