Patriots whiffed on an opportunity by not targeting Christian McCaffrey
The New England Patriots have an opportunity to advance in the National Football League if, and only if, they have the audaciousness to take the plunge. That means going all in at the trade deadline and going for the gusto. In past years, they haven’t.
This season, the opportunity to land one of the NFL’s top playmakers, was there, and the Patriots once again whiffed on that one and frankly, were probably never even engaged. Christian McCaffrey went to San Francisco.
Anyone who thinks the current version of the Foxborough team is ready to make a splash in the tournament, as Bill Parcells would call it, is quite off the mark.
The team is not only in the midst of a quarterback controversy between Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones (whether you’d like to admit it or not), but it also needs more talent to be able to compete if not beat the likes of the now considerably more talented Buffalo Bills.
What do the Pats need to do to close the gap in the AFC East and beyond? Let’s take a look at what needs to be done.
The New England Patriots need more playmakers
To win in the NFL you need to make more plays than your opponents. To do that you need playmakers. That’s not exactly rocket science, just simple logic. Do the New England Patriots now have enough playmakers to do that? The answer is no.
How can they rectify that deficiency? They need to make trades before the November 1 trade deadline, that’s how. Can they do it? Yes. Will they, it’s unlikely.
The Patriots on-field brain trust has been loathed to make big moves to bolster the team for a playoff or a Super Bowl run, even with the great Tom Brady under center. That cost several or more Super Bowls for certain.
But football majordomo Bill Belichick is stubborn enough to think that maybe, the squad he’s assembled is good enough without trading to make the quantum leap from a last-place team to a playoff, or even a Super Bowl-contending one. That’s hubris of the highest order.
This season, the Patriots started slowly and now, under newly inserted (due to injury) quarterback Zappe, has made strides toward competing for an NFL playoff spot. A major question is, will Belichick go back to Mac Jones as his quarterback or, keep the winner, Zappe in place? The thought here is, you roll with a winner, Zappe.
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That decision may make or break the season. But, in addition, the question has to be asked, will Belichick and his personnel staff be bold enough to make moves at the trade deadline to at least try to improve the team?
New England Patriots’ inaction is a prescription for mediocrity
The advice in this space is consistent, if you have a chance to advance into the playoffs, you make moves that will assist. That might entail trading players, good players, especially those who are in the last years of their contracts, or draft picks. If so, fair enough.
If players, you do so, especially if you don’t intend to resign them anyway. Not doing so is folly. And doing nothing can also be categorized in that way.
The New England Patriots have already missed the boat on a playmaker who could have greatly enhanced their explosiveness on offense in McCaffrey. That was a big mistake, no matter the cost in draft picks or players.
Next. New England Patriots need to use NFL Trade Deadline to strengthen team. dark
But, in the remaining 10 or so days prior to the trade deadline, will the team take proactive steps to improve and enhance their opportunities to make a statement in the season and perhaps the post-season?
The bet here is, they won’t. They always think they’re better than they are. When they had TB12 at quarterback, they may have been right. But, Tom Brady is gone, so what will they do now? We’ll see before the November 1 NFL Trade Deadline. But don’t expect too much, at all. It’s the Patriot way.