Pats* Not So Different After All?

[MattM]

I found this interesting--a quote from Ellis Hobbs on his trade today:

 

On whether he has talked to anybody about his contract and if that is why he was traded:

 

“I think with that situation [in New England] there are a lot of guys that are coming up that are going to need to be paid. I think it has kind of moved from that echelon where there is a lot of guys out there who are not going to take the [bottom] dollar for the win. Guys really want to get what they deserve and each one of those guys that are coming up in the next year or so deserve every dollar they are going to get. I think that with the roster like we had, there were so many guys that needed to be paid, somebody has to move out of the way. Unfortunately and fortunately it was me and like I said I am looking forward to the future.”

 

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patr..._hobbs_cal.html

 

Perhaps the old saw about people going to New England for the championships has lost a little luster since they haven't won one in a while--maybe that old "championship discount" stuff is starting to wear a little thin on some players, perhaps? One can hope.....

[RVJ]

Belichick doesn't care. He takes low draft picks for cheap. And they play great in his system ...then he trades them for for high draft picks. Then they play average at best for the new team. But every year they line up like suckers.

[BillsVet]

Perhaps the old saw about people going to New England for the championships has lost a little luster since they haven't won one in a while--maybe that old "championship discount" stuff is starting to wear a little thin on some players, perhaps? One can hope.....

 

BB is one of the top talent evaluators in the draft. They have a front office that correctly anticipates issues before they happen, and in this case are doing so with their DB's. They also replace talent so adeptly it's scary because they know who to let go and when to do so.

 

Players like Deion Branch, Banta-Cain, D. Graham, D. Woody, amid others are replaced at a lesser cost so the team remains healthy cap wise. For Belichick and Floyd Reese, that's what this draft has been about: getting cap healthy and finding low cost alternatives should people like Wilfork be too expensive to keep.

[VJ91]

Belichick doesn't care. He takes low draft picks for cheap. And they play great in his system ...then he trades them for for high draft picks. Then they play average at best for the new team. But every year they line up like suckers.

 

They play great in his system because his "system" has plenty of well paid stars doing most of the important work. Brady, (and Cassel turned out to be quite a find, now making quite a bit of money for K.C. after the Pats put the franchise tag on him), Welker, Seymour, Maroney, Mayo, Moss, A.Thomas, most of the starting O-Line, Warren, Wilfork......I'm sure most of those players are being paid top buck. They certainly seem happy and proud to play through their first contracts with the Pats, despite what else is going on around the NFL. Then, if they reach their contract years, the Pats will do what they can, like every other NFL team trying to keep its own free agents.

 

I have not seen the "Cash to the Cap" Wilson Bills use the franchise tag to protect an important free agent since.....have they ever used it??

[Lori]

They play great in his system because his "system" has plenty of well paid stars doing most of the important work. Brady, (and Cassel turned out to be quite a find, now making quite a bit of money for K.C. after the Pats put the franchise tag on him), Welker, Seymour, Maroney, Mayo, Moss, A.Thomas, most of the starting O-Line, Warren, Wilfork......I'm sure most of those players are being paid top buck. They certainly seem happy and proud to play through their first contracts with the Pats, despite what else is going on around the NFL. Then, if they reach their contract years, the Pats will do what they can, like every other NFL team trying to keep its own free agents.

 

I have not seen the "Cash to the Cap" Wilson Bills use the franchise tag to protect an important free agent since.....have they ever used it??

Brought a first-round pick for Peerless Price, the one used to draft Willis McGahee. Nothing since Donahoe left, though.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Brought a first-round pick for Peerless Price, the one used to draft Willis McGahee. Nothing since Donahoe left, though.

They haven't traded down once since Donahoe left either.

[Lori]

They haven't traded down once since Donahoe left either.

Of course not. The DB they want at that pick might be gone if they trade down.

[MattM]

For all the Pats* ball washing over their drafts, go look at the last three--nothing too special, if you ask me. Besides Mayo, there is no one who really stands out from them. Maroney's a bust and Merriweather's average. Beyond that even, there's really nothing there. Admittedly, it's tough to find a starting spot on that team for young players, but you'd still have thought that some of them would have made the "Big Leagues" by now if they were any good, especially from 2006-7. Remember, too, that that was all with both Pioli and Dimitroff--neither of whom are with the Pats* any more. Time to see if the genius drafts of 1999-2005 were the work of Belicheat or others.....