Finally: an explanation for Ja'Lynn Polk's putrid rookie season

[One-If-By-Sea]

That would definitely be a "legendary story." We've got the QB for that kind of performance, but... If only Polk's mouth could catch footballs: most of his development effort has gone into talking.

Don't forget about Baker's mouth. It is handy catching footballs with your mouth when you have frying pans for hands.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I think I would tend to agree with you. When you hire a GM and coach you need to go at least 2 years . Its sunk cost, but the probability of getting good GM and coach who can join you is so remote if you fire coaches after a year.

So when krafts hired wolf and mayo without search , it was a lazy process and its sunk cost for 2 years. We just hope both can get better in 2 years. Drake looks like a stud but that was not something planned and we got lucky. Let's just hope having AVP for 2 years solidifies his game. No point having a rolling parade of coaches and OCs.

The 49ers fired Jim Tomsula after 1 season, and then hired and fired Chip Kelly after 1 season, and then hired Kyle Shanahan for the last 8 seasons. The 49ers fired two coaches in a row after 1 season and then got a great coach.

The Jets for the last 20 years always kept their coaches for more than 1 year, and they have not had a decent coach.

Can you share examples that support your argument because I don't see it?

 

[50-yard-line]

Absolutely not. He’s a gimmick WR.

Gimmick receivers don't have 1400 yard seasons.

San Fran is a gimmick offense. Purdy is limited, the weapons have been off-the-charts with McCaffery, Kittle, Aiyuk, and Samuel...which has led to a lot less focus on Deebo, epecially after they threw and ran him into the ground (as they then did with McCaffery).

The talent is undeniable. He needs to go to a place where he can get more touches, get in rhythm.

I'd go after him and a second WR in FA, then grab BPA in the first round or trade down if the haul was there. Personally, if the Pats get the #3 or 4, the only players there worth that pick look to me (with my limited view, admittedly) to be Hunter (I don't think he's the best WR in the draft, but I'm not in love with any of them) or Jeanty.

 

[State]

I thought he was showing ok promise the first month or so. Making some nice catches, just needing to work on where he was placing his feet.

But he's fallen so far from that painfully low bar that it may be unrecoverable.

He looked good at the beginning of training camp. I think the Patriots need a new WR coach. A coach who can coach.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Repeat after me:

Deebo, Deebo, Deeeeeeeeebo

I agree, this is the best answer. His deal would out in a couple of years, and they wouldn’t be paying a 2 ( Higgins) as though he is Justin Jefferson or Chase.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If we don’t rebuild from the front office up this team is going to be a joke for years.

I agree. Every coach, player, and GM should only be given 8 months, if they haven’t turned the team into instant contenders, or aren’t All Pro’s then get rid of them. Turnstile franchises, that treat everyone like toilet paper are always the most successful franchises.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If Drake Maye has a 3 interception game they need to cut him and go with Joe Milton, at least until he has a 3 interception game, then they need to cut him…………

 

[Love The Drake]

I agree. Every coach, player, and GM should only be given 8 months, if they haven’t turned the team into instant contenders, or aren’t All Pro’s then get rid of them. Turnstile franchises, that treat everyone like toilet paper are always the most successful franchises.

What have you seen or heard from Mayo or others or seen on the field that makes you feel he’s turning this around, giving him better talent is like giving a kid who breaks his Toys expensive collectibles.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Gimmick receivers don't have 1400 yard seasons.

San Fran is a gimmick offense. Purdy is limited, the weapons have been off-the-charts with McCaffery, Kittle, Aiyuk, and Samuel...which has led to a lot less focus on Deebo, epecially after they threw and ran him into the ground (as they then did with McCaffery).

The talent is undeniable. He needs to go to a place where he can get more touches, get in rhythm.

I'd go after him and a second WR in FA, then grab BPA in the first round or trade down if the haul was there. Personally, if the Pats get the #3 or 4, the only players there worth that pick look to me (with my limited view, admittedly) to be Hunter (I don't think he's the best WR in the draft, but I'm not in love with any of them) or Jeanty.

Shanahan’s offense puts him in positions to make plays. He’s not a guy that can go straight up with a defender and beat him. He had 1,400 yards one season, but the rest has been pedestrian. His kamikaze style wore him down quickly and he’s been playing like a 40 year old for a few years now. He’s always banged up and unreliable.

Bro’s a gimmick.

 

[Huckleberry1]

What have you seen or heard from Mayo or others or seen on the field that makes you feel he’s turning this around, giving him better talent is like giving a kid who breaks his Toys expensive collectibles.

I haven’t been impressed at all with Mayo, and my criteria for his success was very low. I wanted to see them play hard disciplined football with few penalties, and he hasn’t been able to get that out of them, which is really disappointing.

Wolf is an entirely different story. He inherited Kraft’s coach, and Belichick’s ****ty team, in a year where free agency was completely devoid of talent. He got them their franchise QB in his first draft, and this fanbase gave the rest of his draft all of September before declaring them all busts. The people calling for his head are idiots, and if they start hiring and firing GM’s and coaches every other year they are going to turn into the dregs of the NFL for the next 20 years.

 

[Family]

It's not just Polk.

