NYP Article: BB won't let the Pats Go Down Like This!

[Nikolai]

New York media has generally been kinder to the Pats than the ****ty Boston media. Of course, it's easy to see who here reads and heeds that drivel.

 

[sb1]

So the NY Post believes in Bill? Lol
We are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

My attempt at an informed guess would say they’re still hanging on to the dream that Bill will come home to the Giants.

 

[BTTA]

I agree but not really. The cap is real, but can be managed. BB knew he had a Hernandez and AB credits coming, plus could have moved some monies other ways into 2021. The cap does not have to go from $1M in 2020 to $80M in 2021 - it can be managed and evened out somewhat.

Said another way, BB purposely chose not to have cap space in 2020. I am not sure why he decided to eat all of the cap hits in one year and reset, but he decided that. I think the opt outs on top of the "reset year" where a surprise that he did not plan on, and by the time the full pandemic and opt outs became apparent it was too late to go back and sign free agents. So we had no cap space, but that was managed to be a "reset year", and was not completely out of BB's control.

So the question should be, "Why did BB want to have no cap space in 2020, and a lot in 2021?". I do not think he knew the cap was going done to $175M in 2021 when he chose to have a reset year in the Spring of 2020. FA players are not going to want to take less than they expected in 2021, but they will not want to sit out a year either, so they will have to sign at a discount. So BB holds the cards! Lucky or an evil genius? Checkers or Chess?

I'm sure they looked at this strategy as an option. I suspect the COVID uncertainty was a factor in deciding to put more into next year than this, from a financial standpoint. We still don't know if there will be playoffs this year. C19 is still probing the NFL's defenses, looking for a way to open up a large enough gap to infect a few dozen players on each team. The fact that it hasn't happened yet is not evidence that its not going to. The longer the pandemic goes on, and grows, the more the odds go up that it kills off the season. The worst month of infection spread in the history of this pandemic is about to happen, so we'll see.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

To be honest, he only has to do major upgrade on the offensive side of the ball. Special teams seems pretty much set and defense is 5th lowest points against, within a TD of being the 3rd lowest... O line and running game is solid. QB,WR and TE need upgrades obviously but it isnt the dumpster fire some would believe....

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

...........................

Next season will be better for that reason alone provided they are able to have a TC and a preseason.

Add in being one of the teams with the best cap space situations and the return of some of the opt out players the Pats will definitely be a much better team next season.

And unfortunately this year, the off season starts right after New Year's as opposed to second week of February which it seems is annual....leaving more time to evaluate talent and prep.......

 

[BTTA]

No, but definitely some extra motivation.

That's high school level orientation. If the Pats win another SB next year, he couldn't care less what happened in the Tampa game.

 

[sb1]

No, but definitely some extra motivation.

Too bad there won’t be fans. Would have been interesting to see how fans react to Brady coming home.

Vinatieri was booed. Hopefully it would not be the same reception as that.

 

[borg]

I’d like to introduce you to something called the salary cap.

Every couple days Bill laments to the media about the paltry sum he pays his leader....the guy he won't replace.
With more cap Bill would have paid Cam more money.

 

[Ring 6]

I agree but not really. The cap is real, but can be managed. BB knew he had a Hernandez and AB credits coming, plus could have moved some monies other ways into 2021. The cap does not have to go from $1M in 2020 to $80M in 2021 - it can be managed and evened out somewhat.

Said another way, BB purposely chose not to have cap space in 2020. I am not sure why he decided to eat all of the cap hits in one year and reset, but he decided that. I think the opt outs on top of the "reset year" where a surprise that he did not plan on, and by the time the full pandemic and opt outs became apparent it was too late to go back and sign free agents. So we had no cap space, but that was managed to be a "reset year", and was not completely out of BB's control.

So the question should be, "Why did BB want to have no cap space in 2020, and a lot in 2021?". I do not think he knew the cap was going done to $175M in 2021 when he chose to have a reset year in the Spring of 2020. FA players are not going to want to take less than they expected in 2021, but they will not want to sit out a year either, so they will have to sign at a discount. So BB holds the cards! Lucky or an evil genius? Checkers or Chess?

No.

Every couple days Bill laments to the media about the paltry sum he pays his leader....the guy he won't replace.
With more cap Bill would have paid Cam more money.

I guess I should introduce you to 20 years of track record of bill belichick.

 

[50-yard-line]

I agree but not really. The cap is real, but can be managed. BB knew he had a Hernandez and AB credits coming, plus could have moved some monies other ways into 2021. The cap does not have to go from $1M in 2020 to $80M in 2021 - it can be managed and evened out somewhat.

