Enbracing the suck

[chevss454]

I'll just throw this theory out there, even though I don't believe it. BB saw the schedule this year, knew was a lost cause, saw Caleb/Maye as a real possibility, put together an awful roster. You can tank without looking like you're tanking. It's the only explanation I can come up with as a reason for this roster. Kraft and BB are in cahoots, laughing at the media who are so sure BB would never tank. Mac's career is ruined in the process, but hey, that's collateral damage, got to do what is best for the team as BB always says. This is also why Boutte was really benched, kid was getting open, can't have that!

You may say, but if the defense were healthy they would be good on that side of the ball. True, but that was just to keep games close to look less tanky. Rodgers potentially screwed up their plans by getting injured, but it shouldn't make a difference in the end.

 

[Darth Despot]

No....f'n....way

Pat Patriot were one of the best looking uni's in the NFL, Flying Elvis just looks like a boring corporate image. Hated the change back then and it never grew on me, and the colors suck. Guys like Tippett and Hannah looked downright menacing in the red and white. Look at Big Vince in Pat Patriot, he looks like he wants to each your children, in the Flying Elvis he looks like a huggable teddy bear.

View attachment 19355

Pat Patriot - 0
Flying Elvis - 6

No contest

 

[jayShomp]

People with a lot more football knowledge than you and I think he was a good pic. Now, are you suggesting that Bill Belichick hired Tonya Harding's boyfriend, who capped Cole Stange in the parking lot on the knee? Are you suggesting that Bill knew he would be injured in training camp?

Again, far more football knowledge than you and I.

The very first thing I said about the hole tanking theory is "I don't believe it". I'm being sarcastic about the whole thing, just having fun during dark days. But, I do truly believe Strange was a huge over reach and bad asset management given that the only reason why they needed a guard is BB's refusal to resign the ones we had. Onwenu on the other hand, 6th round, great pick. I've seen/heard plenty of people with "far more knowledge than you and I" scratching their heads and outright laughing at the Strange pick. The only person I heard saying it was a good pick or that Strange was rated that high after the fact were people like Lomardi(surprise surprise), yet I couldn't find a single mock that showed that. Late 2nd or early 3rd at best, some even had him in the 4th. It's not like they've been paying a premium for a QB the last 4 years, you really have to over reach to draft a Guard instead of keeping Thuney or signing one?

 

[jayShomp]

Pat Patriot - 0
Flying Elvis - 6

No contest

Talent wins Super Bowls not laundry

Brady - 6
No Brady - 0

It took almost a decade before they won a SB with the Flying Elvis, and you're going to give credit to the uniform? I guess it was a delayed effect.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

On the really bright side the ticket prices for the commanders game in early November have dropped down to $84! The best thing about sucking is cheaper ticket prices!

Still way too much…

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

The very first thing I said about the hole tanking theory is "I don't believe it". I'm being sarcastic about the whole thing, just having fun during dark days. But, I do truly believe Strange was a huge over reach and bad asset management given that the only reason why they needed a guard is BB's refusal to resign the ones we had. Onwenu on the other hand, 6th round, great pick. I've seen/heard plenty of people with "far more knowledge than you and I" scratching their heads and outright laughing at the Strange pick. The only person I heard saying it was a good pick or that Strange was rated that high after the fact were people like Lomardi(surprise surprise), yet I couldn't find a single mock that showed that. Late 2nd or early 3rd at best, some even had him in the 4th. It's not like they've been paying a premium for a QB the last 4 years, you really have to over reach to draft a Guard instead of keeping Thuney or signing one?

Strange was way over-drafted just like Thornton was.

Have they looked like justified picks drafted?

Nope…

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

The very first thing I said about the hole tanking theory is "I don't believe it". I'm being sarcastic about the whole thing, just having fun during dark days. But, I do truly believe Strange was a huge over reach and bad asset management given that the only reason why they needed a guard is BB's refusal to resign the ones we had. Onwenu on the other hand, 6th round, great pick. I've seen/heard plenty of people with "far more knowledge than you and I" scratching their heads and outright laughing at the Strange pick. The only person I heard saying it was a good pick or that Strange was rated that high after the fact were people like Lomardi(surprise surprise), yet I couldn't find a single mock that showed that. Late 2nd or early 3rd at best, some even had him in the 4th. It's not like they've been paying a premium for a QB the last 4 years, you really have to over reach to draft a Guard instead of keeping Thuney or signing one?

