Idle Thoughts – a reflective edition

[Brady6]

Exageration once again. Belichick planned and prepared for the changes with the Draft. Did you expect him to spend three draft picks for linemen?

How can it be the worst, when it enabled 4 consecutive AFCCG and a Super Bowl appearances. Despite the pain and blood of the present surgery, the Team is 2-1, tied for the AFCE lead.

Despite the justifiable concern, the new Offensive line is actually doing marginally better than last year in pass blocking. Still unsatisfactory to be sure, but in number of hits14 vs 15, and time Brady is using to pass, 2,65 vs 2,57 seconds, and time before being sacked, and equal in sacks 7 when compared against the first 3 games of 2013, according to PFF.

Actually I thought it would be much worse, only to get better post surgery, but even now its better.

That bad 2013 line produced the Third rated Offense in the League last season.

First of all the OL during the 4 AFCCG is not the same as the OL we have right now so I am not sure why you are trying to ride on the coattails of that. The Super Bowl line from 2011 was Light-Mankins-Connolly-Waters-Vollmer.

The team should have used better draft picks on OL the fact that Belichick used the #62 pick in this draft on Garopollo when he cannot even protect his current QB is negligent. You can make, as many stupid list of the positions that Belichick values as you want and exaggerate the results of the players but the fact is the #1 priority above all should be the protection of Tom Brady and that is a failure.

 

[Brady6]

Lets go through the roster at BB's "Important Positions"

QB Brady Superstar & GOAT
LOT Solder drafted 1st Round pick, Star (hopefully developing)
DE Jones Superstar (developing)
DT Wilfork Superstar (aging)
CB Revis Superstar (possible GOAT?)
CB Browner Star
LB Mayo Superstar (almost)
LB Hightower Star
TE Gronkowsk Superstar (possible GOAT)

No where else do you find Superstars now that anomaly LG Mankins is gone.

Other Stars exist at:
RT Volmer,(Alternate LOT?)
LB Collins (developing),
LDE Ninkovitch,
S McCourty,
RB Ridley (1300yard back)

It seems BB honors his thesis, in practice. The W-L record tends to confirm it too.

Wow, were you drinking last night?

- Solder is not a star, currently he is playing as poor as any LT in the NFL.
- Jones is not a superstar; he has not even made a pro bowl team. Watt is a superstar, maybe Jones develops into that but you are extremely premature.
- Revis has a long way to go before he is talked about as the GOAT.
- Browner is not a star, he was the 13th ranked DB on the UFA market this season.
- Gronkowski – see what I wrote about Revis.
- Hightower is not a star, if he continues to play as he has this season he will be one but right now, he is a solid starter who is developing.
- Collins is not a star; he has started 4 games in his career.
- Ninkovich is a solid starter.
- Ridley lost his job last season, stars do not usually lose their jobs.

The truth is McCourty could have been labeled a superstar and Edelman could have been labeled a star but you completely overlooked them because they did not fit your agenda of attempting to make it look like Belichick had specific positions that he saw as more significant.

 

[Brady6]

Overall BB has to be a masterful Coach; and juggler, par excellance. Not even Paul Brown, his hero, could create an instant winner the first year with his expansion Bengals, like he did with his namesake Browns when the AAFC was formed.

I do not follow what you are talking about Belichick did not make the Browns and instant winner?

 

[patfanken]

I just stopped by to see if there was anything of interest going on, and I checked in to this thread, because I was wondering WTF it was still going on. Why was it still being commented on? Well I read the last 2 pages and quickly figured out why. My thread had become still ANOTHER forum where the panic driven whiners and complainers could ignore the last 13 years to beat up the OL, coaches and personnel decision makers of the entire organization.

I stopped reading threads about three or four days ago because it was like reading the same thing OVER and OVER again, by the same people. The OL hasn't looked good thus far. We get it. But the fact is that its NOT as bad as you would let on, and it isn't going to get better if you start still another thread to proclaim your displeasure.

Football is not a sport for crybabies, yet that is what a good percentage of this fan base has become. The constant keening has become painful. Solder is having technique issues, Volmer isn't all the way back from his leg, Devey wasn't the immediate fix and Wendell has been hurt. Yes I mentioned Wendell. I know this is just anecdotal, but IIRC, Wendell got hurt at the end of the first half of the Miami game, a half we scored 20 points. Not for nothing but since he's been out.......?????

For all the the angst the drama queens have rained down on us, the FACTS remain that what's happening isn't all that different from what was going on last season (with Mankins), and historically, there is no reason to believe that it won't improve over time.

I haven't watched a minute of local Pats related media this week, because I knew what was going to be said. Besides if I wanted drama and complaining, I only had to wait for Nathan to start ANOTHER thread to tell me the sky is falling.

