NFL: 2018 NFL off-season news & notes thread (Vikings sign Hunter to big extension)

[John Price]

The article is being ripped apart and it should. It jumps to conclusions that known incidents could derail the team. While the incidents probably happened, the patriots are strong enough to overcome the disagreements over Guerrero.

 

[What the Faulk]

Man, that article comes off as pretty one sided from Belichick's point of view, almost like someone from his camp was heavily involved. It paints him as just a ruthless coach who wants what's best for the organization while Brady comes across as a diva that's predominantly preoccupied with TB12 and his own legacy. No idea on the veracity of any of it but it does ring a lot less sesational than how it was described last night. Would anyone really be surprised if it was 100% accurate?

 

[Voight]

Wickershams story is full of crap. This isn't the first anti-Patriots story hes wrote. Pats offered Garoppolo 17-18 million a year, he wanted to be a starter and thus you have the trade.

The dude tried to claim the Pats had spies in the hills above the Seahawks practice field FFS.

Spygate to Deflategate: Inside what split the NFL and Patriots apart

 

[Voight]

It wasn't his personal coach. It was fraudulent personal trainer who peddles fake crap like Brady.

Umm what exactly makes him fraudulent and a guy who peddles fake crap? Because if you haven't noticed, Brady is still elite at 40. So either he's a freak athlete like LBJ or his trainer is really good at what he does.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

That's because Tom Brady is awesome. His snake oil salesman friend was popped in 2005 for faking his PHD and saying his products cured cancer. Oh and a drink that magically cured concussions. He was sued for fraud too. Google is your friend.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

It wasn't really a hit piece either. Typical hyperbole.

 

[ecemleafs]

guerrero is a fraud because hes claimed to be a doctor, but he is not a doctor...

 

[Gene Parmesan]

The biggest take away from that story isn't the "rift" since that has been speculated about since the Garoppolo trade, its that Bill would think about retiring if he loses both Patricia and McDaniels this year. Assuming this story came from his camp, dropping that nugget in there is interesting.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Wickershams story is full of crap. This isn't the first anti-Patriots story hes wrote. Pats offered Garoppolo 17-18 million a year, he wanted to be a starter and thus you have the trade.

The dude tried to claim the Pats had spies in the hills above the Seahawks practice field FFS.

Spygate to Deflategate: Inside what split the NFL and Patriots apart

umm, nowhere in that article does wickersham make that claim.

 

[DangleCity]

If you write enough stories about the dynasty coming to an end, you will eventually be right

 

[InjuredChoker]

Brady has noted to staff a few times this year that, no matter how many game-changing throws he makes, Belichick hasn't awarded him Patriot of the Week all year.

lol.. doesn't seem like something brady would complain about.

 

[Dr Pepper]

The egos on that team are just astronomical, eh?

I mean I guess that comes with the territory of being so successful. But surely the Pats have SOME inkling of a post-Brady future, right? Who's the heir apparent at QB?

 

[Voight]

That's because Tom Brady is awesome. His snake oil salesman friend was popped in 2005 for faking his PHD and saying his products cured cancer. Oh and a drink that magically cured concussions. He was sued for fraud too. Google is your friend.

Was not aware.

umm, nowhere in that article does wickersham make that claim.

I am aware, I'm trying to remember where he said it, but the point is, he's notoriously biased against the Pats.

 

[Voight]

IMO if all this was true, you'd have heard it by now or from someone like Peter King/Schefter.

And I really can't see Brady forcing Kraft to trade Jimmy G. Brady is uber competitive and loves competition, plus I don't thin he is that insecure. He full well knows Kraft would never release or trade him and its his decision when he stops playing for NE.

 

[InjuredChoker]

I am aware, I'm trying to remember where he said it, but the point is, he's notoriously biased against the Pats.

it wasn't him. it was from another article that was published around the same time as the spygate article.

Multiple teams called Seattle, unsolicited, with advice on how to secure the team’s practices for the Super Bowl. Their message was clear: You’re not playing John Fox’s Broncos again. You’re facing Bill Belichick and the Patriots. You never know who might be watching.

Rest of NFL still suspicious of Patriots' methods

 

[Scandale du Jour]

In all honesty, I would be surprised if everything in this article is false. I would also be surprised if the rift is truly major. It was, as I was saying before, sensationalistic for the sake of being sensationalistic. I could have written a similar article about any company that has been successful with the same core people for a long period of time.