They couldn’t keep Thuney. He was WAY overpaid by the Chefs

 

[jayShomp]

They couldn’t keep Thuney. He was WAY overpaid by the Chefs

Oh God I didn't think you were one of those. You can afford to over pay with a QB on a rookie salary, it's quite easy actually. And WAY overpaid is WAY of an overstatement, and I would even say incorrect. He's considered one of the best Guards in the game right now, and is barely getting paid like one. His cap hit was miniscule the previous 2 years and the 5th highest this year. A top 5 Guard bringing the 5th highest cap for a Guard hit is hardly an overpay. But hey I guess it's better to have cheap linemen that can't pass protect or run block, it's not like games are won in the trenches or anything. If they had kept Thuney they could picked Strange later or another Guard, paid him a lot less and developed him.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Oh God I didn't think you were one of those. You can afford to over pay with a QB on a rookie salary, it's quite easy actually. And WAY overpaid is WAY of an overstatement, and I would even say incorrect. He's considered one of the best Guards in the game right now, and is barely getting paid like one. His cap hit was miniscule the previous 2 years and the 5th highest this year. A top 5 Guard bringing the 5th highest cap for a Guard hit is hardly an overpay. But hey I guess it's better to have cheap linemen that can't pass protect or run block, it's not like games are won in the trenches or anything. If they had kept Thuney they could picked Strange later or another Guard, paid him a lot less and developed him.

Almost everyone here would agree with me…at least on Thuney.

 

[Grogan]

People with a lot more football knowledge than you and I think he was a good pic. Now, are you suggesting that Bill Belichick hired Tonya Harding's boyfriend, who capped Cole Stange in the parking lot on the knee? Are you suggesting that Bill knew he would be injured in training camp?

Again, far more football knowledge than you and I.

And many far more knowledgeable than the average fan have been criticizing his picks and personnel moves for the last 4 years. Look, you can defend the wall all you like, the reality is in the results and they aren't good. No one expects perfection, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he earned that, but her we are about to win maybe 4 game in the 4th year of the rebuild, I don't have to say anything more.

 

[3 Point Stan]

I remember Parcells leaving and thinking that the roster was still so damn good that they'd at least be in the mix for a SB berth every year. I remember the day I gave up on that thought: 1998 season, the Falcons came into Foxboro and absolutely destroyed the Patriots. Ironically, the score was 28-3 at the half. Atlanta went on to score over 40 that day and I remember I had a patch of poison ivy growing that I couldn't kill. So I put on the proper garb and went out to pull it all by hand. I literally chose to pull up poison ivy by the root than continue to watch anymore of that game.

I don't think I really started to think of the Patriots as a "good team" again until after the Sunday night Rams regular season game in 2001 (which they lost). I didn't think they just hung in there, I thought they duked it out with the best team in football and if they played each other 10 times, the Rams may walk away with a 6-4 advantage.

Fast-forward to last week and the Pats are either 3 and out or turning the ball over. The feeling was the same as that day in '98. I got up and started prepping the walls for painting. The game was on in the background and I was listening, but I saw very little with my own eyes. So November 1998 to October 2023... A lot of folks would kill to go roughly 25 years between low points.

 

[TommyD420]

Well, do you have enough to get to 2 with Chicago? Assuming they're not taking a QB of course, you'd only need to get to 2. Denver is really bad though, might be a fight all season for the first pick.

 

[Grogan]

Well, do you have enough to get to 2 with Chicago? Assuming they're not taking a QB of course, you'd only need to get to 2. Denver is really bad though, might be a fight all season for the first pick.

Probably a three team race.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Well, do you have enough to get to 2 with Chicago? Assuming they're not taking a QB of course, you'd only need to get to 2. Denver is really bad though, might be a fight all season for the first pick.

It might be the REAL battle this year!

 

[aloyouis]

The very first thing I said about the hole tanking theory is "I don't believe it". I'm being sarcastic about the whole thing, just having fun during dark days. But, I do truly believe Strange was a huge over reach and bad asset management given that the only reason why they needed a guard is BB's refusal to resign the ones we had. Onwenu on the other hand, 6th round, great pick. I've seen/heard plenty of people with "far more knowledge than you and I" scratching their heads and outright laughing at the Strange pick. The only person I heard saying it was a good pick or that Strange was rated that high after the fact were people like Lomardi(surprise surprise), yet I couldn't find a single mock that showed that. Late 2nd or early 3rd at best, some even had him in the 4th. It's not like they've been paying a premium for a QB the last 4 years, you really have to over reach to draft a Guard instead of keeping Thuney or signing one?

The people that I referred to as far more knowledgeable than you and I made their judgments after last season. They had a full season of film to study. And they were right. Absences injury this year. I'm sure we would see further evidence of it.

 

[ParanoidPatriot]

I have not read, listened, or watched any sports media all week and I feel better for it. Don't need them to harp on how bad this team is so far. I sure as hell don’t need know what their speculation is to fix the team going forward.
It like building a house. You need a good strong foundation first.

 

[Roberto71]

The sports media are jerking themselves off into a frenzy out there. Doesn't matter who it is, Cowherd, Smith, Bayless, Sharpe, you name it, they cannot contain their glee. Years of being humiliated by Belichick has now given them their golden moment at long last.

