Looking at the Patriots - 2020

[Dwight Schrute]

The Pats have had game-winning drive attempts end at the 1, 24, and 19-yard line this season. As Belichick said, three times they’ve been driving with a chance to win and are 0-3.
Looking at the schedule the hardest games are behind us; in front of us are enough winnable games to go 7-9 or 8-8 and compete for that new 7th playoff spot only to lose early. There's not much point to that.

So I understand those who want to tank with a chance to have a top 10 draft pick for one of the best QBs. I'm not there quite yet but I'm getting closer every week.

My problem with it is that I know we'd have to endure another 2 years (at least) of bad play before the new QB is ready to play well enough to have a winning record.
If I'm BB, I would draft the best QB available to me that I like either in '21 or '22. Then I either keep Cam or trade for or sign a reasonably good QB in FA if Cam doesn't come around. Then shore up WR (with talented guys), TE, DT and LB positions using the cap space we have in 2021 to good advantage. Cam may be that transition QB we need; he's close now but just not quite there. He has time to win but no time to lose.

I'm also not ready to say Stidham is a lost cause. Coming in to play on short notice with no reps the previous week doesn't set up anyone to succeed. I'd like to see how he performs when he knows he's the guy for a week before playing. Even then, 1 game isn't enough. Maybe he'll get his chance soon.

Replacing Hoyer with a top 10 pick QB (if worthy) is a fine course of action with me.

 

[foobahl]

The Pats have had game-winning drive attempts end at the 1, 24, and 19-yard line this season. As Belichick said, three times they’ve been driving with a chance to win and are 0-3.
Looking at the schedule the hardest games are behind us; in front of us are enough winnable games to go 7-9 or 8-8 and compete for that new 7th playoff spot only to lose early. There's not much point to that.

So I understand those who want to tank with a chance to have a top 10 draft pick for one of the best QBs. I'm not there quite yet but I'm getting closer every week.

My problem with it is that I know we'd have to endure another 2 years (at least) of bad play before the new QB is ready to play well enough to have a winning record.
If I'm BB, I would draft the best QB available to me that I like either in '21 or '22. Then I either keep Cam or trade for or sign a reasonably good QB in FA if Cam doesn't come around. Then shore up WR (with talented guys), TE, DT and LB positions using the cap space we have in 2021 to good advantage. Cam may be that transition QB we need; he's close now but just not quite there. He has time to win but no time to lose.

I'm also not ready to say Stidham is a lost cause. Coming in to play on short notice with no reps the previous week doesn't set up anyone to succeed. I'd like to see how he performs when he knows he's the guy for a week before playing. Even then, 1 game isn't enough. Maybe he'll get his chance soon.

not being snarky but you are what your record says you are.

 

[Darth Despot]

The Pats have had game-winning drive attempts end at the 1, 24, and 19-yard line this season. As Belichick said, three times they’ve been driving with a chance to win and are 0-3.
Looking at the schedule the hardest games are behind us; in front of us are enough winnable games to go 7-9 or 8-8 and compete for that new 7th playoff spot only to lose early. There's not much point to that.

So I understand those who want to tank with a chance to have a top 10 draft pick for one of the best QBs. I'm not there quite yet but I'm getting closer every week.

My problem with it is that I know we'd have to endure another 2 years (at least) of bad play before the new QB is ready to play well enough to have a winning record.
If I'm BB, I would draft the best QB available to me that I like either in '21 or '22. Then I either keep Cam or trade for or sign a reasonably good QB in FA if Cam doesn't come around. Then shore up WR (with talented guys), TE, DT and LB positions using the cap space we have in 2021 to good advantage. Cam may be that transition QB we need; he's close now but just not quite there. He has time to win but no time to lose.

I'm also not ready to say Stidham is a lost cause. Coming in to play on short notice with no reps the previous week doesn't set up anyone to succeed. I'd like to see how he performs when he knows he's the guy for a week before playing. Even then, 1 game isn't enough. Maybe he'll get his chance soon.

I think another loss or two and it makes sense to elevate Stiham to #1 and see what you really have.

 

[SkiptoMyLou]

Also, I've seen too much of Bentley at LB already. Sit him please. Put 1 of Uche or Jennings at his spot. Heck, even Phillips or Duggar!

I want to like him, but he is terrible. He's slow and for a run stuffing LB he strikes fear in no one. Last game I saw him miss at least five tackles.

In limited snaps, Uche showed to have more discipline than Bentley did all game.

 

[Hawg73]

Also, I've seen too much of Bentley at LB already. Sit him please. Put 1 of Uche or Jennings at his spot. Heck, even Phillips or Duggar!

You could not be more correct. It is abundantly clear that Hightower skipping the season (among other losses) left us badly undermanned with no viable NFL players to fill in.

Remember Bentley's abysmal 40 time the year he got drafted? We heard excuses for that number and that he was really much quicker than that and was pretty good in coverage, too! He was a bargain we were told. Another BBBB (Bill Belichick Bargain Basement) find.

Wrong. His 40 time was likely correct (I think it was 5.2 or something like that) and the guy can do one thing well -- he can play adequately straight ahead in a phone booth, but his lateral mobility is non-existent and he is a very poor tackler in space. We need to acquire a smart, aging veteran on his last legs to play the run and chances are whoever we get is going to look like the Usain Bolt compared to Bentley.

Not good enough, Bill. Time to pull the plug on the Bentley experiment. Stat.

