The unthinkable has happened. Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, has curbed his ego and recognized the fact that players not named Brady and Wilfork are not disposable. For someone’s who’s written about Boston sports dating back to the Patriots undefeated regular season in 2007, the events that took place this past week werea departure from conventional Belichick methods.
In Belichick’s tenure as the man in charge of the Patriots, players have gone in and out of the door like the Monday morning rush at Dunkin Donuts. Players like Ty Law, Adam Vinatieri, Lawyer Milloy, Mike Vrabel, and Richard Seymour were all either traded or released by the man in the hoodie. Under Belichick, the Patriots have truly stressed the team as a whole over individual players, with the only true exception being quarterback Tom Brady, the only player still on the roster from the Patriots’ first Super Bowl win in the 2001 season.
Another large component of Belichick’s tenets is the staying away from free agency. The Patriots teams of the early century were built around the draft and trades. They were never in on the largest fish in the free agency pond. Yet, a certain change in philosophy came into play this past week, when the Patriots announced the signing of former Jets and Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis. Revis was released by the Buccaneers following their inability to trade him.
What changed with the NFL landscape that caused the Patriots to become suddenly active in free agency? Since the Revis signing, New England has come to terms with wide receivers Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell on contracts. There are two possible scenarios as to what happened.
1.) The Patriots saw that the Denver Broncos added Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware, and decided that they needed to make a splash to match their rivals.
2.) Belichick finally realized that he can’t maintain his ego and continue wasting years of Brady’s prime.
Personally, I think that it is a combination of both. I believe that Bill has finally realized that Brady only has a few years left in his prime (I’d say a maximum of three), and that the Patriots need to win now. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt that a large-scale rebuild is upcoming for the Patriots following Brady’s retirement.
Belichick watched last year as Peyton Manning and the Broncos demolished the New England defense in the AFC Championship game, and the play of the secondary was especially atrocious. Now, the Patriots have one of the best shut-down corners in the NFL, which will significantly hinder opposing offenses.
Also, Brady must be happy with the return of Edelman, along with the acquisition of Brandon LaFell. These two receivers, along with the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski, will provide the quarterback with a much better pass-catching core than last season.
Revis Island is coming to the shores of Massachusetts. In fact, it will engulf Gilette Stadium for a minimum of 8 games this season. Watch out Peyton. Belichick curbed his ego and snared the biggest fish in the free agency pond.
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