Bill Belichick. Genius. Cheat. Hall of Famer in New England. Disaster in Cleveland. Media darling. Media nightmare. You'd think that given the two sided resume, Belichick would, whilst continuing to be rightfully revered for taking a New England Patriots team and winning three Superbowls with a 6th round QB, also be looked at with a modicum of disdain when it comes to his career. Given the fact that he was found guilty of stealing, fined half a million dollars and had a first round pick taken away, you'd think that someone in the media might just take a little shine from his halo. Hell, they might even enjoy it! After all, this is a mainstream media that Belichick despises and treats with utter indredulity.
I would like the "found guilty of stealing" line explained to me. Is this a reference to the Moss trade? The Dillon trade? The Welker trade? The Bledsoe trade? Brady in the 6th? Cassell in the 7th? The Branch trade? Wilfork 21st overall? What?
And yet they continue to love him.
Who are "they?" Belichick often gets ripped by the media. Ron Borges in particular has a personal vendetta against Belichick.
Evidence of this is rife in any transaction the Patriots seem to make. Only recently they jettisoned a QB they picked in the 3rd round a year ago, then cut a former starter in Andrew Walter, leaving free agent pick up Brian Hoyer, a pretty uninspiring rookie from Michigan State as the only back up to Tom Brady, himself fresh off a knee reconstruction and a sore shoulder. And yet, when Hoyer completed 18 of 25 against the Giants in the pre-season finale, it led one respected NFL watcher to say to me: "I don't want to say it was like watching a young Tom Brady, but it was like watching a young Tom Brady. Another masterstroke from Coach Belichick."
It's a strike against Belichick that he missed on the 3rd round pick used to select O'Connell, but I credit him for having the guts to cut bait so quickly when almost any other team in the league would have kept him around only because of the sunken cost of a 3rd round pick.
Where I see water, others see wine.
Take for example the trade of Richard Seymour. Always known as a slightly cantankerous character, the five time Pro Bowler went from being the leader of the Patriots defense, the heart and soul of the unit, an All Pro performer, coming off an 8 sack season, to being washed up, ageing, over the hill and finished in the time it took to announce his trade from the Patriots (good) to the Raiders (evil).
As great a player as he was here, Seymour was never "the heart and soul" of the defense, and I have never once heard anyone claim that he was. That would be Tedy Bruschi and/or Rodney Harrison.
As one friend said to me, 'I have no doubt that if the Pats had acquired Seymour from the Raiders for a 2011 1st rd pick it would have been hailed as a master stroke by New England'.Of all the hyperbole that has surrounded the trade, you'd think the Patriots had shipped Rick Mirer to the Bears for a #1.
If the Patriots had made the trade, it would [likely] be a low 1st rounder, not a potential top 10, or even top 5, pick. And aside from that, I can't recall Belichick ever trading a high pick for a 30-year old player during his time in New England.
Tony Sparano's reaction - a little fist pump in case you missed it - was most telling. Which do you think coach Sparano is more bothered about? The Patriots picking up a 1st rounder in two drafts time or whether we have to game plan for a 5 time Pro Bowler at least twice this season? Especially on a defense that has lost Harrison, Seau, Bruschi, Vrabel and now big number 93. You think Sparano cares one iota about anything other than how the Seymour trade weakens a Patriot team that will now rely on two rookies to fill that hole?
Me neither.
Why would the Patriots conduct business based on the reaction of Tony Sparano?
And it's not just over the Seymour trade where the media wears its rose tinted glasses. Take the case of Alex Smith, the former Bucs tight end who was seen as another 'shrewd trade' by Belichick, who 'stole him' for a 5th rounder, only to cut him on September 5th, when he lost out to the former 1st rounder Ben Watson, who was almost cut himself. Remember Watson? He's the 4.4 running machine from Georgia who was going to revolutionise the tight end position in the NFL.
It's a 5th round pick. Who cares? And how was Watson "almost" cut? The author couldn't possibly know this. And no one ever said that Watson was going to "revolutionize" the TE position.
We're still waiting. Perhaps we should file him away in the drawer marked 'Laurence Maroney'.
And the lack of national press over the Patriots cutting of Greg Lewis was fascinating. Remember, this was a player who New England got for a 5th round pick from Philadelphia, and who, if you'd read a few media outlets at the time, would have thought this was something akin to the Herschel Walker trade. A player Belichick had coveted for years back to when Lewis was at Illinois and who would be guaranteed to catch 50 passes in that offense, who was another Wes Welker but with special teams talent. Cue media fanfare, bunting and numerous lists of Top 10 Great Trades That New England (good) Have Made And Others (evil) Haven't.
Another 5th round pick. It's also interesting that the author brings up Welker without giving credit to Belichick for stealing him from Miami.
