DRAFT Cole Strange-Welcome to the Pats

[archstanton543]

We all had the same reaction to Mankins, McCourty and they turned out okay. Trust the process.

Did we?

 

[Rob0729]

The people criticizing Matt Millen - uh I mean Bill Belichick - this morning extends far beyond the usual group.

Yes, but you are exactly one of the people I am correctly calling out. Merry Christmas!

Truth hurts doesn't it.

 

[Wozzy]

A trip down memory lane…

Remember when he was drafted? The Patriots took him with the 32d pick in the 2005 draft, out of Fresno State. The experts — feel free to apply your own air quotes there — had him pegged as a later-round selection. Some had him multiple rounds later.
When his name was announced during ESPN’s draft coverage, I recall a look of bewilderment crossing Mel Kiper Jr. face while a puzzled Chris Berman asked him, essentially, who the hell is this guy? (I believe what he actually said as he looked Kiper’s way was a shrugged, “Well?”)
He clearly disliked the pick, but he was paralyzed from saying as much because he knew there was a damn good chance he would look foolish for challenging Belichick’s knowledge of the player. So he timidly called it a reach, then wrote this the next day:

"Guard Logan Mankins was a reach in the first round but the Patriots obviously like his size and nastiness, and he will help fill the void left by Joe Andruzzi’s departure via free agency."​

The latter part of the evaluation proved spot on. And, not even in retrospect but in that very moment, should have negated the idea that Mankins was a reach.

www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2014/08/26/logan_mankins/

Logan Mankins
6× All-Pro (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011–2013)
7× Pro Bowl (2007, 2009–2013, 2015)
NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
New England Patriots All-2000s Team
New England Patriots All-2010s Team
New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team
Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award (2010)

 

[VectorPrime]

Is that the same McVay that got schooled by Belichick in the Super bowl?

He’s had major success since then if you hadn’t noticed. Getting to the Super Bowl at all with Jared Goff is also now turning out to be a pretty amazing miracle.

 

[Toofy]

Did you read my last paragraph? I said it wasn't everyone who is piling on Belichick today. There are just a group who shows up every time Belichick makes an unpopular move.

I did. I am just saying you don't need to call out belichick haters because this draft pick is universally condemned and you absolutely need no bias . The only ones supporting it are like the purest of pure belichick supporters who never question him. As for the rest of fans, it's a big head scratcher rather head grinder..

 

[They_Hate_We]

There's always a chance Strange will pan out better than N'Keal. So there's that.

 

[*ChungFu*]

Based on the Strange selection and the Karras/Mason departures; I'd say BB just wasn't that impressed with Karras/Mason and wanted new blood there.

 

[archstanton543]

There's always a chance Strange will pan out better than N'Keal. So there's that.

That's not a high bar to clear.

 

[VectorPrime]

weird that cinci sure did devote some off season capital to OL upgrades, after falling short last season despite a slew of offensive talent?

Yeah, when you have elite talent in almost every place except in one clear position the you aim for need not best player available. Conversely, when you lack talent everywhere then you need to do the opposite. It’s not that hard to understand.

 

[Rob0729]

I did. I am just saying you don't need to call out belichick haters because this draft pick is universally condemned and you absolutely need no bias . The only ones supporting it are like the purest of pure belichick supporters who never question him. As for the rest of fans, it's a big head scratcher rather head grinder..

But itt doesn't change the fact that they are poising the wells to make the piling on worse. There is a difference between legitimately criticizing the pick and just coming in to pill on Belichick because you hate the guy.

I have no problem with people who legitimately hate the pick without bias against Belichick, but the Boo Hoo Brady Crew always come out of the woodworks on days like this and just make the board unreadable.

 

[Ring 6]

They're not Patriots haters they're Belichick haters -- and Brady lovers. But some do root against the Patriots because they fear that Belichick having success without Brady will challenge their Brady >> Belichick canon.

If you hate the man running the organization, who has brought more success than anyone in the history of the game, you hate the organization.

 

[JMC00]

Bullcrap. nor NFLN had any footage or synopsis ready to show on the guy.

