Tag Archives: Bill Belichick

Trent Brown: Who Is This Guy?

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The Belichick strikes again!

The chicken littles came out when in force when Nate Solder left the Patriots in free agency. “How could they let him go”, and “No one on the team can replace him.” Sprinkle in a couple “You gotta protect Tom Brady!”

His Plan

So what does he do? Does he overpay for some of the other departing free agents in a panic? Does he sign marginal free agents in hopes that they stick? No, he waits. And he waits. Then when the moment and the situation is right, he strikes! Selecting Isaiah Wynn to join the team and recently resigned LaAdrian Waddle. Ok, the littles got a little quieter. “But, he’s a rookie” and “He should play guard,” joined the chorus.

 

Then Friday morning of the draft, news broke that the Patriots traded with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire right tackle Trent Brown. The internet was abuzz with the new look of the Patriots offensive line and what the position coach, Dante Scarnecchia, was going to be working with in training camp. So, who is Trent Brown? Is he going to protect the blind side? Why was he traded? Will we be hearing his name in February as a starter in the Super Bowl or a surprise cut in August?

The Man

Trent Brown was one of those nondescript draft picks, number 244 in the seventh round. If there were any remarks about the developmental prospect, it centered around how large he was for a player. 355 pounds of a tackle is both a blessing and a curse. While the weight will help to anchor and provide blocking power it can also lead to sloppy technique and lack of conditioning. His college career also was that of a young man still learning. He played at junior college Georgia Military College before enrolling at Florida. Brown would start at both tackle and guard before entering the draft in 2015

His Path

Proving that everyone’s football journey is different, Trent Brown actually started the last two games of his rookie season. He followed that up by starting all sixteen games in his sophomore season. This is an accomplishment for any player, let alone a seventh-round pick.

His Game

Are the Patriots getting a raw prospect that uses his bulk to overpower smaller opponents? If anything, the opposite. While his run blocking could use some refinement and improvement, his pass blocking is near elite. PFF graded his injury-shortened 2017 at 86.0, good enough for third on the year. Only Joe Thomas and Jason Peter graded out higher. Good company.

His Future

And consider this widely circulated quote from Von Miller. “He’s the best right tackle in the National Football League. And he may even be a top-five tackle, period, in the National Football League. There’s not another tackle who’s that tall, that big and can move the way he moves.” I’ll take it.

 

So how did the Patriots manage to score such a prize? For merely moving back two rounds they have a mountain of a man that could become an elite left tackle for the best quarterback in the NFL. The dreaded regime change. Kyle Shanahan took over the 49ers before the 2017 season. There were some rumors about toughness and ability to play through injury that will have to be monitored. The biggest factor to me is that Shanahan likes to move his tackles and guards around. Pull them for blocking assignments and get them to the second level. And while Brown is very athletic and agile for his size it still is difficult for a man his size to do the things Shanahan asks of his linemen.

 

Don’t think the Patriots acquired damaged goods or a disgruntled player. Think that they are getting a superb pass blocker that is an ascending player. If he wins the left tackle or right tackle job or some other combination of personnel, he will make his presence known.

Patriots Training Camp Preview: Quarterback

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With Patriots training camp approaching on July 26th, there are many different players on this team from last year. The Pats acquired four guys from trade, fifteen from free agency, and nine from the NFL Draft. They also lost nine players from trade and free agency and had three players retire.

In this new series, I will be looking at every player from each position leading up to training camp. For this part of the series I will talk about the most important position on the field: Quarterback. Quarterback has been the most consistent position for the Patriots since 2001. Ever since Tom Brady got his first start in 2001, the Patriots had only had four Quarterbacks start for them (Bledsoe, Cassel, Garoppolo, Brissett). The Patriots are bringing in three QB’s to training camp this year.

Tom Brady #12 (2000-Present):

Tom Brady is entering his 19th season for the Patriots where he has had a very successful career. He is a 5-time Super Bowl Winner, 3-time NFL MVP, 4-time Super Bowl MVP, and 13-time Pro-Bowler. Brady for his entire career has had 66,159 pass yards, 488 TD, 160 INT, and a record of 196-55-0. One of Tom’s MVP’s seasons came last year where he amassed 4,577 pass yards, 32 TD, and 8 INT.

He led the Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl where the ultimately came up short to the Eagles. Tom has been one of the main reasons as to why the Patriots are consistently in the Super Bowl.

Brady, who will be 41 at the start of the season, has shown no signs of slowing down yet. Expectations for him are still very high. Every year, it is expected that the Patriots will win a Super Bowl and it is expected that Brady will lead them there.

