ESPN hitpiece on Patriots (Rift with Brady/Belichick/Kraft) - Merged

[ALP]

OK, I'll assume for a second that this article is true, as it applies to BB and Kraft mandating how to deal w/ Brady (which btw, Brady is such a figure, that proper handling is needed, so I would neither be surprised that he required special handling instructions from Kraft to BB, or that BB would have trouble understanding that w/ Brady it is a peculiar case):

BB will either
-he will either retire from football at end of year to avoid a situation where Owner gets involved, even though its only a one time thing
...i don't think he will let others or 1 case determine his retirement plans

or he will go to a new team after this year
...i dont think that's likely, b/c if he is so pissed at Kraft, he would have sent Jimmy to the team he would then want to move to in offseason, so a team which did not just hire a new coach, to spite both Brady and Kraft

As for Kraft, he's obviously not selling the team
As for Brady, now w/ no successor he's here for at least the next 2 years, most likely 3 (minimum) (until he really falls off a cliff which i dont think will happen, or a new worthy successor emerges) obviously we wouldn't have shipped Jimmy away if brady was thinking of retiring in 2 years, so he plans to play 3+ more

so summary: IF everything in this story is true, our 3 headed monster is not going ANYWHERE, and we all know not everything in this story is true

 

[luuked]

We'll find out if this is a hit piece or not, as soon as the seasons over, because if the trio is breaking up, we know Kraft & Brady aren't going anywhere. Honestly, I've been losing sleep over this exact scenario since the minute JG was traded because the only logical explanation for the trade was that Kraft forced BB to make it.

How big of a disaster would it be if BB leaves after Matty P & McDaniels depart? It'll be 1997 all over again...

No the only logical explanation is that you have no ****ing clue how the salary cap or roster building in the NFL works. There was no way to keep JG around so nobody had to force anyone to do anything. Like everyone already said it was a crossroads and they decided to go with the MVP and known commodity over the person who failed to make it through more than 6 quarters of football the last time they needed him.

Idiots.. idiots everywhere..

 

[AtomicDawg]

OK, I'll assume for a second that this article is true, as it applies to BB and Kraft mandating how to deal w/ Brady (which btw, Brady is such a figure, that proper handling is needed, so I would neither be surprised that he required special handling instructions from Kraft to BB, or that BB would have trouble understanding that w/ Brady it is a peculiar case):

BB will either
-he will either retire from football at end of year to avoid a situation where Owner gets involved, even though its only a one time thing
...i don't think he will let others or 1 case determine his retirement plans

or he will go to a new team after this year
...i dont think that's likely, b/c if he is so pissed at Kraft, he would have sent Jimmy to the team he would then want to move to in offseason, so a team which did not just hire a new coach, to spite both Brady and Kraft

As for Kraft, he's obviously not selling the team
As for Brady, now w/ no successor he's here for at least the next 2 years, most likely 3 (minimum) (until he really falls off a cliff which i dont think will happen, or a new worthy successor emerges) obviously we wouldn't have shipped Jimmy away if brady was thinking of retiring in 2 years, so he plans to play 3+ more

so summary: IF everything in this story is true, our 3 headed monster is not going ANYWHERE, and we all know not everything in this story is true

I think it's highly possible Brady went to BB and said he's serious about playing five more years. He said those exact words in two interviews last season. Perhaps he reiterated them to him. So BB had to make a decision, one that didn't involve paying two QBs $20-plus million which has never happened before. Still way different from the spin-zone the media is trying to pull of "Brady forced him".

 

[BradytoMosstoGronk]

Wickersham article? Won't waste my time. Only thing worse would be a Mortensen article.

Wickersham is a talentless hack. Way to contrive ******** yet again, E-SPIN.

 

[Nikolai]

Guerrero is an anti-science turd as far as I can see, but the idea that we're done after this year because of him and JimmyG is absurd.

It's like the article was written to make a specific handful of posters here satisfied that their Jimmy G obsession means something.

 

[luuked]

While I don’t believe this to be the truth, one could argue that BB felt it was time to go with Jimmy in 2018 and that trading Brady to a team that thinks they are one piece away would bring back the haul of a lifetime.

Again, I don’t personally think that scenario is true, but it isn’t as far fetched as some theories.

It makes no ****ing sense because in a trade you would get less for Brady than for JG.

We had that discussion a thousand times and still people come up with the silly idea that Brady could be traded. There is no trade market for him because there are no teams running a EP offense that need a QB. If you think one receiver gaining Bradys trust is a big thing try an entire offense. Additionally, Brady will refuse a trade to any team that he doesnt think will give him a chance to win because he doesnt want to be a circus attraction as he has stated multiple times in interviews. He only cares about winning.. as soon as the winning goes away there is no reason for him to keep playing.

I honestly would love to know what teams would supposedly fulfull all of the requirements for Brady to be traded there AND return a big haul. It is all a fantasy..

