Project 2027

[Stu Pidassle]

When has that ever happened? What SB team stunk to get high picks and turned around and won a SB?
What current top contender followed that route?

You can't ask players not to try to win. If there are some upgrades available at cut down, jump on them. Otherwise give the players a chance to succeed or fail. Build a team that competes game in and game out and add talent where needed.

 

[Ring 6]

You can't ask players not to try to win. If there are some upgrades available at cut down, jump on them. Otherwise give the players a chance to succeed or fail. Build a team that competes game in and game out and add talent where needed.

But you aren’t giving them a chance to succeed. There are literally 8 started better than guys we have missing because we are sitting on 40,000,000 of cap. And now we trade our best player, so we are down 9 guys out of 22.

People seem to think that the best way to build a team is to not get players, stink, but then use that money to get players later because somehow players later after sucking is better than players now so you don’t suck. It makes my head hurt.

 

[Triumph]

Some much for that argument. The 2024 Pats will not have Judon for 17 games.

You are now on the 2027 train? You and Andy are holding hands?

Still have Gonzalez and Marcus Jones.

Roster cutdowns are on the way. Ring 7 will have to wait.

 

[Triumph]

When has that ever happened? What SB team stunk to get high picks and turned around and won a SB?
What current top contender followed that route?

BB went 5 - 11 and won it all the next season.

There is going to be at least 3 years of rebuilding this team and Mayo learning to be an NFL HC.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

There is going to be at least 3 years of rebuilding this team and Mayo learning to be an NFL HC.

3 years of rebuilding? 2024, 2025, and 2026? Then you are definitely on the 2027 train. I was not sure from your posts, but I see it now.

 

[VrabelJr]

Yes it did.

No it didn't. This entire offseason reeks of a new management regime begging to put their finger prints on a new direction, akin to how when a new CEO comes in they send out grand messages of directional changes. Change for the sake of change is dumb. Our coaching staff is littered with JAGs, the draft was unimaginative, which is why runs on OT and WR happened in front of us because everyone knew our board, and free agents flat out don't want to come here.

My understanding of the NFL is that the Owners call the shots but the coaches/scouts are a small circle of people who hang out together at bars and bbqs. The latter is where the real talk happens and the guys who care about X's and O's seem to think Robert Kraft is a horrible person to work for. An Owner with an open pocket book can only choose to pay people actually interested in working for them. The Bengals, Vikings, Texans and others managed to get exciting candidates when their time was due for a new HC and yet we couldn't. And we won't after Mayo either.

 

[h0c2000]

Project 2027 is Bill's last attempt at breaking the fake all-time combined wins record.

 

[Sicilian]

I think that group is good enough to maintain continuity, but I have no doubt there will be a game where Belichick’s absence will hurt. Add me to the list of people wondering just how big of a loss that’s going to be and whether or not Bill’s impact on Mayo at least minimizes it as much as can be expected.

I know it sounds funny to say, But I also worry about what happens beyond this year if they have a good season and any of the guys on the staff get poached. That’s been an issue in the past and they definitely don’t have the ability at this point to handle that, which is something they’ll need to do a better job of preparing for compared to what we saw previously.

I wouldn't worry about poaching anytime soon. And not just because I think this is going to be a generally rough season (though that's a big part of it), but because a big reason we got poached so often was the reputation of the franchise, specifically Bill Belichick. People wanted people from his tree to try to recreate his success. Mayo doesn't have that clout built up, so unless there is massive success they're unlikely to be targeting guys underneath him.

Not only that, but it took three super bowls in four years before Weiss and Crennel got head coaching gigs elsewhere. So, without the prior reputation, it still sometimes takes a great deal of sustained success before other teams really take notice.

Finally, I think this is part of the philosophy behind having a larger coaching staff. When guys DO get poached, you want to have a pool of guys learning underneath them that could potentially be promoted.

Regardless, I don't think we're going to be on a lot of radars in 2024.

 

[Triumph]

No it didn't. This entire offseason reeks of a new management regime begging to put their finger prints on a new direction, akin to how when a new CEO comes in they send out grand messages of directional changes. Change for the sake of change is dumb. Our coaching staff is littered with JAGs, the draft was unimaginative, which is why runs on OT and WR happened in front of us because everyone knew our board, and free agents flat out don't want to come here.

My understanding of the NFL is that the Owners call the shots but the coaches/scouts are a small circle of people who hang out together at bars and bbqs. The latter is where the real talk happens and the guys who care about X's and O's seem to think Robert Kraft is a horrible person to work for. An Owner with an open pocket book can only choose to pay people actually interested in working for them. The Bengals, Vikings, Texans and others managed to get exciting candidates when their time was due for a new HC and yet we couldn't. And we won't after Mayo either.

The Pats dont even know if they have a QB yet, but youre expecting a turn around this season.

At best this is an 8 win team and that is using your imagination.

 

[Triumph]

3 years of rebuilding? 2024, 2025, and 2026? Then you are definitely on the 2027 train. I was not sure from your posts, but I see it now.

Project 2027 is a joke.

We are already discussing the 2025 draft and using the 1st pick on an OT. Who even knows about Maye and if NE is looking at QB again in 2026.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

Project 2027 is a joke.

We are already discussing the 2025 draft and using the 1st pick on an OT. Who even knows about Maye and if NE is looking at QB again in 2026.

