Last night, Bruce Allen dropped the news that ESPN was about to run a “hit” piece on the Patriots this morning that dove into growing tension between Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft. Of course Patriots fans went ballistic at the mere mention of this and the internet was ablaze with takes before anyone had even read what was actually written.
Well the article came out this morning and honestly I found it pretty tame and mostly just expounding on what had already been reported locally.
It did contain plenty of interesting details but, after 18 years of the central figures working together, there’s nothing that is all that hard to believe. There are certainly details that left me scratching my head a bit, things that were left out or muddier than I think they needed to be, but overall, I found it more interesting that outrageous, and a reminder of all the moving parts involved with managing a football team, much moreso one that has had such unprecedented success.
Here are the five takeaways that I found most interesting, and what this all means as we enter the playoff bye week.
- Alex Guerrero is Yoko Ono — Guerrero is once again laid out as the main antagonist around the Patriots, which is of course what we’ve been hearing all year. Patriots players felt torn between Guerrero and the Patriots training staff, but also between Brady and Belichick as players seeking their approval felt torn between Brady’s method and the Patriots own training staff. Brady’s devotion to Guerrero is described in detail and that Brady has “trouble saying no” to him. There was also mention that Brady and Guerrero were less than helpful to Jimmy Garoppolo, and that the TB12 Center was locked on Garoppolo after he separated his shoulder. Maybe Brady never went above and beyond to mentor Jimmy, but I think he’s painted a little unfairly for not going the extra distance. The locked out of TB12 thing seems trite and I’d be curious what Jimmy has to say about that.
- Kraft Forced Jimmy G Trade — This is a big part of the story that will be the most hotly debated was that after a long, extended meeting Kraft ordered Belichick to trade Jimmy and draft/develop a new QB this offseason. Belichick was “furious and demoralized”. The Patriots tried to extend Garoppolo with a contract that would increase in value if/when he became the starter. But everyone acknowledges how many moving parts there were and how difficult it would be to manage the two. So Belichick made a call to the 49ers, interestingly to Kyle Shanahan and not John Lynch, and got the ball rolling. This seems to go against what Kraft learned by meddling with Bill Parcells’ team building and Kraft has said multiple times he stays out of the football stuff now, so I still wonder what the true content of this conversation was. Only Belichick and Kraft know, and Belichick’s statement after trading Jimmy acknowledged many truths and never felt like he was being forced into a decision he disagreed with. Regardless if it was Kraft’s orders or a joint decision, there was absolutely no easy way to keep Garoppolo and Brady unless Garoppolo took a sweetheart deal. This is an undeniable fact at the center of this whole thing which gives me pause.
- Brady is Tired of Belichick — Probably not all that shocking that after 18 years of taking shit from Belichick that Brady has grown a little tired of it and is now at the point where he’d like the coach to pull back on him a bit. Brady always talks about being a positive person, almost to a fault, so I don’t find it hard to believe Belichick could wear on him. Still, I’d bet Brady would take this kind of coaching and winning no matter how many times Belichick calls him out, even unfairly. I’d file this under things everyone can get beyond to win another Super Bowl.
- Belichick Comes off Great — If there was a sympathetic protagonist in this story it’s Belichick, which was kind of shocking. Last night I never thought I’d come away from a “hit piece” feeling like Coach Bill was put in such a difficult position. Wickersham paints him as just wanting to leave a solid team with their next QB in place along with laying the foundation for his son’s coaching careers. Most shocking? That Belichick had made amends with Roger Goodell after a long private meeting this season. Belichick has done a legendary job managing this football team for so long, and the final chapters are seemingly the most difficult. He seems stuck in a no-win situation but has been a good foot soldier about it all, doing the best he can but of course in the only style he knows, which has been incredibly successful.
- Brady is slipping — The decline in Brady’s game is in the crosshairs here, specifically pointing out the play that got Chris Hogan injured as an example of Brady missing open reads and getting rid of the ball too quickly. The quote from a staffer was “As fragility has increased, nervousness has also increased.” This part felt a little nebulous to me. It say he’s “missed a lot of practices” and curiously leaves out the fact that he lost his most trusted receiver in August. Maybe there has been some slippage in his game, but it’s been barely perceptible through some challenging circumstances. Because if Brady has a couple more elite years in him, all of the drama contained here can be solved.
So what does it all mean? Again, this is nothing as silly as warm gatorades from Wickersham’s previous piece in 2015 that seemed to publish any and every rumor of a Patriots cheating method ever mentioned. The big pieces of this had already been talked about all season long, so I don’t find the general takeaway of it all that hard to believe.
It did make me feel a bit sad for both Brady and Belichick. Brady was described as basically being stuck between wanting to prove Guerrero’s methods work and the reality of his body starting to break down. Again, I don’t know how much of that is just the lack of Edelman and the usual wear and tear that we see almost every year on Brady. And Belichick is stuck having to deal with Guerrero dividing the locker room and a quarterback who is incredibly loyal to the trainner.
Again, the TB12 Center IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE STADIUM. The solution to keep Guerrero there should be a simple one that everyone can accept.
