BIG ALBERT IS DONE AGAIN

[Bretsky]

http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/33193949

[vince]

The all-caps title does make it more compelling than the other thread about 3 down.

Hoody's on a roll with his free agent pick-ups.

[Joemailman]

I'll miss him:

http://www.televisioninternet.com/news/pictures/fat.jpg

[Freak Out]

!boyar!

[vince]

http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/33190995
New England secondary
Unless Bill Belichick gets ahold of some magic beans New England could have a permanent home on Coach Killers. Which is ironic since Belichick is solely responsible for the team's current personnel plight.

Yes, we know: Leigh Bodden wasn't happy with his role and Darius Butler and Brandon Meriweather were high-round disappointments. But would the Patriots be a better team with them on the field than, say, Sergio Brown, Phillip Adams or Antwaun Molden? Well, they couldn't be much worse.

Belichick knows better than anybody that his defense is in shambles. He tried to pressure Eli Manning Sunday and it blew up in his face. The Giants picked up the blitz and Manning carved up the secondary (just like Ben Roethlisberger did the week before). It's easy to just blame it all on inexperience but the Patriots traded for Albert Haynesworth in the offseason to shore up the run D and as an antidote for any deficiencies in the defensive backfield. Haynesworth was last seen on the field Sunday with 9:10 left on the clock in the third quarter.

(We're midway through the season and it's not too early to suggest that Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco -- the Pats' two "big" acquisitions -- have been among the NFL's biggest busts in 2011.)

[bobblehead]

I wish TT would sign more high profile free agents

[King Friday]

Billy just let his head get a little too inflated...he thinks he can transform shit into gold, but that just isn't feasible.

[Fritz]

I made a claim early in the season, maybe even in training camp, that Belichek was on the decline. My feeling was/is that he's overestimated his ability to work magic on disgruntled NFL has-beens.

I believe I was and am correct. I think the Pats' dynasty is over. Billy may be a great coach but it ain't no job to try to coach and GM at the same time, and that's what he's essentially trying to do. He thought his cleverness lay in ditching guys early and getting bunches of draft picks, instead of the usual (Shermanesque) move of trading it all away for the here-and-now. And he thought he'd play the here-and-now game by acquiring disgruntled players from other teams and whipping them into shape.

How's that working out?

[pbmax]

Its not all Bill just reading his own news clippings. He has had to dump productive players to keep the salary cap in line and maintain value. Doing so requires him to find adequate replacements obviously. As Bill relies more on FA (second tier or not) than Thompson, he is going to have to pull the rip cord on a few FAs that bust.

The two things really hurting him are that his young, drafted DBs haven't been getting the job done and as a veteran laden team, he cannot sign every available second tier FA like he did near the beginning of his term. His just out of options this year with a veteran team. Its a similar problem the Packers will soon begin to face.

[Fritz]

Its not all Bill just reading his own news clippings. He has had to dump productive players to keep the salary cap in line and maintain value. Doing so requires him to find adequate replacements obviously. As Bill relies more on FA (second tier or not) than Thompson, he is going to have to pull the rip cord on a few FAs that bust.

The two things really hurting him are that his young, drafted DBs haven't been getting the job done and as a veteran laden team, he cannot sign every available second tier FA like he did near the beginning of his term. His just out of options this year with a veteran team. Its a similar problem the Packers will soon begin to face.

Ah, good point. Better than my post. Your last line got me thinking that the main reasons for parity in the NFL, as opposed to the strings of dynasties back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, are the advent of free agency (It's not that other teams can get better by picking up free agents, it's that GM's with an eye for talent lose some of their best players) and the salary cap (which leads to you not being able to keep the talent you have found). Another reason might be simply the number of teams in the league now. Statistically, doesn't more teams mean higher odds of the same few teams winning all the time?

[vince]

Its not all Bill just reading his own news clippings. He has had to dump productive players to keep the salary cap in line and maintain value. Doing so requires him to find adequate replacements obviously. As Bill relies more on FA (second tier or not) than Thompson, he is going to have to pull the rip cord on a few FAs that bust.

The two things really hurting him are that his young, drafted DBs haven't been getting the job done and as a veteran laden team, he cannot sign every available second tier FA like he did near the beginning of his term. His just out of options this year with a veteran team. Its a similar problem the Packers will soon begin to face.
Getting guys like Greg Jennings and Clay Matthews heisted out from under your nose in draft after draft doesn't help the cause either.

The Pacvkers will not face this problem anytime in the next 4 years or so, so long as Rodgers is re-upped, and as long as Thompson's around, they may not face it after that. They are in position to re-sign all of their studs over the next 3 years at least, particularly with the projected increases in the cap. The challenge the Packers may encounter is finding suitable talent for Collins, Woodson, Pickett, more depth on the OL, DL, etc. through the draft.