Desperate times

 

[203Pat]

ITT Andy doesn't understand how rebuilds work.

 

[Ian]

 

[Hyped]

Come on. There were over 70 players who would have held this team. Why would you think next years pool would be better?

A ton more WR's are scheduled to be UFA's if they don't sign extensions....

We could still be players at the trading deadline too.

Top 50 NFL free agents in 2025: Dak Prescott is the headliner, but receivers and edge rushers abound

 

[Hyped]

Here are your 6. One of the 6, #4, is a minus (not a positive) which is the loss of Barmore. I do not think losing Barmore is a positive so it can not be counted in your list of positives. So you listed 5 positive things (positive in your mind) #1, #2, #3, #5, and #6, and 1 negative thing, #4. You could also say you listed 5 improvements and 1 setback. 5 positive things (I assume losing Barmore is not a positive) minus the loss of Barmore = a net total of 4 positive things.

Call it a day, Sir!!

5+ -1 = 4 PLUS my stellar positive personality = 5.

I was not so positive last year...so there! Good day, Sir!

 

[Wozzy]

LOL at this being some master plan…

The collaboration excuse makers are working overtime.

 

[PatsFan2]

I think this is the Patriots plan.
Tank this year get the first overall pick. Trade the #1 for a slew of picks in 2025 and 2026

Tank next year and get the 2026 #1 overall. Trade that for a slew of 2026 and 2027 picks.

Win 5-6 games in 2026

Spend the minimum you possibly can get away with in free agents.
Kraft pockets over $100,000,000 in cap savings and sets up the next coach with a bunch of recent high draft picks and if he wins with them we can think about spending to the cap.

The next 3 years, we will be a clown show.

Timely post and thread one for the ages or some lean years to come.

 

[Hugepatsfan]

I think the approach will be different next year because they'll plan on Maye playing. This year it seems like they took an "all or nothing" approach to player acquisitions. If they could THOROUGHLY address a position, i.e. Ridley or Aiyuk at WR, then pursue it. But spend free agent prices on B/C free agents? They obviously avoided that almost entirely. I think they felt that the long term cap space to roll over and try for more legit solutions, the extra playing time for young guys, and potentially higher draft pick were all benefits to avoiding those less than ideal options who would have brought short term improvement, but not thoroughly addressed positions.

Next year when they have to put an actual team around Maye, I think it will be different. If they still have glaring holes then I suspect they'll be more willing to pivot to the second and third tier free agents if that's the best they can get.

I think they're expecting to be terrible this year and actively (or passively) worked towards that. I think they're hoping that next year (2025) Maye takes his first year starter lumps with a semi-competent roster but shows enough promise that we're seen as an on the rise team and not somewhere to avoid like the plague. They'll spend next year more across the roster to build it up a bit and then hopefully 2026 is when they're ready to push for the playoffs.

So if I had to guess the FO's plan/vision, I'd say it's more project 2026 than 2027.

 

[p8ryts]

I can't believe the energy being expended to dismiss any chance of a competitive team this year and planning drafts 3 or 4 years in the future. Give the coaches, players, front office a chance to fail. Don't fail them in mid-august of year 1.

 

[Ring 6]

I think the approach will be different next year because they'll plan on Maye playing. This year it seems like they took an "all or nothing" approach to player acquisitions. If they could THOROUGHLY address a position, i.e. Ridley or Aiyuk at WR, then pursue it. But spend free agent prices on B/C free agents? They obviously avoided that almost entirely. I think they felt that the long term cap space to roll over and try for more legit solutions, the extra playing time for young guys, and potentially higher draft pick were all benefits to avoiding those less than ideal options who would have brought short term improvement, but not thoroughly addressed positions.

Next year when they have to put an actual team around Maye, I think it will be different. If they still have glaring holes then I suspect they'll be more willing to pivot to the second and third tier free agents if that's the best they can get.

I think they're expecting to be terrible this year and actively (or passively) worked towards that. I think they're hoping that next year (2025) Maye takes his first year starter lumps with a semi-competent roster but shows enough promise that we're seen as an on the rise team and not somewhere to avoid like the plague. They'll spend next year more across the roster to build it up a bit and then hopefully 2026 is when they're ready to push for the playoffs.

So if I had to guess the FO's plan/vision, I'd say it's more project 2026 than 2027.

This year was about one thing and one thing only. Saving Robert Kraft cash.
There were dozens of players who would have improved this roster. They created a facade of going after 2 WRs that I think they did only because they knew they wouldn’t get them. The fact that no one ever mentioned guarantees means they were not competitive on that.
We have a 4 win roster that actually is now worse than last year. We could have spent $50,000,000 on players. The fact that we “tried” to spend 10,000,000 of it confirms we just weren’t spending.
This is Kraft recovering what he had spent since the just SB win.
The problem is why would he spend next year?
What will be different? We will be a terrible team (really on purpose because we didn’t even try to get better) so the same philosophy will hold.

I think Mayo makes it 2 years at the most, he may not make it through 2025.
But in 2026 Kraft will need to commit to at least spending to the cap ti be able to hire a real coach.
I loved Mayo as a player, can’t possibly understand his Kraft thought he was qualified ( other than he probably didn’t and just wanted someone who couldn’t argue about spending) but sadly the franchise won’t turn around until he’s gone and we hire someone who can force krafts hand.