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Post by mbeaulieu07 on Apr 5, 2024 8:15:09 GMT -5
... member of the NEP, during the BB era? This can be anyone that was in the organization or football operation. From Ownership to personnel to coaching to players.
My pick?
Ernie Adams
I honestly think he played a huge role in the success of the team... bigger than he gets credit for, as he wasn't a coach or a player... but I believe he was the football Rain Man savant behind things, and was BB's most trusted source in the operation. I think a lot of people view him as the eccentric, wild-brained smart guy nerd that they kept up in the booth, and maybe that was be design.
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Post by jri37 on Apr 5, 2024 9:08:35 GMT -5
... member of the NEP, during the BB era? This can be anyone that was in the organization or football operation. From Ownership to personnel to coaching to players. My pick? Ernie Adams I honestly think he played a huge role in the success of the team... bigger than he gets credit for, as he wasn't a coach or a player... but I believe he was the football Rain Man savant behind things, and was BB's most trusted source in the operation. I think a lot of people view him as the eccentric, wild-brained smart guy nerd that they kept up in the booth, and maybe that was be design. I'd have to agree about Ernie. I posted this anecdote in the podcast thread and just this one instance where Ernie knew Peyton was uncomfortable dealing with cover 4 proves how smart and how much he studied and knew.
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Post by jri37 on Apr 5, 2024 9:22:04 GMT -5
As far as players go... As good as Vince was you could say he was underrated.
He demanded double teams which allowed the edge guys like Vrabel, Nink, Willie to mostly only have to deal with one on one blocking and he also was able to engage and keep olineman from getting to the 2nd level freeing up guys like Bruschi, Mayo to have free gaps to the running backs.
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tg19pats
On the Practice Squad
Posts: 139
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Post by tg19pats on Apr 5, 2024 9:33:24 GMT -5
James Develin for me.
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Post by bostonsportsfan111 on Apr 5, 2024 10:20:24 GMT -5
Belichick was by far the most under appreciated guy, if not the most underrated. He was the architect, GM, head coach, psychologist, psychiatrist, leader, decision maker, game planner, custodian and chief bottle washer of the greatest dynasty the league has ever seen. Through front office and coaching defections, roster changes through free agency and drafts (good and bad), injuries, retirements, and controversies (real and contrived) he built a roster that was always competitive and mostly championship caliber. He figured out a way to get every bit of effort from each team. And he helped players reach their full potential, which allowed them to maximize their earnings.
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Post by ucmiami on Apr 5, 2024 11:24:05 GMT -5
A guy like David Andrews comes to mind in terms of players - if he completes this year, it will be his 10th (9th on the field.) Total compensation will be $32M or APY of $3.2 and has anchored a very good line for most of those years while his line mates all made big money. An absolutely no drama guy. When he has missed games, there is a dramatic drop off in the efficiency of the stars on the line. And he has trained up some really good rookie guards and made them look better. Total signing bonuses $7.8M, total guaranteed salaries $2.1M over the 10 years.
Ernie is a good choice for back room.
Scar though hardly unheralded, may still have been underappreciated as a coach - give him his guys in the later rounds of the draft and he would mold them into beasts - a huge benefit to the team in not spending early draft picks on OLine.
Hard to pick on the GM side - the stronger side of BB's tree - Caserio, Robinson, Quinn, but also Licht, Demitroff, and Pioli all drained talent when they left. (Personally I would have liked it if Caserio got the 'GM heir in waiting' contract and RK let Mayo walk.)
And yeah, BB is a good answer too in everything but the player category - the leader of the band, the pied piper for two decades.
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Post by patslifer on Apr 5, 2024 11:30:30 GMT -5
I'm going with Thunderstick. He 100% changed the culture and brought the pieces together for 2 decades of success.
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Post by rkarp on Apr 5, 2024 11:41:58 GMT -5
under rated and under appreciated-Steve B
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Post by jri37 on Apr 5, 2024 11:54:25 GMT -5
under rated and under appreciated-Steve B
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Post by ucmiami on Apr 5, 2024 16:18:54 GMT -5
under rated and under appreciated-Steve B We are going to find out if he was holding Mayo's hand, or if Mayo was holding his when they were co-defensive signal callers. (As I remember it they sort of alternated, and then half way through the year it seemed Steve took over, but I might have that wrong.)
But not a bad choice - everyone sort of wrote him off as a nepotism hire, but suddenly he was calling the defenses and they played well for him.
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Post by seattlepat2016 on Apr 5, 2024 20:58:37 GMT -5
I'm going with Thunderstick. He 100% changed the culture and brought the pieces together for 2 decades of success. Serious? Or Sarcastic?
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Post by muzwell on Apr 5, 2024 22:04:35 GMT -5
I'm going with Thunderstick. He 100% changed the culture and brought the pieces together for 2 decades of success. There would be no New England Patriots without him That’s a fact. They would have been the St Louis Stallions. It wasn’t some long shot. They had uniforms and logos and the whole thing. It was a done deal. Kraft singlehandedly blocked it. People forget this stuff. Maybe years later an expansion team would have moved in and taken the Patriots name but they weren’t as popular then and neither was football in the area, so it might have been a long wait if it ever happened at all How long did LA wait, 25 years, 30? Something like that. And there’d have been no Belichick and no Brady and none of it. Not in New England. So, yeah I don’t like some of the stuff he’s done lately but we all owe the man some serious gratitude.
