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(PHOTO: Jerod Mayo talks to reporters at the 2024 Scouting Combine (via Patriots.com)) Good morning. Here are your Patriots news and notes for March 31. Like the other 31 teams, the Patriots are turning their focus to the upcoming NFL Draft, which is less than a month away.
The Patriots have been to several college Pro Days, where they were able to spend time with the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Those visits included (so far) Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Pennix.
One of the most intriguing… and disturbing quotes came from former front office staffer Mike Lombardi, a close confidant of Bill Belichick. Lombardi said on his podcast GM Shuffle, “As a fan, Robert’s hoping they draft a QB. He knows what they’re doing. Like Shaughnessy said, EVERYONE knows Jonathan Kraft is the defacto General Manager.”
Let’s hope that Lombardi is mistaken on this particular issue. Owner interference is a quick way to football oblivion. Despite Robert Kraft’s insistence that the Patriots’ ownership is staying out of football operations, he has stated that he wants a QB taken with the #3 pick in the draft.
Is this “the collaboration” that everyone has been talking about?
Like many of you, I, too, want them to draft a quarterback at #3, but we aren’t professionals. While we all have opinions on things, this is why you hire pros to do your talent evaluation and team building.
All the best to STs maven Cody Davis, who is retiring after an 11-year career. Although he was officially a safety, he made his living on special teams and was very good.
Bill Belichick: The former Patriot head coach has told television networks that he doesn’t want to commit to a weekly television appearance. But now he is reportedly writing a book that will automatically become a must-read for football fans, especially in New England.
After being treated poorly in The Dynasty docuseries, he’ll now get to tell his side of the story. Or it may just be a coaching tome that projects his own philosophies on the finer aspects of the job. Regardless, sign me up, coach.
Steve Belichick: The eldest of Bill’s sons, Steve, a former Patriot linebacker coach now the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington, had a hilarious answer during a media interview with Brennan Carroll, the offensive coordinator. Asked by the press about the differences between themselves and their respective fathers (Brennan is the son of Pete), Steve cracked up the room.
“Um, no, I mean, we definitely have similarities,” Belichick said. “Um, I got a job, and he doesn’t.” Belichick added, “he knows that.”
But Steve also added, “But yeah, I mean, I look up to my dad. He’s a mentor to me,” Steve said. “But I’m myself. And yeah, like B.C. (Brennan Carroll) said, excited to get out onto the field and work with these guys and work with kids and recruit kids. And that’s kinda — I’m just gonna be myself. I’m not gonna try and be him.”
Julian Edelman: Edelman took exception to the way Bill Belichick was treated in the docuseries and singled out former teammate Wes Welker for what he said was made-up stories.
In The Dynasty, Welker said, “I remember thinking like, ‘Why does he (Belichick) love this guy?’ I don’t get it. I don’t get it. But when you’re that talented, a lot of people put up with a lot of stuff.”
“Welker’s out here saying like Aaron Hernandez got away with murder — figuratively speaking — at practice; that’s not even true,” Edelman said. “Welker painted the picture he (Hernandez) was like the king like he got to do anything.
“I remember Bill motherf–king Aaron all the time. Come on, Welk. Trying to make up stories. We know you don’t like Bill.”
Matthew Slater, who also appeared with Edelman on the Games With Names podcast, wasn’t happy with how Belichick was painted in the docuseries.
“I haven’t watched it,” Slater said to Edelman with a chuckle. “This is interesting, this ‘Dynasty’… I’m not sure how I feel about everything. I know there are some comments that I made on there that made it seem like Bill was this demanding presence, and he was — but I also want people to see that there are multiple sides to Bill, and it’s tough because I feel like he’s being portrayed in a certain light.
“We’re painting a picture, but we’re only showing people part of the picture. With coach, it’s very complex, and there are things that were tough, and I’m sure we all may feel like, ‘Hey, maybe we wish we had done things this way,’ but let’s make sure none of us forget the fact that the dynasty is not even being talked about without Bill Belichick and the things that he did were with intentionality and purpose.’
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Last week, we discussed the latest news from Foxboro in our PatsFans.com podcast.
Derek Havens and I discussed the early days of Free Agency, the upcoming draft and prospects at the QB, RB, and TE positions, and The Dynasty series. Please check it out. This week, we’ll start reviewing some of the draft’s prospects at WR and OT.
Dante Scarnecchia: Coach Scar has made it clear that he isn’t interested in watching The Dynasty, and with good reason.
“When I had heard after the first couple of episodes that they had talked to one coach, I started texting guys and asked Charlie Weis if he had been interviewed, and he said ‘No.’ Then Romeo (Crennel). Then Brad Seely. Those three guys came there and, in the first year, implemented systems on offense, defense, and special teams that essentially transcended the next 20 years. And not one of them was interviewed and I said, ‘How can this possibly be?’
“I get it. Bill (Belichick) is unbelievable. The greatest head coach that there has ever been. And we’ve had a lot of great players. But I also think the guys that really started the whole thing, I was aghast that they were not interviewed for this thing.
… There is some selective journalism here, and I don’t like it.”
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position. This will be discussed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
After attending several Pro Days, the Patriots got to see many of the top QBs that will be available to them in the draft.
