[Old 2020 thread] NFL Free Agency/Trade Rumors:

[Brady_to_Moss]

This year won't be pretty on the field that's for sure.

 

[Don Kipines]

Brady has a unique raw talent in terms of recognition of defenses and an innate ability to see the the play before it unfolds. 90% of the time he knows who will be open and where they will open and where the ball needs to be before everyone else on the field. That’s because of hard work, but that is also a kind raw and unique talent. I have never seen any QB besides Manning who has that kind of talent.

Yes, we get it, Brady is great. I watched the last 20 years, too. But banking everything on superior talent or pedigree isn’t how the Patriots operate, not at quarterback or any other position. Over and over and over, Belichick promoted unknown players over name players, and fans wigged out every single time. People spent much of 2001 wondering how the team would score without Terry Glenn. Then it was, would we do without Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri, Wes Walker, Randy Moss, Chandler Jones, Darrelle Revis...

In a lot of these cases Belichick trolled fans with his non-replacements of big name players, like that year he had James Ihedigbo and Josh Barrett playing safety after Meriweather left, or that horrible year in 2006 when Reche Caldwell was their top receiver (or the year Aaron Dobson was forced to play heavy snaps). These moves sometimes seemed to backfire in the short term, but in the long term they avoided huge deals to aging or underperforming players and as a result stayed in the mix every year instead of every other year like a lot of contending teams.

For years before Brady arrived, fans begged the team to “get weapons for Drew,” a high-priced stats guy who didn’t win much. Then Brady came in and won, looking thrilled to hand off forty times a game or throw to guys like Charles Johnson and Bert Emmanuel and Jermaine Wiggins. When they switched to worrying about winning instead of keeping the quarterback happy, everything clicked. Brady himself, who wasn’t a big name and wasn’t bursting with physical gifts, got this at first. He would never have gotten a shot in a different system.

He continued to be great for 20 years, but last year he lost the thread, openly pining for guys like Antonio Brown (a modern Terry Glenn), mumbling about his contract and looking miserable even after wins if he had a bad passing day (or had rookies drop passes).

Brady has earned the right to play in a more player-friendly environment, but New England has won precisely because it doesn’t cater to star players. Something had to give. They may not be as great without Brady, but this move allows them to keep their “complementary football” identity going forward - Stidham will be the guy coming in who’s thrilled to be playing for peanuts, handing off, and throwing to Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry.

 

[RobertWeathers]

This year won't be pretty on the field that's for sure.

Seeing how they lost 5 of their last 9 it wasn't pretty last year.

 

[Tottie]

Oh yes....The 2019 Patriots offense and how they consistently ran the 2-minute drill to perfection and with great results.

Oh you are right. Lets send that memo to the NFL...all teams who aren't having great success running 2 minute drills, just take a knee please. You aren't allowed to run it. Get real. I'm sure you are also one of those guys who thinks BB taking the "wind" in that epic manning brady game was a freaking genius for doing so.

 

[Deus Irae]

But banking everything on superior talent or pedigree isn’t how the Patriots operate, not at quarterback or any other position.

???

Banking everything on Brady is what they've done for a good portion of those 20 years

 

[RobertWeathers]

Oh you are right. Lets send that memo to the NFL...all teams who aren't having great success running 2 minute drills, just take a knee please. You aren't allowed to run it. Get real. I'm sure you are also one of those guys who thinks BB taking the "wind" in that epic manning brady game was a freaking genius for doing so.

Fact is they sucked in the 2 minute drill last year when in prior years it was a strength (blame whomever you want. I don't give a ****). When the OL sucks, the WRs suck, the ball is on our side of the 40 and the QB isn't going to save the day it's called mitigating risk and managing the game.

HFA clearly didn't matter bc they lost at home in the WC round.

What is there to disagree with?

 

[Jimke]

Yes, we get it, Brady is great. I watched the last 20 years, too. But banking everything on superior talent or pedigree isn’t how the Patriots operate, not at quarterback or any other position. Over and over and over, Belichick promoted unknown players over name players, and fans wigged out every single time. People spent much of 2001 wondering how the team would score without Terry Glenn. Then it was, would we do without Lawyer Milloy, Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri, Wes Walker, Randy Moss, Chandler Jones, Darrelle Revis...

In a lot of these cases Belichick trolled fans with his non-replacements of big name players, like that year he had James Ihedigbo and Josh Barrett playing safety after Meriweather left, or that horrible year in 2006 when Reche Caldwell was their top receiver (or the year Aaron Dobson was forced to play heavy snaps). These moves sometimes seemed to backfire in the short term, but in the long term they avoided huge deals to aging or underperforming players and as a result stayed in the mix every year instead of every other year like a lot of contending teams.

For years before Brady arrived, fans begged the team to “get weapons for Drew,” a high-priced stats guy who didn’t win much. Then Brady came in and won, looking thrilled to hand off forty times a game or throw to guys like Charles Johnson and Bert Emmanuel and Jermaine Wiggins. When they switched to worrying about winning instead of keeping the quarterback happy, everything clicked. Brady himself, who wasn’t a big name and wasn’t bursting with physical gifts, got this at first. He would never have gotten a shot in a different system.

He continued to be great for 20 years, but last year he lost the thread, openly pining for guys like Antonio Brown (a modern Terry Glenn), mumbling about his contract and looking miserable even after wins if he had a bad passing day (or had rookies drop passes).