I mean, every organization has drama. Any successful organization is driven by highly succesful individuals and these individuals all have huge egos. Egos clash, that's normal. These clashes will inevitably lead to crisis. What defines REALLY successful organizations is their ability to deal with these crisis. If the last 20 years have taught us anything, it is that the Patriots excel at 1) avoiding crisis 2) surviving them. Maybe this one is (or probably isn't) bigger than some of the other rifts they had, but I am not overly concerned. We have had 17 years of sustained success. I have enough good memories to last me a 2 life times and I am confident in the Krafts to successfully transition from both BB and TB12. Will it be easy? Will we ever be AS successful as now? Nope. How could we be?

BB will one day leave/retire. Same for Brady. It is inevitable. The Pats will likely end up sucking for a few years. That's also pretty much inevitable. I am at peace will all that and I will still follow and love my team - hell, I have since 1996. It is a great run and it would be quite surprising if it were to end "smoothly". Didn't end well for Manning in Indy, for Favre in Green Bay. Such is life. These guys are all delusional (TB is no exception), they gotta be pushed out of the door more often than not. Even TB's father knows it.

Is this story a big deal? Nah, it's just called life. Drama is part of life. Highly successful people have egos, these egos clash, it creates problems, you assess these problems. The media will make it a story because it will sell, but, to me, it isn't a big deal and I am looking forward to the Division Round and don't think it will affect the team. I know my squad better than that and I have seen them go undefeated after SpyGate, win the SB the WEEK after DeflateGate and survive Brady's suspension last year. In BB, Kraft and TB12 I STILL trust. They've been through worse before and they always survived it.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

IMO if all this was true, you'd have heard it by now or from someone like Peter King/Schefter.

And I really can't see Brady forcing Kraft to trade Jimmy G. Brady is uber competitive and loves competition, plus I don't thin he is that insecure. He full well knows Kraft would never release or trade him and its his decision when he stops playing for NE.

King and Schefter aren't really investigative reporters. They enjoy their access and status too much. For a Packers fan you sure seem shook up about this. Odd.

 

[YEM]

I just...they traded Jimmy G for peanuts when they could have had their Favre->Rodgers type succession thing going, I know there's a lot more to it but if Brady truly thinks he can go till his mid 40's there might be something to these articles

 

[Voight]

In all honesty, I would be surprised if everything in this article is false. I would also be surprised if the rift is truly major. It was, as I was saying before, sensationalistic for the sake of being sensationalistic. I could have written a similar article about any company that has been successful with the same core people for a long period of time.

I mean, every organization has drama. Any successful organization is driven by highly succesful individuals and these individuals all have huge egos. Egos clash, that's normal. These clashes will inevitably lead to crisis. What defines REALLY successful organizations is their ability to deal with these crisis. If the last 20 years have taught us anything, it is that the Patriots excel at 1) avoiding crisis 2) surviving them. Maybe this one is (or probably isn't) bigger than some of the other rifts they had, but I am not overly concerned. We have had 17 years of sustained success. I have enough good memories to last me a 2 life times and I am confident in the Krafts to successfully transition from both BB and TB12. Will it be easy? Will we ever be AS successful as now? Nope. How could we be?

BB will one day leave/retire. Same for Brady. It is inevitable. The Pats will likely end up sucking for a few years. That's also pretty much inevitable. I am at peace will all that and I will still follow and love my team - hell, I have since 1996. It is a great run and it would be quite surprising if it were to end "smoothly". Didn't end well for Manning in Indy, for Favre in Green Bay. Such is life. These guys are all delusional (TB is no exception), they gotta be pushed out of the door more often than not. Even TB's father knows it.

Is this story a big deal? Nah, it's just called life. Drama is part of life. Highly successful people have egos, these egos clash, it creates problems, you assess these problems. The media will make it a story because it will sell, but, to me, it isn't a big deal and I am looking forward to the Division Round and don't think it will affect the team. I know my squad better than that and I have seen them go undefeated after SpyGate, win the SB the WEEK after DeflateGate and survive Brady's suspension last year. In BB, Kraft and TB12 I STILL trust. They've been through worse before and they always survived it.

Simmons put it simply -

Could this be the beginning of the end of a dynasty built around a 40-year-old QB, a 65-year-old coach and a 76-year-old owner? What a bold take, ESPN! Keep trying to distract my team! Go ahead! BRING IT ON!

King and Schefter aren't really investigative reporters. They enjoy their access and status too much. For a Packers fan you sure seem shook up about this. Odd.

Yes but you'd think there'd be a leak somewhere or they'd have something, without having to investigate.

 

[Sakicfan]

Umm what exactly makes him fraudulent and a guy who peddles fake crap? Because if you haven't noticed, Brady is still elite at 40. So either he's a freak athlete like LBJ or his trainer is really good at what he does.

