NEW ARTICLE: Brady Proved on Sunday the Patriots Gave Up On Him Too Soon

[yukon cornelius]

Results show that he handled it fantastically well.

results?

so you don't think Tom Brady has any culpability in things ending the way they did (assuming there's truth to the 'not on best terms' rumors)

 

[Steve102]

is it also possible that perhaps Tom Brady also didn't handle all of this well?

I'd like you to delve into this thought process a little bit more, if you would.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Results show that he handled it fantastically well.

No he didn't.

When the team started to send the message they were looking to the future he stopped showing up to OTAs and working with WRs, complaining to Jim Gray, complaining to the media, saying his was miserable, etc.

Don't even say he handled it well. He didn't.

 

[Observer]

results?

so you don't think Tom Brady has any culpability in things ending the way they did (assuming there's truth to the 'not on best terms' rumors)

Absolutely zero culpability. The man wanted to stay and his demands were not exorbitant. He was basically dumped.

 

[Observer]

No he didn't.

When the team started to send the message they were looking to the future he stopped showing up to OTAs and working with WRs, complaining to Jim Gray, complaining to the media, saying his was miserable, etc.

Don't even say he handled it well. He didn't.

Hey, it’s a business. He is going to the Super Bowl and the Pats aren’t even in the playoffs. Very smart decision on his part.

 

[Ian]

results?

so you don't think Tom Brady has any culpability in things ending the way they did (assuming there's truth to the 'not on best terms' rumors)

I think there's culpability there as well, but I don't think asking for a multi-year deal was unreasonable. It's just frustrating that they weren't able to get them back into the position they were in back in 2014 to at least give them something to build off of.

It would have been somewhat fun watching a young guy develop last season. I mean, as disappointing as 2008 was, watching Cassel play was at least enjoyable because we watched him turn into a pretty good player by season's end, just like we did with Brady back in 2001. Obviously, Brady took it a step further and won the whole thing and the rest is history. Cassel's rise was fun and it even reached a point where some here pondered moving on from Brady all the way back then. I wasn't on that train, but it was at least interesting going into each week wondering how he'd play.

I mean, we had both Garoppolo and Brissett previously, and it was kind of fun watching both of those guys play while he was out. All I was saying is it would have been nice if Bill had set the team up with a foundation like that before moving on from him. It would have at least made this season more enjoyable and they'd be set up better heading into this year.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Hey, it’s a business. He is going to the Super Bowl and the Pats aren’t even in the playoffs. Very smart decision on his part.

That part is fine. I have no qualms with Tom leaving. He wanted out and the NEP didn't want him.

My point was how he handled it while here.

 

[Triumph]

The understanding always was that Brady would not bankrupt the Pats salary cap so Belichick could afford better players top to bottom.

Peyton Manning was the opposite and vacuumed up every nickel that he could from the Colts. That in turn left the Colts with little money for the defense and that would come back and bite Manning in the ***.

Belichick did not devout enough of the Brady cap savings towards fielding good WRs and TEs or do a good enough job drafting and identifying FAs. Brady saw the writing on the wall for 2020 and he was dead nuts.

2018 WRs/TEs were ok.
2019 WRs/ TEs were bad
2020 WRs/TEs were worse.

 

[yukon cornelius]

I think there's culpability there as well, but I don't think asking for a multi-year deal was unreasonable. It's just frustrating that they weren't able to get them back into the position they were in back in 2014 to at least give them something to build off of.

It would have been somewhat fun watching a young guy develop last season. I mean, as disappointing as 2008 was, watching Cassel play was at least enjoyable because we watched him turn into a pretty good player by season's end, just like we did with Brady back in 2001. Obviously, Brady took it a step further and won the whole thing and the rest is history. Cassel's rise was fun and it even reached a point where some here pondered moving on from Brady all the way back then. I wasn't on that train, but it was at least interesting going into each week wondering how he'd play.

I mean, we had both Garoppolo and Brissett previously, and it was kind of fun watching both of those guys play while he was out. All I was saying is it would have been nice if Bill had set the team up with a foundation like that before moving on from him. It would have at least made this season more enjoyable and they'd be set up better heading into this year.

i think in most minds the foundation was set......they had garrapolo, and that seemed like the plan......even when it came time for his big boy contract, i think they would have overpaid him if they felt Tom was close - i think the fact that he wasn't, and then continued to defy conventional wisdom and basic physiological principles, lol, threw everyone off......it was really a perfect storm of conditions, and i think once the situation really became obvious, everyone mishandled it to some extent, and that mishandling grew and fed into itself

has there ever been an athlete in any sport who played close to this level at 43? nolan ryan comes to mind, but there was real drop off even before he hit 40........gordie howe? but that was long ago enough that i'm not exactly sure it compares.......warren moon had the one really good season at 41, i know he and vinny played until they were 44, but it wasn't close to this level

i think everyone sort of backed themselves into corners, slowly.....it was like that old frog in a pot of cold water vs hot water analogy......by the time everyone realized the water was getting a little warm, things had already been set into motion

i think everyone, BB included, would say in hindsight there would have been a different way for it to go......if you simply put TB12 onto this years roster, we'd be the steelers, only maybe not as good......stuck with a roster that can't win it all, with a high priced QB........IF they had extended in say 2017, things may well have gone differently in that they would have made roster decisions differently

football is a game of numbers and percentages and many, many dynamic, moving parts.......the ones that play them the best tend to have the most success......by all accounts patriots staff made the right moves until all of the sudden they didn't


what would have been really interesting is if they HAD stuck with jimmy G......moved brady while he still had high value, completely rebuilt around a young garrapolo.......we might be having very different conversations right now.....not making any predictions as to how it would have turned out, but.....

