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Yes baffling. The only answer I can think of is that Belichick wants to show the world he can turn Stidham into another Brady, thus proving it was him and not Brady who was responsible for all those Super Bowls. Or he has developed dementia...
Nice pickin Dave, yep they only scored 13 points in their last SB win and their stout def "only" gave up 41 in their last SB loss. Which is worse only scoring "13" when your opponent scores 3 or giving up 41 when your offense scores 34?
Well, looks like they were listening. Got several warm bodies at O-Line on day 3.
The K may turn out to be the next Gostkowski, but he could have been had in the 7th round. This guy was not on most radars.Gandalf said:
Yes.NE_REVIVAL said:
That is a real x-factor in this rebuild...the days of turning college wrestlers and UDFA's into solid starters could be over...it's amazing when you look back at the past 20 years how many productive O lineman they have had and no doubt Dante was the driving force behind it...I am glad they added three rookies to go with the two they drafted last year, they also seem to have hope for the kid they got from Baltimore...it's gonna be real important for a couple of these kids to step-up...they can't have a situation like they did at LT last year, that was a disaster...with Thuney's contract, Andrew's medical situation, Wyn'ns reliability and Cannon starting to regress this unit needs to be deep this year.
BB has said several times the 2nd and 3rd rounds are the places to take risks. Guys that potentially could have had first round talent but fell for a variety of reasons. That’s how he views things, and he certainly his results have varied.
It seems pretty obvious to me.
Expected but still too bad about Develin...helluva career for a UDFA out of Brown...he definitely got the most out of his talents and was a key member of three title teams.
. Belichick obviously concerned someone had their eye on him.
This has certainly been their m.o.
Yeah I don't mind him taking this guys out of leftfield that are off the radar, it's when they give up excess capital for them. And it's like they are every jumping 40+ spots or something, it's always these little dink and dunk 7-12 spot move ups. I don't get it. But can't argue the results I guess ...NE Draft day trades 2020
1) NE gives 1.23 ... to LAC for 2.05 and 3.07
Love this deal. Trade back and get your guy Kyle Dugger ... and picked up an early 3rd.
2) NE gives 3.07 and 3.27 ... to BAL for 2.28 and 4.23
Gave up a full round to move up 11 picks and draft Josh Uche. Ok, fair enough. Only 9 starts in his college career ... but that's because of his bad knee (meniscus & stress factor)
3) NE gives 3.36, 4.33, 5.27 ... to LVR for 3.27 and 5.14
Now here is where is starts to get weird. Pats swap 5ths and give a 4th for the right to move up 9 slots at the end of the 3rd round.
... GAVE UP A 4th ...which is what they got for Gronkowski ... to move up 9 slots ... to draft TE Devin Asiasi. Not Gronkowski for Asiasi ... Gronkowski to move up 9 slots.
First list that I googled has Asiasi ranked 9th in this TE draft class. With only one TE off the board to that point ...
was a trade up necessary to draft the 9th best prospect at the position? Did they really think Asiasi was about to be "scooped up" by someone else in the next 9 picks? Would they have been crushed if they had to settle for another TE ... like maybe the 2nd or 3rd best TE in this draft class?
4) NE give 4.19, 4.23 and 6th ... to NYJ for 3.37
Now they're just getting silly. Give up another 4th and next years 6th to move up 1/2 a round and draft TE Dalton Keene. Not on the list of top 10 TE prospects.
... yet they felt obligated to give up a 4th and 6th to move up and get this guy as the 4th TE off the board (or 1st FB if you'd rather) .
Again, were other teams eyeing this guy that NE couldn't wait for him to fall to 4.19? Suppose it was house money with Gronk coming out of retirement and fetching you a bonus 4th rd pick ... but does that mean you just piss it away?
5) NE gives 212 and 213 ... to IND for 182
Fair enough this late
I love how good BB is at accumulating draft picks. ... but it seems like he is content to just gift them away on draft day. So strange.
almost feels like BB owes "favors" to these other franchises ... "yeah Raiders, we got you good on that Randy Moss deal 15 years ago ... have some draft picks
I remember some heated discussions both regionally and nationally about BB's relatively poor drafting record in recent years. It's hard to argue that they have done well the past several drafts. But at one point they had been to 4 out of 5 SB's and won 3 of them. So half the people were suggesting his draft record was so bad that NE should consider firing him, while the other half were suggesting they should waive the waiting period and just put him in the HOF as soon as he hangs 'em up. In this type of debate, it's possible for both to be right. Several other teams had hit on some key players and hadn't won anything, while NE hit on no one yet kept winning. Grading drafts as soon as they are completed is nothing but guess work, and it can take a few years to tell who were worthwhile selections and who were busts.