 

[D2maine]

You could not be more correct. It is abundantly clear that Hightower skipping the season (among other losses) left us badly undermanned with no viable NFL players to fill in.

Remember Bentley's abysmal 40 time the year he got drafted? We heard excuses for that number and that he was really much quicker than that and was pretty good in coverage, too! He was a bargain we were told. Another BBBB (Bill Belichick Bargain Basement) find.

Wrong. His 40 time was likely correct (I think it was 5.2 or something like that) and the guy can do one thing well -- he can play adequately straight ahead in a phone booth, but his lateral mobility is non-existent and he is a very poor tackler in space. We need to acquire a smart, aging veteran on his last legs to play the run and chances are whoever we get is going to look like the Usain Bolt compared to Bentley.

Not good enough, Bill. Time to pull the plug on the Bentley experiment. Stat.

aging vet...i wonder if chad brown or monty biesel might be available...man oh man the LB and DL cupboards are empty

 

[Roberto71]

I want to like him, but he is terrible. He's slow and for a run stuffing LB he strikes fear in no one. Last game I saw him miss at least five tackles.

In limited snaps, Uche showed to have more discipline than Bentley did all game.

I loved when Uche went to his left and had the juice to stop Allen progressing in the 3rd quarter when the Bills were trying to move from near their goal-line and Allen took off to his right toward the touchline. That was a great stop, a great infield tackle which showed the kid has wheels and the smarts to know where to focus.

 

[Mazz22]

Based on Bill's comments to Weiss over the weekend, he is taking a flyer on this season. It is what it is. Probably time to give Stid some time.

 

[Mazz22]

The Pats have had game-winning drive attempts end at the 1, 24, and 19-yard line this season. As Belichick said, three times they’ve been driving with a chance to win and are 0-3.
Looking at the schedule the hardest games are behind us; in front of us are enough winnable games to go 7-9 or 8-8 and compete for that new 7th playoff spot only to lose early. There's not much point to that.

So I understand those who want to tank with a chance to have a top 10 draft pick for one of the best QBs. I'm not there quite yet but I'm getting closer every week.

My problem with it is that I know we'd have to endure another 2 years (at least) of bad play before the new QB is ready to play well enough to have a winning record.
If I'm BB, I would draft the best QB available to me that I like either in '21 or '22. Then I either keep Cam or trade for or sign a reasonably good QB in FA if Cam doesn't come around. Then shore up WR (with talented guys), TE, DT and LB positions using the cap space we have in 2021 to good advantage. Cam may be that transition QB we need; he's close now but just not quite there. He has time to win but no time to lose.

I'm also not ready to say Stidham is a lost cause. Coming in to play on short notice with no reps the previous week doesn't set up anyone to succeed. I'd like to see how he performs when he knows he's the guy for a week before playing. Even then, 1 game isn't enough. Maybe he'll get his chance soon.

We should have been drafting Qbs high the last 3 years and developing them to find one that could be good enough to start. I don't know why Bill didn't after he took Jimmy in '14 and Brissett two years later. It is the biggest head scratcher of this whole mess.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

We should have been drafting Qbs high the last 3 years and developing them to find one that could be good enough to start. I don't know why Bill didn't after he took Jimmy in '14 and Brissett two years later. It is the biggest head scratcher of this whole mess.

Who’d they miss out on?

I hate the idea of drafting a kid high just for the sake of taking a QB. If you think he’s worthy of that draft slot sure. Reach? Hell no.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

Based on Bill's comments to Weiss over the weekend, he is taking a flyer on this season. It is what it is. Probably time to give Stid some time.

That was the point of my thread that he doesn't need to tank...

 

[PatriotInIndy]

You could not be more correct. It is abundantly clear that Hightower skipping the season (among other losses) left us badly undermanned with no viable NFL players to fill in.

Remember Bentley's abysmal 40 time the year he got drafted? We heard excuses for that number and that he was really much quicker than that and was pretty good in coverage, too! He was a bargain we were told. Another BBBB (Bill Belichick Bargain Basement) find.

Wrong. His 40 time was likely correct (I think it was 5.2 or something like that) and the guy can do one thing well -- he can play adequately straight ahead in a phone booth, but his lateral mobility is non-existent and he is a very poor tackler in space. We need to acquire a smart, aging veteran on his last legs to play the run and chances are whoever we get is going to look like the Usain Bolt compared to Bentley.

Not good enough, Bill. Time to pull the plug on the Bentley experiment. Stat.

I tried to tell all of you how awful Bentley was in coverage. It was glaringly obvious at Purdue and it wasn't going to change when he moved up to the pro level.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

I tried to tell all of you how awful Bentley was in coverage. It was glaringly obvious at Purdue and it wasn't going to change when he moved up to the pro level.

I remember you saying that. Good call.

 

[Big/Sky/Fly]

BB likes to experiment...I bet Linda always has a smile on her face.

 

[Roberto71]

Who’d they miss out on?

I hate the idea of drafting a kid high just for the sake of taking a QB. If you think he’s worthy of that draft slot sure. Reach? Hell no.

We've been saying this constantly, taking a high draft QB is ZERO guarantee of success. You only have to look at recent years, Winston, Mariota, RGIII, Locker, Gabbert, Manuel, Bortles, Goff, Wentz, Darnold....

I don't see any QB there worth giving up an entire season for. It's a crapshoot, especially with QBs.