 

[RayClay]

I just stopped by to see if there was anything of interest going on, and I checked in to this thread, because I was wondering WTF it was still going on. Why was it still being commented on? Well I read the last 2 pages and quickly figured out why. My thread had become still ANOTHER forum where the panic driven whiners and complainers could ignore the last 13 years to beat up the OL, coaches and personnel decision makers of the entire organization.

I stopped reading threads about three or four days ago because it was like reading the same thing OVER and OVER again, by the same people. The OL hasn't looked good thus far. We get it. But the fact is that its NOT as bad as you would let on, and it isn't going to get better if you start still another thread to proclaim your displeasure.

Football is not a sport for crybabies, yet that is what a good percentage of this fan base has become. The constant keening has become painful. Solder is having technique issues, Volmer isn't all the way back from his leg, Devey wasn't the immediate fix and Wendell has been hurt. Yes I mentioned Wendell. I know this is just anecdotal, but IIRC, Wendell got hurt at the end of the first half of the Miami game, a half we scored 20 points. Not for nothing but since he's been out.......?????

For all the the angst the drama queens have rained down on us, the FACTS remain that what's happening isn't all that different from what was going on last season (with Mankins), and historically, there is no reason to believe that it won't improve over time.

I haven't watched a minute of local Pats related media this week, because I knew what was going to be said. Besides if I wanted drama and complaining, I only had to wait for Nathan to start ANOTHER thread to tell me the sky is falling.

It's changed from Idle Thoughts to Idle Brains...

 

[Zeus]

I just stopped by to see if there was anything of interest going on, and I checked in to this thread, because I was wondering WTF it was still going on. Why was it still being commented on? Well I read the last 2 pages and quickly figured out why. My thread had become still ANOTHER forum where the panic driven whiners and complainers could ignore the last 13 years to beat up the OL, coaches and personnel decision makers of the entire organization.

I stopped reading threads about three or four days ago because it was like reading the same thing OVER and OVER again, by the same people. The OL hasn't looked good thus far. We get it. But the fact is that its NOT as bad as you would let on, and it isn't going to get better if you start still another thread to proclaim your displeasure.

Football is not a sport for crybabies, yet that is what a good percentage of this fan base has become. The constant keening has become painful. Solder is having technique issues, Volmer isn't all the way back from his leg, Devey wasn't the immediate fix and Wendell has been hurt. Yes I mentioned Wendell. I know this is just anecdotal, but IIRC, Wendell got hurt at the end of the first half of the Miami game, a half we scored 20 points. Not for nothing but since he's been out.......?????

For all the the angst the drama queens have rained down on us, the FACTS remain that what's happening isn't all that different from what was going on last season (with Mankins), and historically, there is no reason to believe that it won't improve over time.

I haven't watched a minute of local Pats related media this week, because I knew what was going to be said. Besides if I wanted drama and complaining, I only had to wait for Nathan to start ANOTHER thread to tell me the sky is falling.

Somehow, I managed to slog through this entire thread. I think I enjoyed the OP, but at this point I cannot remember what is was about.

I will say that I have enormous respect for Bill Belichick. His coaching career has spanned nearly 40 years, he has accomplished things no one else has and he sits alone at the very top of his profession - the consensus best coach in the business.

Personnel decisions in pro football are made under high levels of uncertainty. Good decisions can have bad outcomes and vice versa. The effects of randomness are vastly underrated not only during the games themselves, but also in how the draft and free agency play out over time.

You can drive yourself nuts second-guessing every little decision. If you don't first look at whether the overall approach has been successful, you run the risk of missing the big picture. I don't think people spend a lot of time focusing on Warren Buffet's poor investment choices, although he has undoubtedly made a few. Football personnel is like investing in this regard - the winners matter far more than the losers.

The GMs, coaches and scouts not only have access to far more information but also have a far greater depth of experience and knowledge than the average (or even far above average) fan. It took me a long time in life to develop what I call a sense of professional empathy. When I see something I disagree with, I have to remind myself that if I were in possession of the same information, knowledge and experience as the decision-maker, it's very possible that I would have reached the same conclusion. Acknowledging that someone knows a lot more about things than I do is not an appeal to authority and does not make me a mindless homer.

 

[mgteich]

Lol mg, what makes you think Revis signs anything that brings guys number into the single digits? Especially with "cap hit?" Maybe an 8 mil base for a few years with ~10mil/year signing bonus...brings that cap hit way back up.

You and I seem to have different understandings of the cap.

Try this contract with a $15M bonus with a $14M average (some of 2016 would be guaranteed)
2015 $3M salary, cap hit $8M
2016 $9M salary, cap hit $14M
2017 $15M salary, cap hit $20M