INDIANAPOLIS — A year ago, Eliot Wolf stood at the podium here at the NFL Scouting Combine and used Robert and Jonathan Kraft's favorite buzzword for the new regime: collaboration. But when pressed for an answer on who ultimately had the final decision on who to draft at number three overall, he declared, "At the end of the day, somebody has to make that pick, and that will be myself."
After yet another seismic change in the coaching staff and front office, the energy from the Patriots' executive VP of Player Personnel was different. Wolf is now a cog in the Mike Vrabel machine, which makes the arrangement on the final say a little more complicated.
"Yeah, it's similar," said Wolf when I asked. "You know, listening to Coach Vrabel, like, there's not a lot of GMs or people in my position in this business that are going to force players on coaching staffs. Certainly, the best decisions are made together. And going to continue to work with Mike and Ryan (Cowden) and 'Stretch' (John Streicher) and the scouting staff, you know, Richard Miller, everybody to make those decisions the best we can for the team."
We've been down this "collaborative" road before. Sorry, but it only works to a point. And unlike Jerod Mayo, who hadn't been coaching long enough to have a type and to have a clear vision of what the roster should look like, Vrabel does. For this to work, Wolf has to see it through the lens of the head coach, not the other way around.
"Ultimately, it's my it's my final say," insisted Wolf when asked for some more clarification. "But again, Mike and I - Mike said it yesterday - Mike wouldn't have taken this job - and this is something we talked about in the interview process - Mike wouldn't have taken this job if we weren't comfortable with each other.
"There's not going to be Mike's guys or Eliot's guys; they are going to be Patriot guys, and we're excited to share the vision of working together to improve the roster."
We can all agree upon that last part. The roster was subpar, and while the pieces may not have been coached properly or utilized correctly, the bottom line is there wasn't nearly enough talent to be even league average. The Pats are picking 4th for many reasons, and a lack of talent is at the top of the list.
"Ultimately, the roster was on me," said Wolf, falling on the sword during his opening statement. "We were 4-13. Just didn't get enough done. Certainly, the free agency class didn't live up to our expectations. The draft class, you know, it's too soon to tell, but we were expecting a bigger impact from some of those guys, and we're still hopeful that they'll get to that point."
Whether it be Chuks Okorafor, Armon Watts, or K.J. Osborn, Wolf's first foray into free agency was borderline disastrous. And it wasn't just because those players stunk on wheat, rye, and pumpernickel; it's because ownership thought by removing Bill Belichick, they were automatically going to be better. Instead, they were equally wretched, and the number of holes on the 53-man roster that they should have been more aggressive addressing in March revealed themselves as soon as training camp right on through the bitter end. It was a flawed philosophy and, even worse, execution.
"I think maybe just being more thorough, you know, just some of the information that we got on some of the players wasn't as thorough as it needed to be," said Wolf. "So I think just moving forward, we have a tremendous opportunity with this coaching staff, like a lot of these guys have been other places. They're familiar with these guys, and just having that familiarity with players is going to be an advantage for us moving forward."
The Patriots weren't "thorough" enough? That's a glaring admission by Wolf and something that has been dissected and analyzed not just by us but by them. This group needs to improve its hit rate substantially to point this ship back in the right direction. Considering how much money is available to them heading into free agency - and having four picks in the top 77 - there is a pathway to find success sooner rather than later. And while Wolf didn't think the Pats would use all that available cap space, they will be more aggressive than they were a year ago.
"We're not going to be frivolous," he said. "We're going to do what we think is best. We have to do what's necessary. So last year we didn't do enough of what was necessary. This year, we have to do what's necessary to improve the team."
That means exploring any and all avenues to improve the team. For instance, that hard line they put on the dollars they were willing to cough up for Calvin Ridley last March has to be malleable this time on whoever that player (or players) is. As Vrabel reminded us, players all care about cold, hard cash first and foremost. The Pats have it. Spend it.
"I think it's about pivoting. If you don't get plan one, then you go for plan two; if you don't get plan two, you go for plan three. And I think it's about keeping your options open, whether it's free agency, trade, draft. ... So it's just about keeping your options open, being intentional about what you want to do."
Free agency often doesn't go exactly how you want, and when that top-tier free agent reaches the market, the price is almost always more than expected. But the Pats have been 4-13 in back-to-back seasons, and while internally, they view themselves as more attractive because of the Vrabel/Drake Maye combo platter, there are plenty of other organizations with cap space and playoff teams or close to it. So, in essence, you are bidding against your recent history and the recent success of other teams. That's not a great place to be.
As for the draft, Wolf would like an active free agency to fill the numerous holes as a precursor and, as he said, allow the team to take the best player available. He didn't seem too high on the offensive line or wide receiver at the top of the draft, saying those spots were "meatier" in the middle of the draft. Wolf agreed with the consensus that defensive line, running back, and tight end are this class's three best position groups. He also wanted to remind us not to close the door on last year's class, noting that rookies all progress at a different rate. In particular, he pointed to what went wrong with second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk.
"I hate to use this analogy, but like, you know, in 'The Dark Knight' when, like, the hero you need isn't the hero that you have. He was a young player that came in, and he's mature, he's smart. I think organizationally, we maybe put too much on his plate early, and I think that really kind of stunted his growth a little bit," he said. "And he's aware of that, and we've talked about it, and he's going to continue to work hard and rehab and do the things that are necessary to improve."
We'll see how this new approach plays out over the next two months or so and how much influence Wolf eventually wields. But it's clear the message has been sent to all levels that what happened last year can't happen again. You're not going to fire another head coach one year in (barring something unforeseen), but you can look at those who remain in similar roles (Wolf, Matt Groh, Alonzo Highsmith) and make them walk the plank. Pressure's on. Show me what you got.