The verdict is that Tom Brady will 100% be on the Patriots 2018 roster.

Brian Hoyer #2 (2009-2011, 2017-Present)

Brian Hoyer was the Patriots backup QB for the last half of the 2017-2018 season. He began his season in San Francisco where he started six games. Hoyer went 0-6 in those six games and had a stat line of 1,287 pass yards, 5 total touchdowns, and 4 INTs. He ended up getting released by the 49ers after San Francisco traded for former Pat’s QB Jimmy Garappolo.

After getting released by the 49ers, the Patriots signed him for the rest of the season due to only having one QB on the roster. This would be the second stint in New England after being drafted by the team in 2009. Hoyer was part of the 2011 Patriots that went on to win the AFC Championship. Brian has only appeared in eighteen games in his four years with New England with him, and a stat line of 328 pass yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 INT.

Once he left the Pats in 2011, he had a very solid few seasons in Cleveland. In his first year for the Browns, he started three games and went 3-0 with 615 pass yards, 5 TD, and 3 INT. He then started 13 games for Cleveland where he had a record of 7-6 and 3,326 pass yards 12 TD, and 13 INT. His next season would come in Houston under his former offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien. He had his best statistical season where he had a record of 5-4, 2,606 pass yards, 19 pass TD, and 7 INT. This would be his last season in Houston though. He then had an uneventful season in Chicago and then went to San Francisco.

Brian Hoyer is a very solid option as a backup quarterback to Tom Brady. He has been in the league for a long time and has some quality experience as a starter. Overall, Hoyer will most likely be the backup to Tom Brady for the upcoming season.

Danny Etling (Rookie):

With the 219th pick in the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select Danny Etling, QB, LSU. With all the rumors going around about the Patriots selecting a quarterback early to be the predecessor to Brady, they waited all the way until the seventh round. Etling was kind of a surprise pick with him not being rated higher than a lot of undrafted QBs.

Etling started his college career at Purdue where he appeared in thirteen games over the span of two seasons. In those thirteen games, he had 2,490 pass yards, 16 pass TD, and 12 INT. He would then transfer to LSU where he played two seasons. Over those two seasons, he played 24 games and had 4,586 pass yards, 27 pass TD, and 7 INT. His senior season at LSU was his best season in college. He appeared in thirteen games and threw for 2,463 pass yards 16 pass TD, and 2 INT.

Danny Etling, 23, will most likely be a project for the Patriots. He will not be a quality backup right away, but he has potential. I believe the Patriots will keep Etling on the practice squad on the upcoming season to learn from Brady and Hoyer.

The position of quarterback for the Patriots has always been the most consistent since Brady took over, and not much looks to change this year.

 

No, Days Off!

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Since Bill Belichick has been with the Patriots, he has stressed having no days off and doing your job. That has been Belichick’s motto for a long time. Now, with Belichick nearing retirement and Brady not participating in the offseason workouts, the Patriots took the final two days off of OTAs this week. You won’t see them on a practice field until training camp. The No Days Off Patriots are now the No, Days Off! Patriots. Bill Belichick went to Viva La France to get away from diva La Brady. I’m joking, but it’s clear Belichick wasn’t getting anything out of Hoyer and Etling. So since Brady wasn’t there, what’s the point of having the final two days of practice. Just wait until everyone is together when training camp starts. This way, there are no dropped passes, and Brady knows what he is doing.

Having Fun Doesn’t Win Championships

The Patriots went to Fenway Park on Monday for a team bonding exercise. On Tuesday, Bill Belichick had a history lesson on football. One of Bill Belichick’s famous quotes is “There are no shortcuts to building a team each season. You build the foundation brick by brick.” That’s from the combine all the way until the start of the season. Everything is important. Julian Edelman is about to be suspended four games of the season, and there are some rookies on this team who could use the reps. However, when the starting quarterback isn’t there, it might be best to wait until camp to start when everyone is together.

There’s been a lot of gossip and drama going on in New England to the point now that it might be sickening. From the Malcolm Butler benching all the way to Brady, it’s been something every day with this team. Robert Kraft spoke last week. He called the reports that the Patriots were going to trade Rob Gronkowski last Friday hogwash. However, they were looking to trading Gronkowski three days before the NFL Draft. That was when Gronkowski was complaining about not getting enough money. Enjoy the next month of hopefully no Patriots drama. When training camp starts, it will be strictly focused on football.