Brady has earned the right to play in a more player-friendly environment, but New England has won precisely because it doesn’t cater to star players. Something had to give. They may not be as great without Brady, but this move allows them to keep their “complementary football” identity going forward - Stidham will be the guy coming in who’s thrilled to be playing for peanuts, handing off, and throwing to Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry.

You may not need superior talent to win, but you have to have wide receivers and tight ends that can get run the right route, get open, and catch the ball. Last year group
could not.

 

[Tottie]

Fact is they sucked in the 2 minute drill last year when in prior years it was a strength (blame whomever you want. I don't give a ****). When the OL sucks, the WRs suck, the ball is on our side of the 40 and the QB isn't going to save the day it's called mitigating risk and managing the game.

HFA clearly didn't matter bc they lost at home in the WC round.

What is there to disagree with?

Let me ask you this and honestly I don't want to drag this out we've had so many threads on this but: Do you agree with how he coached that game? Do you personally disagree with what I've stated in terms of the end of the first half and gilmore?

 

[TomPatriot]

You may not need superior talent to win, but you have to have wide receivers and tight ends that can get run the right route, get open, and catch the ball. Last year group
could not.

And last year's QB refused to adapt to anything.

 

[Ross12]

Man, they have a lot of holes but then they also have a hell of a lot of defensive backs.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Let me ask you this and honestly I don't want to drag this out we've had so many threads on this but: Do you agree with how he coached that game? Do you personally disagree with what I've stated in terms of the end of the first half and gilmore?

I will be honest with you.

BB could have coached better. Some of the defensive calls (or lack thereof) in the 2nd 1/2 made them look asleep at the wheel.

Gilly could have played better. He kicks ass 15 games and 2 quarters and now he sucks? WTF.

Tom could have played better. Lets be honest....Tom was not great last year. He was not his playmaking do-more-with-less self. Lack of talent at WR was certainly a reason but he was not all-pro Tom and BB sensed it.

I NEVER say a particular player or coach lost the game. I just don't think that way.

My overarching point is it didn't matter. They weren't winning the SB in 2019.

 

[Ross12]

 

[luuked]

I'm sure you are also one of those guys who thinks BB taking the "wind" in that epic manning brady game was a freaking genius for doing so.

Make the other team go the entire field into the wind, win the game by kicking a FG with the wind.

It wasn't even genius but blatantly obvious that that was what would give them the better odds to win.

I dont understand how anyone with even half a brain could disagree with it.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Dude is spitting Drake lyrics. He's vulnerable, in his feelings rn.

 

[Ross12]

Dude is spitting Drake lyrics. He's vulnerable in his feelings rn.

I feel like there's this chance that BB and O'Brien would swing a deal for Watson. Bill would send O'Brien a player, Michel or something, plus some draft capital... and then make Watson compete with Stidham in camp. If Stidham can beat out Watson, you recoup the high comp pick next year. If Stidham doesn't (and he probably doesn't) I guess you have to pay Watson, but they have the money next year to give him a decent salary. They can fit Watson's salary under their cap this year without much trouble.

Probably wouldn't happen but it's not unreasonable.

Edit: Oops forgot about the 5th year option. There's that too.

 

[Love The Drake]

I feel like there's this chance that BB and O'Brien would swing a deal for Watson. Bill would send O'Brien a player, Michel or something, plus some draft capital... and then make Watson compete with Stidham in camp. If Stidham can beat out Watson, you recoup the high comp pick next year. If Stidham doesn't (and he probably doesn't) I guess you have to pay Watson, but they have the money next year to give him a decent salary. They can fit Watson's salary under their cap this year without much trouble.

Probably wouldn't happen but it's not unreasonable.

Edit: Oops forgot about the 5th year option. There's that too.

I think the Texans fire Obrien before they ever get close to even talking about a Watson trade.

 

[Love The Drake]

I think the Texans fire Obrien before they ever get close to even talking about a Watson trade.

I wish we could give our first and say Gilmore for Watson.
I'd do that in a nanosecond

 

[jah]

I feel like there's this chance that BB and O'Brien would swing a deal for Watson. Bill would send O'Brien a player, Michel or something, plus some draft capital... and then make Watson compete with Stidham in camp. If Stidham can beat out Watson, you recoup the high comp pick next year. If Stidham doesn't (and he probably doesn't) I guess you have to pay Watson, but they have the money next year to give him a decent salary. They can fit Watson's salary under their cap this year without much trouble.

Probably wouldn't happen but it's not unreasonable.

Edit: Oops forgot about the 5th year option. There's that too.

I don't see why even O'Brien would be dumb enough to trade him to an AFC team. I also don't think there would even be a nominal "competition" between Watson and Stidham. One is already a star QB. The other is a 4th round pick with no production in this league.

 

[jah]

I wish we could give our first and say Gilmore for Watson.
I'd do that in a nanosecond

That's a high price but I'd probably be willing to give up just about anything for Watson.

 

[Jimke]

BB hit the lottery on Brady. Had he not been drafted, BB would’ve been gone within 1-2 years after he started 5-13. There’s absolutely no argument that Brady didn’t start this machine.

You give BB too much credit for drafting Tom. If **** Rehbein hadn't been bugging
him, BB would have passed on him like all the others.