As long as they're not missing on picks and/or having future superstars stolen from under their nose in the draft, the Packers can handle the maturation of the team just fine. Signing undervalued talent from the draft and UDFA overcomes the cap stress that missing in the draft and the veteran FA market creates.

[Deputy Nutz]

The Packer will have holes to fill on defense and I think you can start to see that this year. They are short on quality defensive linemen and pass rushers, the secondary isn't very good this year and you can give partial credit to that because of the consistent lack of a pass rush.

If Collins doesn't come back, and if Woodson wants to continue to be a starter in the NFL he might have to move to safety. I don't think he role would change all that much, but he might have move back to remain a successful starting player in this league. He has the brains to play safety, could be pretty dynamic in his last 2 to 3 years by giving himself another second to make a read and jump a route.

Otherwise the Packers have very little in terms of quality depth behind Williams and Shields. Both have to play smarter football if they are to reach the next level. Williams was so good last year, and I know he banged his should at the beginning of this year but that really doesn't excuse the blown coverages. If it really is a communications thing, then the Packers as a unit need to pull their head out of their asses.

[Brandon494]

With pretty much the main prices in offense locked up for the next few years I would have to think the next two draft will focus mainly on defense. I also believe if Collins is unable to return Woodson should make the switch to FS like Rod Woodson did towards the end of his career. The only thing this defense needs is another OLB, depth at D-line and maybe another CB if House doesn't pan out which I think he will.

[retailguy]

I made a claim early in the season, maybe even in training camp, that Belichek was on the decline. My feeling was/is that he's overestimated his ability to work magic on disgruntled NFL has-beens.

I believe I was and am correct. I think the Pats' dynasty is over. Billy may be a great coach but it ain't no job to try to coach and GM at the same time, and that's what he's essentially trying to do. He thought his cleverness lay in ditching guys early and getting bunches of draft picks, instead of the usual (Shermanesque) move of trading it all away for the here-and-now. And he thought he'd play the here-and-now game by acquiring disgruntled players from other teams and whipping them into shape.

How's that working out?


Maybe it was never Bellichek, but rather the folks he surrounded himself with? Maybe he deferred more than we realize to Pioli and the rest of the staff? Maybe the team he put together worked better than the individual? IE, they were better together than any of them will ever be apart?

On the other hand, how quickly we forget Randy Moss and Corey Dillon? Those malcontents did experience a rebirth, for a short time anyhow.

[Brandon494]

Didn't the Pats go 14-2 last season? It's funny how quick people jump off the bandwagon. 3 weeks ago the Jets were as good as dead and now they are right back in it. Still plenty of football left in the season.

[pbmax]

Didn't the Pats go 14-2 last season? It's funny how quick people jump off the bandwagon. 3 weeks ago the Jets were as good as dead and now they are right back in it. Still plenty of football left in the season.

Quite true, but several teams, including the Packers last year, have figured out how to defend this Patriots offense (Rodney Harrison was banging the drum about man to man coverage underneath for over a year). Now, just because you have an approach, doesn't mean you have the personnel to pull it off. So while 14-2 is great, its not necessarily an indication that you are the best team going.

Especially when your defense has been trending downward for several years. And I think some of their problems stem from issues that could plague the Packers sooner rather than later. Given that Thompson does not rely on FA, I think he has a chance to avoid the worst of it, like signing Albert Haynesworth.

[Deputy Nutz]

Haynesworth didn't cost the Patriots jack shit. They gave up a low draft pick based on production, and didn't have to pay him any gauranteed money. It was a healthy risk based on Haynesworth's ability. The Pats have done a fine job in the past resurrecting careers of veteran players. It didn't work out so they cut him, smart move not holding on to him any longer than you have to.

6 games = 3 tackles

Dan Snyder is the real moron when it comes to Haynesworth.

[hoosier]

At the very least Haynesworth cost the Patriots a spot and the playing time it would have taken to develop younger talent or put some other player through the test of fire. His attitude might well have created additional problems that we would not be aware of.

[Guiness]

At the very least Haynesworth cost the Patriots a spot and the playing time it would have taken to develop younger talent or put some other player through the test of fire. His attitude might well have created additional problems that we would not be aware of.

That's what I said when some posters (tongue in cheek?) suggested we should put in a claim for him. It's a waste of time and resources better spent on a player you may be able to bring along.

[vince]

Pats have done a fine job in the past resurrecting careers of veteran players.
Moss had the great year. Welker's been a good trade but he was young and on the upswing from the get-go. Were there others?

[Guiness]

Moss had the great year. Welker's been a good trade but he was young and on the upswing from the get-go. Were there others?


Ummm, no? Junior Seau played ok, Cory Dillon. Rodney Harrison.