Good, comprehensive take on Solder's possible retirement after 2017 by Bedard

[luuked]

Can do no wrong and bungled his way to back to back 12-4 season a SB win and a close afccg loss.

There us a gap wider than the Grand Canyon in between there.
Nice try thiugh but you should stick to facts not hyperbole. Wait I saw your facts now I see the need for hyperbole.

Yeah I am out. Just the fact that you mention SBs or AFCCG appearances as if that has any relevance whatsoever to evaluate whether a specific unit was coached well makes the entire discussion absurd. Just because you win a title it doesn't mean that everyone did a good job.

You mean pretty much the Xactly same OL we won the SB with the next year when it was healthy?

Yep. After they finally got a real coach and not a clown.

 

[Ring 6]

You keep writing about those OL injuries when the reality is that Solder was the only relevant player getting injured. Guess what ? Last year we played without Vollmer. Injuries happen and yet our OL performed considerably better than the turnstiles of late 2015..

Vollmer/Kline/Stork/Mason/Cannon vs Solder/Thuney/Andrews/Mason/Cannon ?

It's too bad you didn't watch the games. Stork was playing LT at one point. Volmer was hobbling around. Cannon was playing hurt. In the games we lost many if these guys didn't play. Fleming and stork were the stating OTs in a loss that cost us home field.

Funny that you think volmer so injured he could never play again bs solder at LT is no big deal.

 

[Nehalem]

You mean pretty much the Xactly same OL we won the SB with the next year when it was healthy?

If by "exactly the same" you mean the LT, LG, and C were all different from the OL from the AFCCG loss against the Broncos then... yes.

 

[borg]

Just like "I'm focussed on the season" a stock patriot answer means bedard has to write an article implying solder will retire because he didn't get an answer to his question.

Exactly. A player wheels out a patented stock answer .....the typical Patriots response we have all been witness to for the past 18 years ...........
But this time ...."It spoke volumes"

I had my credit card out and was ready to pull the trigger and sign up despite my legendary cheapness. But now.....thanks Bedard for helping me come to my senses. Is it too much to ask for simple fact based reporting?

My suggestion: Hire Reiss.
Liberate Reiss from the shackles of ESPN and let him carpet bomb subscribers with every possible fact based nugget he can dig up.

 

[Kontradiction]

dante came back. He did not send him packing he hired him in a 2 year contract and chose not to renew him and Dante came back. Hardly announcing to the world he screwed up.

The results of those 2 years were fine.

LOL, Jesus. The Patriots essentially fired Googe. Dante came back afterward. If Googe was doing such a great job (and you were very vocal in your displeasure of the OL in 2015), there would have been no need for Dante to come back and Googe would have gotten renewed.

To assist you, here's a timeline of events...

January 25, 2016: Patriots part ways with Googe
February 8, 2016: First report surfaces of Dante returning as OL coach for 2016

Further, Dante also stayed with the team in some capacity working out draft picks. Belichick fired Googe. Plain and simple. In doing so, he essentially admitted error in picking Dante's replacement. That's fine. That's part of what makes Belichick the leader he is. He can admit error and move on. The results of the seasons Googe was here (one of which saw its end because his OL couldn't block a JV squad) have nothing to do with the fact that he was simply not a good replacement.

 

[Froob]

Lol

There have been rumblings about this, so I’ll just ask you: Have you contemplated retirement?” I asked Solder after practice on Thursday.

If he hasn’t, a quick, “Nah, I’m just looking forward to this season," would have sufficed.

Instead, Solder gave an answer that was akin to a soldier stating name, rank and serial number.

“My focus right now is to do the best I can on this field and be prepared to do whatever this team needs me to do,” he said.

That’s definitely not a "yes." But also, a long way from a "no."

 

[Ring 6]

Yeah I am out. Just the fact that you mention SBs or AFCCG appearances as if that has any relevance whatsoever to evaluate whether a specific unit was coached well makes the entire discussion absurd. Just because you win a title it doesn't mean that everyone did a good job.

Right because winning has nothing to do with whether a coach BUNGLED his team.

Yep. After they finally got a real coach and not a clown.

So it was coaching that made them all healthy?

Look Dante may be the best OL coach in the world. But to make a ridiculous comment like BB bungled a decision that led to fantastic results except when the entire unit was decimated is moronic.
I can see an argument that the dude isn't a very good coach but to say that hiring destroyed the team is ludicrous.

 

[Ring 6]

If by "exactly the same" you mean the LT, LG, and C were all different from the OL from the AFCCG loss against the Broncos then... yes.

The only player added was thuney. M
But you are right the ol issues in 2015 were primarily because if a huge rash of injuries.

 

[Joey007]

He's not. It's a terrible article by bedard.

I've wondered the same thing. It feels like we're putting a lot into a vague answer from Solder that in which we have no idea if it held any sort of meaning.

 

[Ring 6]

LOL, Jesus. The Patriots essentially fired Googe.

"Essentially" because they didn't actually.
And I'm not defending him I am objecting to your characterization that BB conceded he made a bad hire by moving on.
He likely made the best hire he could and the team was very successful in those seasons.