 

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are Back

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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are in the Building

(Foxborough, MA, 01/13/16) Wide receiver #11, tight end #87 Rob Gronkowski, and quarterback #12 Tom Brady warm up for Patriots practice at Gillette. Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Staff photo by John Wilcox.Relax people- Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have arrived ahead of mandatory minicamp tomorrow. At a charity event yesterday, Gronk said he was going to be attending mandatory minicamp this week. With Brady and Gronkowski missing OTAs, it will be interesting to see how Belichick approaches minicamp this year. Both Brady and Gronkowski attended Fantasy Camp today at Gillette Stadium with the rest of their teammates.

Both Gronkowski and Brady have been getting treatment all offseason long at TB12. The drama between Brady and Belichick really shouldn’t stop them from winning because the AFC is so bad. Josh McDaniels’s return helps, because Brady would rather listen to Josh more than Belichick. Tom Brady will probably be with the first team with the start of minicamp tomorrow.

The Voluntary Workouts Are Over

Teammates didn’t have a problem with Brady missing OTAs last week. They were stressing all along that it was voluntary. Dont’a Hightower said last week, “12 (Brady) is a big part of this team and he means a lot to us in the locker room, but as far as the culture goes, it’s always been next man up. Whether it’s 12, or Gronk, or me missing, or whenever (Jerod) Mayo went down, or (Vince) Wilfork or whatever, it’s always been next man up. That’s the kind of way Bill has built this culture. Whenever the next guy is up, they’re just looking for that next chance and opportunity.
We’re not going to work harder just because 12’s not here or because Gronk’s not here. Dwayne Allen’s doing a great job. Tye’s doing a great job. Niklas is doing a great job. All of these guys are getting those extra reps and getting better and wanting to contribute to this team.”

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. There are still some questions about how Brady will approach Danny Etling at camp? Will Brady give him the cold shoulder like he did with Jimmy Garoppolo? Or will Brady just realize that his time is coming to an end anyway, and give Etling the reps he needs? Minicamp is a big part of the off-season program. Believe it or not, training camp starts in late July.

Tom Brady Is Doing Things His Way

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Brady Is All About Himself and His Brand

Mandatory minicamp begins next week, and we should expect to see Tom Brady there. Lately, he’s been working out at TB12, traveling to Morocco, throwing a football off a boat, and training with Julian Edelman in the practice bubble. During OTAs, Julian Edelman has practiced with the team and then afterward went to the bubble to work out with Tom Brady. In past years, Brady only cared about the team above anything. Now this year he’s putting himself first.

The Final Curtain Call with Brady and Belichick

Don’t worry though, the Patriots have already punched their ticket to the AFC Championship game because the conference is so bad. They will win another division title, and possibly play in another Super Bowl. Bill Belichick is only talking about the players participating in the OTAs, and not the players who are not participating in the program. Tom Brady is the only quarterback in the league not participating in the OTAs. If this was Peyton Manning, Patriots fans would be up in arms about him not putting the team first. But because Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, it’s okay for him not to be with his teammates.

Kobe Bryant spoke to the team this week. Honestly, why couldn’t Brady do that? Brady knows what it takes to win, but because Belichick is not happy with Brady’s attitude, he decided to bring in someone else.

Also, it’s clear Belichick isn’t taking in the TB12 meal plan. He was video recorded at a Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and didn’t look happy about being recorded.

It will be interesting to see Brady back with the team starting next week at minicamp. Will he be with the first team, or will he get demoted to the second team because he missed OTAs.  I think Brady will be with the first team personally, and should be fine. Belichick is done at the end of the season anyway, so Brady will be mostly listening to Josh McDaniels.

Bill Belichick Is Annoyed with Brady

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Bill Belichick Is in Midseason Form

(Foxborough, MA 07/27/17) Coach Bill Belichick walks up to the practice field for the start of Patriots training camp at Gillette. Thursday, July 27, 2017. Staff photo by John Wilcox.

The one topic Bill Belichick will talk about? His players that are participating in OTAs. The first question earlier this week from the media about Tom Brady’s absence was quickly shut down by Belichick.  The coach is also showing signs he’s done at the end of the season. He wouldn’t even touch on the 2018 draft picks, replying that Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio took care of that. Bill Belichick is sick of the drama with Brady and Guerrero, and Gronkowski’s salary demands.

Belichick Won’t Discuss Draft Picks

Belichick seemed very bitter earlier this week — in mid-season form at his press conference. Julian Edelman is participating in the workouts and he also goes to TB12 for treatments. It is a big deal Brady isn’t participating in OTAs.  Some are saying he’s a fraud. Garoppolo used to talk about giving up his life for football. When Garoppolo got traded, Brady all of a sudden needs to have more family time.

