The inside story of the Patriots’ fall to rock bottom in the Bill Belichick era

[skinnydog]

Is it true they haven't used much in terms of draft capital on offense?

Last 3 drafts the Patriots have taken 16 offensive picks and 11 defensive picks.

Including using 2 1st round draft choices and 1 2nd rounder.

If you count the draft chart value of their picks, it's 2480 for defense and 2475 for offense.

They've used the exact equal amounts of capital on both sides of the ball.

No starter worthy OL? Strange isn't starter worthy? Sow isn't starter worthy? If these OL aren't starter worthy, then who is?

About the only argument that can be made is that they didn't take Broderick Jones or Cody Mauch over Christian Gonzalez or Keion White. If anyone wants to take the bet that those players will turn out better than Gonzalez and White, I'd call them suckers.

As for FA/trades, they've expended a lot on the offensive side of the ball -- granted with little success. Bourne, Jonnu Smith, Algholor, Henry, Gesicki, Zeke, Smith-Schuster (whose contract is remarkably similar to Meyers'), Parker, all had big contracts relative to the bargain basement hunting on the defensive side (Phillips, Mills, Wade, Peppers, Tavai) outside of Godchaux and Judon. The amount of money spent on offense dwarfs the amount on defense.

The most you can say is that their draft and FA efforts on offense failed, whereas on defense they panned out.

As for waiting to grab WRs in the 6th, does it matter if one of those receivers is better than, say, 1st rounder Treylon Burks?

Does it matter that they grabbed Onwenu in the 6th?

Or Rhamondre and Sow in the 4th?

As long as you're finding players who can help you, the draft value matters much less.

BUT -- whatever anyone wants to argue, it can't be said they neglected offense in either free agency or in the draft. By any standard of measurement (FA $$$ expended, # of draft picks, trade value of those draft picks), they expended at least as much resources as they have on offense.

People want to start a narrative and rewrite history because the Patriots (CORRECTLY) chose Gonzalez and Keion White over Jones and Mauch. That's what the Patriots should've done. Choose the BPAs and the difference makers 100% of the time, and eventually it will all fall into place.

This is just incorrect. Pats clearly emphasized defense over offense especially in last years draft. Having glaring weaknesses on offense and not adequately addressing it in free agency and ignoring the offense until the 4th round Is plainly emphasizing the defense.

 

[PowerRunRevival]

Everything that comes out makes it seem more likely that Belichick should be done. No analytics, the Klemm stuff sounds bad, the O'Brien stuff sounds bad. I hope that another team is willing to pay draft assets to us for Bill.

I'd hope they keep Mayo and let him keep defensive continuity with the Patriots system. The defense has really been good for a long time, I hope they can hang onto that while they move on from Belichicks offenses.

They really should hire a new GM and let them completely shape the team in a modern way. If they do that I would like to hold onto at least a little bit of the past, so keeping Mayo as the DC or even the HC would be helpful.

 

[upstater1]

This is just incorrect. Pats clearly emphasized defense over offense especially in last years draft. Having glaring weaknesses on offense and not adequately addressing it in free agency and ignoring the offense until the 4th round Is plainly emphasizing the defense.

1. You’re going off only last year
2. They took Gonzalez and White for heavens sake? You wanted to pass them up? For who? Linemen? This is just bad drafting if you’re giving up a chance to draft studs to fill needs. I looked at the previous 3 years
3. After going BPA in the early rounds, look what they did after: Sow, Andrew’s, Mafi, Douglas, Bouttee.

Again if you look at the draft capital expended the last 3 yrs they are spending as much on D as on O

The critique of Belichick was valid for the Brady years. Since Brady left they are paying as much attention to O as they are to D. The drafts definitely show that

 

[skinnydog]

1. You’re going off only last year
2. They took Gonzalez and White for heavens sake? You wanted to pass them up? For who? Linemen? This is just bad drafting if you’re giving up a chance to draft studs to fill needs. I looked at the previous 3 years
3. After going BPA in the early rounds, look what they did after: Sow, Andrew’s, Mafi, Douglas, Bouttee.

Again if you look at the draft capital expended the last 3 yrs they are spending as much on D as on O

The critique of Belichick was valid for the Brady years. Since Brady left they are paying as much attention to O as they are to D. The drafts definitely show that

I’ve already done this with you. Not just last year, but last year was an extreme case of the offense having needs and the Pats going D, D, D. Personally, I would have signed the R tackle who went to the Broncos who has not been terrible as you seem to think and Hopkins. Having not done that, I would have gone for the tackle Jones who the Steelers took who is an excellent run blocker (BB wants this to be a run heavy team) and improving as a pass blocker over Gonzalez. Jones may never be as good as Gonzalez turns out but our pass defense was good even when he went down. Our offense has suffered all year due to bad O line play (among other things).

 

[venecol]

Now there's rumors of this taking weeks (Warning! Warning! Source compromised).

I have to say, Kraft sure dug himself a deep hole. During the '22 off-season Kraft went out of his way to talk to the media about his expectations for the team after the worse playoff loss in Belichick's career. He uncharacteristically had been speaking about poor drafts the prior season (a dig at Bill) and now was all but demanding a playoff appearance as the Patriots #1 fan. The team got worse. It was so bad, he had to write a letter to STHs, but again doubled down on the playoff expectations. The team got worse again. Not just worse though, but so bad, it has the worse record from even before he owned the team.

Now, what does he do? Write another letter? Triple down on his playoff expectations? Is Kraft a man of action who's words mean something and is willing to hold people accountable? Or is he the type of man that needs women to clean him up after a spill? (No need to answer that).

