Speculation: BB could leave after 2021

[RobertWeathers]

I think most most of us are referring to core blue chip type players like HT, Jones, Vollmer, DMac, Hernandez and Gronk being the most important of them all. Most of the draft picks from 2013 that we're b****ing about are guys who could be easily replaced. Collins, Thuney and Flowers are the best from 2013-. That's the cutoff, not 2012.

I think fans need to look at the volume and quality of talent BB brought in there after the 2012 season (draft, FA, UFA, trades),

Once they've done that they'll have a different PoV than the, "BB did jack **** since 2012".

 

[crawhammer]

A good man knows his limitations.

Said dirty Harry to Lt. Briggs.

Would've had Steve Smith if the weather was safer to fly and the Ravens didn't hold him hostage. Emmanuel Sanders was going to sign with the Pats had Bill gave him Amendola's contract (according to Sanders) or just been more aggressive (according to his agent). LaFell was decent in 2014, but not shocked he flamed out soon after.

Sanders was a major whiff. I was pissed when Welker signed with the Broncos. Amendola worked out due to the postseason contributions. Edelman of course turned into the Welker replacement. Although, Welker is still Brady's favorite receiver.

I don't think your comment is entirely accurate about LaFell. The dude put it all on the line in '14 and played through a fairly serious foot injury that ultimately derailed his career. I believe he was getting cortisone shots to get through the '14 postseason. He caught the pass that put the team in SB 49.

 

[upstater1]

As we know the Patriots have the best record in the NFL drafting players in the first 25 picks.

The Patriots have actually expended quite a bit of draft assets to bring in great players over the years: consider, Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Brandin Cooks, Trent Brown, Legarrette Blount, Mike Vrabel, Rob Ninkovich, etc.

But we've also traded a bunch of players for high value picks. Matt Cassel was traded for a 2nd rounder!

Overall, it's not a bad record. I could make the case that if only they spent all the CB/S draft capital on WRs we'd be better off at both positions, since the guys we brought in over the years (Gilmore, Revis) and the USFA we've relied on (Butler, JJones, JJackson, etc.) were not taken with high picks. McCourty and Logan Ryan seem to be the exceptions. If we had only taken WRs instead of JoeJuan Williams, Duke Dawson, Cyrus Jones, Jordan Richards, Tavon Wilson, Ras-I Dowling, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley, Jonathan Wilhite, I'm sorry this list of players is horrifically bad drafting, and I'd argue that we are way worse at drafting CBs than we are at drafting WRs, because at WR we at least turned up Deion Branch, David Givens, Julian Edelman, M Mitchell, even though we spent maybe a third of the draft capital we spent on CBs.

Anyway, the point is, when it comes to bringing players in through trades, BB is excellent. FAs he is excellent. UDFAs excellent. First rounders, excellent. OL, DL, LBs, excellent.