Patriots fans need to be realistic.  Belichick is on his way out. Brady doesn’t feel appreciated and is holding out because he wants to spend more time with his family. He realizes Danny Etling could be the next quarterback for this team. They have loads of draft picks for the 2019 NFL Draft. Belichick doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve done. If you aren’t participating he’s only going to talk about the players that are. According to NFL Network, Brady will be at mandatory minicamp in the first week in June along with Rob Gronkowski.

Brad Stevens Has a Great Coaching Mentor

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Bill Belichick Takes Young Average Talent and Makes Them Elite

Bill Belichick is remarkable at taking players with average talent and transforming them to have elite level skills. He’s trained Wes Welker, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola and turned them into exceptional players. Can we say the same for another coach in Boston? Brad Stevens? Brad Stevens currently is without Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Stevens has taken his rookies, especially Jayson Tatum, and has turned them to greatness in the playoffs. Tatum is something special and is averaging 20+ points a game. Terry Rozier has taken the place of an injured of Kyrie Irving and has been great. Stevens has taken a page out of Bill Belichick’s book. Since taking over in 2013, Brad Stevens and his Celtics have steadily become one of the top NBA playoff contenders.

Brad Stevens Is Trying to Become the Next Great Coach in Boston

Stevens is always seen at Patriots training camp.  He is fascinated at how the Patriots run their organization. Brad took Isaiah Thomas last year.  Brad Stevens told Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network about his relationship with Bill Belichick: “I think when you walk out of there, and I’ve said this before, you feel inadequate as a coach. Their culture, the way they move from drill to drill, how they pull together, how connected they are, it’s special and it does not happen everywhere.”

Brad Stevens Praises Bill Belichick

Stevens also said, “The one thing that the Patriots have always been great about is they don’t beat themselves. They pride themselves on that. I think the idea of that, plus doing your job or the idea of ‘everyone has a role to play in being a superstar in your role’ those are all things that coaches are talking about all the time. They just do it better than everybody else.”

As of now, the Celtics are moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics were big underdogs  against the 76ers last round; at some betting sites online, their odds were as long as +300 to win that series.

They are similarly discounted in the Eastern Conference Finals against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. The just-released odds have the Cavaliers at -290 and the Celtics at +245 to advance to the NBA Finals, even though Boston has home-court advantage against Cleveland and is 7-0 in the playoffs at TD Garden.

Sportsbooks might be making a big mistake there. Stevens hasn’t learned by watching Belichick the importance of teamwork and leadership in the locker room. Having communication with everyone leads to success. Now, we can question whether or not the Patriots are good in the communication part or not. However, the Celtics seem to have great communication, and Brad Stevens has great control of his team.

Look at who the Celtics have next season. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back, the Boston Celtics will head to the NBA Finals to compete for an NBA Championship. Not only next year, but for many years to come. Brad Stevens is the best coach in the NBA and he can thank Bill Belichick.

The Patriots Almost Got Baker Mayfield

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The Giants and Patriots Almost Made a Trade for Baker Mayfield

Via Sports Illustrated

Believe it or not, Baker Mayfield was almost a New England Patriot, according to his agent. The Giants and Patriots were in discussion about a possible trade for the Patriots to move up to the number two spot in the Draft. But when the Browns got Mayfield, the talks stopped, and it never happened. What also didn’t happen was Lamar Jackson going to New England. That was a complete smokescreen by Bill Belichick, making people think they are into Lamar Jackson when really they wanted to get Baker Mayfield.

Baker Mayfield was the closest thing to Jimmy Garoppolo in this draft. The next head coach Josh McDaniels was really into Baker Mayfield being the heir apparent to Tom Brady. I still do believe that Belichick is leaving after this season and Josh McDaniels will be taking over starting next season. With everything going on lately, I really don’t blame Belichick for walking away. Imagine Baker Mayfield in a Patriots uniform, though. There are people comparing him to Johnny Manziel. Who knows if any of the quarterbacks will be a bust or not? For some, it goes to their head, and for others, they work their tails off to get better.

People Are Already Judging Danny Etling

Via NESN.com

People seem to want to forget that Tom Brady was taken in the sixth round at pick 199. Dan Etling is no Tom Brady, however, he’s working with Brady’s throwing coaches and that should be taken into consideration. Why is there no talk about Danny Etling? Did the Patriots draft their next quarterback in this draft? Who knows. Let’s see how Etling does before we jump to conclusions that he’s going to suck. Instead of getting Mayfield, they instead loaded up McDaniels for next season with draft picks. I don’t see Brian Hoyer with the team after this upcoming season. Then in 2020, it will be Josh McDaniels, Etling (or another quarterback), and the backup with a completely new Patriots team.