Ultimately I think Kraft will broker a solution and keep things on track for at least one more year. The article says that the air still needs to be cleared, but if there’s one thing I know about Belichick and Brady, winning in the playoffs is a magical elixir. Of course this does put some interesting angles on the playoff games, and if the Pats flame out early, especially under lackluster circumstances, the essence of this article will surely be pointed at as a factor.
Perhaps this article and the questions that will come from it can help serve as an impetus to move on from this episode. For that reason, instead of complaining about a “hit piece” we can take something positive from it, something that helps extend this dynastic run just a little longer.
Keep Guerrero at TB12. Invest in a QB in the draft. Judge Brady by how he looks with Edelman back by his side. Everything can be okay for 2018 if all the players involved want it to be.
Well said.
I don’t think there’s any way that Jimmy G would have resigned if he wasn’t going to be a starter. So the choice was to trade him this year or let Brady go in the off season. Its obvious to me that there was never any option to have them both on the roster next year.
The report said that BB and Kraft had a meeting that dragged on for more than half a day, and that other meetings BB had scheduled had to be cancelled. I’ll bet that was the choice being discussed. BB would argue that it will be nearly impossible for the Pats to draft a QB as good as Jimmy G without a top draft pick. They lucked out with Jimmy and they need to count their blessings and move on from Brady. Kraft would argue that Brady has been loyal to a tee (signing for less money than he’s worth for years) and that having him play out his whole career as a Pat is as important to the franchise as winning another superbowl.
I love TB12 but the way to keep the dynasty going is to move on and go with Jimmy G (a la Steve Young). BB has always said how much he admired the 49ers for being able to do that. He wants to win a SB without Brady to show that he can, and the window is closing for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if BB gives serious thought to finishing his career with a different team as a result of this.
For this reason, for the first time it feels to me like the end of the dynasty is near. The reality is that it wouldn’t feel that way if the Pats moved on from TB12 after this year. I believe BB had the guts to make that call, but Kraft didn’t.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pats traded their two top picks to move up in the draft and take a QB. If they can pick somebody who ends up as good as Jimmy G in a few years that’s the only move that can save this situation and preserve the dynasty. Many clubs have been looking for a good QB for decades. They’re hard to find. You need a little luck. The Pats got that with JG, and then gave it away out of loyalty to TB.
I know it sounds ridiculous to say that the Pats should let the league MVP go in the off season but I really believe that’s what BB wanted to do. They’ll have six TB12 Superbowls by the then. A seventh would be boring. Shoot me for writing that if you must. A Jimmy G SB on the other hand would be something new, and a JG led Pats team could extend the expiry date on this dynasty by a decade. I feel like I’m stabbing a friend in the back by suggesting it – but I can’t help but wish Kraft had had the guts to let BB make that call.
I truly believe that in the long term it will be best that Brady retire a Patriot. I think you want him to be a spokesman for the franchise and stay involved more than anyone else. I believe that despite their continued success with Young, alienating Montana hurt SF.
Draft another QB and get him ready to replace Brady and let Brady take the 2018 team to the playoffs again, which looks very promising.
Jimmy G sure looks good, but nobody knows what the future holds. So many examples of changing fortunes over the years. Just have to make the decision and move on.
So, what’s Bill Belichick, Fox going to do?
They’ve got a 40 year old Hall of Fame quarterback, playing at the highest level, on another Super Bowl bound team, who may very well end up being its MVP, with perhaps another five years in the tank; but signal to him that he’s unwanted by giving the franchise tag to Jimmy G.? It would be like giving the franchise tag to Steve Young four years before Montana would be traded to Kansas City. It causes to many problems: financially and for team cohesion.
Because it looks like Jimmy would not be playing very much over the next several years due to Brady’s longevity; the continuous franchise tag would only lock up consider cap space on two quarterbacks, one of whom had yet to demonstrate he’d be worth all that franchise tag money. The money angle makes keeping Garropolo illogical. That’s before any of us talk about what was good for Jimmy, and his career. What’s good for Brady, and what’s good for New England. Certainly not Garropolo hanging around New England, carrying a clip-board for Tom ‘Methuselah’ Brady.
Certainly Garropolo’s performance has intensified the wisdom of the trade (2nd round pick); but remember: he, like Brady were not high draft picks. Brady was taken in the SIXTH ROUND of the 2000 draft, and Garropolo was taken 62nd in the 2014 draft, almost a 3rd round pick. Certainly Belichick thinks he can perform the same magic with another mid to low draft pick. And that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
So, Belichick did what was logical, what made financial sense, what was good for Jimmy, Brady, Fox, New England, and for people he holds in high esteem: Lynch and Shanahan. Not every player on your roster can be a sure Hall of Famer.
BTW: York needs to keep his mouth shut.
I’m sure there are rifts in the relationships. Im sure BB wanted clear separation of staff and Guerrero. I can’t give credence to any of the speculative aspects to this report. Kraft mandate. BB sad and just wanting to leave th enfranchise in good standing.? Weird, non story. The end will come soon. Next year? 3 years? Ok. A good story would analyze options for garrapollo, why they didn’t work, what offers existed and when.