The Patriots' 2024 Off Season Thread

I posted this on another thread. It’s more propaganda BS from the Kraft shills. The implied dig at BB is that he somehow didn’t value athleticism and explosiveness.

The fans aren’t buying this. They see exactly what the Krafts are doing and they’re pretty disgusted with it. The Krafts are losing this PR battle.

Fair, I think the change of the grading system, which is probably happening, is more interesting than what it is looking for....honestly it seems if you have the information, than you should be able to interpret it for what you are looking for.... instead of throwing 20yra of data out.
 
Brady afforded Kraft and Bill to be able to build the team a certain way. Bill's philosophy as you know was to build a mid-tier football team with him coaching up the defense and Brady coaching up the offense. It had tremendous success so it is hard to argue against the approach.

Given where we are now with trying to find a QB, I am of the belief that things will change and you will see a different approach. I don't think we will ever be in the top 10 of real cash spending but I also do not see that as a prerequisite to good team building. IMO, Bill's team building was atrocious going back to 2017 both in the draft and FA. That is the reason the roster deteriorated around Brady and subsequently deteriorated even more after Brady left; ultimately leading to Bill being fired and his current unemployment. He royally crapped the bed the last two seasons. So, as I have said, I think this offseason will see a bit of a spending spree, probably not to the same level of 2020 but in the ball park. The bigger piece for me is the draft. Given the awesome draft position we have, we can fill a lot of holes with some young studs.

If Kraft were willing to give BB a decent amount of cash for "cash spending", why would BB complain about the lack of cash spending 3 years ago?
 
If Kraft were willing to give BB a decent amount of cash for "cash spending", why would BB complain about the lack of cash spending 3 years ago?
It's an interesting question. The real cash spending was never an issue when he had Brady ...
 
BB had to take most of the blame for Team Schmuck’s cheapskate ways. BB was a true professional all the way.
BB, IMO, has had literally the worst ending to any great coaching career I can think of ... from Brady leaving and winning in Tampa, to his awful management of the team and coaching the last 2 years that led us to the worst season since the 90s and BB out of a job.
 
BB, IMO, has had literally the worst ending to any great coaching career I can think of ... from Brady leaving and winning in Tampa, to his awful management of the team and coaching the last 2 years that led us to the worst season since the 90s and BB out of a job.
The last few seasons were pretty bad…I can’t disagree.
 
Brady afforded Kraft and Bill to be able to build the team a certain way. Bill's philosophy as you know was to build a mid-tier football team with him coaching up the defense and Brady coaching up the offense. It had tremendous success so it is hard to argue against the approach.

Given where we are now with trying to find a QB, I am of the belief that things will change and you will see a different approach. I don't think we will ever be in the top 10 of real cash spending but I also do not see that as a prerequisite to good team building. IMO, Bill's team building was atrocious going back to 2017 both in the draft and FA. That is the reason the roster deteriorated around Brady and subsequently deteriorated even more after Brady left; ultimately leading to Bill being fired and his current unemployment. He royally crapped the bed the last two seasons. So, as I have said, I think this offseason will see a bit of a spending spree, probably not to the same level of 2020 but in the ball park. The bigger piece for me is the draft. Given the awesome draft position we have, we can fill a lot of holes with some young studs.

Either you don't get it or you refuse to get it. BB complained to the media 3 years ago that cash spending was lowest in the league.
Why do you suppose he said that?
 
Last edited:
Either you don't get it or you refuse to get it. BB complained to the media 3 years that cash spending was lowest in the league.
Why do you suppose he said that?
What free agent over the last four years was going to turn things around? Really who? These days it seems like most good players get traded right before FA. Would Tyreke Hill have come here? Would BB have wanted him? Would BB have traded a first for AJ Brown? A ton of money was spent on the Hunter Henry, Judon class, and Judon was a good sign. There were a ton of guys that year who got way overpaid though. I wanted Hopkins, but I don’t think he picked the Titians for money. He didn’t want to be a patriot, and I’m not sure he’d have a made a difference anyway. It’s not like there was some golden FA though who could have been brought in and saved the day. The drafting has been godawful, so there have not been any blue chip first rounders to resign since Hightower got drafted. What players have walked because of money over the last 4 years who have gone on to be productive? It’s not many. This money thing is a brand new complaint to this forum over the past few months, and I don’t buy it. The problem is that the drafting has flat out sucked for most of the last 16 years. You don’t build a team in FA. You build it in the draft, and outside of Dugger it’s been a long time since there have been any good draft picks to resign.
 