Gonzalez and Maye are special talents.

Beyond those two name one young player who has been developed into a next year starter.

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

I haven’t been impressed at all with Mayo, and my criteria for his success was very low. I wanted to see them play hard disciplined football with few penalties, and he hasn’t been able to get that out of them, which is really disappointing.

I expected him to be heavily involved on the defensive side, perhaps indistinguishable from DC. When I didn’t see key aspects of the Patriot Way such as not beating yourselves and hard nosed, disciplined play, I was surprised. I didn’t expect strategic mastery, but his mistakes cannot be explained by inexperience. A 68 yd FG attempt in the cold when you’ve got a QB that can throw it to the moon (not to mention The Best Hands in Football and Undisputed Contested Catch King Polk to go up and get it)?

Wolf is an entirely different story. He inherited Kraft’s coach, and Belichick’s ****ty team, in a year where free agency was completely devoid of talent. He got them their franchise QB in his first draft, and this fanbase gave the rest of his draft all of September before declaring them all busts. The people calling for his head are idiots, and if they start hiring and firing GM’s and coaches every other year they are going to turn into the dregs of the NFL for the next 20 years.

“Idiot” is a bit harsh. Maye was a no-brainer, and after Maye he whiffed on every pick. He picked Polk, who looked like slow garbage in OTAs, and hasn’t improved at all. Then he said the line was in good shape going into the season. That’s an egregious misevaluation. And remember, Wolf was part of the talent evaluation team that gave us this “devoid of talent” roster. You can disagree with every point I’ve made, but that doesn’t make me an idiot, or you one either.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I expected him to be heavily involved on the defensive side, perhaps indistinguishable from DC. When I didn’t see key aspects of the Patriot Way such as not beating yourselves and hard nosed, disciplined play, I was surprised. I didn’t expect strategic mastery, but his mistakes cannot be explained by inexperience. A 68 yd FG attempt in the cold when you’ve got a QB that can throw it to the moon (not to mention The Best Hands in Football and Undisputed Contested Catch King Polk to go up and get it)?


“Idiot” is a bit harsh. Maye was a no-brainer, and after Maye he whiffed on every pick. He picked Polk, who looked like slow garbage in OTAs, and hasn’t improved at all. Then he said the line was in good shape going into the season. That’s an egregious misevaluation. And remember, Wolf was part of the talent evaluation team that gave us this “devoid of talent” roster. You can disagree with every point I’ve made, but that doesn’t make me an idiot, or you one either.

I believe that people who judge a draft class on half a season are idiots. That’s not directed at anyone other than those who do that. As far as the Maye pick goes half this board didn’t want him, and many wanted a trade down. Those same people consistently argued that only 30% of first round QB’s succeed. Now those people say it was a” no brainer,” and give Wolf no credit, but had he turned out to be Zach Wilson they would have crucified him. All blame, no credit. Wolf deserves the time to build a team around Maye, and those who want him gone will be saying the same about the next GM 6 months into the job, and the same for the one after that.

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

I wanted Maye. I was praying he wouldn’t do a trade down for JJ or Penix, but I would have rallied behind Nix. For the rest of the picks, we’ll see I guess.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Maybe BB was on to something when he would look for character and football intelligence in potential draftees. Obviously he had some big misses with that approach and seemed incapable of evaluating WRs, for example, but overall that seems like a good strategy.

BB hasn't drafted a good WR in 20 years. Edelman was his lone hit in 2 decades. Defending BB's draft choices is indefensible.

Now do I also blame our scouts? Yes. Every single New England WR scout should be fired and replaced by reputable and competent people immediately.

Who recommended Thornton over Pickens. Or how about Polk and Baker over McConkey? Both are fireable offenses.

 

[Rob0729]

Genuinely curious where you heard this from. I just read an article on Masslive where Douglas was saying learning the system was easy. Is Douglas just really smart or is the system not that difficult? Wondering how much stock to put into the Polk issues.

Bedard said something about it this week.

But don’t forget Douglas played for O’Brien last year and the system they used was one of the most complicated systems in the NFL. Everything is relative.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I wanted Maye. I was praying he wouldn’t do a trade down for JJ or Penix, but I would have rallied behind Nix. For the rest of the picks, we’ll see I guess.

That’s all I’m saying. You don’t draft prospects for what they are, you draft them for what they can be, and that takes time and a coaching staff that can develop them, I’m not saying that Wolf had a great draft, I’m saying that it’s way too early to know. And anyone who says they can judge an interior offensive lineman 8 games into their career is simply making **** up, as they don’t have the knowledge or ability to judge them.

 

[turkeyneck]

Bedard said something about it this week.

But don’t forget Douglas played for O’Brien last year and the system they used was one of the most complicated systems in the NFL. Everything is relative.

I don't put a lot of stock into Douglas knowing the system as well as he imagines.

 

[slash83]

Polk still running the wrong routes this deep into the season is deeply concerning.

 

[203Pat]

As sad as it is this actually makes me feel a tiny bit better about Polk lol. A lot of people surmised we passed on Mitchell because he is a pain in the ass. Unfortunately Polk has been a pain as well but even the things he's said aren't as dumb as this.