Two serious questions about the Pats from last night (1 Viewer)

[The Dude]

Looking for some thoughts:

1 - Does anybody really think Brady was motivated over the Tebow hype?

I don't see it. One of the greatest QB's of this era is going to feed off the young guy getting hype? It's not like anyone said that he's better than Brady - I could see that motivating him.

2 - Why does Behlichek (sp) get love for having pieces he cam move around (Hernandez to RB, Edeleman to DB)?

That team has seemingly had more draft picks than any other team in the last 5 years - why can't he just get the right guy for the job? There was some number mentioned on NFLN - something like 20+ picks on defense over the last few years and a ridiculous little to show for it.

 

[ivnabru]

Looking for some thoughts:

1 - Does anybody really think Brady was motivated over the Tebow hype?

I don't see it. One of the greatest QB's of this era is going to feed off the young guy getting hype? It's not like anyone said that he's better than Brady - I could see that motivating him.

2 - Why does Behlichek (sp) get love for having pieces he cam move around (Hernandez to RB, Edeleman to DB)?

That team has seemingly had more draft picks than any other team in the last 5 years - why can't he just get the right guy for the job? There was some number mentioned on NFLN - something like 20+ picks on defense over the last few years and a ridiculous low number of starters.

1 - If Brady isn't able to motivate himself for a playoff game at this stage in his career then I don't know what's going on. So I thought that talk was weird.2 - The Pats aren't usually getting high picks. So those high numbers probably should have less success than most teams on average. With a better than average defense most years and average this year (I know I know worst defense ever that allowed 21ppg) it's probably harder for an average player to jump into starting position most years. And there are almost no weak spots on that offense right now for starters to jump into.

 

[Andrew74]

Brady was motivated to not choke another playoff game at home.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Looking for some thoughts:

1 - Does anybody really think Brady was motivated over the Tebow hype?

I don't see it. One of the greatest QB's of this era is going to feed off the young guy getting hype? It's not like anyone said that he's better than Brady - I could see that motivating him.

2 - Why does Behlichek (sp) get love for having pieces he cam move around (Hernandez to RB, Edeleman to DB)?

That team has seemingly had more draft picks than any other team in the last 5 years - why can't he just get the right guy for the job? There was some number mentioned on NFLN - something like 20+ picks on defense over the last few years and a ridiculous little to show for it.

1. Dumb talk - players at that level shouldn't need this as motivation. He is competitive to begin with.

2. I think the love comes from this - seemingly more than other teams in the league he goes for 'smart' players who will do anything for the team. Combine that with the game planning that comes for the other team now. Belichick seems to throw these wrinkles out at key times - big games, playoffs etc.. People have tape on the NE offense and now they have to spend time thinking about Hernandez at Rb. It just complicates things for the opposing teams. If they ignore that they get burnt by that formation again. If they plan for that now, they are spreading themselves thinner on something else.

I agree with the above that the Pats seem to like a lot of picks in the middle of the draft. A lot of their mixing and matching comes from a ton of injuries they have had on the D side of the ball over the last couple years. I think they have some good pieces that have been drafted lately like Mayo, Chung, McCourty, etc... Not as bad at drafting as people want to make it sound like.

 

[Borat]

Looking for some thoughts:

1 - Does anybody really think Brady was motivated over the Tebow hype?

I don't see it. One of the greatest QB's of this era is going to feed off the young guy getting hype? It's not like anyone said that he's better than Brady - I could see that motivating him.

2 - Why does Behlichek (sp) get love for having pieces he cam move around (Hernandez to RB, Edeleman to DB)?

That team has seemingly had more draft picks than any other team in the last 5 years - why can't he just get the right guy for the job? There was some number mentioned on NFLN - something like 20+ picks on defense over the last few years and a ridiculous little to show for it.

1. Maybe, but he would've been prepared for the game either way, so it doesn't really matter.2. As long as the job gets done, who really cares who does it?

 

[Joe Summer]

Flawwed. Those questions aren't serious.

 

[FavreCo]

Brady was motivated to not choke another playoff game at home.

That's it. They have it down the way you need to play. No lead is big enough.

 

[rockaction]

1. I don't think so either. Brady is guilty of using little slights to get him pumped, but I just think they wanted to crush the Broncos because they could, and sometimes champions just feel that way.