What free agent over the last four years was going to turn things around? Really who? These days it seems like most good players get traded right before FA. Would Tyreke Hill have come here? Would BB have wanted him? Would BB have traded a first for AJ Brown? A ton of money was spent on the Hunter Henry, Judon class, and Judon was a good sign. There were a ton of guys that year who got way overpaid though. I wanted Hopkins, but I don’t think he picked the Titians for money. He didn’t want to be a patriot, and I’m not sure he’d have a made a difference anyway. It’s not like there was some golden FA though who could have been brought in and saved the day. The drafting has been godawful, so there have not been any blue chip first rounders to resign since Hightower got drafted. What players have walked because of money over the last 4 years who have gone on to be productive? It’s not many. This money thing is a brand new complaint to this forum over the past few months, and I don’t buy it. The problem is that the drafting has flat out sucked for most of the last 16 years. You don’t build a team in FA. You build it in the draft, and outside of Dugger it’s been a long time since there have been any good draft picks to resign.

This isn't a new issue whether you think it is or not. I talked about it immediately after BB made that comment 3 years ago. He was clearly frustrated. I've talked about it off and on since then. Now there have been multiple reports that the Pats have had the lowest cash spending of any NFL team over the last 10 years and that's counting the Henry/Judon year which came, coincidentally, the year after BB complained about not having enough cash to get players.

But, ok, I'll ask you...what was BB's motive 3 years ago when he complained publicly to the media about being the lowest in cash spending the last several years?
Do you really buy Kraft saying BB had access to all the money he wanted? I don't. No GM tells the owner how much money he's going to spend. None.
The owner always controls the cash and sets the budget. Even Felger agrees with that.

What FA would have helped? Oh, I don't know...maybe Thuney and Shaq Mason could have helped our OL. Hopkins? Hill? Mayfield? We don't really know who BB would have signed if he had the money for signing bonuses, do we? I'm pretty sure he would've put together a better team quicker.
 
Last edited:
This isn't a new issue whether you think it is or not. I talked about immediately after BB made that comment 3 years ago. He was clearly frustrated. I've talked about it off and on since then. Now there have been multiple reports that the Pats have had the lowest cash spending of any NFL team over the last 10 years and that's counting the Henry/Judon year which came, coincidentally, the year after BB complained about it.

But, ok, I'll ask you...what was BB's motive 3 years ago when he complained publicly to the media about being the lowest in cash spending the last several years?
Do you really buy Kraft saying BB had access to all the money he wanted? I don't. No GM tells the owner how much money he's going to spend. None.
The owner always controls the cash and sets the budget. Even Felger agrees with that.
It’s a very disingenuous argument by BB. Is that why Brady wasn’t given a 3 year extension? Because Kraft wouldn’t release the money? What Patriots draft pick walked because of money over the past 5 years? And I’m talking someone we really wanted to keep. Not a JAG. The answer is no one. There hasn’t been anyone worth resigning. I haven’t seen any impact free agents who would have been worth overpaying for. Guys like Devante Adams got traded for huge money and multiple high end picks. That’s a losing way to run a franchise.
Good offensive lineman tend to resigned by the teams that drafted them. The problem isn’t spending in free agency. It’s that BB didn’t draft anyone worth giving a second contract to in the first or second round for years. You can’t build a team by spending big in free agency. You do it by drafting well, and keeping those guys around when they hit their prime.
 