Wrong. Here was NFLN

 

[XLIX]

Yes, but you are exactly one of the people I am correctly calling out. Merry Christmas!

Truth hurts doesn't it.

um, whuh huh?

I am generally critical of Bill Belichick's abilities as a general manager. This morning, far more people are agreeing with that criticism than disagreeing. How is that "truth hurts"...? Seem to me that you are the one with the butthurt more than others. Happy Columbus Day!!

 

[XLIX]

I have no problem with people who legitimately hate the pick without bias against Belichick, but the Boo Hoo Brady Crew always come out of the woodworks on days like this and just make the board unreadable.

Then STFU and leave. Or block me. Just stop being such a whiny little bee yotch.

 

[1960Pats]

There were six (I think) WRs off the board before 21.

And yeah, see my first post in this thread. The guy is a Pat, excited to be a Pat, and has all the tools to be really good. Crapping on him is absurd.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware that It was before their pick.

The guy has a lot of reasons to be happy and deserves some patience from us. The negative reaction from the fans here is Strange. They all deserve to get Cole in their stockings come Christmas time.

 

[VectorPrime]

Some people just don’t get it. Kid could be fine. Good. Great even. Who knows. THEY ARE STILL WEAKER THAN LAST SEASON due to him at best filling Shaq Mason’s former spot. Because he’s a freaking guard. Meanwhile there are gaping holes all over the roster and especially on defense. You want to argue this is a pick for the long haul that Shaq wouldn’t be able to fill long term then fine do it that might be true. But DONT then say we should expect NEXT year to be an improvement over last year because we are still worse while the entire rest of the conference got better. You can’t say the Pats are ahead of schedule and already in the mix as too many people did last season and somehow also say this is a 5 year rebuild and we need patience.

 

[Kasmir]

Yes, I didn't know who Thuney was and was surprised by the pick, and I didn't like it because there were a lot of other good players still around. And then I read up that on some boards, Thuney actually dropped. Teams had him as a potential second rounder.

This is not that situation.

Again, what does Strange's selection say about the remaining available players, or those who were taken between 21-29? The Patriots do not believe these players are at Strange's level.

I think it means they thought that Strange could help the team more than those other players, i.e. was their best fit for their system and circumstances. Doesn't mean that a different team might have a totally different ranking based on their system and circumstances.

That's basically what BB told Zolak the other day.

My conclusion is that the idea of a universal consensus draft board is a construct created to cater to draftniks. The idea that draft picks should be evaluated by hypothetical universal value achieved has questionable utility to teams drafting but is a construct very useful and dear to draftniks who rely on that construct to score their personal research efforts vs what teams actually do.

It does lead to absurd conclusions, such as validating that Brady was at best a 6th round pick as he actually did fall to there (and the question remains whether he was actually still a reach at the 6th round --he might have fallen to the 7th!) Drafting Brady in say the 2nd round would have been one of the greatest draftnik reaches of all time, because we know he was available at the 6th round and we'd have thrown away a 2nd rounder of universal value needlessly -- despite the present consensus that Brady became the GOAT.

The construct of a universal consensus draft board is hugely useful to draftniks but of no real importance to teams actually drafting, who care primarily about maximizing perceived value to them in their system and circumstances, and secondarily to up to the minute specific intelligence about the likelihood that the players atop their proprietary board might be similarly valued by *any* other team. They don't care about consensus value at all -- unless they are so desperate with their public image that they need to cater for PR reasons to the draftnik consensus.

 

[Rob0729]

um, whuh huh?

I am generally critical of Bill Belichick's abilities as a general manager. This morning, far more people are agreeing with that criticism than disagreeing. How is that "truth hurts"...? Seem to me that you are the one with the butthurt more than others. Happy Columbus Day!!

Yes, I get it. You hate Belichick. Merry Chirstmas.

 

[Ross12]

 

[Ring 6]

I'm off this thread now that any criticism is Belichick hate.

I'm one of the biggest Belichick boosters, but since this is now turning into a total non-sense thread, have at it.

Good decision, perhaps there is another topic you are more knowledgeable about. Baking? Astronomy?