Patriots/NFL 2023 Regular Season Part 3: Playing Out the String or How I Learned to Stop Caring and Embrace the Tank

[smithformeragent]

 

[GatorMike]

It's already starting with this contrived run Bill out of town with Kraft leaving Bill to stir in the wind. Will be like a red sox spin off show

Are you suggesting that if the Patriots decide to make a change that it somehow won't be justified?

 

[smithformeragent]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/matthew-slater-ready-for-an-emotional-sunday-in-what-may-be-his-last-nfl-game

 

[KrejciMVP]

Are you suggesting that if the Patriots decide to make a change that it somehow won't be justified?

well an owner who pushed for Mac Jones firing Bill who knew he was mid, is another example. Bill being the fall guy for that seems unjustified.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

well an owner who pushed for Mac Jones firing Bill who knew he was mid, is another example. Bill being the fall guy for that seems unjustified.

Nonsense. You've hated Mac Jones to an exponential level.
Had Bill done his job there is a chance Mac performed better. All we know is Bill failed, and Mac failed.

 

[GatorMike]

well an owner who pushed for Mac Jones firing Bill who knew he was mid, is another example. Bill being the fall guy for that seems unjustified.

Bill's plan was a 2nd season with Cam Newton, no?

Besides, I don't know if there's a whole lot of evidence to suggest that Bob Kraft made the pick against Belichick's wishes. In fact, there's footage of Belichick in the Draft Room saying the words, "Yup, I'm good with it."

 

[KrejciMVP]

Nonsense. You've hated Mac Jones to an exponential level.
Had Bill done his job there is a chance Mac performed better. All we know is Bill failed, and Mac failed.

Once Bill gets a QB with a high ceiling he can immediately right the ship. I don't see any coach with the ability to win with Mac Jones with that arm and poor decision making.

 

[BruinsFan37]

Just a reminder:

With todays games for the Patriots to "improve" their strength of schedule tiebreak vs. Washington and overtake them for 2nd overall the Patriots need:

- the Ravens to beat the Steelers (likely)
- the Texans to beat the Colts (tossup)

If either team loses then the Patriots need the Falcons to beat the Saints (NO slight favorite) and a win by either the Broncos vs. Raiders (tossup) or the Bears vs. the Packers (sketchy).

If both teams lose then the Patriots would need all of Sunday's games to break their way.

If both teams win then the Patriots need either a Falcons win, or both of the other games on Sunday to break their way.

--

Of course it's all moot if the Pats win and Washington loses, in which case you'd need a win by Arizona over Seattle (tossup) to keep the 3rd overall (possibly -- other teams involved in the tiebreak if the Pats/Cards win and Chargers/Titans/Giants lose)

Edit: If the Pats and Cards win and the Giants/Titans/Chargers all lose then the Pats have the the tiebreak vs. the Cards/Titans/Chargers but lose to the Giants unless the Texans Ravens and Packers (opposite needs vs. Wash) all win.

TL/DR version:

Pats lose and they have a chance of drafting 2nd.
Pats win and they might end up drafting 5th.

 

[Dreghorn2]

Non Patriot but the Buffalo story is really interesting.

A Pittsburgh win today (Jackson isn't playing) , a non-tie in Colts - Texans (almost 100%) and a Jags win, which they need versus the hopeless Panthers leads to this Sunday night;

Buffalo wins in Miami they get the division and the 2 seed, a Buffalo loss and they're out of the playoffs.

Fun stuff.

 

[LSCII]

Once Bill gets a QB with a high ceiling he can immediately right the ship. I don't see any coach with the ability to win with Mac Jones with that arm and poor decision making.

He’s the one who always said he didn’t need a high end quarterback. All he needed was a game manager that was middle of the pack statistically in the league.

What’s really amazing to me is that Bill bricked the quarterback/offensive side of the ball by hiring his clown friend with no experience to run and implement an offense, and hasn’t invested any high draft capital on improving it, yet some people still absolve him if this self created shit show.

 

[PatriceBergeron]

Belichick being fired is definitely great for the future of the team, but I really dislike the idea of them going to Mayo and potentially keeping some of this staff in tact.

This franchise needs a complete reset and a new philosophy in terms of what wins in the modern NFL.

 

[McGarnagle]

Belichick is the most notorious coach in all of sports for giving the media literally nothing. He obfuscates every press conference, never showing his feelings or anything. The organization under him has always prevented leaks.

So with that in mind, I have to roll my eyes when people start psychologizing and acting like they know his intentions like how he thinks he can win without an elite QB or how he hated Mac for going to Saban for advice or any other narrative out there painting him as the bad guy. It's based on flat nothing. Any of the reporters intimating any of it are probably getting info from the camps of players who are frustrated about their usage or performance which I'd take with a massive grain of salt.

