BB Admits 2020 Is Bridge Year

[203Pat]

Those are all Bill's decisions, correct? I mean he had to take an expensive flyer on AB because he had not drafted any WRs. Same with spending the 2 on Sanu. And he could have easily extended Brady back when Brady asked in 17 and 18 but instead he put 2 dummy years on that created the dead cap. If he did not expect Brady to leave after that than he is truly not as smart as we all have given him credit for. But the point remains, all decisions are Bill's. He made a ton of mistakes the last 6 years with the draft and the handling of the QB position. The issue most of us have is that he won't OWN any of it. His comments insinuate that the state of the team is just the natural process of the way league is structured. That is totally baloney.

I don't know why the "he had to trade for Sanu" and "he had to sign AB" people don't acknowledge the fact he had to get desperate because he cant draft the position and relied on filling it with hopes and dreams.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Those are all Bill's decisions, correct? I mean he had to take an expensive flyer on AB because he had not drafted any WRs. Same with spending the 2 on Sanu. And he could have easily extended Brady back when Brady asked in 17 and 18 but instead he put 2 dummy years on that created the dead cap. If he did not expect Brady to leave after that than he is truly not as smart as we all have given him credit for. But the point remains, all decisions are Bill's. He made a ton of mistakes the last 6 years with the draft and the handling of the QB position. The issue most of us have is that he won't OWN any of it. His comments insinuate that the state of the team is just the natural process of the way league is structured. That is totally baloney.

He did not extend Brady because he did not want to. He wanted to spend the money elsewhere.

He felt the single year dead cap hit was better for the team long term.

I really don't understand why people can't see that.

 

[amfootball]

He did not extend Brady because he did not want to. He wanted to spend the money elsewhere.

He felt the single year dead cap hit was better for the team long term.

I really don't understand why people can't see that.

That's fine if that what he was doing. I mean he has a ton of cap space next year and hopefully we get some extra picks on top if we trade Gilmore. The issue is that Bill is not owning this season at all. I mean look at our roster. We are devoid of talent everywhere except DB and our best DB may get traded today. We don't have a kicker. We have lost too many good guys who are now sprinkled all over the league. Miami, Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans all have ex-Pats getting tons of snaps. Did you see Dion Lewis last night? Looked pretty good.

 

[PatsBoy12]

 

[RobertWeathers]

That's fine if that what he was doing. I mean he has a ton of cap space next year and hopefully we get some extra picks on top if we trade Gilmore. The issue is that Bill is not owning this season at all. I mean look at our roster. We are devoid of talent everywhere except DB and our best DB may get traded today. We don't have a kicker. We have lost too many good guys who are now sprinkled all over the league. Miami, Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans all have ex-Pats getting tons of snaps. Did you see Dion Lewis last night? Looked pretty good.

That's exactly what he's doing. He blew his load for 2019 and it backfired with Sanu and AB. He didn't want to be paying a 43 year old player with 2021, 2022 and maybe 2023 cap space when he knew he needed it to rebuild in 2021.

I don't see the, "Bill is not owning it" perception. Is it because he said in his explanation, "It's no ones fault" why fans think this?

Hes missed on some key draft picks and seems to be offering up reasons (see excuses) for their lot in life no doubt but I don't see him blaming other people for the team's woes.

 

[Wozzy]

I am sorry but you're living on a different planet.

The OL is solid but our two best linemen will probably be gone.

The secondary is good but we will be losing Gilmore now or in four months from now. Still have to pay JC Jackson, Jon Jones has been inconsistent, and both McCourty's are likely gone. Our secondary in all likelihood will not be as strong next year as it is this year.

The D-line will possibly lose multiple role players and possibly Guy and the only young one who looked like a potential stud is now in the doghouse for arguing with Bill or talking on the radio or something stupid.

The receiving core is flat out bad. Worst in the league. Mahomes couldn't save this group.

They needed a real veteran NFL caliber TE now since Gronk retired and we have ended up with Lance Kendricks, Austin Seffarian-Jenkins, Matt Lacosse, and the corpse of Ben Watson. Now that we finally decided to draft someone at the position they don't get a target and are lucky to be on the active roster. Bill couldn't have bungled this position any worse if he deliberately tried.

