Tony G never took over games like Kelce does. And he was not much in the few playoff games he got to play in.
Itās really hard to define taking over a game, but itās not really fair to just compare per game or yards per target stats straight up when Gonzalez was playing for Gunther Cunningham with Elvis Gerbac in the pre-Manning rules era and Kelce is getting to play for Reid with Mahomes in the modern era.
Tony was the #1 receiving option on a lot of good offenses even if they were run first offenses
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I know, I watched pretty much all those games. Iām just saying he never felt like the weapon Kelce is, even when Kelce was with Alex Smith - whoās probably not as good as Trent Green, but itās close.
Belichick is obviously the GOAT coach AINEC. Did we not all witness the complete shit roster he nearly took to the playoffs this year? Heās no doubt not a great GM, which contributes to the shittiness of the roster, but still. Belichick >> Reid and way better than anyone else.
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Even getting to that many SBs with Bardy is no mean feat. Ask Godgers. Mahomes is on pace, I guess, but itās still to early to tell.
This assumes that BB had not a whole lot to do with Brady developing into who he ultimately became. Brady is not a guy like Mahomes with tons of physical talent. Most coaches never turn the Brady that was drafted into the GOAT Brady we know. Heck, most of them probably put Bledsoe, who was certainly no slouch, back in.
If he had some great talent for developing QBs, why didnāt Belichick turn Bledsoe into Brady before he turned Brady into Brady? Why didnāt Matt Cassel turn out better, or Hoyer or whoever else spent a lot of time in his system? Iām a little more inclined to give someone like Bill Walsh or Mike Holmgren credit for developing their QBs because they developed multiple guys and were offensive guys
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As someone who would take Kelce over Gronk I am very surprised Gronk has so many more TDs than Kelce in almost exactly the same number of games (92 v. 69). Kelce does have a slight edge in yards but thatās it.
I think the broken down Gronk years are really affecting my ability to be objective.
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I mean who is jeudy comparing him to? Previous broncos qbs?
Prosecutor dropped charges versus mixon. Says they can refile.
None of those other guys had the potential to be Brady. Brady was a bit of a diamond in the rough that needed some polishing and Belichick did it just right.
Iām not saying that BB could have done it with someone else, Iām saying that you could have given most coaches TB and Iām very sure he wouldnāt have turned into the GOAT. For example, early in his career, the defenses carried the team. That got them into the playoffs, which gave TB playoff reps, which gave him valuable experience that allowed him to grow.
The reason all of this worked with TB is that TB had a fuckton of potential. Maybe Walsh, Reid, and Holmgren would have gotten the TB to GOAT status, but the list of coaches who would have is probably not a lot longer than that.
If Bardy had Jeff Fisher, heād have died on the field at age 26, having a TD to INT ratio below 1
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I have little doubt that this is exactly how it would have played out.
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Iāll stand by my earlier statement that any one of Coughlin, Cowher, or Schottenheimer would have won multiple Superbowls with Brady and been on the Mt. Rushmore of coaching somewhere between like Joe Gibbs and GOAT.
Does Coughlin get credit for developing Mark Brunell and Eli? Does Cowher get credit for developing Big Ben, or Schottenheimer credit for Brees and Rivers? Itās not like those other coaches were incapable of QB development when they finally had the right guys.
I highly doubt Shottenheimer. Cowher maybe. Coughlin, probably. But these guys are still well in the top 5% of NFL head coaches. And BB has them crushed when your QB situation is a combination of Jones and Zappe.
Eli, Brees, Ben, and Rivers are different. Developing a 1st round pick is a different thing entirely. There is a reason why Brady wasnāt a first round draft pick.
Iāll give Coughlin a decent amount of credit for Brunell.
Disagree on the physical talents on Brady
Dude just throws lazers all day every day.
Forget even Belichick. Brady carried Arians and Leftwich to a title.
All time bag fumble by Leftwich if the Jags really offered him a job. Heāll never get another HC shot.
I think Belichickās a good coach, but facts are facts - over 10 full seasons of games without Brady heās got a worse record than Rex Ryan, with fewer playoff wins.
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I think this ignores the context of what the early Patriots dynasty was like defensively for the first three titles. What made those defenses unique, then copied, then evolved into something more modern is that Belichick ran a 3-4.
You also have to remember the personnel. Richard Seymour at his peak was probably the best 3-4 DE against the run in NFL history, AND he could get after the passer.
This completely ignores the mountains of success Belichick defenses had. From the beginning, he was ALWAYS about versatility from his linebackers. He coached up a 20 year assembly line of good to great to elite ones.
Teddy Bruschiā¦. Mike Vrabelā¦ Willie McGinestā¦ Kyle Van Noyā¦ Rob Ninkovich, the list goes on and on. Jamie Collins leads the league in forced fumbles, so he wants to get paid. Belichick trades him to the Browns where heās trash outside Belichickās system, and he comes back thoroughly chastened with his tail between his legs.
Point is, the way Belichick uses and schemes for his linebackers was always a cornerstone of his system. You canāt look at his body of work at the position and conclude he has a blind spot for plodding MLB thumpers
Yeah guy was drafted to play MLB as well, he has some natural arm talent for sure
Early downs - yes. They ran a 3-4. But folks donāt realize how often they were in nickel. Of course, now thatās the base defense, and even early 2000s it was a large percentage of the defense snaps. Belichick adjusted to it late - until Chandler Jones, he never invested in a guy that was great at getting after the passer - or really bothered to have a sub-rusher. Whatās the highest paid position on defense? Pass Rusher. Thatās not an accident.
And about the MLBs: please note that I said āhe was devoted too long to thumping MLBā- this team got hurt a lot in the teens with MLBs that couldnāt cover. Spikes didnāt have a place in the modern game. David Harris couldnāt run anymore and they gave him a lot of PT. Elandon Roberts, maybe heās better in Miami, but he couldnāt cover, he played for the Patriots because he could stop the run. The two MLB with the most snaps this year are JaāWhaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai - Bentley is OK in coverage, but neither of those guys are skilled in that way. Most of those guys as 250+ pounds, and thereās just not an every down place for them any more, unless theyāre special. That stuff played fine in the early 2000s, hence why I said ātoo longā.
I agree that Belichick is/was a very good GM, but he had flaws, and itās fine to acknowledge them. He didnāt adjust to the modern game on defense as quickly as he could have.
Belichick was also lucky that a bunch of coaches were idiots, so he could be one of 2 or three teams in the league running a 3-4 and essentially be able to get all the ideal 3-4 players who wouldnāt be drafted by 4-3 teams. So he could get 1st round value in the 4th round because the top 3-4 OLBs or DEs couldnāt play DE or DT in a 4-3.