That’s a bit simplistic way of looking at it. Another way is that when the team has been healthy they have usually at least been in the Super Bowl (at least over the last ten years). Who knows what coulda, woulda, shoulda happened in the years they missed out. But the years they were healthy they advanced pretty far or won. I am not sure that had anything to do with BB the GM.Boston said:
I don't think it is simplistic at all...yes, injuries can be a major issue as it is for every team (and BB usually builds his roster better then most to withstand it) but there have been years where they have had glaring needs that were not addressed and you knew it right at the start of the year...last year at TE was one of them...the year they lost at Indy when their WRs were putrid was another and there were many years in-between the titles where they had suspect CBs or a suspect pass rush and it was very easy to see that it had the chance to cost them right at the beginning of the year...overall BB is an excellent GM but I do think he sometimes thinks his coaching can overcome big flaws talentwise and in all honesty he will overcome that during the regular season but the playoffs can be a different story (which shows how high I am judging him right now)...also, the fact that TB12 has been the QB has put them in a position to overcome a lot and that is no longer the case, that can never be underestimated...so, this is a long way of getting back to yes, I do think it is pretty simple...if BB the GM is right on the Stidhams, D2 safeties and N'Keal Harrys of the world they will continue to challenge for titles but if not they are going to take a big step backwards because the TB12 break glass when needed option is no longer around.
Some things are simple, some things are not. Last year, BB tried to work to bring Gronk back and couldn't. It is said NE was close to agreeing to terms with Jared Cook, but he refused to sign with NE unless Gronk was totally out of the picture. Gronk took his time in deciding and ultimately retired, and by then Cook had moved on. There really weren't any suitable options on the market or the horizon then. I agree that by the time the season rolled around that TE was a huge chasm and a never ending pit of despair. He should have at least drafted another body as a tight end. But he almost had either Gronk or Cook. Unfortunately both fell through. That's different than BB just deciding to ignore the position and not even try to bring in anyone else.
Yeah it certainly seems like a lot of these guys would have been there if they were just patient
I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. Sure, his drafting record is all over the map. But he got guys like Seymour, Mankins, Wilfork, Mayo, Solder, Jones, Hightower, and McCourty in the first round. Guys like Gronk, Light, Jimmy G, Collins, Vollmer, Branch, Chung, and Thuney in Rounds 2-3. And in later rounds players like Brady, Edelman, Cannon, Koppen, Samuel, White, Flowers, Hernandez, etc. Yes, BB also has a long trail of bums he drafted that did absolutely nothing in the league (so do a lot of other teams and GM's). No need to list the names, I am well aware.
Come-on Bossman, he may drive us crazy with some of the stuff you hit on but he is better then average...I mean who else has figured out the key to winning championships is obtaining as many Rutgers players as possible...in all seriousness, for 20 years he has been doing a great job with the salary cap...little tight this year but next year and the following years they are in great shape...also, I think the most underrated part of what he has done is he is almost perfect when letting guys walk, it is very rare when he has been wrong with the timing of letting guys go no matter how many times people have panicked about losing someone...as far as UDFA's he has done some amazing work and he has done a very good job at identifying guys who were under-utilized on their former teams...I just think there are times (and you are kind of touching on it) when it feels like he is going out of his way to be different or to zig when the media is telling him to zag...every GM misses on a ton of draft picks, I just hate when he makes one like Tavon Wilson, Ras-I-Dowling, Jordan Richards or Damion Easley...guys with huge question marks that he reaches for when he absolutely does not have to and then they are complete busts...that drives me crazy...just make the easy pick, you don't have to try to go outside of the box just to do it...the good news for BB the GM is by having BB the Coach and TB12 the QB they have been in a great position to overcome some of these misses, the question is now that Brady is gone just how much smaller has that room for error got? We are gonna find out this year because this team is the most vulnerable they have been since the first Super Bowl team...if Stidham is not the answer and this draft class and the other young players of the past two draft classes doesn't hit they have a chance to take a very big step backwards...very big.
As usual i agree with much of what u r saying but it so often seems u just cant leave well enuf alone and keep coming back to the same narrative/theme, again and again and again (must denigrate brady some how some way). I dont know who the straw men are (claiming huge discounts) nor do I want to argue semantics over deep discount or way less. I would only point out that 3-4 mil a yr is a significant amount of money every yr to help get 1 or 2 or more players that can make a difference on a team. If the BB/Brady era has taught me anything it is little things mean a lot, you know like all the little things brady does that bledsoe couldn't/wouldn't. Signing FAs like Phifer, Pleasant, Vrabel and many others over the yrs can make a difference.
The way BB values special teamers that 3-4 mil is that much more important to him...it allows him to get those binkies he loves so much.
Do you agree, or is it too early to predict anything until we know more about Stidham?