Said another way, BB purposely chose not to have cap space in 2020. I am not sure why he decided to eat all of the cap hits in one year and reset, but he decided that. I think the opt outs on top of the "reset year" where a surprise that he did not plan on, and by the time the full pandemic and opt outs became apparent it was too late to go back and sign free agents. So we had no cap space, but that was managed to be a "reset year", and was not completely out of BB's control.

So the question should be, "Why did BB want to have no cap space in 2020, and a lot in 2021?". I do not think he knew the cap was going done to $175M in 2021 when he chose to have a reset year in the Spring of 2020. FA players are not going to want to take less than they expected in 2021, but they will not want to sit out a year either, so they will have to sign at a discount. So BB holds the cards! Lucky or an evil genius? Checkers or Chess?

MORE THAN $24m of the cap increase came from players opting out for COVID, and that was post-FA when the cupboard was bare.

Without signing FAs, and with so many 1st and 2nd-year players on the roster, as opposed to the vet they lost in FA and the opt-outs, the team is cash-rich next year. It wasn't all by design, but I'm glad it happened this way (instead of paying 15-20 million for a just-above-JAG QB).

It should be pretty obvious by now that BB didn't tank (good), and that circumstance still gave him the chance to see what he's got in the players he's got. He knows the holes he needs to fill. He knows what he's got with Uche, Jennings, Hall, and Bentley. He knows what Coart's got now. He understands whether or not he needs to pay Thuney top $$$ next year. Or Andrews,

He didn't tank, but he's basically had a 16-week audition, and $80 million, or whatever it winds up being (GIlmore? Hightower? McCourty(s)?) will go a long way next year.

It's all moot without a QB, though. That's the big remaining question-mark.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

No.

Yes.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

My attempt at an informed guess would say they’re still hanging on to the dream that Bill will come home to the Giants.

John Mara did not rule it out last year...i mean, if Joe Judge doesn't work out for them and if you're BB, why not? He still loves that organization and he may get bored with NE after 20+years...the Giants just posted a video of BB and the SB 25 team

 

[captain stone]

So the NY Post believes in Bill? Lol
We are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

For a New York Post article, I'd expect something like, "Belichick Admits Spreading Covid in NYC."

More along the lines of Daily News drivel...

 

[jdlboot14]

BB has taken a lot of crap for his GMing, and rightfully so. But, what if Caserio is just as to blame? Isn't he the main personnel and scouting guy? Maybe Nick leaving would be a positive thing. Re-working the personnel department and offensive coaching might be a needed change.

 

[oldrover]

So BB holds the cards! Lucky or an evil genius? Checkers or Chess?

 

[Hyped]

I remember Rodney Harrison saying when he signed with the Pats in 2003...he did so mainly because BB was "super livid about being 9-7 the year before".....

Go, BB!

 

[captain stone]

I remember Rodney Harrison saying when he signed with the Pats in 2003...he did so mainly because BB was "super livid about being 9-7 the year before".....

Go, BB!

I don't believe that Bill is as hungry now as he was then...And perhaps more importantly, Bill doesn't have the scouts, personnel staff or assistant coaches to execute the rebuild as he did then...All 3 of those departments have been bled dry...

 

[mgteich]

To be honest, he only has to do major upgrade on the offensive side of the ball. Special teams seems pretty much set and defense is 5th lowest points against, within a TD of being the 3rd lowest... O line and running game is solid. QB,WR and TE need upgrades obviously but it isnt the dumpster fire some would believe....

DEFENSE
So, we will lose all our free agents and still be as good as this year. Make no mistake, it will cost to bring our defense to be as good as this year. And we want better.

Free agents include Guy, Butler, Simon, Wise, JMac and Calhoun.
In addition, DMac may or may not be back,

In addition, we need make a deal with Jackson. Someone might be willing to pay a first plus a large contract.

Finally, it is not clear that Gilmore will play for his contract $7.5M of new compensation. Trade him and try to replace him for $7.5M is possible, but most certainly, the team's defense would be worse.

 

[TheRainMaker]

BB has taken a lot of crap for his GMing, and rightfully so. But, what if Caserio is just as to blame? Isn't he the main personnel and scouting guy? Maybe Nick leaving would be a positive thing. Re-working the personnel department and offensive coaching might be a needed change.

I'm going to introduce you to @KontradictioN

 

[Hyped]

I don't believe that Bill is as hungry now as he was then...And perhaps more importantly, Bill doesn't have the scouts, personnel staff or assistant coaches to execute the rebuild as he did then...All 3 of those departments have been bled dry...

Nah, if anything...I think he's hungrier and will get it done.