 

[zimmy]

I'm sure there is some hyperbole in the article but some of it rings true, to me at least. Sure it's speculation on my part but that's what the board is for I guess.

1. I do believe that Kraft and Belichick had a conversation about the QB situation and Bill wanted to continue trying to hold on to Jimmy. I do think BB believes Tom ain't playing until his mid forties, and reckons all that TB12 method stuff is bull. And I think Kraft, maybe without directly demanding it, said that we should move on from Jimmy as Tom is going to play a few more years. I think this explains why a) Bill had traded Brissett 2 months earlier - i.e. he had no intention of trading Jimmy until his hand was forced, b) why he didn't shop Jimmy around - he wanted him to go to SF to succeed to prove him right and c) there was such an about face on Garoppolo - Schefter had been vehemently reporting that there was no way he was traded - and then it came up out of the blue, no speculation, no nothing. Traded for a 2nd rounder.

2. Bill is Mr long term and unsentimental. He openly scoffed at the Colts a few years ago for having no long term backup to Manning. He knows that players can fall off cliffs. That just makes it seem so unlikely to me that he would leave us in a situation with an ageing, and hurt, QB with no successor plan, unless the decision was out of his hands.

3. There is clearly a rift between Bill, Guerrero and Brady. That is pretty obvious. No one denied it earlier this year etc.

4. I don't believe that Bill will go anywhere, but I do think he is frustrated. He's spent 4 years developing the long term future of the franchise only to have it torn down. His assistants are leaving, they may take some more lower assistants with them. Bill is faced with having to do everything over again this year.

I'm sure many of you will disagree with me, but it's clear to me that there are elements of truth in this story.

 

[Flash]

Yeah, it's a load of crap, I'm not really going to buy it, sorry ESPN. The only part that sounds believable is the Alex Guerrero part which everyone knew about anyways, and no, a single Alex Guerrero isn't going to end the Patriots dynasty.

 

[luuked]

Agree to disagree. Maybe you are right. I’d bet BOB in Houston would love to get chewed out near the bench in order to get his SB.

Except Brady would have never been traded to a AFC competitor. How naive are you ?

 

[carmelo15]

We’v won the super bowl every time a scandle came out correction fake scandlw cane out in January. This one is embarrassing in nature too good thing I didn’t bother to read it

 

[luuked]

However, judging by the recent column Curran wrote and some things that have been hinted at by other reporters, there's probably some smoke to go with the fire that several seem to be trying to start.

Jesus..

Have you actually read the Curran column ? There is not a single sentence indicating that trading Brady was an option. The point Curran was making is that after Deflategate Kraft wouldnt even have the goodwill of the fans to pull it off. Curran has been on the record for months saying nothing like that is happening.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'll just leave this part here:

The Patriots repeatedly offered Garoppolo four-year contract extensions, in the $17 million to $18 million range annually that would go higher if and when he succeeded Brady. Garoppolo and Yee rejected the offers out of hand, for reasons that remain unclear, and the Patriots knew they couldn't make any promises to Garoppolo about the timing of a transition at quarterback without it getting back to Brady.

People are welcome to speculate on why I chose this portion as the one to quote.

 

[Big-T]

The best bit about the above quote is that Curran has already called it BS and they didn't even get to the point of informal talks, never mind a full offer.

 

[supafly]

Except Brady would have never been traded to a AFC competitor.

Don’t get me started. I had a lengthy back and forth with a certain poster this summer, who tried to drive the idea down everyone’s throats that Brady would have the final say in this hypothetical scenario, and that he’d probably end up on either the Steelers or the Broncos.

I think the idea that 1) Brady would ever want to go to such a place and 2) that the Patriots would allow him to go to a competitor is beyond ridiculous. In the extremely unlikely event that Brady would ever be traded, it would almost certainly be to a non-conference team. And no, the Bledsoe situation has nothing to do with any of it.

 

[supafly]

We’v won the super bowl every time a scandle came out correction fake scandlw cane out in January. This one is embarrassing in nature too good thing I didn’t bother to read it

Yeah, the January scandals are alright. The February ones—not so much.

 

[carmelo15]

Even Browns fans are laughing at this and made a point. Why the **** would Bill care about not trading Jimmy G to Cleveland if this were true

 

[carmelo15]

Yeah, the January scandals are alright. The February ones—not so much.

We’ve never had a February one

 

[supafly]

I find it hard to believe that Garoppolo went to seek tx at the TB12 facility and was barred from entering the door, with dramatic tales of unanswered phone calls and locked doors to boot. C’mon. To me, that sounds ridiculous.

 

[supafly]

We’ve never had a February one

The most famous of all.

The Thomase article that came out within 48 hrs of the SB loss to the Giants to end our perfect season. It suggested widespread cheating for years. The Herald eventually took out a whole page apology.

 

[supafly]

I'll just leave this part here:



People are welcome to speculate on why I chose this portion as the one to quote.

I’ll take “because it’s ********” for $500, Alex.