But while these 'experts' are busily mocking Belichick and feting the new young Turks in the HC positions, they are remarkably not having the crucial conversation. Namely, this new NFL model is completely unsustainable. Spend all your cap space on a handful of superstar players, and if you have a decent QB, you'll be a contender. But that window to win an SB is almost laughably short. You can't escape the cap. So you extend players and push the dead cap to another year, and eventually, it stops, you have no more room, and you have to tank, simply to re-set the cap.

So, fans of these teams are going to be like drug addicts. A period of intense highs and then a spectacular crash, and then rinse and repeat.

What Bill did here was insane. Everything was heard by the NFL for it not to happen. A team spending 20 years at the top of the division and the majority of the time getting to the AFCCG, was never on the books. So by all means, approach the sport like a made, frenzied gambler, bet your mortgage and your kid's inheritance on a glorious moment, but is this really the way forward to building sustained success?

I know which coach and Philosophy I'd rather have had here in New England.

 

[BradyGirl]

Oh God I didn't think you were one of those. You can afford to over pay with a QB on a rookie salary, it's quite easy actually. And WAY overpaid is WAY of an overstatement, and I would even say incorrect. He's considered one of the best Guards in the game right now, and is barely getting paid like one. His cap hit was miniscule the previous 2 years and the 5th highest this year. A top 5 Guard bringing the 5th highest cap for a Guard hit is hardly an overpay. But hey I guess it's better to have cheap linemen that can't pass protect or run block, it's not like games are won in the trenches or anything. If they had kept Thuney they could picked Strange later or another Guard, paid him a lot less and developed him.

In today's NFL, sometimes you gotta overpay. Cheap's okay if the quality isn't awful. Unfortunately, our current offense/OL shows that cheap is sometimes shoddy even for the dollar store ($1.25 now).

 

[chevss454]

The sports media are jerking themselves off into a frenzy out there. Doesn't matter who it is, Cowherd, Smith, Bayless, Sharpe, you name it, they cannot contain their glee. Years of being humiliated by Belichick has now given them their golden moment at long last.

But while these 'experts' are busily mocking Belichick and feting the new young Turks in the HC positions, they are remarkably not having the crucial conversation. Namely, this new NFL model is completely unsustainable. Spend all your cap space on a handful of superstar players, and if you have a decent QB, you'll be a contender. But that window to win an SB is almost laughable short. You can't escape the cap. So you extend players and just push the dead cap to another year, and eventually, it stops, you have no more room, and you have to tank, simply to re-set the cap.

So, fans of these teams are going to be like drug addicts. A period of intense highs and then a spectacular crash and then rinse and repeat.

What Bill did here was insane. Everything was heard by the NFL for it not to happen. A team spending 20 years at the top of the division and the majority of the time getting to the AFCCG, was never on the books. So by all means, approach the sport like a made, frenzied gambler, bet your mortgage and your kids inheritance on a glorious moment, but is this really the way forward to building sustained success?

I know which coach and Philosophy I'd rather have had here in New England.

Teams who have gone all in know exactly what they are doing and they're doing it as a viable strategy to get to the SB.

I look at it like this:
32 teams in the NFL means, all things being equal, a team should win a SB every 32 years and appear in one every 16 years.
Going all in for 2-3 years then tanking for a few years can shorten the SB cycle to a SB appearance/win every 6-7 years which is great for revenue and for building goodwill with fans.
This is especially attractive to newer big money owners who have become impatient for a SB & for teams who haven't won in many years. (Chiefs, Rams, SF, Buffalo, Philly, Miami, Dallas)
Thought about from that pov it's a brilliant strategy, esp. for teams that haven't come close in like forever.
Instant gratification and everyone understands the cost, including fans. It's become an accepted strategy with so many teams doing it.


What Belichick did over 20 years won't ever be repeated. 40-50 years from now, fans and NFL historians will marvel.

 

[Roberto71]

Teams who have gone all in know exactly what they are doing and they're doing it as a viable strategy to get to the SB.

I look at it like this:
32 teams in the NFL means, all things being equal, a team should win a SB every 32 years and appear in one every 16 years.
Going all in for 2-3 years then tanking for a few years can shorten the SB cycle to a SB appearance/win every 6-7 years which is great for revenue and for building goodwill with fans.
This is especially attractive to newer big money owners who have become impatient for a SB & for teams who haven't won in many years. (Chiefs, Rams, SF, Buffalo, Philly, Miami, Dallas)
Thought about from that pov it's a brilliant strategy, esp. for teams that haven't come close in like forever.
Instant gratification and everyone understands the cost, including fans. It's become an accepted strategy with so many teams doing it.


What Belichick did over 20 years won't ever be repeated. 40-50 years from now, fans and NFL historians will marvel.

I know they know exactly what they're doing and that the coaches, GMs and ownership are fully on board. I'm not saying 'they know not what they do'.

It's just that after what we've experienced here, I think it's short-term thinking for short-term goals. But in a throwaway society that craves instant gratification, it somehow fits. But it is strange nonetheless.