Chad Finn's 53 Best Patriots of the Bill Belichick Era

[james87654]

am i the only person who thinks that seymour was the best defensive player from the SB years?

with all due respect to law and harrison

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'd put O-T-I-S on this list. After all, we're talking about the players who contributed the most, regardless of position.

By that measure, Otis has contributed more than Revis.

At 36 years old he had a monster 2001. Defense was 3rd in passer rating.

 

[RobertWeathers]

am i the only person who thinks that seymour was the best defensive player from the SB years?

with all due respect to law and harrison

He did make 3 All-Pro teams and I don't think they were handed to him. When he wanted to play, he was their most impactful defensive player.

I guess I'd put Ty right with him. However they did win a SB w/o him.

Harrison was dominant in 03 and 04. Hurt and not the same player after that.

 

[sb1]

Cassell on this list? Um....tough one but I'd probably say no. Can't really justify bumping someone off for him.

I think his success had just as much to do with BB and Bill O simplifying the playbook to make the system for him work. And even with that he had trouble against some of the better defenses in the league that year.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I think his success had just as much to do with BB and Bill O simplifying the playbook to make the system for him work. And even with that he had trouble against some of the better defenses in the league that year.

JBD was DC in 2008.

His worst games were vs Pitt (SB champ), SD on the road and a team Brady always had a problem with, MIA was a disaster (the Wildcat game) and the BS road loss to Indy.

For a 1st year starter, going 11-5 and finishing in the top 10 in almost every offensive category he was outstanding and made a potentially disastrous season very respectable.

He's borderline for the list for sure.

 

[primetime]

OK....Played different positions.

Post I responded to said Jarvis was mediocre. He wasn't.

He was a backup defensive lineman on a championship team. If those teams hadn't won the Super Bowl, he'd be remembered as a good backup defensive lineman. Instead he's remembered as an important member of a championship team. That's silly.

 

[sb1]

JBD was DC in 2008.

His worst games were vs Pitt (SB champ), SD on the road and a team Brady always had a problem with, MIA was a disaster (the Wildcat game) and the BS road loss to Indy.

For a 1st year starter, going 11-5 and finishing in the top 10 in almost every offensive category he was outstanding and made a potentially disastrous season very respectable.

He's borderline for the list for sure.

You're right about Josh being OC, my bad.

I think Cassel's spot is down one small step from this list.

He did an admirable job but he was what he was... through 5 games of that season his passer rating was only 78.1 and he had thrown more INTs than TDs. The Patriots only went 1-4 against the AFC playoff field that year, one season after going 16-0 with a much harder schedule. He threw more TDs than INTs in only 7 out of 16 games. If the coaches had stuck with him running Brady's system it wouldn't have ended well so it was obvious they had to "dumb it down" for him. They did and I think they should get just as much credit for Cassel's season as Cassel himself should.

Let's also not forget that he was surrounded by a team that broke a lot of offensive records with Brady the year before.

 

[RobertWeathers]

You're right about Josh being OC, my bad.

I think Cassel's spot is down one small step from this list.

He did an admirable job but he was what he was... through 5 games of that season his passer rating was only 78.1 and he had thrown more INTs than TDs. The Patriots only went 1-4 against the AFC playoff field that year, one season after going 16-0 with a much harder schedule. He threw more TDs than INTs in only 7 out of 16 games. If the coaches had stuck with him running Brady's system it wouldn't have ended well so it was obvious they had to "dumb it down" for him. They did and I think they should get just as much credit for Cassel's season as Cassel himself should.

Let's also not forget that he was surrounded by a team that broke a lot of offensive records with Brady the year before.

Fair points. I think at the end of the day, a QB needs to make plays that help the team win ball games. He made his fair share in 2008.

I think history has proven that with good coaching and a supporting cast, he can be productive.

If he doesn't have those things in place, he's very average/below average QB.

 

[Ring 6]

You're right about Josh being OC, my bad.

I think Cassel's spot is down one small step from this list.

