I can vouch for this, I got to the stadium gates at 12:15 and didn’t get into the game until the 10 minute mark in the first quarter. The game was essentially over before hundreds of us even got in.
New England Patriots: By trading away veterans (Richard Seymour, Deion Branch) and endlessly trading down, New England attained a phenomenal 15 choices in the first three rounds of the past three drafts -- yet which of those guys can you name? The guys Bill Belichick chose with his extra selections so far have been injured or duds: Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Crable, Kevin O'Connell, Brandon Tate, Ron Brace, Tyrone McKenzie, Darius Butler, Pat Chung. Last season, the Flying Elvii had a severe lack of impact players, and no one from all those extra second- and third-round choices is threatening to become an impact player.
The Patriots are one of the league's oldest teams; Logan Mankins (assuming he reports) and Laurence Maroney might be the only offensive starters under age 30. Perhaps Belichick's strategy of endlessly trading down for extra picks reflects his awareness of a need to remake the Patriots roster: Belichick has banked extra first- and second-round choices in 2011, too. But if instead he had traded up for someone explosive -- C.J. Spiller, Dez Bryant -- New England's prospects might be brighter.
Last season, the Patriots had no offensive coordinator, with Belichick covering that post; this season, they also will have no defensive coordinator. It's Belichick, Belichick and more Belichick -- no coordinators. Is this an ego-trip thing -- he wants to prove he can do something no major football coach has even attempted since, say, Leo Meyer? TMQ has been complaining for years that NFL clubs are overstaffed at coach, since it's hard to believe a head coach needs 19 more coaches, which is how many Mike Shanahan has at Washington, including a safeties coach, a tight ends coach and an assistant coach for the special-teams coach. Belichick is veering to the other extreme.
Tom Brady got annoyed at the team in the offseason, and he lost his special parking space as a result. Meanwhile, the Patriots once again are gambling on Brady's health. Can you name the Patriots' backup quarterback? Neither can I.
A cursory bit of research would reveal that Matt Patricia is the de facto defensive coordinator this year, while QB coach Bill O'Brien will be calling the plays and act as the de facto offensive coordinator. To imply that BB has done away with coordinators in favor of calling everything himself as some sort of ego-trip is asinine.Tom Brady is parking his car elsewhere this season.
The iconic quarterback wasn't around Gillette Stadium as much during his downtime, so his preferred parking place, the one he's earned since his first offseason, now contains somebody else's car.
"I gave it up. I didn't compete for it," said Brady. "I'm sure if I would have competed I would have won, but I chose not to compete."
Brady, who turns 31 in August, may have ceded his coveted parking spot, awarded to those with the top attendance in the offseason program, but his passion for football is anything but vacant. That was apparent as he spoke yesterday following the Patriots' first official practice of training camp.
Turning off the spycameras turned this team human.
The New England Pats.
Forecast finish: 9-7
Keep an eye on LaDainian Tomlinson, who has passed such tailback greats as Jim Brown and Thurman Thomas in career rushing yards and has a realistic shot at passing Tony Dorsett and Eric Dickerson this season. For his part, Fred Taylor -- many fans don't even know which team he plays for! -- has a shot at passing Thomas and Franco Harris.
Edit: sorry, someone beat me to it.Turning off the spy
cameras turned this team human.
The New England Pats.
Forecast finish: 9-7
Umm.....OK. But why hasn't he named them as coordinators? Usually the de facto defensive coordinator holds the title "Defensive Coordinator." Similarly, the guy who calls plays is the "Offensive Coordinator."A cursory bit of research would reveal that Matt Patricia is the de facto defensive coordinator this year, while QB coach Bill O'Brien will be calling the plays and act as the de facto offensive coordinator. To imply that BB has done away with coordinators in favor of calling everything himself as some sort of ego-trip is asinine.
Umm.....OK. But why hasn't he named them as coordinators? Usually the de facto defensive coordinator holds the title "Defensive Coordinator." Similarly, the guy who calls plays is the "Offensive Coordinator."
It's a really interesting, kind of weird move and it is worth putting under some scrutiny.
It's not weird at all. Titles or no titles, those are the guys that will be calling the plays. TMQ is intimating that BB will be calling them on both sides of the ball as some sort of ego power trip. This is completely incorrect.Umm.....OK. But why hasn't he named them as coordinators? Usually the de facto defensive coordinator holds the title "Defensive Coordinator." Similarly, the guy who calls plays is the "Offensive Coordinator."
It's a really interesting, kind of weird move and it is worth putting under some scrutiny.
I think you are trying to gloss over something that is bona fide odd. Belichick is taking two pretty unproven folks (I hate saying that about a Brown guy like O'Brien, who does have an OK college resume) who don't come in with a lot of credibility and he is not giving them the job title. Are players listening to them? Last year one of Patricia's own guys (AT) was torpedoing the locker room by all reports.It's not weird at all. Titles or no titles, those are the guys that will be calling the plays. TMQ is intimating that BB will be calling them on both sides of the ball as some sort of ego power trip. This is completely incorrect.
Remember, Belichick did the very same thing with McDaniels in '06, having him call all the plays while still just titled QB coach. The next year McDaniels was named OC. There's no scrutiny required because there's already precedent. Again, cursory research on the part of TMQ would have told him this as well.
So you think Belichick is on a self-destructive power trip?
I don't see any evidence that this was an issue last season, and I still await something beyond 'it's interesting!' It's tough to argue with the conclusions when they're not really spelled out.
Really? The conclusions are pretty clear I would argue. The Pats are risking effective coaching through this move.