BobDigital
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2013
- Messages
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The debate Between Brady and BB was never who was more important in my mind. That was always Brady. The question is, can each hold on to their GOAT legacy without the other? In my mind Brady has already proven he can be successful without BB, not that he needed to. Anyone know knows anything about football should know it isn't the coach that puts you over the top and wins the big games, that is the QB (when it happens repeatedly... with very few exceptions). While winning a super bowl would be nice, making the final 4 is good enough considering his age and where he is in his career. He should have proven to everyone now that he isn't just a product of BB. Not that he ever was. But anyone who denies it now looks foolish.
It is also true that adding a QB does more to instantly impact a team than adding a coach. Coaches take time to build their program, and the Pats are definitely in a rebuild right now. So the question is, how long does Bill have to turn this Pats team around and what would qualify him as proving that he is rightfully considered the GOAT coach without Brady. People talk about winning SBs, but that is really hard. Particular if you don't have a great QB/coach combo like KC does right now. But there must be some kind of of threshold that we can use for BB. Here is mine and you can tell me what you think.
Year 1 - Nothing. You shouldn't expect anything from a coach year 1 in a rebuilding team. They had cap and QBs issues. This was a 'balance the books' year. I don't think it should be held against BB.
Year 2 - Make the playoffs. Perhaps not in the old 6 team format. But with 7 of 16 teams making the playoffs in the AFC, this should be expected. The Pats have now worked out any cap issues, have had their bridge year and are now prepared to implement what they discovered some of their needs to be. Anything short of making it in should be considered a disappointment for the GOAT coach. Even if he is blown out round 1 that would be fine.
Year 3 - Make it too the division round. At this point you should have found your QB, got the talent and scheme infused. Have sorted out any coaching issues you have, and even if some left your contingencies should be in place to cover it. Ideally by this time you have your QB in year 2-3 and they are now able to make the push to get you past round 1. Being bumped off in round 1 is generally not acceptable at this point anymore, though in some weird cases it might be, if the team that beats you ends up representing the conference or something. But if that happens you need to at least not get blown off the field.
Year 4 - Make the conference championship game. After 4 years of rebuilding there is no excuse for a great coach to not sniff the CCG once in that time. An alternative is to make the final 8, if the team that beats you wins the conference.
Year 5 - Make the final 4. No more excuses. Doesn't matter who you play. You are now 5 years in and your team should be built and ready to beat anyone but the first seed, assuming you didn't claim it. Your seed should be high enough that you can avoid playing the harder teams and so you should not be tripped up. No more excuses. Make it now.
That is how i see it with BB. Injuries of course can derail things, but after 5 years without Brady if we don't see the final 4, it more than fair to question the legacy of Bill as the 'GOAT'. How would you measure it though?
It is also true that adding a QB does more to instantly impact a team than adding a coach. Coaches take time to build their program, and the Pats are definitely in a rebuild right now. So the question is, how long does Bill have to turn this Pats team around and what would qualify him as proving that he is rightfully considered the GOAT coach without Brady. People talk about winning SBs, but that is really hard. Particular if you don't have a great QB/coach combo like KC does right now. But there must be some kind of of threshold that we can use for BB. Here is mine and you can tell me what you think.
Year 1 - Nothing. You shouldn't expect anything from a coach year 1 in a rebuilding team. They had cap and QBs issues. This was a 'balance the books' year. I don't think it should be held against BB.
Year 2 - Make the playoffs. Perhaps not in the old 6 team format. But with 7 of 16 teams making the playoffs in the AFC, this should be expected. The Pats have now worked out any cap issues, have had their bridge year and are now prepared to implement what they discovered some of their needs to be. Anything short of making it in should be considered a disappointment for the GOAT coach. Even if he is blown out round 1 that would be fine.
Year 3 - Make it too the division round. At this point you should have found your QB, got the talent and scheme infused. Have sorted out any coaching issues you have, and even if some left your contingencies should be in place to cover it. Ideally by this time you have your QB in year 2-3 and they are now able to make the push to get you past round 1. Being bumped off in round 1 is generally not acceptable at this point anymore, though in some weird cases it might be, if the team that beats you ends up representing the conference or something. But if that happens you need to at least not get blown off the field.
Year 4 - Make the conference championship game. After 4 years of rebuilding there is no excuse for a great coach to not sniff the CCG once in that time. An alternative is to make the final 8, if the team that beats you wins the conference.
Year 5 - Make the final 4. No more excuses. Doesn't matter who you play. You are now 5 years in and your team should be built and ready to beat anyone but the first seed, assuming you didn't claim it. Your seed should be high enough that you can avoid playing the harder teams and so you should not be tripped up. No more excuses. Make it now.
That is how i see it with BB. Injuries of course can derail things, but after 5 years without Brady if we don't see the final 4, it more than fair to question the legacy of Bill as the 'GOAT'. How would you measure it though?