plasticman
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Prior to 2011 there was no rookie salary cap. Rookies were free to negotiate contracts the same way veteran free agents did, particularly at the top of the draft and particularly if he was a quarterback or "generational" talent at a skill position.
Therefore, completely untested QB's that were top 5 picks, could command the same salary as a veteran All Pro.
Belichick recognized this imbalance long before the rest of the NFL and used it as a tool to achieve 19 consecutive winning seasons. He determined that the possibility of the player's performance being proportional to his cap hit his first four years was extremely unlikely.
So Belichick made a habit of constantly trading a 1st round pick for a group of 2nd and 3rds. Quite often it included a team's 1st round pick for the next season. He believed that 2nd and 3rd round picks could form a good team, there would be no prima donnas, contract renegotiations would go smoother. If not, he had plenty of draft ammo for the next time.
This is not to say he didn't draft in the 1st round. He very rarely took a skill player. ten of his first fifteen 1st round draft picks were defensive players, two were O-linemen, and two were TE's.
For the five drafts from 2009 to 2013, the Patriots had 12 #2 and 8 #3 draft picks. That is double the number of 2nd and 3rd picks each draft, on average. Belichick was able to maintain a solid team with excellent depth. For every starter that was a former 2nd or 3rd pick, it seemed there was another 2nd or 3rd round pick waiting in the wings.
This also allows him to absorb draft missteps. No team is without their "busts", Belichick is not a perfect evaluator. However, the abundance of premium picks made his mistakes more forgivable.
Belichick also developed a "QB farm". Regardless of his starting QB, he never ignored the position when drafting. In his 24 seasons as the head of the Patriots football operations, Belichick drafted 12 quarterbacks, an average of one every two years. They are almost equally distributed among rounds 3-7. His only #1 pick was Mac Jones, his only #2 pick was Jimmy Garoppolo.
Belichick then used his developing QB's to obtain additional draft value after using them as backups for the length of their rookie contract.
Belichick had a very cold and calculating approach to the salary cap. There was no loyalty, there was no "reward" for past achievements. he always offered what he felt was a contract proportional to the players expected production. if a veteran's skillset was diminished then the contract offer reflected that. Again, there was always a solid backup waiting in the wings.
To be sure, the greatest contributing player to those championships was Tom Brady. however, he didn't do it alone. Belichicks coaching produced disciplined and highly productive teams.
However, Belichicks strategy for talent acquisition, cap management and the ability to obtain additional draft value whenever possible made him just as responsible as the de facto GM for the franchise's success.
Therefore, completely untested QB's that were top 5 picks, could command the same salary as a veteran All Pro.
Belichick recognized this imbalance long before the rest of the NFL and used it as a tool to achieve 19 consecutive winning seasons. He determined that the possibility of the player's performance being proportional to his cap hit his first four years was extremely unlikely.
So Belichick made a habit of constantly trading a 1st round pick for a group of 2nd and 3rds. Quite often it included a team's 1st round pick for the next season. He believed that 2nd and 3rd round picks could form a good team, there would be no prima donnas, contract renegotiations would go smoother. If not, he had plenty of draft ammo for the next time.
This is not to say he didn't draft in the 1st round. He very rarely took a skill player. ten of his first fifteen 1st round draft picks were defensive players, two were O-linemen, and two were TE's.
For the five drafts from 2009 to 2013, the Patriots had 12 #2 and 8 #3 draft picks. That is double the number of 2nd and 3rd picks each draft, on average. Belichick was able to maintain a solid team with excellent depth. For every starter that was a former 2nd or 3rd pick, it seemed there was another 2nd or 3rd round pick waiting in the wings.
This also allows him to absorb draft missteps. No team is without their "busts", Belichick is not a perfect evaluator. However, the abundance of premium picks made his mistakes more forgivable.
Belichick also developed a "QB farm". Regardless of his starting QB, he never ignored the position when drafting. In his 24 seasons as the head of the Patriots football operations, Belichick drafted 12 quarterbacks, an average of one every two years. They are almost equally distributed among rounds 3-7. His only #1 pick was Mac Jones, his only #2 pick was Jimmy Garoppolo.
Belichick then used his developing QB's to obtain additional draft value after using them as backups for the length of their rookie contract.
Belichick had a very cold and calculating approach to the salary cap. There was no loyalty, there was no "reward" for past achievements. he always offered what he felt was a contract proportional to the players expected production. if a veteran's skillset was diminished then the contract offer reflected that. Again, there was always a solid backup waiting in the wings.
To be sure, the greatest contributing player to those championships was Tom Brady. however, he didn't do it alone. Belichicks coaching produced disciplined and highly productive teams.
However, Belichicks strategy for talent acquisition, cap management and the ability to obtain additional draft value whenever possible made him just as responsible as the de facto GM for the franchise's success.
