Patriots 2023 Season Thread

First throw by McCarthy didn't change my negative opinion of him at all.

A few things:
1. Trent Brown was under contract this season. They re-worked his deal at the beginning of the year to add incentives to keep him interested. They didn't have to do that at all. So, the fact he's being a malcontent and disinterested is enough for them to take back the money.

2. Not playing Butler will always be a question mark where we never really learn the full story. You can argue matchups and missing practice with illness, but you have to try the guy who played 98% of your defensive snaps on the year when your secondary is getting torched. I won't ever believe he didn't do something to merit the benching otherwise it's a major indictment, but I don't think we'll ever learn the true story. He knew it too when he was crying on the sidelines.

3. Not paying Brady was stupid. I think Bill just thought he can get similar production to an aging Brady. He didn't look all that impressive in his final year in New England. Remember, only a limited amount of teams even really engaged with Brady. I thought the whole thing was rather bizarre. Brady also had his wife wanting to get out of New England. It was a factor, but I don't think Brady leaves if Bill approached him with the contract and respect he was looking for. Bill was just clearly wrong about how much Brady had left in the tank.

4. That does sound like a bit of a contradiction in saying all he cares about Shula's record, but willing to sacrifice wins. I agree with the former, but not the latter. I think he has an ego that he can win and set examples along the way. Trim the weeds to save the garden kind of thing.

5. Gronkowski also retired because he didn't want to play anywhere else than with Tom Brady. Bill traded him to the Lions and Gronk said, "fine. Then I'm not playing football anymore". The trade was then nixed. If he hated it here that much he would have been cool with the move. I do know football wasn't fun for him in the last couple of years in NE, but he also chose to stay at one point.

6. Jack Jones has talent. The failure to get him real veteran leadership is probably a blemish on Bill, but when they gave up on him he was
- Just got through a criminal case because he's an idiot who had loaded guns in an airport.
- Late to meetings.
- Underperforming greatly.

They gave him numerous chances and cut him. It's a disappointment and a waste of 4th rounder, but at some point you have to just blame the player for continuing to pass on the chances given to them.

7. I'm upset Malik is gone because they need every lottery ticket they can get. He's not a very good thrower and best case for him is to be a gadget guy like Taysumb Hill. There's a very good chance he adds nothing to any NFL roster, ever.

I'm upset they didn't trade him at the deadline because now they're losing the player for nothing. He's good when he's motivated. I don't think the return would have been great because of his questionable attitude, but I don't think their handling of him is going to impact any free agents.

In general I hate the idea of wasting a 4th on a kicker (or P) when you have other major needs - unless the K is some kind of generational talent. Kickers are really cheap in FA. Just find a decent one with a track record and sign him. Its going to cost 3-5MM. Or trade for a decent one with a track record. Or if you really want to draft one then use a 6th or 7th round pick.

Although if you are looking to draft a kicker, Joshua Karty from Stanford is pretty good. Career numbers below

XP 72/73

FG
0-19 0/0
20-29 8/8
30-39 15/16
40-49 20/21
50+ 8/15

KO
Attempts 159
Returns 29
Return Pct 18%
Fair Catches 6 (0 this year)

Yeah, I’m really fine with not drafting McCarthy ever. Just mid at everything, zero tools. I don’t want to draft another Mac Jones. Give me a hulking dude with a big arm and let’s jam.

Brady-like win for McCarthy!

He’s fine, I’d rather not take him in the first couple of rounds though

Penix looks very good, strong arm and smooth delivery. Age and injury history are real negatives though.

I have no idea if it translates to the pros but I LOVE watching QBs like Penix. When he's stepping around in the pocket and you think he can launch it down the field at any time. But he hits quick outs right in the right spot too. He looks like college Herbert.

He also has the best WR corp 1 to 3 in college, and he's 24 by spring.

No because teams basically don't trade great kickers, they trade guys they literally brought in people to replace. If they leave, it's free agency.

ok if I could go back in time I would not have used the word great if I knew my comment was going to be dissected like this. Back to the point, ryland sucks and I want him gone.

Back on the QB front -- Penix was amazing last night, huh?

But if you're anything like me you have a hard time gauging exactly what you're seeing from a left-handed QB -- everything is backwards, the wind-up looks funny, the release too short. So is this guy really good, or are his results amazing because 1) scheme; 2) talented WRs; 3) it's college?

Another caveat: Penix's 430 yards were the 3rd highest total in Sugar Bowl's storied history. Yeah! right? Number two: Rohan Davey; Number One: Timothy Tebow.

Both are former Patriots so maybe Penix is destined to land in NE?

Now the reason for my post: what if you could watch Penix "play righthanded"? Could you scout him better? Some dude on the internet did tech work to make it so. Enjoy:

Are you joking? We have a career worth of reports on Trent Brown. The guys played greatly improved when they paid him more. He's had motivation issues his entire career. So you won't believe reports by actual reporters, but you'll believe your own opinion based on absolutely nothing? Vague quote? There's nothing vague about that quote.

Bill must be a horrible coach, because the Browns fired him lol.