Bill Belichick-Robert Kraft talks reportedly could take 'weeks'

The New England Patriots could fire Bill Belichick on Monday, following Sunday’s regular season finale against the New York Jets. However, a new report indicates a decision on Belichick’s future may take longer. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported that it c

patriotswire.usatoday.com

 

[TheRainMaker]

Now there's rumors of this taking weeks (Warning! Warning! Source compromised).

I have to say, Kraft sure dug himself a deep hole. During the '22 off-season Kraft went out of his way to talk to the media about his expectations for the team after the worse playoff loss in Belichick's career. He uncharacteristically had been speaking about poor drafts the prior season (a dig at Bill) and now was all but demanding a playoff appearance as the Patriots #1 fan. The team got worse. It was so bad, he had to write a letter to STHs, but again doubled down on the playoff expectations. The team got worse again. Not just worse though, but so bad, it has the worse record from even before he owned the team.

Now, what does he do? Write another letter? Triple down on his playoff expectations? Is Kraft a man of action who's words mean something and is willing to hold people accountable? Or is he the type of man that needs women to clean him up after a spill? (No need to answer that).

Bill Belichick-Robert Kraft talks reportedly could take 'weeks'

The New England Patriots could fire Bill Belichick on Monday, following Sunday’s regular season finale against the New York Jets. However, a new report indicates a decision on Belichick’s future may take longer. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reported that it c

patriotswire.usatoday.com

They could "take weeks", but Kraft is going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later as other teams are going to hire HC's.

I'm guessing it's meant that they have time as teams can't hire until after the season or something. A decision will be made following the Super Bowl.

 

[Triumph]

And Bill can rest known he had 4 lost Brady years and countless years before that to find the successor.

Most coaches don't get that amount of time to turn it around.

TB12 went chapter 11.

 

[venecol]

Someone needs to play this in a loop back to Kraft.

 

[captain stone]

I heard it was Ferentz helping Yates. Lol, I wonder what @captain stone has to say about that one. Two straight seasons with an OL coaching cluster****...

Thanksdad can't be any worse as a coach than he has been as a player.

 

[upstater1]

I’ve already done this with you. Not just last year, but last year was an extreme case of the offense having needs and the Pats going D, D, D. Personally, I would have signed the R tackle who went to the Broncos who has not been terrible as you seem to think and Hopkins. Having not done that, I would have gone for the tackle Jones who the Steelers took who is an excellent run blocker (BB wants this to be a run heavy team) and improving as a pass blocker over Gonzalez. Jones may never be as good as Gonzalez turns out but our pass defense was good even when he went down. Our offense has suffered all year due to bad O line play (among other things).

You would never win the big one with your strategies.

"Not just last year?" I showed what they've done since Brady left. Go back and look. There's as much O as D.

$87m for McGlinchey is one of the worst contracts in NFL history. I'm not the only one who thinks he's terrible. Broncos fans hate him.

But giving up a guy like Gonzalez, who plays one of the most difficult positions with a high premium, for a decent tackle (I never said Jones was bad); you're giving up your future by making moves like that.

If this is what the future holds for the Patriots, they're not going to win for an eternity. They'll be the new 49ers/Cowboys. Good, but no Super Bowls for 30 years.

 

[captain stone]

Yo Adrian might have his own issues, but at least he has the sack to speak his mind at the Real source of this team's problems: the incompetent ****ing toadies at the Department of Talent Acquisition.

 

[captain stone]

I mean our OL has gotten better since Klemm took leave...

Klemm deserves to be sidelined for blowing up about a lack of talent. It's the middle of the season and very little can be done. Imagine how the guys he's coaching felt hearing that? That's just bad coaching and BB is right to push him aside.

Completely disagree.

 

[captain stone]

All of these media people who are only relevant because of the success of this team are biting the hand that feeds them. Everyone of them that hasn't made it to a national job will become irrelevant with the tumbling of this franchise when we enter a post BB era.

Yeah because that's what's really important here: the messengers...

 

[captain stone]

Why did 32 franchises pass on him 3 times and 14 franchises pass on him a fourth time?

You gotta be ****ing joking, right?

 

[captain stone]

Dawand Jones was drafted before Ryland but I can't fault you for not knowing how the draft order works. Sequentially increasing numbers are hard.

Jake Andrews was a fine pick. There's definitely a scenario where David Andrews gets hurt and we would have been screwed without any backup Center.

Jake the Latest Fake was most certainly Not a "fine" pick. He wasn't even the best available CENTER at the time of his pick.


Are you gonna be this obtuse for the rest of this thread?

 

[captain stone]

Because **** can happen at positions other than just Tackle and we had already signed Reiff and Anderson at that point...

Apparently so...

 

[captain stone]

You don't like how coached and developed Brady?

That was Then. This is Now.

And as of Right Now, Bill Belichick ****ing SUCKS.

 

[captain stone]

Duplicate post, sorry.

 

[*ChungFu*]

If you haven't been able to identify which fans are bandwagon fans, just watch who roots for the Jets this Sunday. It'll clear things up for you.

 

[venecol]

If this is what the future holds for the Patriots, they're not going to win for an eternity. They'll be the new 49ers/Cowboys. Good, but no Super Bowls for 30 years.

7, 10, 8, 4.

I'll take the 49ers/Cowboys.

This Buffalo resident has to be one of the most deluded posters on the forum. According to upstutter, there's nothing wrong here. Bill making all the right moves. Keep the rebuild going, so we can keep our 29/30 yo players for the next 4 years when we become contenders and Bill will be at the SB at 75. LMAO