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Post by wazzu on Apr 5, 2024 23:06:39 GMT -5
I'm going with Thunderstick. He 100% changed the culture and brought the pieces together for 2 decades of success. There would be no New England Patriots without him That’s a fact. They would have been the St Louis Stallions. It wasn’t some long shot. They had uniforms and logos and the whole thing. It was a done deal. Kraft singlehandedly blocked it. People forget this stuff. Maybe years later an expansion team would have moved in and taken the Patriots name but they weren’t as popular then and neither was football in the area, so it might have been a long wait if it ever happened at all How long did LA wait, 25 years, 30? Something like that. And there’d have been no Belichick and no Brady and none of it. Not in New England. So, yeah I don’t like some of the stuff he’s done lately but we all owe the man some serious gratitude. I must be missing something. I’m assuming “Thunderstick” is Kraft? If so, great post. Totally agree. He probably saved the franchise in NE.
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Post by patslifer on Apr 6, 2024 3:22:32 GMT -5
I'm going with Thunderstick. He 100% changed the culture and brought the pieces together for 2 decades of success. Serious? Or Sarcastic? Serious. For the reasons Muzwell stated.
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Post by ATJ on Apr 6, 2024 5:43:15 GMT -5
I am also of the opinion that absent Robert Kraft, none of what we have enjoyed over the years would have happened. Lifer said it first, Muz said it best, wazzu correctly characterized him as the savior. I'm just along for the ride.
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Post by mbeaulieu07 on Apr 6, 2024 9:19:08 GMT -5
I personally have a hard time considering either BB or RKK to be underrated. I mean, BB is viewed by most as the GOAT football guy, and Kraft has long been viewed as one the best, and most influential owners in the league.
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Post by wazzu on Apr 6, 2024 9:22:29 GMT -5
I personally have a hard time considering either BB or RKK to be underrated. I mean, BB is viewed by most as the GOAT football guy, and Kraft has long been viewed as one the best, and most influential owners in the league. As great as both of those men are widely considered, I think they are both still severely underrated for all that they accomplished. Its remarkable.
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Post by belestrator on Apr 6, 2024 9:29:39 GMT -5
I nominate Roman Phifer, who was an outstanding LB that was a bit overshadowed by Bruschi and Vrabel. I thought he was very underrated.
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Post by wazzu on Apr 6, 2024 9:30:07 GMT -5
I nominate Roman Phifer, who was an outstanding LB that was a bit overshadowed by Bruschi and Vrabel. I thought he was very underrated. Good one. I agree.
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Post by carawaydj on Apr 6, 2024 9:40:24 GMT -5
This is a good thread and there are numerous people who come to mind. As far as non players goes, I'm inclined to go with Ernie Adams too. My underrated player goes to Edelman. What? Edelman? The guy the fans loved? Yes, that guy. Outside of New England he should have been talked about like any of the top WRs in the league. He never got a big contract. When he hit FA no team really wanted to pay more than a cold cup of coffee for him. When we talk about how football is a TEAM game his name comes to mind…and there are definitely some SBs we don't win without him. I once said that I'd take a healthy Edelman in his prime over any other WR in the NFL. I said that after we beat Seattle in the SB. I meant it. He wasn't a diva. He was tough as f$%k. He was clutch. Sure, he was loved in New England and liked outside of it, but he was never considered a top flight WR.
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Post by wazzu on Apr 6, 2024 10:05:11 GMT -5
This is a good thread and there are numerous people who come to mind. As far as non players goes, I'm inclined to go with Ernie Adams too. My underrated player goes to Edelman. What? Edelman? The guy the fans loved? Yes, that guy. Outside of New England he should have been talked about like any of the top WRs in the league. He never got a big contract. When he hit FA no team really wanted to pay more than a cold cup of coffee for him. When we talk about how football is a TEAM game his name comes to mind…and there are definitely some SBs we don't win without him. I once said that I'd take a healthy Edelman in his prime over any other WR in the NFL. I said that after we beat Seattle in the SB. I meant it. He wasn't a diva. He was tough as f$%k. He was clutch. Sure, he was loved in New England and liked outside of it, but he was never considered a top flight WR. Excellent post. I agree
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Post by jri37 on Apr 6, 2024 11:37:04 GMT -5
I nominate Roman Phifer, who was an outstanding LB that was a bit overshadowed by Bruschi and Vrabel. I thought he was very underrated. When BB brought him in it wasn’t just for his football talent which was very good. He considered him the consummate professional and locker room leader.
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Post by negame on Apr 6, 2024 12:51:54 GMT -5
Anyone putting BB here needs to look up the definition of underrated
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Post by wazzu on Apr 6, 2024 12:57:43 GMT -5
Anyone putting BB here needs to look up the definition of underrated It’s a word which allows people to form their own opinion. You make not think Belichick is underrated, others may think he is. They are different opinions. Yours isn’t better than mine, and mine isn’t better than yours. Just different. And that’s okay.
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Post by jri37 on Apr 6, 2024 13:03:45 GMT -5
Interesting topic this “underrated”.
For me it is the stuff you don’t see and and the intangibles that even the stars posses that is what I perceive. That’s why I chose Big Vince. He played every technique on the DL and afforded others opportunity because opposing offenses had to account for him.
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