The LB's are young and who knows if they can play. Well aside from Bentley who has been put in position to fail and he is failing with flying colors. Another group that desperately could have used a veteran once Hightower opted out.

Cam has not played well there is no way around it but he has also been put in a terrible spot. He is throwing to practice squad players and the OC doesn't seem to be doing much in the way of making him comfortable. Bill can b*tch all he wants about Covid, the salary cap, or whatever else but Bill failed this team as a GM. Plain and simple. I don't know what "selling out" he did to go to those last few Super Bowls. He signed Gilmore? I cant recall any other deal that really moves the needle. We currently have two players making over $10 million this year. If the Chiefs can find a way to pay Mahomes, Hill, Kelce, Watkins, Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Mathieu, and everyone else I am sure Bill should be able to figure out how to pay a significantly more competitive team than he has put together this year. I don't know what is going on with him this year with the commercials and the excuses but the state of the team is squarely on him and him only.

What I see above ^ is typical doom and gloom Pat's fan malaise that told us we sucked and had "no talent" in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Along with a bunch of hypotheticals about how we're losing all our best players despite having some of the most cap space in the league entering 2020. Oh yeah, and the current projected 11 draft picks or more we'll possess and existing roster chock full of talent.

Sorry, my lithium prescription is full up, chronic Patriot depression isn't going to get me. I steeled myself in the offseason to the fact Brady was probably leaving, that 2020 was going to be a reloading season, and despite what the media haters and emo fans say BB is really good at his F-ing job... so I don't feel the need to jump off the proverbial Tobin bridge today. Go get some sunshine.

 

[Doctor DDS]

There is no absolute truth to the salary cap. BB could have put a more competitive team on the field this year if he wanted to postpone some of the tough financial decisions. Thuney is the perfect example as he could have been signed to a big bonus and spread out the cap hit to later years. Still need to ultimately pay the piper but it would have helped in the short term. The Saints are projected to be $95 Million over the cap next year but have seemingly decided to go for it in 2020. Not sure exactly what that will mean for them in the near future but it certainly sounds scary on its face. We'll see in a few years which approach was better.

There is no question that failing to snag a few game changers in the draft or through FA has hurt but they are well positioned to deal with some of their talent issues this off season. If they do not get a good QB this slog may be a long one but if they are lucky enough to get a Herbert type player they are only a WR and a TE away from having a very potent offense. It does not need to be long rebuild.

 

[amfootball]

I don't see the, "Bill is not owning it" perception. Is it because he said in his explanation, "It's no ones fault" why fans think this?

Yes. He is the GM. It's his fault. He controls everything.

 

[Wozzy]

Patriots had a similar number last year in dead cap as they do this year according to Sportstrac & OverTheCap. Make of that what you will

From 2014 through 2019 the Patriots had the best defense in the league, some of the best O-Lines in the league, good weapons, and easily the best special teams in the league... that didn't happen by accident, by osmosis, or because the Patriots drafted poorly and didn't pay anyone.

It happened because they threw every resource and dollar at creating the most competitive teams possible. The wheels fell off in 2019, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.

They couldn't keep borrowing and put a competitive team around Tom anymore... it was time to hit the reset button.

You, me, anyone who's a fan would do the same exact thing over again for 3 rings in 4 Super Bowl appearances during that span.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yes. He is the GM. It's his fault. He controls everything.