He did an admirable job but he was what he was... through 5 games of that season his passer rating was only 78.1 and he had thrown more INTs than TDs. The Patriots only went 1-4 against the AFC playoff field that year, one season after going 16-0 with a much harder schedule. He threw more TDs than INTs in only 7 out of 16 games. If the coaches had stuck with him running Brady's system it wouldn't have ended well so it was obvious they had to "dumb it down" for him. They did and I think they should get just as much credit for Cassel's season as Cassel himself should.

Let's also not forget that he was surrounded by a team that broke a lot of offensive records with Brady the year before.

Cassel. isn't in the top 250.
And by the way Bledsoe and his 5-13 record under bb shouldn't be there either.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Cass rl isn't in the top 250.
And by the way Bledsoe and his 5-13 record under bb shouldn't be there either.

Considering vs the Pats, Drew was 1-5 w/ a 61.2 QB Rating and 11 picks thrown, he should have a Buffalo Bills helmet in Finn's article.

 

[DarrylS]

You can argue the order and the bottom of the "roster", but it is a nice trip down memory lane..

What is interesting is how many "finds" BB had to make these teams better.. and how many guys he let go before they "aged out"...

 

[New England Pride]

I think they should have made a depth chart out of it if they're gonna use the number 53. If its not by position, might as well make the list to 75 or 100.

 

[BTTA]

It's the 53 best players -- position be damned -- based on how much they contributed to the team's success during the 15 seasons Bill Belichick has been the franchise's coach.

How could anyone be on this list who wasn't on one of the title teams, or has played at least 7 years? The success of the Belichick era rests on the three SB victories. Without them, he personally would have replaced the Bills and Vikings as tragic figures with amazing winning percentages and no rings.

 

[AzorianPats]

I think Rodney Harrison is way to low on that list. I can see putting Seymour and Law ahead of him, but he did more for us then Moss, and he was just as important to that defense as Bruschi and Vrabel was.

 

[Fencer]

Roman Phifer should have been on the list, given the biases toward both LBs and ring-winners.

 

[Fencer]

I also don't see how you can have Revis (1/2 season) and not Ted Washington (1 season).

As for Jarvis Green -- I think of him as rotation guy, not a back-up. To view his contribution another way, he was paid starter money and generally agreed to have earned it.

 

[jsull87]

I'm going to go ahead and do it. Purely on who i think is the best player:

Starting lineup:

Offense:

QB: Brady
RB: Dillon
3rd dn RB: Faulk
TE: Gronk
WR: Moss
WR: Welker
WR: Branch
LT: Light
LG: Mankins
C: Kopen
RG: Waters
RT: Vollmer

Defense: 3-4

DE: Seymour
NT: Wilfork
DE: Warren

OLB: McGinnest
ILB: Bruschi
ILB: Mayo
OLB: Jones

CB: Revis
CB: Law
Nickle: Asante

SS: Rodney
FS: McCourty

K:Viniteri
P: Zoltan Mesko... no reason for this choice other than name
ST:Slater
PR:Edelman
KR:Hobbs

 

[Fencer]

Hard to quibble with most of that, but I found a few exceptions.

I'm going to go ahead and do it. Purely on who i think is the best player:

Starting lineup:

Offense:

QB: Brady
RB: Dillon
3rd dn RB: Faulk
TE: Gronk
WR: Moss
WR: Welker
WR: Branch
LT: Light
LG: Mankins
C: Kopen Koppen
RG: Waters Woody?
RT: Vollmer

Defense: 3-4

DE: Seymour
NT: Wilfork
DE: Warren

OLB: McGinnest McGinest
ILB: Bruschi
ILB: Mayo
OLB: Jones

CB: Revis
CB: Law
Nickle: Asante Don't slot receivers have to be willing to tackle? I guess Law could move inside.

SS: Rodney
FS: McCourty

K:Viniteri
P: Zoltan Mesko... no reason for this choice other than name
ST:Slater
PR:Edelman
KR:Hobbs Faulk has an argument too

 

[OhExaulted1]

I was going to bring up Patrick Pass and Lonnie Paxton but since this list is "Inarguable And Indisputable" ......all debate is irrelevant.

 

[Oswlek]

Roman Phifer should have been on the list, given the biases toward both LBs and ring-winners.

I thought I saw him when I scanned through a few days ago.