Tom Brady Respects Belichick but Feels Unappreciated

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Everyday Is Something with the Patriots

The Patriots seem to still be making headlines because of their drama. The latest flame in the fire comes from Tom Brady. Brady did an interview with Jim Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference and was asked about if he felt appreciated by the Patriots. Brady swiftly answered with, “I plead the fifth”. Second, he was asked about the Super Bowl loss his response was “last year sucked”. I can’t really he blame him there because they could’ve won had Belichick put in the one guy on defense that could’ve turned the game around. Instead, he put it all on Tom and the offense.

Tom Brady Is the Leader of the Pack

The plead the fifth comment though was uncalled for. There is really something going on, because Tom isn’t the only one speaking this way about Belichick. My question is what happened to the Patriot Way? It used to be everything was kept in the locker room and nothing got out. The players were coached to tell the media little as possible. That ship seems to have sailed, and it looks like Tom Brady is the leader of the pack. Brady got his way when Garoppolo was traded, but that’s still not enough. He wants Alex Guerrero in the locker room too. For Brady to feel unappreciated and tell Jim Gray he pleads the fifth is a complete diva and selfish move.

Tom Brady has five heads. I believe Tom Brady is bigger than Belichick when it comes to Robert Kraft. It’s like when a kid goes to the parent that lets them do what they want. Then the other parent gets mad because the nicer one lets the kid go out. Which is what Brady did to Kraft about Brady telling Kraft to make Belichick trade Garoppolo.

Belichick then said Guerrero couldn’t be in the locker room as punishment. Now, Brady is getting his own teammates current and former on his side. At the end of the day, he knows he’s bigger than the team and he’ll say and do whatever he wants. He doesn’t care what Belichick has to say. If I’m Belichick I’d leave after this season, which is what I continue to believe is happening.

Brady Talks About His Relationship With Bill Belichick

At the end of the day, Tom Brady respects Belichick as a coach. His quote to Jim Gray yesterday about his relationship with Belichick was,”He’s very respectful to me, We’ve had a great relationship. A very respectful relationship for a long time and I feel like he’s the best coach in the history of the NFL.”

Brady went on to say “He would say, ‘look, I’m not the easiest coach to play for’ and I agree, he’s not the easiest coach to play for, but he’s the best for me. I think what he’s proven is that whatever talent that he has he maximizes talent. I mean what more can you ask of a coach than that? That what I want as a player. Belichick is an incredible coach. He’s been an incredible mentor for me. He’s taught me so much football Like I said, being a 22-year old kid to come and learn from him, I mean I wouldn’t be sitting here without his coaching.”  However, all of his loyalty is to Robert Kraft. If he really felt appreciated he wouldn’t have pleaded the fifth when asked.

The Future Is Now for the Patriots

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The Patriots Selected a Quarterback

The New England Patriots are planning for the future. The Patriots set a record in this draft after making eight trades. Though frustrating, they now have a lot of picks in 2019. The Patriots took a quarterback Danny Etling from LSU in the seventh round. All of the Lamar Jackson talks were false and the Patriots were eyeing Etling all along. According to Albert Breer, Etling has already been working with Tom Brady’s throwing coaches in California. Danny Etling completed sixty percent of his passes at LSU and had 16 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Etling is excited to learn from the greatest quarterback of all time, saying yesterday, “It’s an opportunity to learn from the greatest quarterback. You don’t expect anything, absorb as much information as you can and continue to keep on improving and prepare for your opportunity when it comes. You just want to watch a guy who has been so great and know how he does it. … It’s such a great quarterback room. I’m so excited to be a part of it”.

Are the Patriots Doing Some Team Building for the Future?

Nick Caserio also spoke yesterday and hinted that they were eying a quarterback: “We knew we were going to add a quarterback to our team at some point, so it’s relative to what other options we might have, relative to other positions. There’s no template like, ‘Well we’re going to take one here, we’re going to take one there.’ You just evaluate the player and we think Danny has some decent traits and some decent qualities to work with, so we’ll put him in our program and see how he does”.

The Patriots are building a team for the future. They gave Brady offensive line help, and also added a running back, tight end, wide receiver. New England also added some defensive help, too. Also, they have lots of picks in next year’s draft. Josh McDaniels’s presence in the draft room is still pretty clear to me what’s still in play. After this season you could be looking at Josh being the next head coach of the Patriots.