2. A lot of people are asking very legitimate questions about both the Patriots' draft picks and their bulk draft (constantly trading downward) philosophy. It's been asked all year, especially about their secondary, where they have drafted guys in the early rounds, and they've utterly failed. Wheatley, Wilhite, Butler, Meriwether, jury is out on McCourty, but he's a second-year guy.

I can't claim to know a ton about the Pats, but this is what I see in the media around here (*eta: I live in Pats-land in CT, No. CT, as close to W. Mass. as you can get). There's certainly a deep respect for Belichick, but not an outright fawning over his drafts. Nor is there at the national level, either, once they had to throw Edelman and Slater back in the secondary after having outright waived guys like Bodden (who apparently didn't want to be there or something...who knows?).

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Looking for some thoughts:

1 - Does anybody really think Brady was motivated over the Tebow hype?

I don't see it. One of the greatest QB's of this era is going to feed off the young guy getting hype? It's not like anyone said that he's better than Brady - I could see that motivating him.

2 - Why does Behlichek (sp) get love for having pieces he cam move around (Hernandez to RB, Edeleman to DB)?

That team has seemingly had more draft picks than any other team in the last 5 years - why can't he just get the right guy for the job? There was some number mentioned on NFLN - something like 20+ picks on defense over the last few years and a ridiculous little to show for it.

1 -- no, why would I think that?2 - he's had some busts, like everyone else, but I think 'ridiculous little to show for it' is your imagination.

 

[LongDuckDong]

I figure Brady was motivated by the idea this could be his last run. I mean, you just never know when you'll get another chance. The Dan Marino theory...

I think people around here (Boston) feel that some of Brady's championship window has been wasted by the continued need to trade down in the draft and the lack of impact defensive players. Generally I think Belichick gets credit for his W-L record, not his player personnel record.

 

[The Dude]

1.17 OL Nate Solder Colorado

2.01 DB Ras-I Dowling Virginia

2.24 RB Shane Vereen California

3.09 RB Stevan Ridley Louisiana State

3.10 QB Ryan Mallett Arkansas

5.07 OL Marcus Cannon Texas Christian

5.28 TE Lee Smith Marshall

6.29 LB Markell Carter Central Arkansas

7.16 DB Malcolm Williams Texas Christian

2010

1.27 DB Devin McCourty Rutgers

2.10 TE Rob Gronkowski Arizona

2.21 LB Jermaine Cunningham Florida

2.30 LB Brandon Spikes Florida

3.26 WR Taylor Price Ohio from DAL

4.15 TE Aaron Hernandez Florida

5.19 P Zoltan Mesko Michigan

6.36 OL Ted Larsen North Carolina State

7.01 OL Thomas Welch Vanderbilt

7.40 DL Brandon Deaderick Alabama

7.41 DL Kade Weston Georgia

7.43 QB Zac Robinson Oklahoma State

2009

2.02 DB Patrick Chung Oregon from KC

2.08 DL Ron Brace Boston College

2.09 DB Darius Butler Connecticut

2.26 OL Sebastian Vollmer Houston

3.19 WR Brandon Tate North Carolina

3.33 LB Tyrone McKenzie South Florida

4.23 OL Rich Ohrnberger Penn State

5.34 OL George Bussey Louisville

6.25 LS Jake Ingram Hawaii

6.34 DL Myron Pryor Kentucky

7.23 WR Julian Edelman Kent State

7.25 DL Darryl Richard Georgia Tech

2008

1.10 LB Jerod Mayo Tennessee

2.31 DB Terrence Wheatley Colorado

3.15 LB Shawn Crable Michigan

3.31 QB Kevin O'Connell San Diego State

4.30 DB Jonathan Wilhite Auburn

5.18 WR Matt Slater UCLA from TB

6.31 LB Bo Ruud Nebraska

2007

1.24 DB Brandon Meriweather Miami

4.28 DL Kareem Brown Miami

5.34 OL Clint Oldenburg Colorado State

6.06 LB Justin Rogers Southern Methodist

6.28 DB Mike Richardson Notre Dame

6.34 RB Justise Hairston Central Connecticut

6.35 OL Corey Hilliard Oklahoma State

7.01 LB Oscar Lua Southern California

7.37 OL Mike Elgin Iowa

Sorry about the format but how many defensive guys on that list get you excited? About 24 picks over 5 years on D. Also, you can talk about drafting late - but then he trades down?