Most of us love seeing the tape of Pro Days as the prospects put on a show of what they do best. It is great for the colleges as they tout their football programs and the prospects to make a final impression on possible suitors just before the draft.
Pro Days are fun to watch and valuable, as teams get to spend time with the prospects and conduct longer interviews than they did at the NFL Combine. But the game tape is still the best, in my opinion.
In his Pro Day outing, Drake Maye, after missing a couple of easy throws, settled down and made some long throws that easily went 40-50+ yards with ease. His 65-yard bomb was one of those “WOW” plays. And the fact that the NC coaches made him move in the pocket with simulated “blitzes” showcased his talents at moving inside the pocket. Of the top prospects, he’s the best against the blitz. Which they know and showcase. It can up a prospect’s draft position. And it helps their recruiting program bring younger players into the fold.
But we’ve seen that on film, and he’s shown he can do it in a game. From a strict football perspective, what was best about his Pro Day was the interview, which he mentioned. He met with the large New England contingent and got to discuss the Patriot offense as he envisions it with Alex Van Pelt.
The consensus is that the Chicago Bears will draft Caleb Williams with the draft’s first pick. But with J.J. McCarthy shooting up draft boards, he, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels are all in play. Most draft pundits have Washington taking Daniels with the #2 pick. So, with that in mind…
The Patriots at #3, if they keep it and not trade down, would then have Maye or McCarthy available at #3. In this week’s podcast, Derek Havens and I discussed how it would be really intriguing if Washington took McCarthy at #2. Then we’d see who the Patriots really liked better, Daniels or Maye, to run their offense.
Earlier this week at the league meetings, Jerod Mayo said the Patriots would consider trading the No. 3 pick if someone “offers a bag.” Which translates to “a lot of first-round picks.”
Much has been made of Minnesota’s two first-round picks, #11 and #23, as the starting point. With Mayo’s comments, it means they’d also want Minnesota’s first-rounder next season.
At the expense of eschewing the top four quarterbacks this season, the team would pick up another first-round pick to help fill roster holes this year, and the Vikings would pick up the first pick next season. But is it worth it? The feeling here is while enticing, I’d pass unless they feel strongly that whatever QBs are available won’t be a franchise QB of the future.
If Maye (my first choice for the Patriots), Daniels, or, to a lesser extent, McCarthy are available, I’d take them. Finding a franchise QB is not easy, the Jets have been searching for one since 1976. The Bills had a long drought until Josh Allen came along, Miami, after Dan Marino… the list goes on and on.
Next year’s QB class is, at least for now, an uninspiring lot. Unlike this season’s, which looks to be rife with premium prospects. However, things can and frequently do change.
Even if they stay at #3, there is no guarantee that any of the quarterbacks will pan out. The NFL Draft is an inexact science. But if you believe that one or several of these prospects are going to be stars in the league, then you HAVE to take a chance and use your #3 pick. If you fail, then you fail. But at least you swung for the fence. For years, many found fault with Bill Belichick for trading back and acquiring more picks.
But Belichick had Tom Brady as the franchise QB for many years. While trading back may be “the safe” play, is it the right play? We’ll see.
For the record, I said on our 4th & 2 podcast and Mike D’Abate’s Locked on Patriots podcast that I am not a fan of the new kickoff rule and the banning of the Hip-Drop Tackle. The NFL is just about removing the kickoff return from the game, and the tackle ban is making it even harder to play defense today.
Plus, because it is so subjective, how this will be enforced will be a major point of contention all year long. The fact that the NFL is doing this under the auspices of “player safety” highlights Park Avenue’s hypocrisy. If they are so concerned with the well-being of the players, then why schedule games on Christmas Day, which falls on a Wednesday, just three days after a Sunday game?
Moving the trade deadline back to after Week 9 is a plus; it makes sense. But I also hate the season opener for Philadelphia in Brazil, which will be broadcast on Peacock’s streaming service and once again digs in fans’ pockets.
The season opener should be inside the US, and while the league is expanding its footprint overseas, and the NFL is big in Brazil, it is one thing to have a midseason game there. But a season opener? Nope. And charging fans again is nothing more than another money grab.
And doing it on Friday night takes away from the local high school football. What’s next, a Tuesday night schedule to make it a 7-day-a-week league?
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“Well, I loved the first three episodes,” Kraft said. I felt bad that there was so much emphasis on the more controversial and, let’s say, challenging situations over the last twenty years. I wish they had focused more on our Super Bowl wins and our 21-game win streak. I felt bad there were players who gave hours and hours of interviews, and they felt only the negativity—people like Devin McCourty, Rodney Harrison, and Matthew Slater. …
“So I’m a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a real positive approach. Especially for Patriots fans who have lived the experience with us.”
“I feel so privileged that we had Bill (Belichick) here,” Kraft said. “And you know, we hope when he’s finished that we’re going to have a chance to honor him the way we will do with Tom Brady this year. … I look forward to the privilege of putting Bill into the Patriots Hall of Fame one day in the future.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft discusses his thoughts on the docuseries “The Dynasty.” His thoughts mimic those of many Patriots fans, who dwell on the series’ negative aspects. He also mentions Bill Belichick, who was not pictured in a positive light during the vast majority of the series.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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Steve. Love your articles. As to the hip drop call being subjective. Most calls are subjective. That is what officials get paid for. From a former baseball, soccer and basketball HS and college official.