And yet where was the fanfare and the bunting when Lewis was cut at the end of training camp? Released, thrown away, unwanted after 3 pre-season grabs, beaten out by two free agent rookies. You missed it you say? No wonder. The mainstream sports media only likes good New England stories. You should know this by now.
Spygate down?
It's not consigned to free agency or trades either. Look at the drafting of Jerod Mayo. A player who the Patriots picked 10th overall in 2008, but who some dared to call a reach at that point. Now, after 128 tackles and 16 starts, as well as the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, he's now yet another perspicacious New England selection. Why wouldn't he be?
What? Is the author trying to say that Mayo wasn't a good pick at 10th overall, or was unworthy of DPOY, or what? I would address the point he is trying to make here, but I have no idea what it is.
And it's the drafting of players where things really do get interesting with regards Bill Belichick. If you're a fan of conformity, then might I suggest you look away now? If you like your Monday morning hyperbole and your 24 hour Sports News excess then this might not be the paragraph for you.
New England's draft history isn't nearly as glamourous as people have led you to believe.
There. I said it. I am the anti-ESPN. Yes, there's been some good picks along the way. Yes, there's been some great picks. But thre's been a lot of dross as well. Not everyone can hang their video camera around the neck of a 6th round quarterback that will be a first ballot Hall of Famer at some stage in the next decade. But as Scott Pioli rightfully said, if New England were so smart, why did they pass on Brady five times?
In that famous 2000 draft which delivered Tom Brady are the names of such NFL stalwarts as Adrian Klemm (R2), JR Redmond (R3) and Jeff Marriott (R5). The Patriots even had Dave Stachelski with his one career catch for five yards rated higher than Brady. 2004 was a washout save for Vince Wilfork, whilst they hit on Logan Mankins in 2005 but dealt Ellis Hobbs for a low round pick, have had inclement play from Nick Kaczur and James Sanders and struck it lucky with Matt Cassell, missing on the rest. 2006 should go down in the annals given the wasted picks on Maroney, Chad Jackson (R2), David Thomas (R3), Garrett Mills (R4), Ryan O'Callaghan, (R5), Jeremy Mincey (R6), Dan Stevenson (R6) and LeKevin Smith (R6).
Belichick drafted his entire starting offensive line (3 Pro Bowlers), save for Stephen Neal, who he picked up as an undrafted free agent. They have been considered among the league's best in recent years. He drafted Brady in the 6th. He traded other picks for Wes Welker and Randy Moss, arguably the league's best receiving duo. He also drafted Seymour, Wilfork, Warren, and Jarvis Green. He drafted reigning DPOY Jerod Mayo. It's irrelevant that they eventually traded Ellis Hobbs; he was a solid 3rd round pick here. Belichick also drafted Brandon Meriweather, not to mention Asante Samuel. Eugene Wilson was also a very useful player in New England earlier on in his career. He also drafted Gostkowski, who is an elite kicker.
If this had been a Miami Dolphin draft then Lord alone knows the field day that the press would have had. I doubt the front office would have ever worked again. And I don't just mean in football!
It's a little early to conclude on the 2007 draft, but Clint Oldenburg? THE Clint Oldenburg? Please.
Oldenburg was taken at the 5.34 spot. Why is this author so infatuated with 5th round picks? Anyway, the Pats took Meriweather in the 1st round, and he's looking like a promising young player right now. They didn't pick again until 4.28. This is admittedly pure speculation on my part, but given that the '07 roster was so stacked, it's not outside the realm of possibility that the Patriots used their late round picks on high rish/high reward types who just didn't pan out for whatever reason. Regardless, although it is too early to tell, it appears that they hit on their 1st round pick.
Sure, Bill has earned his right to a few misses every once in a while. But over and over and over again? Do the Patriots get a pass because they wheel and deal for so many picks that it doesn't matter who they end up picking? Ever heard the term quality over quantity? Or do they get a free pass because people are scared to criticise, scared they'll miss out if Belichick ever does converse like a grown up with the media? Whichever it is, the rather two faced nature of reporting what happens in New England wouldn't wash if it concerned any other coach in football. Not Wade Phillips, not Mike Tomlin, not Ken Whisenhunt and not Tony Sparano.
Everyone misses on draft picks; no one hits on all of them. The fact that Belichick wheels & deals for more and more (not to mention higher and higher) picks only increases the chances that he'll get some good players out of the draft. That's a good thing, not a bad thing.
That I find very distasteful.
Anyway, the Patriots are 1-0 and off to Miami in February for the Superbowl. How do I know? The media told me.
Sounds like someone's still bitter over that tuck thing.
Sounds like someone's still bitter over that tuck thing.
Sounds like someone's still bitter over that tuck thing.
Sounds like someone's still bitter over that tuck thing.