This isn't a new issue whether you think it is or not. I talked about immediately after BB made that comment 3 years ago. He was clearly frustrated. I've talked about it off and on since then. Now there have been multiple reports that the Pats have had the lowest cash spending of any NFL team over the last 10 years and that's counting the Henry/Judon year which came, coincidentally, the year after BB complained about it.

But, ok, I'll ask you...what was BB's motive 3 years ago when he complained publicly to the media about being the lowest in cash spending the last several years?
Do you really buy Kraft saying BB had access to all the money he wanted? I don't. No GM tells the owner how much money he's going to spend. None.
The owner always controls the cash and sets the budget. Even Felger agrees with that.
Unless you're doing this as a finger-strengthing exercise, you're just wasting keystrokes. Mazzshark86's mind was made up the day Brady left:

1. Brady is solely responsible for the Patriots success. No one else. BB is a bad HC and without him holding Brady back we would have won many more Lombardis, probably one every year since 2001.
2. Brady would never leave us on his own volition, ergo he had to have been forced out.
3. It was Belichick. He got rid of Brady because he was jealous/arrogant/an idiot/etc.

NOTHING else can register with Mazzshark86.

Logic like BB complaining about not getting enough money? Nope. BB had all the money he wanted.

Patriots being near the bottom of the league in cash spending for 10 years? That's because BB refused to spend all the money even though Kraft gave him a blank check.
 
Unless you're doing this as a finger-strengthing exercise, you're just wasting keystrokes. Mazzshark86's mind was made up the day Brady left:

1. Brady is solely responsible for the Patriots success. No one else. BB is a bad HC and without him holding Brady back we would have won many more Lombardis, probably one every year since 2001.
2. Brady would never leave us on his own volition, ergo he had to have been forced out.
3. It was Belichick. He got rid of Brady because he was jealous/arrogant/an idiot/etc.

NOTHING else can register with Mazzshark86.

Logic like BB complaining about not getting enough money? Nope. BB had all the money he wanted.

Patriots being near the bottom of the league in cash spending for 10 years? That's because BB refused to spend all the money even though Kraft gave him a blank check.
I’ll ask you the same question. What Patriot draft pick left in FA over the last 5 years left because the money wasn’t there? A guy who went on to be successful? You want to give Easley, Sony, or Harry a big second deal? Dugger will be the first in a long time depending on how this offseason plays out.
What free agent wanted to come to NE but didn’t because of money? I can’t think of many who were worth the contracts they got from other teams.
There was no mass exodus of talent from NE because Kraft wasn’t willing to spend on homegrown talent.
 
It’s a very disingenuous argument by BB. Is that why Brady wasn’t given a 3 year extension? Because Kraft wouldn’t release the money? What Patriots draft pick walked because of money over the past 5 years? And I’m talking someone we really wanted to keep. Not a JAG. The answer is no one. There hasn’t been anyone worth resigning. I haven’t seen any impact free agents who would have been worth overpaying for. Guys like Devante Adams got traded for huge money and multiple high end picks. That’s a losing way to run a franchise.
Good offensive lineman tend to resigned by the teams that drafted them. The problem isn’t spending in free agency. It’s that BB didn’t draft anyone worth giving a second contract to in the first or second round for years. You can’t build a team by spending big in free agency. You do it by drafting well, and keeping those guys around when they hit their prime.

It's not disingenuous if you're in a bidding war for a player you can't match!

Brady turned down a 2 yr/$50M deal in the summer of 2019. Why not 3 years? Age. Brady also turned down a 1yr/$30M deal the night he met with Kraft to say he was leaving. He and Gisele had Florida on their minds.

I just named 2 - Thuney and Mason. I'll add Chandler Jones, Logan mankins & Ted Karras plus JC Jackson who also signed for a ton elsewhere.

