Excited to get our new Tuesday feature going. Received some great questions, and some were kind of one-offs. One thing you should always keep in mind: you can always send questions, comments, suggestions, complaints and virtual pints of beer to help@bostonsportsjournal.com.
We'll start with some Tom Brady fallout, addressing whether or not the Patriots made a mistake not drafting D.K. Metcalf and my current QB rankings.
First, we'll start with some Brady/Patriots talk should the unthinkable happen...
Greg- taking a step back and looking at the state of the AFC East, as well as how hard the Pats upcoming schedule is, and the amount of dead money they already have post March 12 from Brady and others, wouldn't it be a prudent move for the Pats to use 2020 to hit the reset button? Move on from Brady, McCourty, Chung, and as many other high-priced older players as it makes sense to do, deal off Edelman, Hightower, and actually invest in drafting and developing players (sign a few low budget high upside players that will need to be coached up before they show the performance expected, like Melafonwu). You need a rebuild to rehab the cap and the roster every 2 decades or so. — Mike from Stoneham
Thanks for the question, Mike. I get this question a lot, and I hear it on the local airwaves, and the question at the heart of this is basically two distinctly different questions: a) would Bill Belichick even entertain this, and what's in the best interest of the team? The first one almost makes the second part irrelevant. If Belichick wouldn't do the former, what's the point in even talking about the latter? That's the way I've always come down on it. That's why I don't humor hypothetical questions very much in chats — unless there's a decent possibility — I really hate wasting time on stuff that doesn't matter. Don't worry, it's not you guys ... Mrs. BSJ hears it all the time too.
First of all ... what team and coach have you been watching for the last 21 years? Has Belichick ever signaled, for one moment, that he'd be willing to punt on one season for the next? Was he doing that in 2001 when sticking with Brady over Drew Bledsoe? Did he start a fire sale once Brady busted his knee in 2008? When the Patriots were 9-5 after back-to-back December losses two years ago, should they have played younger kids to see what they had?
It's just not in Belichick's DNA. Firstly, it would be an indictment on his team-building ability. It would be an admission that this was all about Brady. It would allow Brady to get more credit if he leaves and wins elsewhere. It would also put a longer timetable on him passing Don Shula for all-time wins, and Belichick is not getting any younger. Remember the mocking that Belichick did of the Colts when they went in the tank after Peyton Manning's injury? There is no way Belichick is going to sell the farm while Brady is trying to push another team to the Super Bowl. It's going to happen.
I'll play along ... is that in the best interest of the football team? Certainly, you can make the argument it is. A convincing one. But here's why it's not.
You're talking about a lot of unknowns, especially with the schedule. What if there are a few key injuries? What if the Chiefs have a Super Bowl hangover and the league catches up to the Ravens like they did Greg Roman's offense in San Francisco? The AFC East still isn't good. Not one QB is clearly a star in the making.
Does the Patriots cap situation suck? Yes, but it's New England's own doing through poor drafting and keeping defensive and special teams veterans around who really didn't do all that much for a team that was one and done in the playoffs.
But here's the biggest thing: the Patriots have a ton of cap space after this season. Here are the cap commitments right now from overthecap.com:
2020: $169,410,987
2021: $87,556,471
2022: $31,762,288
2023: $8,875,000
Plus, the salary cap will expand and then explode in 2022 or 2023 (if the coronavirus doesn't screw everything up, and that will really hurt some teams).
I maintain that now is not the time to cut costs. Now is the time, for the first time, to get aggressive pushing cap into future years. This is why I'm not all that worried about Brady's contract — that's not the issue. Belichick and Brady's relationship is the issue.
It's time to double down, with or without Brady, and keep pushing through.
MORE BRADY FALLOUT
Hey Greg,
What kind of changes do you think we would see to the offense if Brady leaves. Obviously it would depend on who they bring in, but are there things McDaniels did in Denver, St. Louis, or even here with Jimmy G/Brissett that would indicate how he would want to design a non-Brady offense? — Jbrown
This is a good question and I'm sure there are other writers who would do a #deepdive looking at all the passes called for every other quarterback going back eight preseasons. To me, that means nothing and would be a waste of time, much like studying Jarrett Stidham's preseason film ... that was like a year ago. It has no relevance.
The bottom line — and this will be boring — is this: it will really no different than they've been operating for two decades. The Patriots are a gameplan team. Depending on the personnel available and their strengths and weaknesses, they'll tailor a gameplan to beat that week's opponent. The QB means everything. Look at how they won with Jacoby Brissett. Will they run more boots and QB option if it's Marcus Mariota? Absolutely. Could Andy Dalton keep the offensive approach largely intact? Yup, probably.
Basically, the offense is TBD after Brady. And it really won't be all that complicated.
METCALF VS. HARRY
GB, thoughts on Pats making a boo-boo not taking Metcalf in Round 1 vs. Harry? If it is a boo-boo did BB’s attitude about everything Combine except the cone drill blur his decision? — Bosstownbobby
Well, here's the scoreboard from their rookie seasons:
Even some guys I've never heard of like KeeSean Johnson, Kelvin Harmon and Scott Miller produced more than N'Keal Harry did.
I get the question, but I don't like these comparisons mostly because you can't judge a draft pick until he's three years into the league.
But I'll play along again.
Additionally, there are two other reasons why I hate draft comparisons:
- You can't compare one receiver to another one in another offense.
- Character will be revealed after this season.
