I think cap is an excuse. Other teams have to deal with the same cap limitations.
I also think blaming the head coach and the quarterback doesn't hold up (completely). We haven't been to an NFC Championship Game in 28 years, we've had several head coaches and quarterbacks since then.
Yes, there are always multiple factors involved in coming up short, but the one constant in our failures is the front office. We shouldn't just blame Jerry, but we also should realize that he's the one part of the equation that has not changed.
I think fans get distracted from that by a bad performance, bad coaching decision, etc. The way you overcome the bad things that happen is by putting together a team that has players at every level who can step up. The front office's main fault is its approach to roster building, which leaves this team with weak links that break under pressure.
It is not cap limitations. It is cap allocation. As an organization you have to decide how to spend the money. Ex: 45% on defense, 45% on offense,
10% Special teams.
On defense do you tie up a majority of your money on DB's and pass rushers, because it is a passing league now and then you can't stop the run?
If you are going to pay elite money to a player they better be good at everything. Not just 1 thing.
Pay by position seems to change every few years. Now WR are getting big money and RB's not so much. I would draft the more expensive positions and pick up the cheaper ones in free agency. Need to now and be able to understand the trends in advance.
I am not sure the Jones' even have a strategy.
What I noticed a lot about Belichick over years is he did not follow the trends, and often went in the opposite direction. Trends create demand which drives up the price, when you go in the opposite direction you are getting things on a discount.
Example if the entire league is switching to a 3-4, he went to a 4-3. Resulting in more supply for him, lowering costs.
Belichick was the master of the tweener. Good player in college that would get passed up because they were too small as WR, or not big enough to play TE.
A tweener would fall in the draft creating great value, then defenses would struggle on how to defend it.
Example. 6'5 TE, too small to be a great inline blocker, bur not fast enough to be a WR. These types of players would fall in the draft regardless of how successful in college. Belichick recognized that and took advantage of it. Spit them out or put them in the slot, too fast for a LB to cover and too big and physical for DB's to cover.
Belichick basically started small WR's playing out of the back field as a RB. No way LB's could keep up with them. He basically re-invented the run game with quick passes to undersized WR's.
Good coaches figure out what you do best and take advantage of it. They don't force a square peg in a round hole to fit their system. Adjust the system weekly to take advantage of mismatches. That is what good teams do.
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