I agree that drafting better could have helped. However, all the guys I mentioned above were drafted by the Pats but the Pats didn't have the cash to resign them when their
salaries escalated for their next contract. Their massive paydays were never going to come out of the pockets of Robert Kraft. For example, C.Jones, BB knew that sinking a $16 million-plus average annual contract or guaranteeing upwards of $60-70 million, into a single player, simply isn't worth it. Instead BB had to rely heavily on incentives to get players signed because the cash needed for huge signing bonuses and guarantees wasn't available to him. Players were lost to teams without economic discipline. Example: JC Jackson received a 5 year/$85M deal with $40M guaranteed and a $25M signing bonus from the Chargers. The only player Kraft has given that kind of signing bonus to is Tom Brady ($29M).
 
Last edited:
Bolding that part was all you needed to do. Grand revisionist history on display.
 
It’s a very disingenuous argument by BB. Is that why Brady wasn’t given a 3 year extension? Because Kraft wouldn’t release the money? What Patriots draft pick walked because of money over the past 5 years? And I’m talking someone we really wanted to keep. Not a JAG. The answer is no one. There hasn’t been anyone worth resigning. I haven’t seen any impact free agents who would have been worth overpaying for. Guys like Devante Adams got traded for huge money and multiple high end picks. That’s a losing way to run a franchise.
Good offensive lineman tend to resigned by the teams that drafted them. The problem isn’t spending in free agency. It’s that BB didn’t draft anyone worth giving a second contract to in the first or second round for years. You can’t build a team by spending big in free agency. You do it by drafting well, and keeping those guys around when they hit their prime.
100 percent. it was never a money issue IMO it was always a team building issue. And BB was doing a terrible job at it, especially through the draft over the last several seasons.
 
The New England Patriots are far from done adding coaches to their staff. On Wednesday night, news broke that the team has hired former Brown offensive line coach Mike McCarthy (Not that Mike McCarthy) as an offensive assistant. So far, McCarthy is the 12th external hire under new head coach Jerod Mayo.

What exactly does the move mean for the Patriots, though? Here is a quick-hit analysis, focusing on the big picture of New England’s coaching search.

The Patriots add another coach with O-line experience​

McCarthy held various jobs since ending his playing career and moving into an off-field role in 2007. He started out primarily in scouting and video research, before later adding quality control and position coaching to his résumé.

Most of his experience was built while working along the offensive line. He worked with the position group at the College of New Jersey in 2009, at Tulane in 2012 and 2013, at the Detroit Lions in 2016 and 2017, and the last five years at Brown.

This makes McCarthy the latest coaching addition with extensive O-line experience after New England previously hired Scott Peters and Robert Kugler.

Two offensive assistants are now part of the staff​


Including coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots now have seven coaches on their offensive staff. Two of those will be listed as coaching assistants: McCarthy, as well as Ben McAdoo.

McAdoo, a former head coach with the New York Giants as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, will be a senior assistant. Whether or not McCarthy will be given a similar distinction remains to be seen, but it would not be a surprise if his responsibilities would be different from McAdoo’s regardless of title.

As noted above, after all, McCarthy has worked primarily with O-line through his coaching career. McAdoo, on the other hand, has done a lot of work with quarterbacks either as a position coach or through his roles as head coach and coordinator.

New England’s coaching roster gets deeper, but big questions remain​

Even though the Patriots have added another coach to their offensive staff, two big vacancies have yet to be addressed: New England does not yet have a wide receivers and a tight ends coach. How exactly those positions will be filled is anyone’s guess at this point in time, even though it seems likely coaches with a connection to Alex Van Pelt might get preferential treatment.

If so, Chad O’Shea — himself a former wide receivers coach in New England — would be a name worth keeping an eye on. In fact, the addition of Tiquan Underwood as assistant wide receivers coach might be a hint in that direction given that the two worked together in Miami back in 2019.

That being said, the team’s still-current wide receivers coach, Troy Brown, has reportedly been offered an opportunity to stay with the club as well. Whether that means he will continue working with the wideouts even if he accepts the offer is unknown at this point.

As far as the tight end position is concerned, there appear to be multiple candidates as well.

 
Back
Top