The reason why Brady is still great is not that he's a freak athlete nor that he's following a magic training plan that grants him eternal youth. He's still great because his pocket presence is amazing, he had a good OL for most of his career and he gets rid of the ball quickly, resulting in him not receiving brutal hits.

And he is in most part following good training. He preaches eating right and not overexerting yourself when weight training, which are good things (I would argue that you don't need to buy a book to know that), but that does not mean that Brady and him are not into pseudoscience / trying to set up shady business with the whole TB12 method stuff. 538 has a good text on why Brady and his buddy's business is hogwash: Tom Brady Is Drowning In His Own Pseudoscience

I mean, people in Boston have acknowledged years ago that Brady's sketchy guru is a fraud.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

Simmons put it simply -





Yes but you'd think there'd be a leak somewhere or they'd have something, without having to investigate.

You'd still have to investigate everything and probably put a lot of work a piece this big. What, you think Adam Schefter is going to dedicate significant time to something like this?

It also has more or less leaked. Pretty much nothing in this story, certainly not the major points, are anything new and there's no real bombshells here. It just goes into greater detail, that's really about it.

 

[Blitzkrug]

In non Patriots news, Oakland is expected to announce Gruden is a done deal.

Per Schefter, the deal is expected to be 10 years (!) at just under 100 million dollars. This doesn't include the other perks he might have gotten.

Oakland, what the **** are you doing?

Edit: Tweet for proof

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I just...they traded Jimmy G for peanuts when they could have had their Favre->Rodgers type succession thing going, I know there's a lot more to it but if Brady truly thinks he can go till his mid 40's there might be something to these articles

No, they couldn't have had that type of transition, not with Brady's contract and Jimmy set to hit free agency in March. Re-signing/franchizing Jimmy would have given the Pats a 50M hit at QB. That would have crippled their salary structure and, well, why the f*** would Jimmy sign an extension to sit on the bench? Why would he sign the franchise tag and not strong arm the Pats for them to trade him instead? Jimmy held all the cards and the Pats couldn't move on from Brady without crippling their cap.

If they would have decided to trade Brady, they would have eaten a hit on the cap for the next TWO years + would have had to pay Jimmy starter money. By doing that, they would have handicaped themselves for two years. Instead, they decided to maximize the current window for 2 or 3 more years which give them time to draft and groom another QB. It is a gamble, but the only gamble they could realistically take.

Sure losing a guy that looks to be a star sucks, but the timing was what it was and the Pats had no better option than to trade Garoppollo. EVERYBODY in the NFL knew that and that's why they got relative peanuts.

It sucks, but it is business and I fully understand the decision. ESPN might want to spin this business reality into a rift story (a rift that might be true, but greatly exagerated) to get some clicks, but the ONLY smart decision, considering all the facts, was moving on from Jimmy. Did they do it at the right time? Maybe not. Could they have done it last offseason? Sure! Was trading Brissett and JG in the same season smart? I don't know. But, no, we didn't have our own Rodgers/Young situation.

EDIT: Sure, they could have taken the decision BEFORE restructuring Brady the last time. However, would you move on from a QB that is STILL the best in the game and that just won you SBXLIX? And, then, this year, even if there were no cap implication, would you TRADE the guy that won the last SB AND is having an MVP season? That would be dumb as f***. Even when you have Jimmy G in the wings. Better go with the devil you REALLY know than the one you don't fully know yet. Winning one or two more SBs with Brady versus maybe never winning with JG but being competitive for 10 more years. They chose wisely. Of course, Jimmy could be the next Joe Montana, who knows. But they took the lesser risk. Both scenarios have their downside, but when the financial implications are considered, the decision was obvious. Don't think for a sec that BB and RK didn't try to make it work; they surely did. They reached a difficult conclusion and moved on. That's what great management does, they take the hard decisions. It might or might not pay off in the end, but when you consider ALL aspects of the decision, it is the only one they could take.

 

[YEM]

But, no, we didn't have our own Rodgers/Young situation.

you sure as shit did
as I said in my post, I know there's a lot more to it, but they may have blown one of the rarest ever NFL situations, in having a very good QB step right in for a departing great. We'll see what happens...

 

[What the Faulk]

Yeah, I don't think the Patriots were in a winnable situation here. Moving on from Brady while he's still a very good player was a nonstarter, so the only option was to trade Garoppolo, and they seemed to want to move him to the NFC where there aren't a lot of holes right now. Who was going to trade for him other than SF? Arizona, NY Giants, and maybe Washington? Besides, like I said about the Browns -- it's not like Garoppolo is going to be the last good QB to ever be available. They'll probably take another guy early this year and hope he's got what it takes to succeed one of the best ever.