 

[Ian]

i think in most minds the foundation was set......they had garrapolo, and that seemed like the plan......even when it came time for his big boy contract, i think they would have overpaid him if they felt Tom was close - i think the fact that he wasn't, and then continued to defy conventional wisdom and basic physiological principles, lol, threw everyone off......it was really a perfect storm of conditions, and i think once the situation really became obvious, everyone mishandled it to some extent, and that mishandling grew and fed into itself

has there ever been an athlete in any sport who played close to this level at 43? nolan ryan comes to mind, but there was real drop off even before he hit 40........gordie howe? but that was long ago enough that i'm not exactly sure it compares.......warren moon had the one really good season at 41, i know he and vinny played until they were 44, but it wasn't close to this level

i think everyone sort of backed themselves into corners, slowly.....it was like that old frog in a pot of cold water vs hot water analogy......by the time everyone realized the water was getting a little warm, things had already been set into motion

i think everyone, BB included, would say in hindsight there would have been a different way for it to go......if you simply put TB12 onto this years roster, we'd be the steelers, only maybe not as good......stuck with a roster that can't win it all, with a high priced QB........IF they had extended in say 2017, things may well have gone differently in that they would have made roster decisions differently

football is a game of numbers and percentages and many, many dynamic, moving parts.......the ones that play them the best tend to have the most success......by all accounts patriots staff made the right moves until all of the sudden they didn't


what would have been really interesting is if they HAD stuck with jimmy G......moved brady while he still had high value, completely rebuilt around a young garrapolo.......we might be having very different conversations right now.....not making any predictions as to how it would have turned out, but.....

I just meant it would have been nice if Belichick had set them up with a couple of young players behind him like he did back then. I think most people would probably have enjoyed watching young guys develop with an eye toward the future than to see Newton's season. Again, they were forced to gamble there and lost, but it would have been more fun if they didn't have to gamble at all.

I can deal with the team not being good because they need a chance to grow. It just stinks that they don't even have that, which makes me wish they could have extended him a couple of more seasons to at least buy them some additional time.

 

[yukon cornelius]

i think BB may have felt headed into this season the way it was, that it was not the season to develop young talent, and aging, mediocre talent might have been the best option.....not saying i agree or disagree, but that may have come into play

 

[patman12]

This is all 6D level chess by BB. He knew there was no way he could afford the weapons Brady needed so he set him free knowing that Tampa was the likely destination and also knowing that a Brady led Bucs team could be the one team to derail the Chiefs dynasty train.

Ok, probably not but it makes me feel better.

 

[Simpelton]

It was the franchise, not Brady, that was the weak link. the roster has deteriorated and another, stronger team made an offer.

We didn't fire Brady, Brady fired us.

 

[Simpelton]

My point is he's still playing at a high level and I do feel they should have given him a multi-year deal, which by all accounts, that's really what he was looking for.

In the last few years of his time here Brady changed, became much more interested in ensuring his financial legacy. That included no longer giving any kind of hometown discount and insisting on the kind of pay he deserved all along.

Unfortunately that had a lot to do with why we could no longer surround Brady with so much elite talent.

At the end of the day Brady was the one who made the decision to go play mercenary. We simply weren't the best possible team for Brady to play for anymore. And since the dude had his pick of a dozen franchises he found an opportunity superior to the one Bill could offer. 2 year deal, multi year deal, at the end of the day it doesn't matter, Brady wanted to play where he had the best chance to win, and that just wasn't necessarily New England anymore.

 

[JMC00]

The issue was that Belichick’s bet was that Stidham or whoever they could find in the bargain bin would be better than Brady.

Can you link me to the quote where he said this?

 

[Steve102]

No he didn't.

When the team started to send the message they were looking to the future he stopped showing up to OTAs and working with WRs, complaining to Jim Gray, complaining to the media, saying his was miserable, etc.

Don't even say he handled it well. He didn't.

This is about as succinct as it gets. Looking back, it's crystal clear. He was sore about them trying to insure that if he did indeed fall of the cliff, they had a options. The whole no OTA's, not working with wideouts and his general demeanor, especially being such a whiny biotch in 2019... he could have handled it way better.

He stopped doing the things that made him the GOAT, went to Tampa and started doing those things again.

 

[Pape]

Brady wasn't asking for a long term deal. He asked for 2 years. It's not really that much of a stretch cap-wise. Just FYI--the Patriots were $30m under the cap this year.

after the opt outs...

 

[upstater1]

after the opt outs...

I addressed this above. Opt outs did not clear a ton of cap room if you take out Cannon's $9.6m (he would've been cut). Even before opt-outs we had more than enough to sign Brady.

 

[Pape]

I addressed this above. Opt outs did not clear a ton of cap room if you take out Cannon's $9.6m (he would've been cut). Even before opt-outs we had more than enough to sign Brady.

That's all cap dollar speculation ... besides, working a deal after the 2019 season? Way too late ... The time to re-sign Brady was in 2018... Brady knew after the 2018 deal he was leaving... Its why the "No Tag" clause got added into the 2019 deal... Brady wanted out

 

[upstater1]

That's all cap dollar speculation ... besides, working a deal after the 2019 season? Way too late ... The time to re-sign Brady was in 2018... Brady knew after the 2018 deal he was leaving... Its why the "No Tag" clause got added into the 2019 deal... Brady wanted out

I agree about 2018 but they could have signed him for 2 like Tampa did.

What is cap speculation? That Cannon would count for almost $10m against the cap and was sure to be cut? If you're trying to sign Brady, that cut is obvious and glaring. They had the space.

Another thing forgotten here is Brady's $14.5 cap hit that could have been spread over 3 years. That's another $10m in available money right there.