Very accurate hes the GM and controls everything but it also doesn't mean he feels he should be faulted for anything fans think he might have done wrong.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I actually thought this was an interesting thing to research, so here is what I came up with (I did not do in depth research, so these definitely may be off a game or 2 here and there):

Bill Belichick (without Brady): 56-68, 1-1 in the playoffs
Don Shula (I took away his best QB, Dan Marino, but that leaves HoFer Bob Griese in these stats): 181-63, 2 Super Bowl Championships
Bill Walsh (without Montana): 8-24
Chuck Noll (without Bradshaw): 86-97, 2-3 in the playoffs
Joe Gibbs: No HoF QB, won SB with 3 different ones. If you take away Theismann, he was 113-78 with 2 SB's.
Bill Parcells: No HoF QB, won SB with 2 different ones (2nd SB was Hostetler in a backup role taking over for an injured Simms)
Tom Landry (without Staubach): 165-133, several playoff appearances and 1 SB appearance, but no championships

Of all of the above, Gibbs was the least reliant on one single player and has the most success with different players. Shula had 2 HoFers so he maintains an impressive record if you only take away 1 of them.

Aside from the one fluke year with Jake Plummer in 2005, Shanahan after Elway wasn't good either. Then he proceeded to ruin the career of RGIII.

 

[Wozzy]

Very accurate hes the GM and controls everything but it also doesn't mean he feels he should be faulted for anything fans think he might have done wrong.

Only in New England could winning at an unprecedented level call for an apology.

 

[amfootball]

Only in New England could winning at an unprecedented level call for an apology.

Oh please. No one is asking for an apology. That is a silly strawman. Bill is the one offering this information unsolicited from the fans or media. He is the one putting it out there that the cap prevented them from fielding a competitive team. Would it kill him to just say, we missed on a few drafts and the draft is the life line of the team. We will look to correct this, this off-season and get back on track to being competitive again.

To say it was no one's fault wreaks of him covering his butt as it is absolutely untrue. He is the GM. He has all the power.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Only in New England could winning at an unprecedented level call for an apology.

Exactly. I'm totally behind criticizing draft picks, etc but IMO BB does see those as monumental errors. I think he sees them as the cost of doing business or part of the deal. Like a portfolio manager. You pick 100 stocks. 90 provide positive returns. 10 don't. You'll take that every day of the week.

 

[Thelonious]

Belichick is a great coach. He can teach, he can lead (MOST sorts of players!), he knows how to construct a roster out of the materials at hand, there's never been a better game planner and in-game strategist, and so on.

He's good at evaluating most sorts of players, but he's abysmal at evaluating outside wide receivers, shaky perhaps on QB's, and he has a tendency to draft again and again players at the same positions (safety!) irrespective of need.

Most teams would be thrilled - reasonably enough - to have him as head coach, and most would take the partial hit re his GM skills and would be content at least to have him as coach/GM. I doubt many teams would take him as straight-up GM.

Fans who are turning on him all of sudden, condemning him as having been a fraud all along, doomed to failure save for Magical Tom's redemptive powers, are fools and ingrates, certainly, but he has to address his blatant limitations as GM. He has to give up elements at least of his GM responsibilities. If he's not willing to accomplish that on his own, the Krafts need to force him to do so. If he cops a snit and leaves, so be it. Reasonable people will hope he does not do so.

But, again, on balance we're very lucky to have him, warts and all. Only the bloviating ingrates, desperate for something to bleat about, will disagree.

 

[1960Pats]

when bill doesnt say anyting people are pissed. when he is being honest, he is making excuses.

It's not what he does or doesn't say but how he does or doesn't say it that bothers people. That isn't going to get any better when the losses start piling up, but we knew that.

I have a friend in sports media and years ago he told me that when Bill refers to the media he points back over his shoulder to the media room and says , "those a55holes." I can't blame Bill though after the crap he took before he coached his first game here.

Bill's sour **** used to bother me and I wished he would open up more, but that went away after one of the many SB wins. I forget which one.

 

[Doctor DDS]

But, again, on balance we're very lucky to have him, warts and all.

What? On balance we are lucky to have the most successful Coach/GM in league history? There is no balance about it. And his inability to evaluate outside receivers only resulted in one of the most prolific passing attacks in league history for a dozen or so years. I realize that for some him acquiring these players through trades or FA vs the draft is a devastating truth to deal with but I do recall them having some passing success the past decade.

 

[203Pat]

What I see above ^ is typical doom and gloom Pat's fan malaise that told us we sucked and had "no talent" in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Along with a bunch of hypotheticals about how we're losing all our best players despite having some of the most cap space in the league entering 2020. Oh yeah, and the current projected 11 draft picks or more we'll possess and existing roster chock full of talent.

