Are you happy with Patriots' front office approach this offseason

[E Belichick Unum]

That's the kind of doomsaying we hear at about this time of year every offseason. If that's how you see the Pats situation, we just disagree. I think that Belichick has proven that he knows how to take a group of players and get them to generate production that far exceeds their paper value and that, with a few exceptions (Asante and the timing of the Seymour trade, which could still look good depending on the pick), he is a very, very good judge of when to grab or release talent.

As to the coaching talent with which he is or isn't surrounding himself, I think it's fair to say that the track records of Weis, Mangenius and Crennel once outside BB's orbit are spotty at best. Josh has yet to prove himself. So, it's really not clear the extent of the brain drain and how much is due to BB himself. I would agree that he probably could use someone in the locker room with the stature to stand up to him and reduce the intimidation factor for others, but he seems to know how to pick smart people who complement his skills and can work with him.

Since BB is the head coach we must assume I was talking about coordinators and position coaches. The people who have left have not been really successful as head coaches, but their success as coordinators cannot be argued.

I have no real issues with his game time decisions, even the forth and two last year, but as he spreads himself thinner and thinner he leaves the team less prepared. I do not know what is going on in Foxboro, but I do know that on paper the Jets are better than the Patriots are and that Miami has done much more to improve their team than we have. We are not in the NFC West where 10 and 6 will gaurantee a playoff spot, we have to finish second at worst to make the playoffs and second place in the AFC East is not a sure thing at this moment in time.

I understand how being a fan can create rose colored opinions, and how having faith in Belichick can give you confidence, but our roster right now isn't very good. Our offensive line is over rated, our starting tight end is a blocker, our best wide reciever won't be available until week 6 at the earliest and the other one looks good on paper but no so good in person for many of the games. Our running game is actually pretty good, but our team doesn't use it very well.

Our defense has trouble getting pressure on the QB and defending the pass. Our linebacking corps is very thin and has trouble keeping the edge. Our starting inside LBs consists of a very good draft pick and a very good unrestricted free agent. Our DB's are very inconsistent, our starting safeties are pretty good. Our D-Line got handled in far too many games and the whole defense seemed to give up the big play at the wrong time. That isn't chicken little panic, that is fact and it ain't pretty.

There probably isn't a bigger Pats fan than I am, but if I have to look at the team and make a realistic assessment of it right now, the team has gotten worse than it was at the end of last year while Miami and the Jets have gotten better. We split with those teams last year so our chances of beating them got worse in this off season and nothing that they have done shows me how they will get a pass rush or how they will stop the tight end seem pass over the middle.

 

[NovaScotiaPatsFan]

I'm not happy, but then again I'm not as knowledgeable as BB or his staff, so I'll defer to them on this one. But as a personal feeling issue I always want the Pats to have a roster that'd make the Pro Bowl teams look like the 2008 Lions.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Since BB is the head coach we must assume I was talking about coordinators and position coaches. The people who have left have not been really successful as head coaches, but their success as coordinators cannot be argued.

I have no real issues with his game time decisions, even the forth and two last year, but as he spreads himself thinner and thinner he leaves the team less prepared. I do not know what is going on in Foxboro, but I do know that on paper the Jets are better than the Patriots are and that Miami has done much more to improve their team than we have. We are not in the NFC West where 10 and 6 will gaurantee a playoff spot, we have to finish second at worst to make the playoffs and second place in the AFC East is not a sure thing at this moment in time.

I understand how being a fan can create rose colored opinions, and how having faith in Belichick can give you confidence, but our roster right now isn't very good. Our offensive line is over rated, our starting tight end is a blocker, our best wide reciever won't be available until week 6 at the earliest and the other one looks good on paper but no so good in person for many of the games. Our running game is actually pretty good, but our team doesn't use it very well.

Our defense has trouble getting pressure on the QB and defending the pass. Our linebacking corps is very thin and has trouble keeping the edge. Our starting inside LBs consists of a very good draft pick and a very good unrestricted free agent. Our DB's are very inconsistent, our starting safeties are pretty good. Our D-Line got handled in far too many games and the whole defense seemed to give up the big play at the wrong time. That isn't chicken little panic, that is fact and it ain't pretty.