There's plenty of legit visible things to critique him for over the last few years, we don't need to make up emotionally-driven shit just to have talk radio drama.

 

[DKH]

I don’t think Jonathan would let him.

I believe Jonathan despises Belichick and Bill knows it.

Brier says over - he’s gone & Mayo in

 

[DKH]

Belichick being fired is definitely great for the future of the team, but I really dislike the idea of them going to Mayo and potentially keeping some of this staff in tact.

This franchise needs a complete reset and a new philosophy in terms of what wins in the modern NFL.

If they cleaned house after Carrol you lose Dante Scarnecchia

Good organizations abide by a simple rule my father said about a successful business ‘keep the best get rid of the rest’

His other biggie was trust - no relationship can survive without it.

It’s why Dante Scarnecchia lasted through about 6 head coaches/regimes

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I believe Jonathan despises Belichick and Bill knows it.

Brier says over - he’s gone & Mayo in

The one thing working for Mayo is that he at least hasn’t failed miserably elsewhere like everyone else in the enormous BB coaching tree. Bill was guaranteed at least 3-4 automatic wins every year going up against one of his awful former coaches in their HC jobs.

Now can he hire an OC that isnt a Bill guy? If the answer is no I think his tenure is over before it even begins.

 

[McGarnagle]

I believe Jonathan despises Belichick and Bill knows it.

Brier says over - he’s gone & Mayo in

I'm wondering if the real power struggle in Foxboro isn't Bill vs. Bob but actually Jonathan vs. Bob

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

The one thing working for Mayo is that he at least hasn’t failed miserably elsewhere like everyone else in the enormous BB coaching tree. Bill was guaranteed at least 3-4 automatic wins every year going up against one of his awful former coaches in their HC jobs.

Now can he hire an OC that isnt a Bill guy? If the answer is no I think his tenure is over before it even begins.

Hard to fail at something you haven’t had the opportunity of trying yet.

 

[rfournier103]

I'm wondering if the real power struggle in Foxboro isn't Bill vs. Bob but actually Jonathan vs. Bob

Oh boy. That would be ugly. I’ve never heard a peep of anything like that. Jon knows that the team is essentially his after the old man dies, and barring a tragic accident befalling Jon, he just has to run out the clock on his father.

A more likely and far darker power-struggle down the road would involve Jon and one or more of his siblings after Bob goes to his big luxury box in the sky.

I have seen no indication of that happening, but his siblings may wish to assert themselves after their father passes. But let’s table that discussion for another day. Let’s sort out the new GM and coach first.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

I'm wondering if the real power struggle in Foxboro isn't Bill vs. Bob but actually Jonathan vs. Bob

Based on what? When and where has that even been brought up? Or just a gut feeling?

 

[LSCII]

I believe Jonathan despises Belichick and Bill knows it.

Brier says over - he’s gone & Mayo in

If they're going to stay in house, they may as well keep Bill instead of some two bit copy. Besides, look at Bill's coaching tree. It's f***ing garbage. Which screams to me, once again, that it was all Brady. If it was anything to do with Bill, he'd have at least one disciple that was successful in the league, but they're all trash.

I'm wondering if the real power struggle in Foxboro isn't Bill vs. Bob but actually Jonathan vs. Bob

The irony of you saying this literally a post after you take others to task for similar speculation is f***ing hilarious, bruh. Hilarious.

 

[DKH]

If they're going to stay in house, they may as well keep Bill instead of some two bit copy. Besides, look at Bill's coaching tree. It's f***ing garbage. Which screams to me, once again, that it was all Brady. If it was anything to do with Bill, he'd have at least one disciple that was successful in the league, but they're all trash.


The irony of you saying this literally a post after you take others to task for similar speculation is f***ing hilarious, bruh. Hilarious.

What’s a two bit copy?

 

[LSCII]

What’s a two bit copy?

A cheap knock off, but not as good as the original?

 

[DKH]

A cheap knock off, but not as good as the original?

What is the ironic conment I wrote - I couldn’t find it

 

[LSCII]

What is the ironic conment I wrote - I couldn’t find it

You didn't. I wrote two responses. One to you, which was about Mayo and the ironic comment response was to @McGarnagle for calling out people speculating in one post, then immediately speculating in his next. It just lumped them together because they were one after the other.

 

[DKH]

I'm wondering if the real power struggle in Foxboro isn't Bill vs. Bob but actually Jonathan vs. Bob

No power struggle at all - Jonathan hasn’t been an exactly a fan of Bill’s behavior towards his father for awhile

0.0 power struggle