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Memo to Whom It May Concern in Patriotsland

 Dear Sirs and/or Madams in the Front Office: The following is a list of quarterbacks drafted with the third pick in the NFL draft since the merged NFL-AFL draft began in 1967.

1967: Steve Spurrier (note, number four pick Bob Griese is in the Hall of Fame).

1970: Mike Phipps

1971: Dan Pastorini

1979 Jack "The Throwin' Samoan" Thompson (4th pick Dan Hampton, Hall of Fame

1986: Jim Everett

1994: Heath Shuler

1995: Steve McNair

1999: Akili Smith (4th pick Edgerrin James, Hall of Fame)

2002: Joey Harrington

2006: Vince Young

2008: Matt Ryan

2014: Blake Bortles

2018: Sam Darnold

2021: Trey Lance

       As a group, these QBs fail to impress. Everett and Pastorini had OK careers. McNair and Ryan did better than that. Each won an MVP, each had a team reach the Super Bowl but lost. Otherwise, oy. There are some historic failures on the lost -- Firing an executive or two type failures.

Past performance is no guarantee of future success, as the Wall Street ads say, but this list strongly suggests the Pats should do even deeper study of their tapes of Marvin Harrison Jr.

posted by Michael Gee @ 11:06 AM 0 comments

The Triumph of Hope Over Experience

 In the winter of 2020, the New England Patriots organization, led by coach Bill Belichick but certainly including team owner Robert Kraft, decided that the team could lose quarterback Tom Brady and continue with business as usual, maybe with a hiccup or two, but nothing that couldn't be handled.

This assessment turned out to be erroneous.

In the winter of 2024, owner Robert Kraft decided the resulting disasters were Belichick's fault (he bears his share of blame and then some), so he fired the coach and replaced him with young, smart, Jerod Mayo, whose only football experience was working for Belichick. In fact, as far as can be told, the entire organization created and ruled by Belichick for a quarter of a century will remain in place. Their natural talents will bloom without the shade cast by the previous hooded tyrant.

Could be. Kraft's smart, too. But I'd keep my money in my pocket when a Patriots game goes on the board next fall.

posted by Michael Gee @ 9:13 PM 0 comments