There probably isn't a bigger Pats fan than I am, but if I have to look at the team and make a realistic assessment of it right now, the team has gotten worse than it was at the end of last year while Miami and the Jets have gotten better. We split with those teams last year so our chances of beating them got worse in this off season and nothing that they have done shows me how they will get a pass rush or how they will stop the tight end seem pass over the middle.

maybe i'm naive or showing myself to be a hopeless homer, which might be the case, but I'm going to wait until Belichick has finished with his offseason moves before I pass judgment. while many of your comments are valid, i think that saying that a team with a lot of young parts in key positions has gotten "worse" before we can see how players have evolved is premature; also, belichick has proven in the past that he can make the whole function as a lot better than the sum of the parts. in my book, he's earned the right to show us what he's built over the next couple of seasons.

i'll be the first to admit that "the party's over" if I think it is, but I'm not ready to say that yet.

the jets moves could just as readily blow up in their face and sanchez will be under a lot of pressure from opening day, unlike last season when he was given a free pass by the media and most fans. until the dolphins solve their QB issue, I'm not going to think of them as serious competition for the division title.

as for your point on the coordinators, until especially the defensive coordinators duplicate their performance elsewhere, I'm going to hold the view that their success was largely driven by belichick. weis has yet to produce at a comparable level on his own and the jury's out on josh, clearly, and we all wish him well.

 

[Sicilian]

as for your point on the coordinators, until especially the defensive coordinators duplicate their performance elsewhere, I'm going to hold the view that their success was largely driven by belichick. weis has yet to produce at a comparable level on his own and the jury's out on josh, clearly, and we all wish him well.

I wouldn't use Weis as an example, since he went to the college game. Recruiting and managing a group of kids is a lot different than an NFL off-season and managing multi-million dollar egos. Apples and oranges, so I give Weis an "N/A" on success after BB.

But looking at Mangini or Crennel is valid, and McDaniels like you said is incomplete, but will be valid once he's had a few years.

 

[E Belichick Unum]

maybe i'm naive or showing myself to be a hopeless homer, which might be the case, but I'm going to wait until Belichick has finished with his offseason moves before I pass judgment. while many of your comments are valid, i think that saying that a team with a lot of young parts in key positions has gotten "worse" before we can see how players have evolved is premature; also, belichick has proven in the past that he can make the whole function as a lot better than the sum of the parts. in my book, he's earned the right to show us what he's built over the next couple of seasons.

i'll be the first to admit that "the party's over" if I think it is, but I'm not ready to say that yet.

the jets moves could just as readily blow up in their face and sanchez will be under a lot of pressure from opening day, unlike last season when he was given a free pass by the media and most fans. until the dolphins solve their QB issue, I'm not going to think of them as serious competition for the division title.

as for your point on the coordinators, until especially the defensive coordinators duplicate their performance elsewhere, I'm going to hold the view that their success was largely driven by belichick. weis has yet to produce at a comparable level on his own and the jury's out on josh, clearly, and we all wish him well.

I am not trying to say that all is lost, just that I am underwhelmed by this off season. We entered into the off season limping and have done nothing but get worse, IMO. I will wait and see, not that I have any choice, how this season unfolds, but I am not as confident as I was last season, and I wasn't all that confident then either.

The Dolphins beat us last year by throwing on us, and Marshall only makes it easier for them to throw on us. The Jets beat us the same way and as a team they have done more to help themselves than any other team in the league. Last year we lost in some very disturbing ways, giving up leads late and getting blown out early. Being objective what have we done that can rectify those issues?

We also have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the league, meaning the coaches have to spread themselves out to cover all possibilities. I blame the Indy game on not having a timeout, not a bad coaching decision and that timeout was wasted because of communication issues, then after the timeout the play still sucked. Who knows if staff size had anything to do with that situation, but I am sure there are never times where a smaller staff helps wins games.

We shall see, but I have to dig out those rose colored glasses

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...
We shall see, but I have to dig out those rose colored glasses

After reading your comments, I'm beginning to worry that maybe I have a few pairs too many...

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I wouldn't use Weis as an example, since he went to the college game. Recruiting and managing a group of kids is a lot different than an NFL off-season and managing multi-million dollar egos. Apples and oranges, so I give Weis an "N/A" on success after BB.

But looking at Mangini or Crennel is valid, and McDaniels like you said is incomplete, but will be valid once he's had a few years.

yeah, Charlie's getting his big test this year in KC.