Dante came back afterward. If Googe was doing such a great job (and you were very vocal in your displeasure of the OL in 2015), there would have been no need for Dante to come back and Googe would have gotten renewed.

Dante wanted to come back. Dante is the best.
The OL sucked at the end of 2015 because they were decimated by injuries not because if coaching gaffes.

To assist you, here's a timeline of events...

January 25, 2016: Patriots part ways with Googe
February 8, 2016: First report surfaces of Dante returning as OL coach for 2016

Right because BB didn't know anything 2 weeks before reporters.

Further, Dante also stayed with the team in some capacity working out draft picks. Belichick fired Googe. Plain and simple.

No he didn't. They mutually agreed to not sign a new contract. His ****raxt ran out. That is not a firing.

In doing so, he essentially admitted error in picking Dante's replacement.

Not at all. I'm sure he wanted the best guy he could get. We don't know he didn't do that yet still wanted to upgrade if possible. That dorsnt mean he regrets the choice or had a better alternative avc the results say those were 2 pretty good years.

That's fine. That's part of what makes Belichick the leader he is. He can admit error and move on. The results of the seasons Googe was here (one of which saw its end because his OL couldn't block a JV squad) have nothing to do with the fact that he was simply not a good replacement.

The broncos were a JV squad?
Wow.
Actiallly the healthy players he wasxledy with to coach were a JV squad and the broncos were one of the best NFL varsity defenses.

 

[Ring 6]

I've wondered the same thing. It feels like we're putting a lot into a vague answer from Solder that in which we have no idea if it held any sort of meaning.

Bedard considers it proof. Well at least a headline.

 

[RDS11]

"
No he didn't. They mutually agreed to not sign a new contract. His ****raxt ran out. That is not a firing.

Geez, that's playing with words...

Every coaches in the NFL is on a contractual basis. If a team denies a coach of a contract renewal, that means that coach is out of a job.

Everybody else in the world calls this 'being fired'.
Everybody but Andy, because even when he's wrong he's right.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Definitely makes sense to plan for life after Solder either way. Even if he doesn't retire, I'm not sure his next contract will be with the Pats given the contracts that every tackle with a pulse gets in FA. And I gotta imagine it would be hard for Solder to walk away from that kind of money, but if he decides to then I'd definitely respect that move. At a certain point it's all about priorities and given what we keep learning about football I can see why increasing number of guys are prioritizing their desire to have a long and happy life.

 

[Ring 6]

Geez, that's playing with words...

Every coaches in the NFL is on a contractual basis. If a team denies a coach of a contract renewal, that means that coach is out of a job.

Everybody else in the world calls this 'being fired'.
Everybody but Andy, because even when he's wrong he's right.

Not offering someone another contract when their contract expires is not firing them.
Saying you think it's equivalent does not make it the same thing.
Acting like I am wrong to use proper definitions of words is your problem.

 

[BobDigital]

All I know is they paid a heavy price to move up and draft Garcia. They probably wouldn't have done that if they felt he was going to be a mere back up for the next 3-4 years.

That being said is Solder does retire and Garcia starts on the upside that is about 10M in savings to spend elsewhere though I would be concerned about the OL.

 

[Froob]

You mean pretty much the Xactly same OL we won the SB with the next year when it was healthy?

Cannon was far far better and wasn't he healthy both seasons?

 

[Nehalem]

The only player added was thuney. M
But you are right the ol issues in 2015 were primarily because if a huge rash of injuries.

And they dumped Stork, and replaced him with Andrews who was 10-0 as a starter before being benched for Stork when Stork came back from injury.

Stork being the head-bob guy in the AFCCG.

 

[Nehalem]

Cannon was far far better and wasn't he healthy both seasons?

Cannon missed weeks 7-10.

 

[Simpelton]

After Lewis, Edelman and Gronk got injured we all saw how awful the OL was without WR or TEs covering for them. Our entire base offense was essentially dead for the last month of the regular season and the post season. But yeah sure go ahead and tell yourself that going 2-4 against the Broncos, Eagles, Texans, Titans, Jets and Dolphins was good.

You just went over a list of situations that had nothing to do with the o line and increased their workload. To that I'll add one you forgot, the injury to our starting fullback James Develin. I don't think we got a healthy Gronk for those 6 games either but it was awhile ago so my memory may be a bit fuzzy.

With the fullback, roleplaying RB, top WR, and top TE all questionable or missing of course the offensive line wouldn't look as good as it does with those players healthy and participating. When you put enough pressure on any line it will break down. More to the point all of Develin, Lewis, Gronk and Edelman are critical to the blocking game and without them the o-line had to do things that are usually more of a team effort, all by themselves. The results are rather unsurprising in that context.

As for solder retiring... wouldn't shock me or faze me. Quite frankly the offensive line turns over as quickly as any position on the football field, the level of wear and tear on these guys is enormous and a guy who can have a long career there is doing a lot of things right. if a guy cashes in then hangs it up before his brains get scrambled, I'm not gonna criticize that decision.Good luck to him if he does hang 'em up soon

 

[Froob]

Cannon missed weeks 7-10.

By the playoffs though, wasn't he fine? It's clear it was not health that was the difference between Cannon last year and in 2015. He was a totally different player. He wrecked Von Miller this season.