Patriots 2017 season thread

Their putting another log on the this fire.
Bleacher Report has an article sourcing the new york daily news reporter Gary Myers . Saying a source has said Bill Belichick has interest in the giants head coaching job.
The continues talk about ESPN THE Magazine article about the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.
It concludes Kraft Belichick and Brady refuting that claim.

It's too bad about what we're reading, but I guess it was inevitable. I do believe most of what was written.

I think that Belichick and Brady have been on a collision course for awhile. Alex Guerrero is definitely in the middle of it. Brady has become his disciple as if following Guerrero is akin to everlasting football immortality. It's kind of cult-like.

From a purely logical standpoint it would make sense to evaluate Brady at the end of the year, keep Jimmy G, and make Brady expendable. And another superbowl championship would make Brady's value in a deal pretty high despite the advancing age. Then you go with Jimmy G and the future succession is assured.

But that viewpoint leaves out two things: 1) the emotional connection of trading arguably, the greatest football player of all time and 2) a knowledge that Jimmy G IS the guy that can instantly succeed as Brady's worthy successor.

And if Brady is taking all the snaps then Jimmy G remains a mystery rather than the guy who took a 1-10 team and made them 6-10. And how do you get rid of an icon like Brady? Dealing Nomar was a big deal, but Nomar doesn't even compare to what Brady has meant to his franchise.

There was no way this was going to be simple. It's tough to read that Brady is recoiling all of the sudden from Belichick's coaching style, and it's tough to read about the confusion that players have when they need help - do they go to the training staff and alienate the greatest QB of all-time or do they go to TB12 and alienate their coach who happens to be the greatest coach of all-time?

Kraft is going to have to do his best Henry Kissinger impression. He NEEDS to get Brady and Belichick on the same page, striving for the same goal, but it's hard because Brady's #1 is prolonging his career while Belichick's #1 goal is winning football games. The two goals aren't necessarily mutually exclusive but as time goes on it gets harder and somehow the Patriots have to cross their fingers that Brady's decline goes ever so slowly the next couple of seasons and that they can draft a QB that has a shot as being as good as Jimmy G and can be ready when they need him to be.

It seems to me that the underwhelming value they received for Jimmy G comes from Belichick not wanting to deal with Cleveland who he has a grudge against and wanting to deal with SF because he likes the coach a great deal and his deal is almost a protest deal where it's like "you want me to trade him? Sure you got it. I'll send him where I want to send him and it's more important than getting true value for him, because I don't want to trade him in the first place. I'll make it a deal you'll totally regret." And of course it was interesting to read that Kraft is already regretting having Jimmy G dealt.

My worry is that Belichick and his staff will leave, the Patriots will have a declining QB in his 40s with no successor and that Belichick will be leaving to coach the NY Giants which would really nauseate me.

In all of this I can see everybody's viewpoint. I am a huge Tom Brady fan, and I never really cared for Belichick's stone like personality, but as I'm reading this I find myself respecting Belichick a lot.

Meanwhile I do worry that in a few years - like 2020 or 2021 the Red Sox window will close leaving a mediocre team with a bad farm system while the Yankees are dominating the division and are legitimate threats to win the World Series every year.

And I do worry that the end is near for the Patriots. It's almost like you assume the regular season will go 12-4, 13-3, or 14-2. Those days will end. Kind of the way after awhile I took for granted the UCONN Huskies Men's team would be great - but when Jim Calhoun left....I tell myself that between Bob Kraft and Jonathan Kraft, they won't let that happen, but I still have those concerns.

This might be the last hurrah for the team. We'll see if this article has merit. We'll know pretty quickly because if Belichick winds up leaving/coaching the Giants we'll know this article was dead on. Hope that's not the case or that Kraft fixes things.

Nowhere else to put this but 10 years/$100 million for Jon Gruden? Is this real life?

 There were 12 college coordinators who made over a million dollars last year so yes this is the real world. The top sports teams are cash cows and there is money on the owners side to spread around for a winning coach.

 That and the Raiders are headed to Vegas, so they have a great chance to become an even bigger cow. They have wanted out of Oakland forever, obviously there is more money to be made by moving. Just think about the traveling fans who want a long weekend in Vegas, what maybe 20,000+/game from opponents plus 10,000 Raider fans from Oakland at least. This is a boon for everybody involved including Vegas but especially for the Raiders. That will make it less of a home field advantage with the crowds but hey they will make money and I think Gruden will succeed. It will be important to win.

 Oakland traded him to TB for 2 1st rd picks, 2 2nd rd picks and 8 million dollars back in 2002.  Then the Bucs signed him for 5/17.5 or 3.5/yr. That makes 2 teams that have payed big to get him.

  He turns Oakland around and gets traded to TB . Then proceeds to beat his old team in the SB the very next year his first year, at the age of 39. That is a pretty impressive resume by the time your 40. I think everyone will end up happy in Vegas... and richer.

Gruden is completely overrated. He's an offensive coach who took a TB defense built by Tony Dungy and won the Super Bowl primarily because of their defense. That defense allowed 12.3 points per game that year. After the Super Bowl win, he had a 45-51 record with them and never won another playoff game.

He hasn't coached in the NFL in 10 years. He will have no clue what is now going on. And if the Raiders give him personnel authority, they'll be in trouble. He's a terrible talent evaluator. He also ends up getting into feuds with too many players. Derek Carr will probably be the next one. He probably won't take well to Gruden's screaming.

I doubt he makes it past the 3rd year of the 10.

Over most head coaches Gruden might still be top 10 coach in the league. This signing probably speaks more about the bad quality of coaches that can actually coach in this league.

Before you bash Gruden, just remember Marvin Lewis was just resigned and has done nothing ever for the Bengals. There isn't any great head coaches other than BB imo.

  Yes the Bucs D was awesome but Gruden completely revamped the offense into a Super Bowl win.

 Then he was about a 500 coach after that with a D that was great for a long time but aging. Also when you don't have a first rd or a second rd pick for the first 2 years of being there it will catch up to you. Teams have been trying to lure him out of  retirement ever since.

 Only time will tell.

Now the worst case scenario is that the Patriots face the Titans next week (due to Kansas City's collapse). The best case scenario is that the Patriots play the Bills.

You couldn't draw a easier scenario to the AFC championship game if you're the Patriots.

I know this Saints/Panthers game is only a 5 point game, but I don't see any team beating the Saints in the playoffs.

Take them out of that Dome, and they are vulnerable. The Pats can beat them.

 The SB is being played in a dome.

They look pretty tough, they would score points on us with that running game and Brees. But that's a few games away and anything can happen, who stays healthy, who stays hot.