Excellent Reiss piece about the trade

[QuantumMechanic]

Nice one from Reiss on what might have been going on.

I thought this was the most interesting bit (but the whole thing is worth reading).

Others who have played with Collins shared a viewpoint that because he is so athletically gifted, perhaps he hasn't always had to grind as hard as others. In the Patriots' culture, which stresses everyone pulling in the same direction, that would stand out.

At the same time, other teammates saw a player who was described as fully engaged. Meanwhile, as Collins' agent said to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Collins is excited to be part of a franchise he feels wants him.

Digging deeper on what led the Patriots to trade Jamie Collins

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Very interesting I never thought Collins was that kind of dude he seemed humble.
I thought he would sign at a discount and be happy, shows what I know.

 

[catent]

Very interesting I never thought Collins was that kind of dude he seemed humble.
I thought he would sign at a discount and be happy, shows what I know.

If you follow Collins on social media (Instagram, in this instance) you'd notice that a lot of his posts portray a person who is incredibly independent, individualistic, skeptical/cynical in general, introverted, and generally distrusting of others. Certainly someone who is looking out for himself first and foremost, at least that was the sense I got.

It certainty caught my eye in the past but I never thought much of it, given that all of that should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, I'm not entirely surprised that this ultimately ended up happening.

I love Collins and genuinely felt he was a phenomenal player for us. With that said, I don't think he's a great fit here, or ever was for that matter.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

Judging from all the news, he didn't fit "The Patriot way". Its a team game and nobody shows that more than NE.

 

[ALP]

at the end of the day, do you remember the mantra that won us the last SB?

"do your job"

so if you don't, don't expect to stick around, doesn't matter who you are

 

[n6249c]

at the end of the day, do you remember the mantra that won us the last SB?

"do your job"

so if you don't, don't expect to stick around, doesn't matter who you are

Not just the last, four so far. And counting...

 

[I am party]

From 2013:

Bill Belichick’s Quote ‘Dependability Is More Important Than Ability’ Explains Some of Patriots’ Personnel Decisions

 

[neuronet]

I remember the very first stand-out game he had (January 11, 2014 playoff game against the Colts), and he got interviewed right after the game, it was his first prime-time moment.

His only comment to the reporter was something to the effect that he was just out there trying to make a name for himself. I remember finding it very strange: he didn't mention that he was glad to win and help the team move on, or happy to contribute, or anything about the team. What stuck out was that he was pumped to build his brand. A very non-Patriot way kind of thing, I was startled by it enough to remember it over two years later (and my memory isn't exactly a bear trap).

I chalked it up to rookie behavior, being green talking to the press.

Now, my guess is it was also a little window into his mindset....

I searched for the interview but unfortunately couldn't find it, I'd love to see how accurate my memory is. If anyone finds it please post!

 

[PP2]

And not to be overlooked is this oft-repeated Belichick quote:

"We're building a team, not collecting talent."

Bill Belichick & draft philosophy

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm going to stop short in believing Collins was the second coming of Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe and lolly-gagged as Reiss intimated.

I do believe Jamie worked hard to make himself into a great player. I think BB would agree with that.

I believe he expected to be paid accordingly. I think BB would agree with that.

I think BB wanted to pay him and make sure Collins was here during his prime.

I believe once the gap in $ was clear, Jamie became dissolutioned with the team and his playing and practice attitude reflected it.

As others have said , he was not doing his job and committed to the Patriots program

That is a non-negotiable tenant of BBs program here and BB was not going to pay him $11m if that's the type of person he really is....while money is important, it shouldn't govern you.

 

[mosi]

That was a balanced article that did not really say anything new, but put everything together in a single piece. And honestly, all of those factors probably played a role in the decision. The one thing that stood out was this section "Others who have played with Collins shared a viewpoint that because he is so athletically gifted, perhaps he hasn't always had to grind as hard as others. In the Patriots' culture, which stresses everyone pulling in the same direction, that would stand out."

Collins has stated in the past that he, and Jones for that matter, does not watch or follow any form of football. Not college, not NFL, nothing. I think he has stated that if he had his choice, he would rather play video games all day long.

I don't think those are they type of guys BB likes. Brady loves football. For Collins, this was just a job. And a job he might not even like.

 

[BTTA]

As others have said , he was not doing his job and committed to the Patriots program

That is a non-negotiable tenant of BBs program here and BB was not going to pay him $11m if that's the type of person he really is....while money is important, it shouldn't govern you.

And to make superstar money in NE, a player needs to have every quality that Belichick requires, including being an outstanding representative of the Patriot way in the locker room and on the field. The big money requires showing up big in that way. And apparently that just wasn't him.

 

[SVN]

Its kinda sad that as a coping mechanism we need to find faults with the player after he left. Who knows what happened in reality. Rest all seems like conjecture just to explain what happened .

 

[Sicilian]

Its kinda sad that as a coping mechanism we need to find faults with the player after he left. Who knows what happened in reality. Rest all seems like conjecture just to explain what happened .

I don't think it's a coping mechanism, so much as a natural human function to want to understand the rational that goes into a decision. Sometimes that rational is obvious, like if his play was noticeably bad or he made some derisive comments to the media, or something else that we could see without any inside information.

But what we had was a player getting starter snaps (for the most part), and maybe not playing up to 100% of what we all hoped he would be, but still contributing. That player was then traded for a mid-level pick, and so we try to understand what might have happened behind the scenes to cause BB to NEED to ship this guy out before the end of the year. The choices there are either Collins had some kind of attitude/effort/coachability problem, or Belichick just decided to trade a talented defensive player that is still a positive impact on his team just for the hell of it. I find the former to be more plausible.

 

[RobertWeathers]

And to make superstar money in NE, a player needs to have every quality that Belichick requires, including being an outstanding representative of the Patriot way in the locker room and on the field. The big money requires showing up big in that way. And apparently that just wasn't him.

Exactly. Which is why Hightower and Malcolm are getting paid.......I think???

 

[BelichickFan]

Its kinda sad that as a coping mechanism we need to find faults with the player after he left. Who knows what happened in reality. Rest all seems like conjecture just to explain what happened .

It's not a coping mechanism, it's seeking to understand.

 

[Nunchucks]

Reduced playing time in a contract year would make him unhappy

 

[Triumph]

I would not want to be Collins playing for Cleveland.

He will likely make outstanding money, but also be expected to bring wins to the Browns making that kind of coin. Their defense is ranked 30th.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2016 DEFENSE EFFICIENCY RATINGS

 

[RobertWeathers]

Reduced playing time in a contract year would make him unhappy

I forget if it was BB or Tuna that said if you REALLY want to send a message to a player, take away their stage....which is the game and practice field.

No question reducing Collins snaps was that message.

 

[PF_SU]

Its kinda sad that as a coping mechanism we need to find faults with the player after he left. Who knows what happened in reality. Rest all seems like conjecture just to explain what happened .

The extreme reactions is surely coping mechanism, but you are off if you describe every attempt to "find faults" as coping mechanism. Because unless you assume Belichick is an idiot who traded Collins just because, there has to be a reason why he traded him. And to understand the possible reasons it is necessary to "find faults".