Sorry, my lithium prescription is full up, chronic Patriot depression isn't going to get me. I steeled myself in the offseason to the fact Brady was probably leaving, that 2020 was going to be a reloading season, and despite what the media haters and emo fans say BB is really good at his F-ing job... so I don't feel the need to jump off the proverbial Tobin bridge today. Go get some sunshine.

So you're just making things up at this point? I don't remember anyone saying we had no talent in any of those years. I remember people being annoyed we couldn't get Emmanuel Sanders and settled for Lafell but we had prime Gronk and had signed Browner and future HOFer Revis as well as re-signed Edelman who had a good year prior. Same with 2016 when we signed Bennett and everyone was babbling about having a two TE offense again like we had with Hernandez. 2018 is the only one of the those years you could even make a case for because that team didn't click till basically the post season. I have no idea what you're talking about with cap space going into 2020. If we didn't win those grievances against Hernandez and AB and then have multiple opt out we had almost nothing for cap space.

As for your existing roster chock full of talent there aren't many rosters worse than ours top to bottom outside of the Jets. You can put on your footie pajamas and pound the table about the "haters" and "emo fans" but many people including myself have come to expect far better from Bill than he has been as a GM the last few years. Terrible drafting, bad trades, letting the greatest player in history go while he still clearly has ability, and now whining about it on the radio. Everyone always praised Bill all these years for calling out Brady and next man up and all that but here we are getting excuses from him and the footie pajama homers.

 

[Wozzy]

Oh please. No one is asking for an apology. That is a silly strawman. Bill is the one offering this information unsolicited from the fans or media. He is the one putting it out there that the cap prevented them from fielding a competitive team. Would it kill him to just say, we missed on a few drafts and the draft is the life line of the team. We will look to correct this, this off-season and get back on track to being competitive again.

To say it was no one's fault wreaks of him covering his butt as it is absolutely untrue. He is the GM. He has all the power.

What do you mean "unsolicited," he was asked to give his opinion, he gave it.

I find it odd that myself and others said back when Brady was thinking of moving on in the offseason, that the team's cap woes were going to hamper BB's ability to put veteran weapons around Tom (which he clearly wanted) and signing him to the contract he wanted would debilitate their ability to field a well balanced team. The very thing BB is saying now... but when he says it now it's "an excuse." They were broke before the draft, they had a lot of holes to fill on the roster.

If the goal is to win Super Bowls, then there's clearly nothing to apologize for. Most teams go all in on each season, have a modicum of success then suck for years afterward. The Pats were trying to right by Tommy and the fanbase by going all in after a decade of sustained success but no rings since 2004. In taking a down year now they set themselves up for 2021, it's a big picture idea. GM's are paid to make good decisions for their organization, not make fans like them.

 

[Wozzy]

So you're just making things up at this point? I don't remember anyone saying we had no talent in any of those years. I remember people being annoyed we couldn't get Emmanuel Sanders and settled for Lafell but we had prime Gronk and had signed Browner and future HOFer Revis as well as re-signed Edelman who had a good year prior. Same with 2016 when we signed Bennett and everyone was babbling about having a two TE offense again like we had with Hernandez. 2018 is the only one of the those years you could even make a case for because that team didn't click till basically the post season. I have no idea what you're talking about with cap space going into 2020. If we didn't win those grievances against Hernandez and AB and then have multiple opt out we had almost nothing for cap space.

As for your existing roster chock full of talent there aren't many rosters worse than ours top to bottom outside of the Jets. You can put on your footie pajamas and pound the table about the "haters" and "emo fans" but many people including myself have come to expect far better from Bill than he has been as a GM the last few years. Terrible drafting, bad trades, letting the greatest player in history go while he still clearly has ability, and now whining about it on the radio. Everyone always praised Bill all these years for calling out Brady and next man up and all that but here we are getting excuses from him and the footie pajama homers.

Yeah, sure bud...