New England Patriots Rumors: Earl Thomas needs a dose of Bill Belichick

Why the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick could be the perfect remedy for Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas.

After Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas has literally punched his way off of the Baltimore Ravens roster, could Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots be a landing spot the for one of the best in the game?

One team’s loss can be another team’s gain and that is usually how Belichick gets star players to New England, but is a player like Thomas worth risking team chemistry?

Talent wise, absolutely yes.  Cap wise, the Patriots have the space to even outbid a team like the Dallas Cowboys, who are rumored to be frontrunners, but what about his attitude?

Due to the reason Earl Thomas was released, as outlined by NFL Insider Adam Schefter below, it sounds like the Pro Bowl safety was a cancer in the locker room, which is actually right up Belichick’s ally.

If the rewards outweigh the risks, Bill Belichick would absolutely be interested in a winning football player like Thomas.

From an off-the-field standpoint, the Patriots have taken these types of risks before in bringing in players like Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, Aqib Talib and Thomas’s ex-Legion of Boom teammate Brandon Browner.  All of those players adapted to “The Patriot Way” because of the resume of Belichick.

A no nonsense coach who urges players to put the team first, Belichick may just be the medicine a veteran player like Earl Thomas needs.

Why Earl Thomas is a fit for the New England Patriots

On a football level, he fits.  Not only would the addition of Earl Thomas make the New England Patriots the best in the league, he would bring both attitude and championship leadership to go along with Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty.

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With the trade of Duron Harmon and the opt out of Patrick Chung, bringing in another high-level deep safety would allow second-round pick Kyle Dugger and newcomer Adrian Phillips to play more of that Chung role in the box.  On a one-year deal, absolutely makes sense, but could the Patriots convince Thomas to come to Foxboro instead of the Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans?

Besides an opportunity to play for a coach like Bill Belichick, he might jump at an opportunity to stick it to the Baltimore Ravens.  In doing so would create a safety duo the future Hall-of Fame coach would absolutely love.

In talking about Earl Thomas back in 2016, the Patriots coach compared the star to the one defensive player he has shown a lot of respect for during his career, Ed Reed.

"“He’s more than a middle-of-the-field player,” Belichick said, via NBC Sports Boston.  “This is…a version of Ed Reed.  He makes a lot of very instinctive plays.  He anticipates very well.  He’s got good speed, good range, good ball skills, good anticipation.  He makes plays that maybe the conventional safety wouldn’t make because of his anticipation, his experience.”"

With the way Belichick has raved about Ed Reed, there seems to be no doubt he would bring in a player like Earl Thomas if the fit and the money is right.  He would also have to know he could get through to the All-Pro safety.

In forcing his way out of Seattle and now Baltimore, maybe it is time Thomas has a dose of a coach like Belichick and a hard-nosed environment like the New England Patriots organization to humble him a bit.