Flagg the Wanderer
Mourning Algernon
It's not his normal method of non-answer, but make no mistake about it: that was a non-answer to the question asked.This is a few days old, but it caught my eye and gives a little insight into how BB (and other head coaches) make draft and FA choices that seem to be a reach or overpay based on what that player has shown. Key excerpt:
Belichick was asked Thursday, would he ever take a quarterback at a spot in the draft that was not befitting that quarterback's grade?
Put differently, would Belichick "overdraft" a quarterback he likes (but maybe doesn't love), knowing that he may not have a crack at said quarterback if he waits for the point in the draft where that player's grade and New England's draft position are more closely aligned?
"I think that question really applies to every position on the board," Belichick said. "There are players that, if you just grade them on what they’ve done or what their production has been over the course of their career, you’re not going to get that player.
"If you see the player’s upside and development and growth, and you pay a much higher price for the player than what his production shows [it's] because you feel that, in time -- or [with more] experience or [in a] different system or whatever the combination of reasons are -- that the player will perform above what his production was in college.
"Could be injury-related, could be, as I said, scheme-related, could be, just the physical development of the player. Those are always things that you talk about. You’re obviously betting on the come there. You’re betting on the player’s development versus what you might actually see from another player. But in some cases the upside might be greater and the downside might be greater, too. But at some point you decide to make that investment and then we all see how the player turns out.
Perry: Belichick explains what it would take for Patriots to 'overdraft' a QB
With the Patriots searching for a quarterback of the future, could the team overdraft a quarterback that they believe in? Bill Belichick explained what it would take for that to happen.www.nbcsports.com