Jump to content
  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

Talib, Blount, Belichick & The Patriot Way: What our FO can learn


top dawg

Recommended Posts

According to a report, Legarrette Blount wasn't even on Bill Belichick's radar. Blount ended up in New England because Aqib Talib gave him the thumbs-up. 

 

"One of the things that was very influential to me was Aqib's evaluation of LeGarrette as a person, as a teammate, as a competitive football player and his skill set," Belichick explained Tuesday. "When you have a guy who is with another player day after day, year after year, competing against him on the field and he gives you an honest evaluation and you trust that player and his evaluation, who knows better than him?"

 

 

It's kind of surprising to me that the great Bill Belichick's mind was so open in such a manner that he acquired Blount in such a fashion.  He trusted his guy's word, even though Talib had a colorful past himself.

 

 

The information and evaluation can come in "a lot of different forms ... a lot of different directions," Belichick explained. "But Aqib cleared that up for me in a very positive way."

The notion of a Patriot Way has been overblown. Belichick likes smart, talented, team-first players -- especially if he can get them at a bargain-basement price.

"There's no set formula except we just are trying to get it right," Belichick continued. "That's the bottom line. Sometimes you have seven people saying one thing and one saying another and maybe it's the one guy, not the seven that are right. But the idea is to try to get it right. That's in the end what it all comes down to."

 

 

 

And therein lies the core of the so-called "Patriot way".  Now of course you might say that Dave Gettleman is already headed down that road, and hopefully you'd be correct. I'm just not so sure of the extent that G-man will go as far as acquiring talent with character/off-field concerns. Gettleman has also said that he is willing to listen to his people and grind things out regarding evaluation and personnel decisions.  I wonder if the scope from which he is willing to glean information includes players, particularly those who may have a little bit of a checkered history. 

 

With Fred Davis, Kenny Britt, and Chris Boyd (formerly of Vanderbilt) possible acquisitions out of FA and the draft (re: Boyd), perhaps we'll find out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Hello, soccer fans [crickets, tumbleweed flies by]. The World Cup kicks off in less than 2 weeks and, well, 🇺🇸USA USA USA🇺🇸 and all. We beat Senegal 3-2 yesterday in a tune-up friendly at BoA, with Christian Pulisic finally entering the scoring column.  How will we do in the World Cup once our tournament kicks off on the 12th? Well, there are 48 teams (assuming Iran is there) and it feels like one of two thing happens: we get grouped for the first time since '98, or we make it to the Round of 16 for the third time in the last four World Cups. I tried out the lottery for an Atlanta game and struck out, so yesterday was as World Cup as I'll get for in-person ($285/ticket for like Norway vs $39/ticket for USMNT right beforehand was a layup).  The U.S. has a travel-heavy schedule in group play, playing in LA, Seattle and LA. Real road warrior mentality being built. Glad the east coast gets worse kickoff times for a NA World Cup than a Qatar World Cup.
    • Well, that's the thing. Drafting players only for their physical measurables as you are suggesting only really happened during 2024, and X unfortunately has become the poster child for that. To be clear, it's not necessarily about drafting RAS over skill, but RAS over NFL-readiness and/or a solid body of work. Lots of players show skill in college, but those skills don't necessarily translate to the NFL for a multitude of reasons. But, getting back to the main point, to be clear, I believe that our FO is still enamored with physical gifts (who wouldn't be?), but now they're letting Dr. Eric Eager's proprietary system--his "secret sauce" prioritize the players that the Panthers draft, and it seems like it weighs not only a solid body of work, relative to a college career of course, but consistent gradual improvement as evidenced by production pretty highly. 
    • Its a good article about how pathetically bad our past drafts ('23 and '24) have been. Building the team in '23 since we weren't ready yet and taking your qb in '24 made so much more sense in hindsight. Ladd McConkey over XL is pretty much a given but not sure it does as much to change Bryce's trajectory as the author suggests.  As bad as '23 and '24 drafts were, the '25 and '26 really give me hope.  
×
×
  • Create New...